The case cleaned up very well.
Sure there’s some corrosion of the allow, especially at the bottom heat tin mounts, but I’ve seen that on every original engine I’ve ever disassembled.
The mating surfaces of the case halves feel smooth. The bearing saddles feel smooth and I detect nothing that would indicate the crank was shifting bad or the bearings were ever digging into their saddles.
Since I suspect this is the first time that the case has been opened since it was built in 1978 or 1979, it was obviously never rebuilt and never align bored.
The AS21 allow cases used for the higher temp Fuel Injection engines is an all around better alloy than the usual AS41 magnesium-aluminum allow of the Pre-75 era as well as the standard aftermarket makes.
The cam saddles are all fine, and on both I detect no thrust issues at their respective fault points.
Now the 1/2 side mating surface cleaned up a whole lot easier than the 3/4 side since there’s no studs to get in the way. I’ll work at the last remnants of sealant removal around the stud before final wash.
It looks nothing like before I started cleaning it.
While I have no intention of that polishing method some guys use to make the exterior almost shine. Though I don’t know if AS21 would respond the same.
So I know the case does not have any cracks, and I no longer have any concerns of the mating surfaces between the case halves, the oil pump face, or the plenum facing surface.
The saddles all feel sound, and I do not think I’ll have to have any machine shop work done.
There are some things I need to decide though.
- Do I pull some of the oil gallery plugs to do a proper deep cleaning? I sent brushes into every gallery with solvent on them, and they did come back dirty and continue to do so. I have the time to do this, and at a rebuild is when these really need to be cleaned properly. I know how to do it, having done it on 2 cases already. If I do it I’ll need to run to Jeg’s to get some matching plugs for the top and front, elsewise I’ll have a mix of black, blue, and silver. which will drive me crazy knowing I half-assed those on this specific engine.
- Do I do any modifications to the interior of the case? I should probably do some of the Maher modes to allow for better pressure and oil flow between the case halves. I could do some of the Hoover Mods but I’m hesitant to do the critical one to open up the #1 cam saddle for better oiling since I don’t want to risk the nightmare that happened on the 2019 New Build.