broken cylinder block / crank case arm to starter

[motor boater]

the arms that connect the cylinder block or crankcase to the starter cracked and broke off, possibly from too much too much torque on the wench plus vibration of the motor / bouncing around during transport. Mercury says it's made of cast aluminum, I don't know much about the mechanics of an outboard but I have the manual and I believe I'm going to attempt to take the half that is broken off. I've gone as far as removing the carburetor while changing a gasket in the past. But I've never removed the flywheel. What can I expect, what tools am I going to need and what do I need to watch out for. I thought about using JB Weld to attach it back on but I would rather have it welded, that's why I'm planning on taking it off. has anyone ever experienced this? And if so, how did you fix it? . Also, both arms broke off.

It's a 1982 40 hp Mercury Thunderbolt 2 stroke outboard with electric start.

 

[racerone]

Fairly common failure.------J-B weld will not fix it.

 

[motor boater]

Good to know its common. What steps should i take to prevent it from happening again? Besides the obvious dont tighten it down so hard... Also, do i have to take off the flywheel? Or can i just remove the bolts holding the half of the crank case thats broken and pull it off?

 

[racerone]

Sorry, there are no short cuts here.------The powerhead MUST be removed from the exhaust housing and the flywheel MUST be taken off in order to remove the front cover.----There is a bearing housing on top of the block and a seal housing on the bottom that MUST be removed.