Back at it....

It took some time, but I finally got back into the shop.  The last few weeks have been real busy between work and family commitments, and I'm trying to keep moving forward.

This afternoon, I took another crack at removing the last two head studs.  Unfortunately, they continue to be stuck half-way out of the block, and by stuck I mean they don't seem to want to go either way (all the way in or all the way out):​

Next, I'm going to try something suggested by some on the interwebs - make a penetrating oil with equal parts acetone and automatic transmission fluid.  So far PB Blaster hasn't worked, so why not?  It apparently works very well in exactly this situation.  So add acetone to the shopping list and check the shed for ATF, I'm certain I have some. 

Rather than dwell on this, I thought I'd take the steps to separate the case halves.  If you recall, I mounted the block sideways on the engine mount to prevent the crank and cam from falling out of the block as it separates.  They came apart surprisingly easy with some light tapping on the non mating surfaces with a rubber mallet:

Getting a good look inside now!  Crank is likely trash, way too much rust and pitting on the connecting rod throw bearings.  The cam?  Hard to say, but it looks bad too and maybe it can be salvaged but probably not. Disappointing, but I already have two good cores for exchange form the 110hp core engine, so no big deal.  Found more rodent debris and I think this core has been sitting dry (without oil) for a long time:

Also conspicuously absent are any bearings.  Looks like someone decided they didn't need to be replaced yet.  That's okay, I'll need specifically sized new ones once the crank and cam are serviced.

Carefully removing the old crank and cam reveals some surface rust on the block bearing surfaces.  I think this is more of a transfer of rust staining from the crank and cam and hopefully they should easily clean up:

The two holes to the right of this bearing are where the hydraulic lifters sit between the cam lobes and push-rods, They look great.

I was a bit worried about the bottom edge of the block, but then realized that this mating surface is inside the engine (above the oil pan), so small leaks here although not ideal, are not an issue.  A close look at it looks like this is the spot someone previous used to pry apart the halves:

They look better once I used the shop-vac to clean away the last of the mouse debris.  The inside of this block seems pretty clean otherwise:

One final thing I did while putting away the crank was to try giving it the "ring test".  It's something I learned from the FlyCorvair.com DVD.  A simple test used to check a crank for cracks (especially hidden ones) is to hold the crank from one end and give it a light tap with a hammer.  A good crank will "ring" for up to 20 seconds once tapped lightly.

I tried this....  my cranks rings, but not consistently.  The first time it rang for a few seconds, the second time a bit longer but the third?  "Clunk".  Perhaps I'm not striking it consistently.  Either way, this crank is likely junk with all the rust pitting.  Just wanted to try it.

But at least it's all apart and I'll be able to start moving towards assembly of my new power-plant!

Next up....  taking out the oil gallery plugs (if they will come out!), start power-washing and hand cleaning everything....