As promised, here are the painfull photos of the thrashed crank in question. Finding out how bad the crank is did raise some ethical questions for me:

Should I do a band-aid fix and sell the Rattlemobile to some sucker?
Should I part it out?
Should I attempt the fix on the crankshaft?
Should I get out of the Benz business all together?

What I decided:
I couldn't foist it off on someone else in good conscience, and can't afford a $4000 rebuilt motor--or even $600 for a used mystery motor--at this time. I also had to admit to myself that I am hooked on MBZ. Since I found a pulley and HB assembly for $75 at a junkyard in San Diego, I am going to order up new dowel pins and put it back together.

Meanwhile I am taking bets as to how many miles the thrashed crank will last with the new HB/pulley. I am thinking that the problem started when the crankshaft bolt worked its way loose, allowing the old HB to flop around, totally unsecured. Hopefully with some loctite and the correct torque applied, the band-aid fix will last at least until I save up some $$$ for a used motor from a reputable source. The question is--for how long???

Who will make the first prediction?

RSCarey

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