[maple_leaf_eh]

Tonight was another 1-hr long road trip to visit Dave and the Jeep. The body work is well in hand. Lots still to do, but the serious fabrication and welding is all done. The spare engine turned out to offer zero usuable parts for the installed engine. Grumble grumble. Its condition should have been a lesson and a warning. The block and head are probably good; just nothing attached to them.

When the installed engine that 'only had a knock', was opened up, all four pistons and rings were trash. One had deep erosion on rim where the top ring had failed. Part of the ring were smashing pits in the piston face. Good thing that is a non-interference fit head and valves.

It looks like there was a cascade of failures, starting with one or more vacuum lines failing. That led to the carb running rich. The extra fuel washed down the middle 2 pistons and cylinders. Those two were the worst. The skirt on No 2 piston cracked and was getting ready to depart the wrist pin. The pins on Nos 1 and 4 showed shellac and bright spots where there were failing from lack of lubrication. No 3 was doing OK, but the rich mixture had managed to erode part of the seat for the top ring, and it gouged itself a subtle notch for the end of the ring whenever it stroked. All four pistons and rods are only good for souvenirs. I am telling myself it was a good thing I stopped driving it before something really exciting happened, and marveling how robust that little 141.5 cube engine is.

In previous conversations, Dave gave me the thoroughly sad news. I goofed off a work day to research parts. So far, only one seller seems to have everything needed. More to follow on how that works out, but it was not a reseller that would have been most people's first guess. (I'll give Brian Asbury first refusal before I order from the US.)

I should also admit, hopefully I reassured Dave that yes we'd agreed on a price before he got started. But reality has made that an unworkable number. So he doesn't lose $$$$, I told him I would adjust on our agreement. In the words of Clive Law, I don't know mechanicals but I know how to write a cheque.