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Re: 56 short hood

Since you have put a lot of stress on the head studs, you might consider replacing them. Might be stretched some.

Re: 56 short hood

finally had some time to try to get the piston out, GOT IT , i kept it soaked all this time , and just beat the piston down with a wood block, when it got to be within one inch of the bottom i had to tear into the piston from underneath because the front main bearing block will prevent it from coming all the way out , cylinder looks pretty good , now when winter sets in, i'll ship it off to the machine shop and see what they say.Attachment 1714692Attachment 1714693Attachment 1714694

Re: 56 short hood

Duane, those pictures you have are pretty much what I was thinking about, excellent shots of using the flat bar with the rod bolts removed.

Re: 56 short hood

Originally Posted by gmcdeadhead

what if i drill a series of holes around the top of the piston to take it apart without screwing up the wall any more than it already is, like i said in an earlier post , i figure there can only be between 300-500 hours on this machine, sure would suck if the wall blew out of it from beating on the piston

Based on my experience with the engine pictured above, I'd say you'd have to have yours bored and sleeved as I predict the groove that is likely going to be where the piston ring is will be deeper than boring for the largest oversized can accommodate.

Re: 56 short hood

i have a 65 redface that im gonna use for parts , that motor spins freely , i was gonna keep that motor as a spare , but if this one gets screwed up , i guess i'll have to use that one

Re: 56 short hood

what if i drill a series of holes around the top of the piston to take it apart without screwing up the wall any more than it already is, like i said in an earlier post , i figure there can only be between 300-500 hours on this machine, sure would suck if the wall blew out of it from beating on the piston

Re: 56 short hood

Found the photos. I used a piece of 1/2" flat bar to press against. Piston didn't survive and I checked the rod against another to make sure it didn't bend. Block was a bust due to the rust damage. Would cost more to save it than it is worth.

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Re: 56 short hood

Originally Posted by BYW200

. . . but what if you try pushing the piston out from the connecting rod end out the top being it's closer to the top of the cylinder?

Good suggestion. Have done that before. Trick is to keep the rod straight and not damage it. May need to form a block of hardwood to fit the bearing end of the rod to press against.

Re: 56 short hood

Have you tried smackin' it with a big hammer with the pressure still on it?

i tried that , only did some soft lights hammer blows, i dont want to blow out the cylinder ,

try pushing the piston out from the connecting rod end out the top being it's closer to the top of the cylinder?

once i get it loose from the top , i'll push it from the connecting rod end .
if i get some time today i'll mess with it, when its nice weather outside , farm work comes first

Re: 56 short hood

One other option you might try is shrinking the piston. Flip the block over and put some pieces of dry ice in the underside of the piston. Assuming it’s a cast aluminum piston it may shrink enough to break free of whatever is holding it so tight.

I’ve done this to a stuck motorcycle piston and it worked like a charm.

A bit of torch work on the internal bore might also help.
Food for thought.


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Re: 56 short hood

I must say, you've got pressure on the piston. That must be 3/8" angle you got there that's bending. Hard to believe that #1 piston is that bad to get out, #2 valves look a lot rougher in that combustion chamber considering the looks of condition. This may sound silly, but what if you try pushing the piston out from the connecting rod end out the top being it's closer to the top of the cylinder?

Re: 56 short hood

Have you tried smackin' it with a big hammer with the pressure still on it?

Re: 56 short hood

i tried all the combinations of fluids known to man to get it unstuck, ive had the pressure with the angle iron on it for a week now , tightening it down some more every other day, its bending the iron, i wonder if i apply some heat to the block with a torch , maybe i'll try that later .

Re: 56 short hood

I read once where a welder mechanic would put shop towels soaked with diesel in the cylinder a lite it and let it burn. Says it does wonders for a stuck cylinder. The best penetrating fluid I’ve found 50/50 kerosene or diesel, and automatic transmission fluid. I broke a seized SA200 engine free with it last week. Good luck.

Re: 56 short hood

Try putting a 100 watt light bulb in the adjacent cylinder and leaving it while you wait. Did that once on an old IH tractor engine, the heat broke it loose after 4 days of constant pressure.

Re: 56 short hood

ok , i got the crank out and three pistons, i put a block of wood on the piston with the angle iron tightened down, it doesnt seem to budge at all , im not gonna force anything. im gonna leave it like this until i can go to the machine shop and see what they can do , that might be a week , when i looked at the bearings on the crank and connecting rods . they were all from the factory, not even scratched up, i bet this motor has barley 300 hours on it , to bad some dumb kids left this machine out in the rain Attachment 1713587

Re: 56 short hood

im gonna try to get to it this weekend, have other things that have to come first, but thats what im going to do is take the crank out completely , and then work on getting the piston or pistons out , might be two that are stuck, we'll see, i'll keep you updated , thanks

Re: 56 short hood

I'd pull the crank out completely and that way it's totally out of the picture. I've had to press stuck pistons out with my 20T press and the one I have in mind was a bust as it would require sleeves and being outfitted with intake valve seats which these Continentals weren't originally equipped with. Too expensive for what the block is worth.

Re: 56 short hood

remove the cap on the connecting rod bearing and carefully rotate the crank away from the connecting rod. might be a good idea to put some rubber fuel line on the threads of the connecting rod bolts to protect them and the crank journal. Take a wood 4x4 and shave off the corners till it will fit in 1 of the bores, then use a mallet and the 4x4 to tap the piston down to get it moving. A little torch heat on the cylinder won't hurt either. Just make sure everything else is not stuck, many years ago I snapped a camshaft getting on a crank with a pipe wrench and bar thinking a piston was stuck, it was the valve train that was hanging up. lesson learned.

Re: 56 short hood

thanks for the info, post a couple of pics of your 56, i still did not get a chance to work any more on it , to many other things to do first ,

Re: 56 short hood

I have a 56 short hood and it has been a great machine. I did have to replace the shunt coils which was a lot of work and I replaced the exciter coils also.
I had a salesman from Lincoln Electric tell me that Lincoln messed up building those machines because they do not break!
They are not engineered to fail after so many years.

Re: 56 short hood

maybe i'll try that this weekend if i have some free time, thanks

Re: 56 short hood

You got the head studs there. Rig up a bar or plate drilled for the studs, put a packer plate between the bar and piston and wind the nuts down. That'll shift it. Hammering will just damage the piston.

Re: 56 short hood

i will do that next time i get some freed up time to work on it, maybe this weekend, , i'll definitely post on the progress

Re: 56 short hood

Take the connecting rod caps off and see if the engine turns. If so get a chunk of 3/4" plate and every day add a pump or so on the potrtapower till it breaks loose.