Chris, man, it was funny. I popped the last nut on the cover, and the cover slides off, and suddenly I am hearing "PLOP PLOP PLINK PLOP" as all the broken hardware falls out and splashes me with oil as it plummets two feet into my drain pan. Fished everything out and put magnets on them....of course I already knew the answer though, didn't I? All the intake side studs are intact...hmmmmmmm wonder what they're made of.
Over the last month or two I've been seeing some good horror/freakshows, and have begun assembling a bucket of really nasty parts. Does anyone remember Doug Zielke's mechanical mayhem file? Well, I'm resurrecting it. So far I've got:
-Six asploded Dilivar studs
-One completely beat-to-***** 2nd gear dogring (what happens when you continue driving a 915 when the synchros have given up)
-Five nasty, pitted, worn-out synchros (show the dangers of neglecting your tranny fluid)
-Early idler supports with friction-welded/galled bores (why bearing-less/narrow idler supports are potential time bombs)
-Ultra-worn cam/layshaft sprockets that lead to:
-Layshaft bearings showing WAY too much copper for an 85k engine
People are welcome to send me their over-worn or catastrophically failed parts. I have been brewing an idea for a thread(s) that show the dangers of half-assed engine/trans builds or ignoring the warning signs of impending failures.