"Old Betsy" was the nickname given to the hand-built prototype of Caterpillar's first diesel engine model, the D9900. Assembled on June 28, 1930, in San Leandro, Calif., she was given the serial number 1A14 and was used in tests for more than 16 months before the engine was deemed ready for production in late 1931.
I've been a auto motorhead for 55 years, and now, with you, Matt, and Area Diesel Service's help and education, I am now starting to feel like a vintage diesel motorhead as well! It's nice to see guys who don't act like screaming swearing apes take problems like the normal things they are with a smile, even when disappointments happen. Thanks for the great content, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment on the Bay City shovel saga!
That's why I like watching your channel because it's more complex and you try to fix things right, instead of other channels that hack something just to get a video out.
@@ScrappyIndustries as an engineer with over 50 years experience, although for me it was big ship engines, I really enjoy watching you work on this kind of engine. It gives me faith in the younger generations. 👍
check Squatch 253 for info on the pistons. When he did the engine for his 1938 D2, he went over the piston typeses. IIRC, that is OEM design, and yours are way too loose. That was the problem with the 2 piece pistons, the "ring" comes loose and you lunch the engine.
It's kind of exciting when it happens. A cloud of aluminum bits came out the exhaust while the engine knocked. Bent rod, destroyed lifters but ran enough to get the tractor loaded.
You beat me to the punch. That was a cat design, a poor one but cat none the less. I have seen one fail before, cascading catastrophic failure ensuing. Check out squatch channel, he has a lot of information on these old cat engines, might even be able to steer you in the direction of the newer updated design pistons to fix yours.
That 2 piece piston design is absolutely insane! I would have never in a million braincells thought that would be a factory concept!?!? Blowing my mind to think that actually worked 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
They were known as screw top pistons in the earlier Cat diesels and they came loose after a time. All you need to do is drill out the two dowels tighten the piston top and drill knew dowel holes and re-pin the piston top- job done
The copper ring is a sleeve shim , needed to get proper sleeve height. Those sleeve pullers are great have used one for 15 years never failed me yet . Just a thought about that grader engine if it was military they sometimes have different specs for parts to aid in repairs , I know on the MM jeep ,NTX I think, they spec hydraulic lifter instead of solid like the tractors that shared the same engine. Yes running engines with a broken crank is real , had a 4440 JD come through the shop with its crank broken at a angle at the next to last main cap , still showed oil pressure but was down on power and he drove it about 12 miles to get it here , we were shocked to say the least.
Interesting that they used copper shims to adjust cylinder liner protrusion. I wonder why Cat stopped doing that because cutting the block to adjust liner protrusion can be kind of a pain when doing an in-frame in my opinion. With regards to engines running with a broken crank I have seen that on 5 or 6 engines including on in an Alcohol Dragster that had just set a new track record. The only reason we found it was because when we were baring the engine over in the pits backwards while leaking the engine and replacing the valve springs the engine locked up tighter than a drum. In reality it was a fortunate thing because I seriously doubt it would have survived the next pass. I also have seen tops of pistons break off and the engine continued to run albeit it had a miss but it didn’t smoke or make any strange noises.
My first “real” mechanic job was working for the local Allis-Chalmers dealership. We had a customer bring in a WD that needed an overhaul. I got the job of doing an in-frame on it. Got it done and running good and shipped it. A few weeks later the tractor was back in the shop making a horrible knocking noise coming from the bottom end. I felt terrible because I thought I could have messed up something. Turned out to be a broken crank. Our working theory was that the crank had a defect, and the increased power after the rebuild caused it to finally fail.
@@gullreefclub I work on mostly John Deere equipment and with some of the rebuild kits now days the liners are not as thick on the top so I've used up to 35 thou shims on them , also I'm no stranger to mixing up parts to get things fixed.
