Swapping engines

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

Not quite finished but getting there. Unfortunately, I have to go out to dinner, so finishing touches will have to wait until tomorrow.

Wow! that looks great! Judging by how the socket fits in there I'd oversize it a bit in case the fitting sits at an angle. Maybe you can try a dry fit to make sure?

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by piper6909

Wow! that looks great! Judging by how the socket fits in there I'd oversize it a bit in case the fitting sits at an angle. Maybe you can try a dry fit to make sure?

I'll definitely dry fit it, Al. The notch needs a little work on the left side, which will open it up another millimeter. You mentioned the angle; I've been considering making the notch's sides the same angle as the oil fitting. It's only five degrees or so off vertical...

Wait a minute... angling the sides strays into the kind of obsessiveness I'm trying to subdue these days. It could be done, sure, and it would turn out nice, but it makes more sense (and would take a whole lot less time) to simply open up the un-angled notch until it has clearance enough to accommodate the angle.

The dry fitting will tell the tale.

[piper6909]

Originally Posted by LoneWolfGal

I'll definitely dry fit it, Al. The notch needs a little work on the left side, which will open it up another millimeter. You mentioned the angle; I've been considering making the notch's sides the same angle as the oil fitting. It's only five degrees or so off vertical...

Wait a minute... angling the sides strays into the kind of obsessiveness I'm trying to subdue these days. It could be done, sure, and it would turn out nice, but it makes more sense (and would take a whole lot less time) to simply open up the un-angled notch until it has clearance enough to accommodate the angle.

The dry fitting will tell the tale.

Don't worry, you're not OCD enough unless you try to devise some sort of dust boot to seal the hole you just made! Until you try that, I'd say you already have it under control.🤣

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by piper6909

Don't worry, you're not OCD enough unless you try to devise some sort of dust boot to seal the hole you just made! Until you try that, I'd say you already have it under control.🤣

Go ahead and laugh, Al, but a dust boot did cross my mind! I've got some 1/4"-thick scrap rubber that could be pressed (literally) into service.

[Gilles]

Wow! It is very impressive how clean the radius of the cut came out, if you file the sharp points a bit, it could pass as a factory made notch :-)

[LoneWolfGal]

After I returned from my dinner engagement last night I headed out to the shop. Where I promptly destroyed my last sanding/grinding drum. So I had Amazon overnight these replacements at $7.99 for 210 drums. (And nighttime is over, so where are my drums?!)



https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D2DF2RGK

A drum sander/grinder is all you need to grind the notch. Aluminum burr bits are massive overkill; they don't provide the fine control you need. It's like using a bulldozer when you really need a shovel. Intended for Dremels, the drums have 1/8" shanks, but my Ryobi right-angle grinder can accommodate them. No B.S., the drums' 80-grit aluminum oxide cuts through the crankcase's aluminum with no problem. Forget drills, forget hacksaws, and especially forget aluminum burr bits — drums are the answer.

[LoneWolfGal]

Originally Posted by Gilles

Wow! It is very impressive how clean the radius of the cut came out, if you file the sharp points a bit, it could pass as a factory made notch :-)

Great minds, Gilles. My metal-fabricator friend Mark told me the same thing. According to him, sharp edges combined with vibration tends to promote cracks. "Soften them edges," he said. Good looking out, you guys. But I intended to hit those edges anyway. The goal is to make the notch look factory.

[LoneWolfGal]

Before I made further alterations to the notch I tried a dry fit. I vacuumed aluminum particles from the inside of the bell housing and used a tack rag to catch any stragglers. Then I peeled the opening's seal off and set the flange in the opening, taking care not to push it in, which could damage the flange's triple seal. I used a bolt to hold the flange in place. The notch had enough clearance to put a socket on the flange, but it was tight. So I replaced the seal over the opening (it had more than enough stickum left) and opened the notch a couple millimeters. That was perfect. I also made the notch a millimeter or so deeper so that, when bolted to the bell housing the transmission case wouldn't interfere with the socket. Finally, I "softened" the notch's edges with a flat bastard file (and didn't need to use a round motherflipper). The end result looked as though the factory machined it, which was my objective.

I'm glad that's done. Now I'm waiting for the Supplemental kit to get here so I can install the Solution. LN shipped it today and it's scheduled to arrive on 2/17, a welcome break that will allow me to attend to some things I've been putting off, things that actually bring in money.