Started on the Lark

[oldboat1]

So, how do the coils look? Cracked and nasty? Step one for magneto work. (or step two, I guess, if you count removal of the flywheel....)

I usually replace points, coils and condensers all at once, along with plug wires. Don't pull things apart until you have replacements, and then do one side at a time so you can check the other side for assembly.

 

[Joe Reeves]

I don't know why people hesitate to lift the flywheel. That is half the secret to success. You raise the flywheel (and crankshaft) within the bearings. Then when you give the center puller bolt a whack, the flywheel stays in mid-air for a micro second (laws of inertia), and you actually knock the crankshaft downward and out of it. If one whack doesn't do it, do it again. I have never, in all my years, used a hammer larger than 16oz. In most cases, a 12oz is what I use. It is the shock that does it, not the mortal bash.

BUT.... Do Wear Safety Goggles when using a hammer. One time I didn't when straightening a bent skeg (nothing to do with the flywheel of course). One big whack, the side of the hammer shattered/exploded, came at my left eye with the speed of a bullet, impossible to get out of the way... put a few holes in me, quite a bloody mess, detached retina, many problems, lawsuit drug out for 8 years. No fun at all.... wear the goggles!

 

[Cadillac-ack-ack]

Everything looks amazingly clean in there. Even the points look fine, but I do have a kit so will replace points & condensers. Both coils look good. It appears one was replaced at some time because one is a dark purple color with a molding line around it and the other is black and smooth and looks to me to be of a plastic type, newer material. Both have a capital "M" in a circle on them. The black one has three sets of numbers: Printed on it are - 583249 & 23EQ-OA, and molded in the case: 512154.

Too late for the safety glasses. I do wear regular glasses. This motor is on a stout homemade wooden stand which is in turn fastened to a professional mover's, dolly so I can roll it around. This also makes it pretty high so for flywheel removal I was standing over it on a stool and looking down at it, reasonably safe from shrapnel. Good advice though. I cringe when I see any of those documentary about early production such as WW2 civilian workers and see men and women staring down at their lathes or smacking rivets with nothing over their eyes. Ahh, the good 'ol days before OSHA.

 

[Cadillac-ack-ack]

Making progress, or at least producing boxes and zip-lock bags full 'O parts. Now down to rod cap removal. They are 5/16" 12 pt. I can get them off with a box wrench but I'll be awaiting proper socket for torque them back on. Appears new pistons and rings were a good call. Inspection through the exhaust ports showed some smearing of the originals, particularly the bottom one. Would it be wise to just replace upper and lower seals as a matter of course even though they were not leaking? Same questions about needle bearings. Though I don't have it down to them yet, just wondering if it's routine to replace even if the originals still look fine. I've been slowly going though past forum threads and realizing that my project is so far fairly routine and other's goofs have probably saved me some headaches and expense. And although a lot of the fasteners have been tight enough to need a tap with an impact driver I have found nothing frozen do to corrosion.