MR. WELLWOOD'S SHOP OF HORRORS

Or can you?

During a rebuild, my son’s D17A1 stock cam slipped through my fingers and fell on the floor and instantly broke. There was language:

On the lathe, I threaded the broken end of the “front” half of the cam, drilled through the back two pieces, and counterbored the back of the back of the cam to fit a 9/16″ socket. I also threaded some 3/8″ rod:

Red locktite and some tight like a tiger, and it’s fixed:

No, this will NEVER be pressed back into service, it’s going back in a “dead” engine at work (our original engine when we got the car) that the cherubs work on (I stole its cam for my son’s car).

I guess, in theory, you could weld it once it’s assembled like this….

You run out of coolant? You toast the headgasket and smoke the rings. That’s a LOT more expensive than just checking the coolant level. AND, it turns out, the bearings are also shot.  Because why not.

Took about 12 hours not including breaks and parts runs.  Engine shows S.I.G.N.I.F.I.C.A.N.T. evidence of neglect from previous owners.  Might as well add “CHANGE YOUR OIL FREQUENTLY” in that too.

I did have a gravity yeet:

But I’m very glad I still had the original engine from this car in a bin at work so I could yoink the cam.

Pendozi Machine milled the head, and we got it all back together and running that evening.

At any rate, the engine is back together and runs MUCH better than it did before!  Yay!

My son and I road tripped up north for him to buy this Catalina.  This is a US car; Canada never got the Catalina.

California car, zero rust, never seen winter, always parked inside, indoor and outdoor car covers, 56 years of Waxoyl.  We’ll be heading up again when winter is over to bring it back.