Squatch 253 has some videos early in his d2 restoration series that show those multi piece pistons, yours are failing, also those are Cat factory pistons
Don't apologize for your video running out of time before you finish the work. This is a very interesting undertaking - more work is just more great entertainment for us subscribers!
Sometimes it seems that it's not about the educational experience, but rather the real world experience that You and Matt both have. The ability and willingness to try and troubleshoot, and then keep moving it forward. Always enjoy what you guys are doing.
Hey it’s a rebuild and these things are expected. Cool that you are figuring it out though. I know you’ll be able to come up with a working solution that is gonna look fantastic. You are doing great Sam.
Those pistons are old OEM early 2 piece pistons. They were known to fail. Later pistons were one piece. Yeah, yours were bad ready to destroy your motor.
Just in case... Mic your crank, rod journal, measure the rods for length and journal diameter. Check the crank throw and piston length. You don't the piston skirt to hit the crank or top to hit the valve. You MAY end up swapping rods. I saw the wrist pins had clips. While it's apart and you're cleaning that way you can assemble with confidence.
Interesting, I like the fact you were able to figure out what you can do to get one good engine out of two engines. Your knowledge of diesel engines is impressive to me and interesting to listen to. Looking forward to seeing the reassembling of the engine and getting it back into the Bay City. Thanks for the video, I appreciate the time and effort you put into the videos.
I bought one of those chineseium propane instant water heaters and connected it to my pressure washer and it works fairly well, but I'd bet if I had bought two and hooked them in parallel with 'T' fittings on the water inlet and outlet, it would have been as close to a $3k steam genni as one could get for less than a 1/4 of the price. 23:38 I'm surprised there was no gasketed access cover on the oil pan for that relief knob, or was there one that I couldn't see on the video? OK, I went back and looked closer and there was a cover.
When we were making parts for military machines, they were kept separate from current Cat parts. Military specs were different. Example: we had gone to O rings but the military still wanted gaskets .
I think Matt can sympathize with the forklift method of standing an engine up. I would have done the roof dent too no way around it. No apology necessary it’s all good.
I remember watching an episode of Squatch253 who was rebuilding a D2 tractor and he mentioned that some had that type of piston which was prone to failure and was superseded.
What a can of vipers you opened! I have no doubt that you will get it back together and running again. Made for a first class video and thanks for that.
When you buy a crane and suddenly everything you do involves the use of the crane..... a timely purchase...... cheers from a guy in New Zealand leaning on a crane......
It's easy for me to say. But I'm glad you ran into so many problems, lol. I love when you rip into things and rebuild. Love all the glory in the old steel.
Hey Sam, if I remember from Squatch253 channel early on how n his 5J1113 build he mentioned the early pistons were the 2 piece with the steel insert and they had the same failing point as your pistons there. The later ones were a one piece.
When you tip it up on its tail throw that 6 x 6 I see in the background under the flywheel housing to catch it when it drops over center. Then you can lift it back up with out all of the flopping around drama. And ditto on the protrusion comment above. Pay attention to it. The value should be in your specifications. Best of luck with the swaps...they can be a pain.
I'm only here because I saw you help your mate Matt pick up some other junk for his farm, figured you were way too interested in the same junk to not be interesting. I feel for you, just a quick engine swap, only a few minor differences. And bam, rebuilding the original engine using parts from the "good" "replacement" engine.
I'm not a diesel or heavy equipment guy, but I enjoy your content and learning more about old equipment from you and Matt. I've owned a 1975 Bobcat 610 for over 35 years, so I appreciate the struggles of availability and price of parts.
Sam, pay attention to your liner protrusion when you reassemble. That head gasket seals on the top of the liner. If that protrusion is out of spec, youll have future head gasket issues. I dont know what the actual spec is unfortunately
On rod bearings the wear is going to be on the rod half vs the cap half of the bearing. Being the rod pushes down on the crankshaft the bottom half of ros bearing won't show any wear
I agree 100% guess I didn’t really show top bearing on camera. I checked up and down play with the crank at 90 where I felt most wear would be. They’re pretty fresh
The 4600 was a good engine. Cat wasn’t in the diesel business very long when they introduced it. I respect the effort you are making to build a good one out of what you have there. Great video.
