Engine Removal - Time for a rebuild!!

Warning... long blog post with lots of pictures... if you are on a mobile device, the punchline is the engine is out and has been taken for reconditoning...  if you want to see lots of pictures, read on!!

The day rolled around when the boys were to remove Booger Mobile's engine and take it to be reconditioned...  In preparation for Jason's arrival, Damian rolled Booger Mobile forward and dropped the coolant...

The radiator was removed and set to the side...

And the fan removed from the front of the engine...

Once Damian had unbolted all the extractor bolts (collecting a heap of fibres in his arms from the heat tape), and most of the bolts connecting the engine to the transmission, Jason arrived with the engine crane.

Here it comes now... if you look at the large version of this picture and use your imagination, it's almost 3D!!

Jason's son Jake came along to give a hand...

And then promptly took over camera duties!!  The boys struggled with the engine...

Then with a bit of gentle persuasion...

Nearly there!!

And finally it's clear of the engine bay!!

A bit more maneuvering and it's up, up and awayyyyyyyyy!!

Looking a little forlorn, with the majestic Booger Mobile in the background...

Voila!!  One empty engine bay...  While the engine is out, Damian is going to put more heat tape on the extractors, and Jason's friend Kerry is going to come around and weld up the split in the subframe on the passenger side...

One engine...  just hanging around!!

And loaded into the back of Jason's work ute...

Gratuitous plug for Jason's business...

Best take the engine crane back to get the engine off the ute at the other end!!

Booger Mobile was moved so far backwards, it was almost out the back wall of the shed!!

See??!!!?!?!?!

With the engine removed and ready to take to Jason's friend, it was time to get started on some shelving and a workbench...  However, the boys had barely started when it was time to take the engine to Jason's friend Dave's place...

Off the ute and into the shed... Dave has his first look at the engine...

Safety first!!  This is where the ear plugs are!!

Step one - attach the engine to a special engine stand so that it can be rotated and worked on safely...

Jason gives his "trust me, I know a doctor" smile and begins removing the tappet cover...

Damian got the fun job of dropping the oil!!

And the tappet cover is removed (and the carby)...  all looking good here!!

Damian has a turn with the air ratchet... bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzt...

And this is what the top of the cylinders look like...  Dave says that they aren't looking completely destroyed, but aren't particularly good either...

Dave cleans the cylinders to see what's stamped on top...  030...  this means the engine was rebuilt at some stage, but not for a long, long time!!

Jason had a bit of a shocker and dropped an engine mount in the oil...  Damian laughed!!

Time to flip the engine over and remove the sump...

Inside the oil pickup looked in serviceable condition... that's not the problem!!

Hmmm...  is there a problem in here??

Time to get the puller to remove the pulley assembly...

Oh bother... This chain isn't meant to have this much play in it, now is it???

And here's another big problem... see the copper coloured bit here?  It's not meant to be there, it should all be that nice silver colour...  This is one of the sleeve bearings that the crank shaft turns on...  Not good...

Jason points so something random, while Dave undoes yet another bolt...

All the cylinders are removed...  You can see all the way through now!!

Here are some spare parts... hopefully Dave knows how it all goes back together!!

Checking for excess play in the camshaft...

Another shelf full of parts out of Booger Mobile's engine...

The block, completely stripped, with a sump full of the innards...

So Booger Mobile's engine is out, and the block is stripped, ready to be machined...  The boys spent a bit of time checking out some of Dave's other projects... and found that there was a carby that might just fit on Booger Mobile... what do you think??

(For those who don't realise, that's Booger Mobile's carby on the left in the pic above!!)

The engine will be off being rebuilt for a week or two, so the boys will be finishing some of the other work on Booger Mobile in preparation for its return...

Stay tuned for more blog posts over the coming days and weeks!!