VINTAGE WOHM DIESEL RADIAL RESTORATION

Here is the engine as we received it from Wolfgang Hoepfner for restoration.

After a quick inspection we've found a serious lack of compression and some very odd sounds coming from within. We'll start this restoration as always with a complete strip down of all the components and check and measure to see what's needed.

Here is the engine fully dismantled and ready to inspect.

OH DEAR WHAT A MESS.......... This poor boy needs quite a bit of work to make him live again. because of the serious amount of work involved in this restoration we will need to start at the very beginning by remachining the main case to correct a few original machine errors and bring everything back into a state of trueness, to allow the rest of the components to play nicely together. We will also carry out some much needed upgrades to the original design.

Well after no small amount of effort we have made the required tooling to mount and remachine the original crankcase to true it up as best as is possible and we've also managed to convert the engine to a twin ball raced mounted crankshaft. All the cylinder deck heights have now also been made the same distance from the crank center line and perpendicular to it as well. As we will be making a new crankshaft for this engine will also increase the diameter of the rear portion of the shaft so it will accommodate an increase in diameter from the original 12mm to a more suitable 15mm diameter. The newly added rear main bearing is 15 x 28x 7. This modification will give the engine a much more rigidly mounted crank with a whole lot less rotating friction.

We have also remachined the inside of the case as well to accommodate larger and more adequate conrods.

 

Here is the original front housing that has been remachined and tidied up with the friction damage removed from the prop driver rubbing against it due to excessive crankshaft end float and a new front crank bearing.

Test assembled to make sure everything fits together nicely, so far so good.

 

Next up is to machine up the new crankshaft.