The Classic Machinery Network

Yes, the acid use is super corrosive and only used as a last resort by me on that small engine.
Fowlerman that is a good idea as it may not be the pistons stuck it may be a bearing gone and that might be holding the piston in place.

Thanks fowlerman and cobbadog, damn good idea. I’ll give that a go, but I may well have to take the engine out to get access to the side panel first. I know the winget site ,-useful stuff on there, from when I had a big old 3 tonne winget years ago, beast of a thing with hi/lo box, wish I’d kept it too! Funnily enough, I have the ST Manual on my screen now, thanks FM.
I did actually stick half a cupful of acid down each bore yesterday, left for around 40 minutes before I wimped it and flushed out with 2 buckets of water, then stuck some coke back inplace. You could see where the acid had cleaned the bore,just above the pistons,but it still sat there and cleaned the sludge off the top of the pistons too, so hopefully little more damage was done! The engine is still solid though, no movement at all, even with a set of stillsons on! But I’ll get there. Thanks fellas.

Evening all,
Quick update for you as I did a bit on the engine today. Took off the side panel, and luckily it looked good in there, with metal surfaces shiny still. Feeling with my fingertips up into the bore below one of the pistons , and it felt like pebble-dash, raf! Also took off the gear housing, where more water came out, but all in good nick apart from the top of one of the pinions/cogs, where it had been out of the wet and in the air rusting, but cleaned up pretty easily.
Looks like I can get to the nuts on one conrod,and possibly the other but not too sure yet. Thinking about heating the bores up with a gas torch to help break the rust and maybe free it a little. Have a good Easter folks!

Keep having fun in getting it to let go. Persist and you will win! Enjoy your Easter as well, I am serving Lorry the truck for toys and fiddling about fitting lights onto the mudguards of the Cropmaster restoration job.

Thanks for the kind words Cobbadog . Sounds like there are a lot of nutters like us around, who spend our precious time off busting a gut to get things going eh?!
But thanks to you boys, I today managed to get both pairs of conrod bolts undone and both piston housings/pots off, with the stuck pistons and conrods inside. Hell of a job as the conrod was seized on one and wouldnt allow the pot to be lifted, so had to tease them in the end, but got there without any damage too. Bonus! One of the big ends has had new shells put in at some time, but it all looks pretty good nick, and turns over fine too.
All in all I’m really pleased, as it looks like I’ll be getting it going again without too much hassle. Thanks again guys.

Great result and well done fella!

Persistence always wins. You got that right, there is a lot of us people who play with this stuff all the time. With our 2 vintage tractors, Humpty the Dumpy, a number of stationary engines and way too many vintage mowers and don't forget the Lorry to cart them all around the place on it seems we have spanners in our hands a lot, but we do enjoy it. I am blessed with a wife who also joins in on the fun and did the engine rebuild on her TEA20 Grey Fergy.

Thanks Cobba!
Definately glad to know what I’m dealing with now thats for sure. Yep, we have a few toys too, an old zetor tractor, jcb 3c2, chieftain mini digger, few old landrovers needing reincarnating! And now 3 old dumpers too. And a few old lister powered mixers/sawbench.
I love old gear, seems far better engineered than modern stuff.
But you are blessed to have a wife who is into it too- does she have a single sister by any chance?!
The pistons are soaking in diesel at the mo, (might well swap it for somthing stronger) so will let you know how I get on freeing those buggers off soon. Cheers for now eh.

Hi SiH,
YES she does have a single Sister and that is for a very good reason. I would not recommend an introduction to this unit! It is also why I am a good mate with her ex husband and just tolerate her visits once a week. I do wish I could laugh about it all.

Ha! I’ve dodged a few nutters in my time, and glad I did too. Fingers crossed a keeper turns up soon.
Got the pistons out without too much hassle, no broken rings either, apart from one was missing a ring below the gudgeon pin?! (Although a friend said that some masseys had pistons minus certain rings fitted for certain purposes? ) No trace of it either. Borrowed a honer too, which has done a pretty good job considering. One conrod is stiff on the gudgeon pin, so will need to sort that next. So pretty chuffed really, its getting there!

SiH wrote:Ha! I’ve dodged a few nutters in my time, and glad I did too. Fingers crossed a keeper turns up soon.
Got the pistons out without too much hassle, no broken rings either, apart from one was missing a ring below the gudgeon pin?! (Although a friend said that some masseys had pistons minus certain rings fitted for certain purposes? ) No trace of it either. Borrowed a honer too, which has done a pretty good job considering. One conrod is stiff on the gudgeon pin, so will need to sort that next. So pretty chuffed really, its getting there!

Good to hear you are making some progress.

Jeremy