Sqatch253 has some good videos on the old Cat engines and I've seen those loose top pistons. Factory threaded on. The dimples keep it from turning until they get wear.
You're starting to convince me i need to find a terex now. Btw,, you mention broken cranks. I bought a one-ton wrecker years ago with a bad knock (chevy gas engine). I drove the thing home...when i pulled the motor to replace it I was shocked to see the crank was broken in half about midway- right at a rod throw. The way it was broken it couldn't "spin" past itself but it made one hell of a noise😂
Haha, we make jobs seem simple when we vision it… then the equipment laughs in our face and and says “jokes on you “… Well, I’ll be looking forward to the next show. Thanks Sam
Great video Sam. Shows issues most folk will run into when working with old equipment. I'd like to see if the oil pressure increases now you found that bypass adjuster on the bay city engine
Nice job, but to prevent hitting the ceiling, put a battery operated horn with a "sensor" switch on top of the beam. When you are lifting and wiggling, you forget about that ceiling
Quite interesting comparing the 2 engines, "on the fly" modifications were quite popular in that era. Remote control crane made tipping the engines on their rear much smoother and easier than a forklift did for Matt.
Its my understand that Caterpillar wasn't very excited about the diesel engine program and began it somewhat begrudgingly. Folks were buying brand new Cat 60s and putting other motors in them. Most notable being Kaiser Company's Atlas Powered units.
I'm sure you saw it while editing but those scratches on that first piston looks as if they came from it rubbing across those stack of washers/impact socket that was cobbled together. @52:16
I'm Thinking that you Have a injection nozzle leaking fuel (not closing ). This will cause a Knocking sound that sounds a lot like a bearing or pin knock. looks like I'm late to the party. also the engine looks to have very few hours on a rebuild. on the pistons with the loose tops there may be a nut holding the top of the piston on. if you remove the rod you may find the connection point of the piston top.
The whole top ring of the pistons is threaded on the base to retain the cast iron top ring groove/land. That’s what has lost its tension over the years.
I think you could control your stand up of the engine by using a come a long from the crane hook to a place on the bottom of the engine. A three point support from above? or from the side would work also.
Sam, an unusual, but learn as you go always seems to be the way it is, when you are fixing up old stuff. I have found many upgrades from what I thought was the same, so nothing is really that eye opening, after all the years I have been working on stuff😊
For what it's worth. Washing down greasy engines was with jam tin of kerosine and a 1"or 2" paint brush, the brush got in and around the tricky spots agitating and loosening the stubborn grease, and, then the wash down with water. VOILA. I don't see kerosene used by anyone in USA to clean greasy parts.
Sam, you should be able to find the copper rings thru a Cat supply house. Those look kinda familiar from a cat I was tinkering with a few years ago. Though I had a local machine shop do the sleeves as I didn't have the needed tools.
Read Rudolfe Diesels book for the history of all these great machines. I love this book even though it's sad ending. Incredibly interesting to see you do a tear down of both machines, your site is great and fun to watch. Thank you.
"Old Betsy" was the nickname given to the hand-built prototype of Caterpillar's first diesel engine model, the D9900. Assembled on June 28, 1930, in San Leandro, Calif., she was given the serial number 1A14 and was used in tests for more than 16 months before the engine was deemed ready for production in late 1931.
Awesome! I love that type of info
@@ScrappyIndustries Living in the Peoria, IL area, I am aware of a lot of CAT's history. Thanks
Your standing the engine up couldn't have gone any worse than your boy Mat's did.🍻
He's picking up too many of Matt's bad habits......
