The pain full things we do

After all the time I've spent around drag cars,fast bikes and the hrs of road runs and steam rallys iv lived by one rule that i was given day one i started work and that was never stick your finger where you wouldn't stick your little man well yesterday I broke that rule for the first time. Saturday was the big day for my engine it got rolled out and steamed and all was as it should apart from a small short list ,taps leaking at manifold, one steam chest bolt needs a helicoil oh and a knock on the crank.

What has this all got to do with this post at a guess you can see it coming but ill tell you any way and that is even after all the years you spend around moving parts don't stick your finger in things that you would never stick your little man in because after getting my finger stuck in a cross head and a conrod trying to find my knock iv broken the end of my finger and iv got a blood blister from hell and may have to have small Op to fix it.

In sort don't get complacent iv been with engines 15 years and it still got me and I'm very angry with my self for doing it to.

Just thought I'd share this with you as there is a few people out there I'm sure that are building a engine and have never used anything more deadly that a lawn mower and should take note.

You have been warned

Owwwww, bet that bugger hurt & still hurts like hell. Hope you're ok & it gets better soon. Glad it was only your finger tho.

Been there, done exactly that, could have told you just what would happen, as Tim and Colin and others can attest to. Broke the end off mine and split it wide open, nail off too, hurt like hell.

The knock is more than likely to be the main bearing with the faintest of movement, take out both halves, rub each side on wet and dry or run in a mill if you have access to take about 0.2mm off each half and that will allow the adjuster to take out enough to loose it, did just the same on the LP side of the new engine and now a silent as a sewing machine.

Kev.

I've been there when looking for that elusive 'knock', fortunately it was only a 'crush' on the knuckles but still hurt!!

I look for knocks now when the engine is cold!

I think it could be some sort of 'right of passage' into engine ownership! welcome to the club.

You can point to any number of hazards on an engine, but its not so easy with a large bandage on your finger.

Mike

Hi Stu,

That sounds painful but thanks for the reminder to all of us that these engines can bite. So far only squashed by thumb between wheel rim and brake block when rolling the engine forward. Currently sporting nothing worse than a black thumb nail.

Ian

Father was helping me move Crystal back in to the garage last April and did not pay attention when pushing the wheel and got bitten by the crank.
Lots of expletives from father. But no lasting damage. Father was fine also.

It's sort of good to here that I'm not the only one that has taken the pain full right of passage but the good news is iv got away with it all no Op is needed every thing will be fine in 8 weeks and my boss just thought it was funny because he know I'm angry with my self for doing it and yup it was the big end that was knocking.

On a another note all this reminded me of a story that I read some where about a roller that runaway on a hill the tail goes that the drive got of in short order and left the poor steers man to fight it out. Well half way down the hill the engine hit a bank rolled over and pinned the poor steers man to the floor by his hip with the reversing lever now that is pain in its self but it gets even more pain full. The local black smith was called to try and cut the steer man free the poor black smith was asked to shuffle under a hot engine give the steer man a shot of brandy and then file his way thought the lever to set him free can you think in your head how much pain that steers man had to put up with for the hr or so it would of taken the blacksmith to file his way thought that lever. Any way the story goes they got him out but later he died in hospital i would of been happy to go as soon as I found out they was about to file there way thought that lever.

Accidents happen. We all have a variety of tee shirts to attest to that. The secret is not to do it again.

Tim