1974 Daimler Double-Six VDP (higher axle stands)

Lol. Thanks grifterkid

Anyway. Just popping in to let ppl know I haven't thrown in the towel yet. Got this today....




It's the largest breaker bar I've seen and was only £10 (plus £10 p&p). I'm hoping the leverage will be enough to move the stuck engine rather than the 7/8 AF ring spanner that is on the crankshaft just now.

Still need to find a 1" drive 7/8AF socket right enough. Or a 3/4" socket and 1" female to 3/4" adaptor.

Because of the inertia on the VDP project I have busied myself on another vehicle I have had for 27 years roughly. I've went from the biggest most recently acquired one (the VDP) back to the smallest and longest owned one



Honda SS50ZK1-E

Thanks AtomicRooster. I do have a bit of a problem psychologically with the drive to repair rather than replace but in some ways that what 'restoration' is all about: hanging onto the past.

Actually if I was to live my life over again I'd still be into cars n bikes but instead of starting with a full vehicle I'd find the most stripped out one I could and then there'd be no originality dilemmas.

With bikes this is especially true as you can just pick up a frame and build the bike from it.

Anyway, to the title of the post. I got a good 7/8 AF socket (deep, six point) and tonight put that and the bad-boy breaker bar on the crankshaft nut and pulled......but it didn't budge.

I wasn't too disheartened as I didn't expect it to work really but at least I tried it. I guess next step is to try something other than diesel. Diesel mixed with PlusGas perhaps and once I've given up on that I might as well start taking the engine apart which will be fun but proabably pointless.

I'm keeping myself busy working on the SS50 just now which is fun as it's more realistically do-able.

large bar


and good socket but still no movement

Thanks JohnT. But it's not the nut that's the problem.

The engine is seized

I would use PlusGas neat, rather than mixing it with diesel. Have you tried using the starter motor to crank the engine over? The sudden jolt may free it off.

Alternatively, put the car on the ground, stick it in gear and rock it back and forth.

You could also try a length of scaffolding pole over your breaker bar, for extra leverage.

Hi guys. Thanks for the suggestions but I think the chances of getting the V12 up on a press are slim. I would love to strip it down but I believe the heads can sometimes be almost impossible to get off. Only one way to find out I suppose....

Strange thing is my engine hasn't been outside getting water in it. I put Redex down the bores years ago and it was moving freely less than a year ago so I'm hoping patience, penetrating fluids an the leverage will do the trick.

As for the rocking idea. Would that be do-able with an auto? Also the IRS is not on the car just now. I suppose I could hook up the starter but I'd probably strip the teeth on that or the flywheel knowing my luck

Time will tell.

Before launching into a strip down use the magic elixir known as Full Fat Coke, if possible find one with your name on the side for added un sticking properties...

In all seriousness, pour coke down the bores and leave it for a few days, freed off an old Model A engine that had been stood for at least 40 years and after a week started to move, a further week and I could turn it over by hand.

Worth a try.

P.

I wish Coke would work better  for me. I always hear amazing things about it. Even lemon juice or vinegar is Worth a try.
Here are some of the sites where I've learned about some new ideas:

antique-engines.com/electrol.asp
www.dansmc.com/stuck_engine.htm
users.eastlink.ca/~pspencer/nsaeta/electrolysis.html
www.oldengine.org/unfaq/stuck.htm
www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&pwst=1&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=repairing+seized+engines&spell=1
www.metalwebnews.com/howto/rust/rust.html

I've soaked many things for months using: Coke, Molasses, Marval Mystery oil, Rust penetrants, WD40, Diesel fuel, ATF and some other combinations like Acetone and Diesel. I would remove one solution before poring in the next. Sometime I would mix them all together.
I also work on old chainsaws and kart engines where I can drop the whole thing in a bucket of chemical and leave it for over a year. I did that mostly with Diesel fuel. For automotive engines I take the head off to get better access in filling up the locked up bore. Nothing works in my situations.
I'm still learning and always open minded; but I have not had much success with anything but a torch on loosening rusted parts. Heat is Amazing! 
It's not really just rust but; galvanic corrosion, where everything kind-of melts together.
Never tried heating up a cylinder block to get a piston unlocked, but it might work.
Not saying that nothing has ever worked; of course getting a rusted nut off is easier with WD40.
I get really stuck when I have all the dissimilar metals in a tight fit like a piston in a bore. The alloy piston, steel rings and cast iron block form an amazing environment for galvanic corrosion.
All this might be overkill for the situation your in; but thought with more information you can figure out how to get around all this to avoid engine dis-assembly, which I think is your goal; right?  

[/quote]I wish Coke would work better  for me. I always hear amazing things about it. Even lemon juice or vinegar is Worth a try.
Here are some of the sites where I've learned about some new ideas:

antique-engines.com/electrol.asp
www.dansmc.com/stuck_engine.htm
users.eastlink.ca/~pspencer/nsaeta/electrolysis.html
www.oldengine.org/unfaq/stuck.htm
www.google.com/search?num=50&hl=en&pwst=1&sa=X&oi=spell&resnum=0&ct=result&cd=1&q=repairing+seized+engines&spell=1
www.metalwebnews.com/howto/rust/rust.html

I've soaked many things for months using: Coke, Molasses, Marval Mystery oil, Rust penetrants, WD40, Diesel fuel, ATF and some other combinations like Acetone and Diesel. I would remove one solution before poring in the next. Sometime I would mix them all together.
I also work on old chainsaws and kart engines where I can drop the whole thing in a bucket of chemical and leave it for over a year. I did that mostly with Diesel fuel. For automotive engines I take the head off to get better access in filling up the locked up bore. Nothing works in my situations.
I'm still learning and always open minded; but I have not had much success with anything but a torch on loosening rusted parts. Heat is Amazing! 
It's not really just rust but; galvanic corrosion, where everything kind-of melts together.
Never tried heating up a cylinder block to get a piston unlocked, but it might work.
Not saying that nothing has ever worked; of course getting a rusted nut off is easier with WD40.
I get really stuck when I have all the dissimilar metals in a tight fit like a piston in a bore. The alloy piston, steel rings and cast iron block form an amazing environment for galvanic corrosion.
All this might be overkill for the situation your in; but thought with more information you can figure out how to get around all this to avoid engine dis-assembly, which I think is your goal; right?  
[/quote]

John,

Sometimes things just work and sometimes they just don't.

I must admit to being surprised that the coke trick worked but think that it 'could' have been something to do with the age of the components and the differing make up of the metals compared to more modern engines.

Interesting links, I am always looking to learn and there is a lot of knowledge out there.

P.

atf dextron 3 fluid mixed equal parts with diesel.plugs out, fill to the brim. leave for 2 weeks. see if its gone down and refill. took 6 weekson mine but worked.