I've been a auto motorhead for 55 years, and now, with you, Matt, and Area Diesel Service's help and education, I am now starting to feel like a vintage diesel motorhead as well! It's nice to see guys who don't act like screaming swearing apes take problems like the normal things they are with a smile, even when disappointments happen. Thanks for the great content, and I'm eagerly awaiting the next installment on the Bay City shovel saga!
Sam, I love you're attitude dude.
Despite the setbacks you never stop smiling.
You are an absolute legend 👍
Agreed for a young man he’s very mature and wise for his age. Remains strong positive always. Very impressed with his content
That's why I like watching your channel because it's more complex and you try to fix things right, instead of other channels that hack something just to get a video out.
Thank you i really appreciate it!
@@ScrappyIndustries as an engineer with over 50 years experience, although for me it was big ship engines, I really enjoy watching you work on this kind of engine. It gives me faith in the younger generations. 👍
check Squatch 253 for info on the pistons. When he did the engine for his 1938 D2, he went over the piston typeses. IIRC, that is OEM design, and yours are way too loose. That was the problem with the 2 piece pistons, the "ring" comes loose and you lunch the engine.
It's kind of exciting when it happens. A cloud of aluminum bits came out the exhaust while the engine knocked. Bent rod, destroyed lifters but ran enough to get the tractor loaded.
You beat me to the punch. That was a cat design, a poor one but cat none the less. I have seen one fail before, cascading catastrophic failure ensuing. Check out squatch channel, he has a lot of information on these old cat engines, might even be able to steer you in the direction of the newer updated design pistons to fix yours.
Thanks i went and checked out a couple of his videos he definitely has a lot of knowledge on the old cats!
@ScrappyIndustries oh yea he has an insane amount of knowledge about old cats I love watching his content
That 2 piece piston design is absolutely insane! I would have never in a million braincells thought that would be a factory concept!?!? Blowing my mind to think that actually worked 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯
Who knew how valuable that tyrex crane would end up being 😂
I agree!! Didnt know I couldnt live without it
@@ScrappyIndustriesthe remote is a game changer/labor saver!
It is an art in itself talking to a camera and making it interesting. Keep up all the aspects of your channel
A little “ Simple Green” in a garden sprayer would help!
i love how you are always at the exact sweet spot between: "I have no f in Clue what i am doing" and "intresting this was designed in 1930 to..."
You could mount one of those rubber squeezy horns on the top of the jib to give you an audible when you're close to the roof.
They were known as screw top pistons in the earlier Cat diesels and they came loose after a time. All you need to do is drill out the two dowels tighten the piston top and drill knew dowel holes and re-pin the piston top- job done
Squatch253 probably can provide most of your answers. He seems to be the king of Cats
The copper ring is a sleeve shim , needed to get proper sleeve height. Those sleeve pullers are great have used one for 15 years never failed me yet . Just a thought about that grader engine if it was military they sometimes have different specs for parts to aid in repairs , I know on the MM jeep ,NTX I think, they spec hydraulic lifter instead of solid like the tractors that shared the same engine. Yes running engines with a broken crank is real , had a 4440 JD come through the shop with its crank broken at a angle at the next to last main cap , still showed oil pressure but was down on power and he drove it about 12 miles to get it here , we were shocked to say the least.
Interesting that they used copper shims to adjust cylinder liner protrusion. I wonder why Cat stopped doing that because cutting the block to adjust liner protrusion can be kind of a pain when doing an in-frame in my opinion.
With regards to engines running with a broken crank I have seen that on 5 or 6 engines including on in an Alcohol Dragster that had just set a new track record. The only reason we found it was because when we were baring the engine over in the pits backwards while leaking the engine and replacing the valve springs the engine locked up tighter than a drum. In reality it was a fortunate thing because I seriously doubt it would have survived the next pass. I also have seen tops of pistons break off and the engine continued to run albeit it had a miss but it didn’t smoke or make any strange noises.
