Engine disassembly was straightforward but took longer than expected and having a cold doesn’t help. As each part was removed it was like uncovering treasure, wondering if what lay within was in like-new condition or a nasty surprise. Other than a worn connecting rod bearing the engine is in good condition. The biggest problem was underestimating how hard it would be to remove the front pulley bolt. They’re tightened to something like 250 ft-lbs, plus they tend to stick, laughing at feable attempts at loosening with an impact wrench. It was finally removed by jamming the flywheel, laying the engine on its side, and having my wife stand on it while I used a 4-ft breaker bar to pop it loose.
The purpose of disassembling it is to measure the piston wrist pin offset to get the new pistons on order. Some engines have offset pins and some don’t; what’s strange is how (AFAIK) aftermarket pistons don’t have an offset upless specifically requested. That, and how no one on earth seems to know the pin offset, so I had to measure it myself: 0.0325″ if you care.