So, once I had the engine in pieces it was simple to swap out the gear selector shaft, which was the whole point of the exercise.
Now it was a case of putting the whole lot back together. There is no gasket between the engine casings, so it is just a matter of cleaning the two surfaces and applying some “instant gasket”.
I also cleaned all other surfaces ready for the rebuild.
The two casings were put back together, and everything was lining up perfectly. All the shafts seemed to be rotating as they should.
I started the final tightening and all was well. I then found that the main shaft was a bit stiff, so gave it a firmer turn. It suddenly went free and all was good.
I then started putting the rest of the engine, but found an odd chunk of metal lying on the workbench.
A few choice words later and I looked more carefully at the hole in the casing. Investigations showed that the clutch actuating rod had failed to slip backup inside the shaft and had put just enough pressure to pop a hole in the casing.
My first thoughts were of the cost of having to get a new casing, even if I could find one. I then contemplated using liquid metal or putty stuff to fix it.
Finally I settled on a local welding emporium (Format Fabrications) who specialise, amongst other metals, in welding aluminium.
To be helpful, and cut down on costs, I cleaned up the area ready for welding.
I think that they did a very good job, and they were also very nice and helpful. The turn around was only a couple of hours. 🙂