My first “real” mechanic job was working for the local Allis-Chalmers dealership. We had a customer bring in a WD that needed an overhaul. I got the job of doing an in-frame on it. Got it done and running good and shipped it. A few weeks later the tractor was back in the shop making a horrible knocking noise coming from the bottom end. I felt terrible because I thought I could have messed up something. Turned out to be a broken crank. Our working theory was that the crank had a defect, and the increased power after the rebuild caused it to finally fail.
@@gullreefclub I work on mostly John Deere equipment and with some of the rebuild kits now days the liners are not as thick on the top so I've used up to 35 thou shims on them , also I'm no stranger to mixing up parts to get things fixed.
Squatch 253 has some videos early in his d2 restoration series that show those multi piece pistons, yours are failing, also those are Cat factory pistons
Good to see a knowledgeable person not over speeding a drill, unlike so many yt dunces wondering why drills burn out.
Don't apologize for your video running out of time before you finish the work. This is a very interesting undertaking - more work is just more great entertainment for us subscribers!
Kudos to the perseverance on getting a engine for the shovel, makes for a educational and entertaining sat. morning
Sometimes it seems that it's not about the educational experience, but rather the real world experience that You and Matt both have. The ability and willingness to try and troubleshoot, and then keep moving it forward. Always enjoy what you guys are doing.
The struggle is Real yet Sam is still Smiling. I have full confidence you will get this sorted.
Where you dented the ceiling in your shop, write the date on the dent. Could be a talking point after there’s about 50 dents up there. Haha I😂😂😂
Hey it’s a rebuild and these things are expected. Cool that you are figuring it out though. I know you’ll be able to come up with a working solution that is gonna look fantastic. You are doing great Sam.
Those pistons are old OEM early 2 piece pistons. They were known to fail. Later pistons were one piece. Yeah, yours were bad ready to destroy your motor.
As you were standing the engine up, I was recalling Matt standing the Cummings up.
Just in case... Mic your crank, rod journal, measure the rods for length and journal diameter. Check the crank throw and piston length. You don't the piston skirt to hit the crank or top to hit the valve. You MAY end up swapping rods. I saw the wrist pins had clips. While it's apart and you're cleaning that way you can assemble with confidence.
Love your attitude when you run into a problem and just figure our a way to fix it.
Interesting, I like the fact you were able to figure out what you can do to get one good engine out of two engines. Your knowledge of diesel engines is impressive to me and interesting to listen to. Looking forward to seeing the reassembling of the engine and getting it back into the Bay City. Thanks for the video, I appreciate the time and effort you put into the videos.
Sharing is caring when it comes to specialized tools
I bought one of those chineseium propane instant water heaters and connected it to my pressure washer and it works fairly well, but I'd bet if I had bought two and hooked them in parallel with 'T' fittings on the water inlet and outlet, it would have been as close to a $3k steam genni as one could get for less than a 1/4 of the price.
23:38 I'm surprised there was no gasketed access cover on the oil pan for that relief knob, or was there one that I couldn't see on the video? OK, I went back and looked closer and there was a cover.
When we were making parts for military machines, they were kept separate from current Cat parts. Military specs were different. Example: we had gone to O rings but the military still wanted gaskets .
I think Matt can sympathize with the forklift method of standing an engine up.
I would have done the roof dent too no way around it.
No apology necessary it’s all good.
Just thinking the same! That lil' crane is becoming a very important item in your shop.
I remember watching an episode of Squatch253 who was rebuilding a D2 tractor and he mentioned that some had that type of piston which was prone to failure and was superseded.
Love the never quit attitude. Wish I had a rc crane!
Will also be interesting to see if the adjustment on the oil pickup will bring up the oil pressure.
I'm on the "Struggle Bus" with you! It does show the ingenuity and skill of these "old school" mechanics. Good video!!
What a can of vipers you opened! I have no doubt that you will get it back together and running again. Made for a first class video and thanks for that.
