Long overdue update on BigRed

[TonimusMaximus]

Hey guys! I finally moved into a house and can work on my bike now that I have a garage. Anyways... I finally yanked the motor as a complete unit (remind me to never attempt to do that again) I pulled off the valve cover and was amazed to find pristine cams! Chain guide was in good condition and the lifters were great (a little scoring, but less than I feared) I pulled of the head and gasped. I've never seen so much carbon crud on the inside of a combustion chamber on a motor without 100,000 miles on it. I think the guy used leaded gasoline in the 2 years it was actually ridden. And I've done everything except use explosives to get the jugs off. Penetrant, Screwdriver/hammer, mallet, breaker bar in the cam tensioner hole... I'm flat out of ideas. I'm open to suggestions. As for the rest of the bike, I'm going to have the frame and the wheels sandblasted and then I'm going to do a ceramic finish on the frame and leave it outside in an aluminum box to bake. (Advantages of living in AZ) So, back to the jugs... Any ideas? Thanks in advance.

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Tony,

Are you saying that you can't get the jugs to move at all, or are they moving but can't get it all the way up/off?? I'm suspecting you mean you can't get it to even start to come loose from the bottom case!!!

I had a modest amount of corrosion around the head bolt shafts, the steel and aluminum didn't mesh very well, and with 9 years of outside exposure, it was rather cruddy.

The manual describes "ONLY" 2 pry points on the front of the engine near the motor mounts and using a broad flat screwdriver there. You might try a piece of wood against the jugs to distribute the pressure so as to not break the fins, and use a heavier hammer against it!? You might also try a thin screwdriver or chisel to gently hammer inbetween like a wedge to spread the jugs apart from the cases!?

Most likely the paper gasket is acting like a layer of glue holding to together. The jugs set far down inside the cases, and so there's not a critical sealing edge to preserve, I put mine back together without a gasket or O-ring!! Perhaps some others will chime in with more hints, good luck!
T.C.

[TonimusMaximus]

Bigger hammer triumphs. (Heavier duty screwdriver too) The previous hammer/screwdrivers didn't pierce into the gasket and just suceeded in making my screwdrivers shorter. I went to a beefy screwdriver and a heavier hammer and had at it. It finally popped loose. I used a steel bar that fit (just barely) inside the chain tensioner to help pry the heads off. So, now I've got the head off, the jugs off, and a lot of work in front of me. I'm going to get all the way into the motor and clean it all up. I've gone this far and I have the time, no reason for me to not go further. Anyone have any suggestions as to what I should pay careful attention to? I know I should examine my second gear especially close, but should I be looking for anything else?