Popular Mechanics 1962 PM38 Build [SPLASHED 2017]

[pekstrom]

Hopefully your engine work goes smoother than mine.....It has been a bit of a circus!

Oh, we shall see. I have a feeling it will turn into a great circus but time will tell. I have tinkered a time or two with engines but never have I had one taken apart like this, but I really do want to try and get it running. It will be very interesting and I'm sure I will learn a lot in the process. If/when I get it running, I am planning to work on the exterior and get cleaned up, painted a fresh black and then get the shiny parts nice and shiny. It would look really good on the PM38 I think.

I have seen bits and pieces of your thread and have seen you have had your engine apart as well. How is it coming together again? Hopefully things are going well? I need to go back a bit on your thread and read up. You do really nice work and I enjoy seeing your progress.

 

[archbuilder]

It has been a fight all the way, but then again I don't build engines everyday lol! Seems like it is going to fight till the end, but I am persistent lol!

 

[pekstrom]

Well, I have gotten the bearings off of the ends of the crankshaft now. They are still inside the end caps so I'll have to figure out how to get them out of there. Anyone have any tips on that? I have read about heating up the end cap and cooling the bearing but not sure what's the best way to do that since they are basically one part right now. And I'm glad I decided to replace them, the two large bearings are both bad. The roller bearing in the top end cap seems ok but since I have a new one I'll replace it as well.

I also read that for installing them, I would need to freeze the bearings and heat up the end caps. And then for installing them on the crankshaft, I would freeze the crankshaft and heat up the bearings.

 

[archbuilder]

Not sure on that. One thing I would recommend if you don't have one is to by the factory service manual off of evilbay if you can find one. I did that for Fugglys drive and it was really helpful and has all of the specs. And very detailed for the most part.

 

[pekstrom]

Not sure on that. One thing I would recommend if you don't have one is to by the factory service manual off of evilbay if you can find one. I did that for Fugglys drive and it was really helpful and has all of the specs. And very detailed for the most part.

I have the service manual for the 1980 25HP I use currently and it has been a lifesaver several times. So I did opt to buy the big Mercury service manual for this Merc350 a while back. Actually, it covers several models and years and is a brick. I need to crack it open again and take a look at the pages for this. A friend just told me that Autozone may have a puller I can borrow/rent for pulling these out. I'll have to go and talk to them about that. Installing them should be easier, or so I hear.

 

[pekstrom]

I'm starting to get excited now. I'm getting closer to start puting the motor back together now. Amazing how many parts, large and small goes into a 2-cylinder motor. I have a list of parts I'll need before I can start though and most of them have been ordered at this point. A few of them will require some searching out on eBay and some patience. When I have everything, I want to place everything around the engine block for a picture. :lol:

 

[archbuilder]

You always seem to be miss one or two key parts that stalls progress lol! Ask me how I know!

 

[pekstrom]

You always seem to be miss one or two key parts that stalls progress lol! Ask me how I know!

Lol! Why how do you know sir? :lol: It kinda reminds me of how my plumbing projects go, inevitably I either have one wrong part, am missing one part, or have the right part just with the wrong dimensions.

 

[GA_Boater]

Or if your as organized as I am, parts go missing and I know where I put them. I'll find the missing stuff when I work on something else and am looking for those missing parts. It helps to have more than one incomplete projects going on at a time. :facepalm:

I blame elves or fairies rearranging my stuff while I sleep. Can't be me!

Chasing NLA Merc parts is time consuming, as I'm sure you're finding out. And some of the prices!

 

[archbuilder]

Sometimes it works out, I lost the freeze plugs for Fugglys original engine.......then found them after I installed the replacements.....but when I got the new block I already had freeze plugs! I also have some "spare" front engine mount parts. I ordered them and it was delayed....so I ordered them from another evil-bay NOS vendor....canceled the first order. The order from the first Evil-bay vendor showed up the same day I canceled it..........:facepalm: All stocked up now! I guess I could send them back but it would cost 50% of what the parts cost so why bother!

 

[pekstrom]

Or if your as organized as I am, parts go missing and I know where I put them. I'll find the missing stuff when I work on something else and am looking for those missing parts. It helps to have more than one incomplete projects going on at a time. :facepalm:

I blame elves or fairies rearranging my stuff while I sleep. Can't be me!