When you buy a crane and suddenly everything you do involves the use of the crane..... a timely purchase...... cheers from a guy in New Zealand leaning on a crane......
Caterpiller made those two piece pistons. I had one come apart. Amazing you didn't have the same thing happen.
It's easy for me to say. But I'm glad you ran into so many problems, lol. I love when you rip into things and rebuild. Love all the glory in the old steel.
Hey Sam, if I remember from Squatch253 channel early on how n his 5J1113 build he mentioned the early pistons were the 2 piece with the steel insert and they had the same failing point as your pistons there. The later ones were a one piece.
When you tip it up on its tail throw that 6 x 6 I see in the background under the flywheel housing to catch it when it drops over center. Then you can lift it back up with out all of the flopping around drama.
And ditto on the protrusion comment above. Pay attention to it. The value should be in your specifications.
Best of luck with the swaps...they can be a pain.
I'm only here because I saw you help your mate Matt pick up some other junk for his farm, figured you were way too interested in the same junk to not be interesting.
I feel for you, just a quick engine swap, only a few minor differences. And bam, rebuilding the original engine using parts from the "good" "replacement" engine.
I'm not a diesel or heavy equipment guy, but I enjoy your content and learning more about old equipment from you and Matt. I've owned a 1975 Bobcat 610 for over 35 years, so I appreciate the struggles of availability and price of parts.
That crane is worth it’s weight in gold
Sam, pay attention to your liner protrusion when you reassemble. That head gasket seals on the top of the liner. If that protrusion is out of spec, youll have future head gasket issues. I dont know what the actual spec is unfortunately
Well, at least those loose piston tops would keep the lower piston cooler.
Great job!
REALLY enjoying the whole "Two Engines To Make One" thing.
Thanks! We’re getting there. We assembled the short block this past weekend
Brilliant video Sam watching from Edinburgh Scotland UK 🇬🇧 👏 👌
Awesome and outstanding.Thanks for sharing and taking us along.
Sam, the T . erex has become one of if not the best investment you've made in a while, looks like you used it for every thing. Great buy
Squatch253 might have some leads on parts, he’s always messing with those cat engines
Love the crane remote!
With this type of content you will be at 100k very soon! Great job!
The joys of antique obsolete engines. I know how that goes.
It still made for great viewing bro, the crane is working out well too. Safe travels. Ken.
Man that's interesting never the less , can't wait for next episode Sam,
On rod bearings the wear is going to be on the rod half vs the cap half of the bearing. Being the rod pushes down on the crankshaft the bottom half of ros bearing won't show any wear
I agree 100% guess I didn’t really show top bearing on camera. I checked up and down play with the crank at 90 where I felt most wear would be. They’re pretty fresh
So you just performed exploratory surgery you are now a heart surgeon thanks again!.
Looks like he is going to do a transplant next.
The 4600 was a good engine. Cat wasn’t in the diesel business very long when they introduced it. I respect the effort you are making to build a good one out of what you have there. Great video.
Sqatch253 has some good videos on the old Cat engines and I've seen those loose top pistons. Factory threaded on. The dimples keep it from turning until they get wear.
So much more interesting when things don't go to plan. I love this suff!
Outstanding effort Sam, really appreciate your commentary. The "T-Rex" is certainly proving to be a valuable addition.👍
That shovel is beautiful
Thank you for another great show! It was great.
That T-Rex has proven to be one of the best pieces of equipment you have.
you would make an excellent diesel mechanic school teacher
This is an excellent. Channel. I love watching your videos and learn so much
Finally a break in radio silence!!!
You're starting to convince me i need to find a terex now. Btw,, you mention broken cranks. I bought a one-ton wrecker years ago with a bad knock (chevy gas engine). I drove the thing home...when i pulled the motor to replace it I was shocked to see the crank was broken in half about midway- right at a rod throw. The way it was broken it couldn't "spin" past itself but it made one hell of a noise😂
I enjoy your show. You remind me back in the day. I drop diesel creek long ago for your show ! Glad I did and never looked back...
