More work done on the engine strip down.
Pistons are out.They couldn't be removed without damaging several. Then found that they are unusable anyway, from sitting in cylinders that are severely rusted below the piston tops. Worse still in lower bore. Piston rods will not be reused, due to the force I had to subject them to while removing. No big deal there. I have a brand new set of 8BA rods that arrived on Friday (I saw this issue coming). New pistons & rings were planned originally so no great loss there. Resleeving is no longer desired, it's mandatory. I won't be overboring these walls. Besides, thinner walls means higher running temperatures, so thats not a good idea.
Crankshaft looks good. The mains aren't worn at all. Some wear at piston rod points and these will be ground down to 1.990", to accomodate the new con rods and bearings.
Cleaning of the sump is a most disgusting job. In the progress of which, I found 2x rust holes on one side, a small external crack (easily fixed) and a mysterious cluster of three small holes towards the front of the pan gasket surface. These have been deliberately drilled but seem to have no beneficial purpose! I'll get a friend to braze the rust-outs and I will weld the holes and the crack, myself.
This little nugget was unexpected. Finding something like this is very disappointing. On this engine, i'm now used to it! When I bought it, it was supposed to have been a 'good' engine to rebuild! Hmmmm. Well, it's mine now, so I will persist. If I discard this one, it'll just go into the scrap, and that would be a shame. After removing all the crud, the idler gear and cam gear are both rooted, but both are available.
Can't wait to get the block crack cleaned & crack tested. It better bloody well pass! With all the new parts in it, this should be just about factory frest.