Chasing NLA Merc parts is time consuming, as I'm sure you're finding out. And some of the prices!

Oh yeah, I am very familiar with this problem. It happens to me more often than I care to admit. :lol:

I have actually been pleasantly surprised by how much is still available for this old motor. Some stuff is NLA and I have had to resort to eBay, but quite a bot of stuff is still available new. If/when I do get this thing running again, I should probably get some of the stuff that will be needed more frequently, just so I'll have some on hand. I'm thinking points, carb gaskets, water pump parts, things like that.

 

[pekstrom]

Sometimes it works out, I lost the freeze plugs for Fugglys original engine.......then found them after I installed the replacements.....but when I got the new block I already had freeze plugs! I also have some "spare" front engine mount parts. I ordered them and it was delayed....so I ordered them from another evil-bay NOS vendor....canceled the first order. The order from the first Evil-bay vendor showed up the same day I canceled it..........:facepalm: All stocked up now! I guess I could send them back but it would cost 50% of what the parts cost so why bother!

It is good when things come in handy later for sure. Especially when it is older stuff. Sometimes it makes for a speedier repair than if you had to order the stuff and wait. And I have to say, there's a lot of good stuff available out there on 'evil-bay'. It can be tricky at times to be sure you find good, usable parts. But honestly, so far all the stuff I have found has worked out and been usable. So it is definitely a good place to look for stuff.

 

[pekstrom]

Ok, I'm gearing up to start working on assembling things, hopefully soon. I am looking for some lube for bearings and such and am wondering if Lucas Oil LUC10153 Assembly Lube is a good choice? I'm looking for something to use on bearings and such. For the pistons I was just going to use some regular 2-stroke oil for the cylinder walls and pistons. Any other recommendations for that?

 

[pekstrom]

Well, after googling and reading a bit, today I finally tackled the bearings in the end caps. I used the bake-in-oven method and all 3 bearings came out without much coaxing. I had to use a puller I borrowed from Autozone for the one in the lower end cap. But the large bearing in the upper end cap fell out on its own, and the roller bearing just needed a gentle tap to come out.

Now on to cleaning these end caps out. Removing the old seals and then start putting the new stuff in place.

I have a good selection of parts just waiting to be put to good use!

 

[archbuilder]

Yeah that ball bearing looks like it has seen its better days lol! I used just run of the mill motor oil on my cylinder walls. Granted it is a 4 stroke, but I am thinking it is a bit thicker and might cling to the wall better than 2 stroke oil....but any oil is better than none lol. To paraphrase bondo! Either way it will burn off quickly once you fire her off.

 

[pekstrom]

Yeah that ball bearing looks like it has seen its better days lol! I used just run of the mill motor oil on my cylinder walls. Granted it is a 4 stroke, but I am thinking it is a bit thicker and might cling to the wall better than 2 stroke oil....but any oil is better than none lol. To paraphrase bondo! Either way it will burn off quickly once you fire her off.

Yeah they sure are in realy bad shape! Both of the large bearings look pretty much the same. Before I got it apart I thought one of them was ok but turns out, neither one will turn a full turn and they feel like there's sand in them. The smaller roller bearing feels ok, it spins freely. But since I have it all apart I'll replace them all.

Ok cool, I was thinking of using 2-stroke oil but you're right, regular engine oil probably clings to the surfaces better, so I'll give that a try. I definitely don't want to damage something by not lubricating. Lol

Your engine project seems to be coming along nicely. I like that bracket you made. Any idea of when you'll be able to put it in the boat and take her out?

 

[GA_Boater]

Better days, Arch?



That's nothing but rust. That would have ripped up the crank, Pek.

That is a big pile o'parts! Did you find a ring compressor?

 

[pekstrom]

Better days, Arch?



That's nothing but rust. That would have ripped up the crank, Pek.

That is a big pile o'parts! Did you find a ring compressor?

Yeah you're right, that would never have worked. The new bearings are nice and smooth. I can't wait to put them in place and start putting this thing together.

I didn't include the ring compressor in the picture but yes, I found one. It is similar to what Arch had linked to but a little cheaper. We'll see how it works when I get to that point.

 

[pekstrom]

Happy (US) Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

 

[Woodonglass]

Hey Pek, great project. Still recovering from Open Heart Surgery. I LOVE these old Merc's Can't wait to see her done.