Another great video. Always learn something new watching them. Hope to have the Bay City back at Brownsville for the May show.
After watching this video a few words come to mind: Recalcitrant, cantankerous, stubborn....... Liked this one much!
Nice video, like the way you are using that Terex! Good luck on your restoration, and preserving American industrial heritage. A good cause.
That copper ring sets your counter bore height
Haha, we make jobs seem simple when we vision it… then the equipment laughs in our face and and says “jokes on you “…
Well, I’ll be looking forward to the next show.
Thanks Sam
Great video Sam. Shows issues most folk will run into when working with old equipment. I'd like to see if the oil pressure increases now you found that bypass adjuster on the bay city engine
Super interesting !
The CAT engine/tractor that LAOL is working on is smaller but very similar on the front cover components.
Always amazed at how dang smart you are .After watching any of your posts I am glad I can tie my own shoes.
Nice job, but to prevent hitting the ceiling, put a battery operated horn with a "sensor" switch on top of the beam. When you are lifting and wiggling, you forget about that ceiling
See if Tilly's antique Crawler parts has head gaskets.
Quite interesting comparing the 2 engines, "on the fly" modifications were quite popular in that era. Remote control crane made tipping the engines on their rear much smoother and easier than a forklift did for Matt.
Awesome job love your work
Its my understand that Caterpillar wasn't very excited about the diesel engine program and began it somewhat begrudgingly. Folks were buying brand new Cat 60s and putting other motors in them. Most notable being Kaiser Company's Atlas Powered units.
oh yeah .... always appreciate someone else on the struggle bus , but i'm sure Sam will work something out
I'm sure you saw it while editing but those scratches on that first piston looks as if they came from it rubbing across those stack of washers/impact socket that was cobbled together. @52:16
thanks and I will be watching some of your videos.. be safe 2.19.24
I'm Thinking that you Have a injection nozzle leaking fuel (not closing ). This will cause a Knocking sound that sounds a lot like a bearing or pin knock. looks like I'm late to the party. also the engine looks to have very few hours on a rebuild. on the pistons with the loose tops there may be a nut holding the top of the piston on. if you remove the rod you may find the connection point of the piston top.
The whole top ring of the pistons is threaded on the base to retain the cast iron top ring groove/land. That’s what has lost its tension over the years.
I think you could control your stand up of the engine by using a come a long from the crane hook to a place on the bottom of the engine. A three point support from above? or from the side would work also.
A guy I went to college is a direct descendant of Rudolf Diesel.
that little crane is paying it's way already.
Sam, an unusual, but learn as you go always seems to be the way it is, when you are fixing up old stuff. I have found many upgrades from what I thought was the same, so nothing is really that eye opening, after all the years I have been working on stuff😊
Awesome how that crane hydraulics are so non leaky, that you can hang an engine from it and it doesn't sag down for hours!
Love you and your videos buddy you know what they say misery loves company
For what it's worth. Washing down greasy engines was with jam tin of kerosine and a 1"or 2" paint brush, the brush got in and around the tricky spots agitating and loosening the stubborn grease, and, then the wash down with water. VOILA. I don't see kerosene used by anyone in USA to clean greasy parts.
Might not have gone to plan Sam but certainly interesting From the UK
Sam, you should be able to find the copper rings thru a Cat supply house. Those look kinda familiar from a cat I was tinkering with a few years ago. Though I had a local machine shop do the sleeves as I didn't have the needed tools.
Read Rudolfe Diesels book for the history of all these great machines. I love this book even though it's sad ending. Incredibly interesting to see you do a tear down of both machines, your site is great and fun to watch. Thank you.
HEY! Good morning Sam and thumbs UP!!
Could the rapping you heard be a wrist pin. I had that problem on one of my boats back in the 70’s.