It Ran *VERY* Well
 

Yes, it did .

Too bad you never joined me on my road rallies, it's amazing how well a 40 year old 57 HP Diesel taxi comported itself .

It will rise and live again ! .

I'll prolly have to go deep in hock to get it done but I do not want a newer car.

Progress (of a sort)
 

Okay, it turns out the connecting rod that let go punched a hole in the left side of the cylinder block right behind the A/C compressor mount bracket .

Rollguy of this very forum has a ready to go block that's been cleaned and hon ed, yesterday my son and big brother loaded the car onto a tow dolly and dragged it up there, we'll see what transpires .

I've seen his finished work, he's detail oriented like me so I'm sure this will be a good final repair .
Attachment 166106
I'd like to have a STD./STD. crankshaft in it and he has some old OM616 engines he thinks will have one .

This engine has a bit more than 40,000 miles since major overhaul so I hope the cylinder head will still be good along with the rebuilt IP, fuel injectors and factory water pump .

I'm pretty sure the oil pan is dented, whatever he says it needs I'll go get, I'm already buried into this car having owned it for over twenty years and 200,000 + miles, might as well go the whole hog .

Stand by .

Glad you are working on keeping it alive. All my cars are 25+ years old and are hanging in there. I think it's worth it but some days I think about how easy it would be to drive a 2013 civic and not care about it too much.

Plodding Along.....
 

We do have a 2016 Honda Civic with 23,000 miles but I hate the damn thing .

To me there's no question of fixing it, only who does the job as I can't anymore .

Today the rain gave us a pass so I hit the bricks and installed a rebuilt engine to my 1969 VW Bug, now I can't stand up straight and nearly fell on my face getting a cold drink .

I can hardly wait to drive it again .

getting older is tough.

Still Plugging Away
 

Yes, this old age stuff is for the birds ~ I now have the time but really limited physical ability .

I just replaced the engine in my '59 VW Beetle, I had the long block on a cart and tried to lift it ~ no way Jose ! :rolleyes: .

I remember being able to move a fully dressed VW engine from the cart to the bench, those days are long gone .

My crippled brother insisted he help me take it off the engine stand after I'd finished dressing it, he broke his leg a couple years back and they screwed up the surgery so he now has about 3/4" shorter right leg and limps and gimps far worse than I do, I was worried we'd drop the damn thing but no ~ we got it off the tail gate of my truck and onto the trolly jack sans problem, last Sunday the rain stopped so I spent the day installing it into the car and hooking up wires and things, I had it running and did the 60 second break in before sunset .

This will prolly be the last time I do an engine pull on a Bug .

Time marches on .

I'm getting good progress reports on my new OM616 engine, turns out it will have a .010" / .010" crankshaft, I forget what size bore .

I have a 3/4" shorter leg after the first hip replacement due to surgical error. I currently have my left shoes made up with a taller sole. It makes the shortness a lot less of a problem.

BAD Surgeons
 

Well ;

I guess it's good to know my brother and I aren't the only ones to have suffered .

Kaiser really screwed up my very first inguinal hernia repair, they didn't use the mesh back then and the stitches pulled out (talk about painful) so I had to go back under the knife, different surgeon but the internal scar feels like a 4" piece of tugboat hawser and hurts 24/7 to this day .

My son is getting over a bad foot break in the Desert, the surgery went well but I worry ~ he's only 44 Y.O. and has many years left of being active .

The "smoking gun"
 

With very little detective work, I found the "smoking gun". The rod "windowed" the block because a connecting rod nut was NOT tightened properly. This is not the original engine, it was rebuilt some time ago (Nate knows). One rod bolt was sheared off, and the other remains intact with the nut missing. I will probably find it amongst the hundred or so broken pieces of piston in the pan (have not looked yet). Stay tuned.......

Their were 2 616 motors for sale on cl here in Houston ,cheap too , not sure if running , in the parts section

Dog Gone It !
 

This is what I figured happened .

Anyone have the upper oil pan for a 1981 > ? .

I'll buy a junk engine if the price is right and it's close enough .

TIA,

Actually, it is '82 or '83 only. Those two years had the oil separator that drained into the oil pan. Prior years did not have this.