Home › Forum › Ask A Member › Made a Real Rookie Mistake! › Re: Made a Real Rookie Mistake!
I know it doesn’t help now, but keep in mind cast numbers don’t help much when deciding if a part will work. Many different parts are made from the same general casting. I am betting the pistons you used are from a late 35hp or replacement PH with 40hp pistons in it. I have swapped many of the 35hp internals from ’57-’59 and have not run into this problem, yet! I was hoping you would find a bearing/bolt lodged somewhere.
I make it a practice of turning the engine over each time I put in a piston & tie it to the crank. I am also usually doing V-6 motors so I have a lot more pistons to get into trouble with. I put the crank in first. I have made pieces from old blocks to hold the crank in place top and bottom while I flip the block over to install the pistons. Very much like a car engine. I load the rod bearings in the rod and cap for assembly. After they are put together hand tight, I roll the assembly to see if things are correct. That’s the way I do it! The more cylinders the more time you save from a tear down to find out what happened.
Sorry you had to go back in, but you always learn something when you have to go back!
Dan in TN