A65L 1970 (last of oil-in-tank)
Has anyone seen this before? See photo of welded up sludge trap access (yes I know, it's a bit rusty too, but one thing at a time!).
I can't understand why anyone would wish to weld up the entry point when it could simply have a threaded cap fitted (loctited if thought necessary).
Now I've got the problem of what to do about it.
There are three obvious options:
1. buy a replacement crankshaft - not easy & quite expensive even as a used item (would need regrinding, new shells, etc)
2. re-machine the hole and tap it (difficult alignment problem) - also quite expensive as expect it to take about 3 hours
3. ignore the weld and fit it as it is! (I will be fitting a cartridge oil filter, so sludge should not be an issue.)
Any comments or suggestions?
Cheers, Charles