Building the crankshaft

Installing the gears[]

After the big end (#4) bearing, the camshaft and distributor gears need to be installed on the crankshaft.

Install the crankshaft on the flywheel to hold it upright.

The camshaft gear needs to be heated before it will fit, and it will cool down and shrink to a very tight fit in no time at all, so make sure you get it right the first time. Heat the gear in an oven or on a gas stove top (in a can full of clean oil) or similar, and when it is very hot drop it in place on the crank (use welding gloves to handle it), ensuring that it is the right way up.

Then the spacer gets installed, followed by the distributer drive gears, which also need to be heated but not to the same extent at the cam gears.

Installing the connecting rods[]

It is worth having a whatsit made up (use a junk gland nut), so that you can hang the crankshaft horizontally on your engine stand.

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