Is my wagon a wagon?

absolutely not
you are still welcome in the sandbox

 

It's not a real wagon. Too short...... I'd call it a wag.
Just keep it out of my sandbox!

 

Now that I've got an automatic, I'm going to have to try like Hades, to get one of these vintage Volkswagen mini-consoles

 

I got around to getting it done, yesterday. I'll try it out, this weekend

 

I almost didn't over-engineer the tool, since the bolt was torqued-on way above the manufacturer's suggestion which calls for between 88.9 and 109.9 Newton Meters. The threadlock glue might have had something to do with it. That and the dry bolt flange. I'm guessing that it was easier to use an impact wrench and then leave the issue to the next chump who ends up undoing it. Superceeding the end of my torquewrench scale at way over 200 nm, I could have risked breaking the bolt off into the crankshaft. It almost looks stretched at the base. I'm screwing it back on with oiled- threads and base and will only torque it to specs.
This backing plate will be my new balancer puller. I drilled these 4 holes far enough away so that I wouldn't ruin the plate enough to not being able to put it back into service. Not that it's likely I ever will. It's just a matter of policy:



Here's what it looked like before. There's enough meat on it, so that I can cut a 12 millimeter thread into the middle:

 

It's done and I'm going out later, attempting to try it out. I had to extend the threads on that bolt, as seen by the dip located at where the threads originally ended

 

It came off, without that much effort. The flatter head 10 mm Allen bolt was placed on the end of the crankshaft

 

I almost forgot to show how it looks like in action

 

There have been a few complaints lately that there's too much historical and not enough projects being broadcasted here. Well, today I've gotten off my @r$€ and away from the computer long enough to try prying off the oilpan. I'm only about a half an inch away, after having removed the following parts in order to even get it down (the battery not shown):



A brace attaching the engine to the bottom of the bellhousing, along with the cover plate. Both left the dishwasher, today:



The subframe holding up the exhaust (A) and the engine mount (X):



If they had stamped the drivetrain/lower control arm cradle in a fashion that would have allowed the oil pan to drop, I wouldn't need trying to raise the engine for clearance tomorrow

 

The pan's out. I don't know exactly how. It took quite a bit of twisting and wriggling. I'll have to practice getting it into place for a while, before it's time. It went through the dishwasher and seems to have left it cleaner than the rest that was in there



The rodbearing, which gets fed first from the pump, suffered visible damage. The other two behind it looked okay. The crankshaft on all three journals looked somewhat discolored, as if excessive heat got the best of them. This might be normal, though. The last time I had to deal with something like this was back in highschool, where I was rebuilding a 283 for my '56 Chevy.
Tomorrow, I'm doing the plastigage gig. I'll start with the visually damaged bearing and work my way to both the others. If the worst one exceeds specs, I'll then measure the journal with the best bearing set from one of the other cylinders. If I end up within specs, I'll simply order new standard bearings, if still available.
That one journal felt kind of rough. I could use some fine emery paper, in case the crank is still salvagable. Since emery paper simply translates to sandpaper, in German, I'll likely end up getting a sheet of fine-grit waterproof sandpaper, instead

 

I always called it 'emery cloth,' as what I use is on a cloth, as opposed to a paper, backing. Is that available in German hardware stores? BTW, the German name, that I've always known, is Schmirgelleinen,' or something like that.

 

I don't remember what our shop teacher used to call it. But, emery cloth is definitely the real Mccoy:

https://www.lienkaemper.de/products...leinen-Rollen-SBR-50-A-180.html?cat=10013622&

 

I measured all 3 journals, yesterday. Number 1 cylinder was the worst, followed by the second. The third one seemed unharmed, measurung where it should be, at only around 60.000 miles service. For those of you who have rebuilt many engines, you'd likely know why the journals first chain-fed from the oilpump would take the brunt of punishment, regressing to the ones following, if this is even a normal pattern.
In any event, all three are within tolerance. So, I'll go ahead and try ordering standard size replacements and then use the thickest recommended oil and then see what happens. Since that guy doing likewise with that Subaru engine said that he got away with it, my engine should confirm this as either truth or fib. I'm astonished, as to how so little wear can produce such a loud noise.
The following shows the bearing shell attached to the rod itself. Unlike its bottom half, the pit which you see on the left looks to have lined up with the oil gallery:

 

Those are not bad-looking. Do you recall how close the tolerance was to the maximum size? I ask because the use of emery cloth could put a journal out of specification, if too close to the maximum size.