[AT] Got a question about a Hercules engine

[Cecil Bearden]

Yesterday I got the Hercules QXLD-5 engine started on the Hollingsworth 
generator I bought a year ago.  This generator was supposed to be sold 
to a fellow close to here, but he was not in any hurry to pick it up, 
and since I lost money on it, I was not in a big hurry to spend any more 
on it.   I finally got the starter that would crank the engine, I went 
through about 20 starters before I found the correct drive for it.  We 
overhauled it earlier this year with rings and gaskets  paying careful 
attention to the correct alignment of the rods and pistons when we went 
back together. 

Well I started it and it had a knock in it.  It ran about 2 minutes and 
then broke out a spot on the side of the block at the number 6 rod about 
the size of my hand.  It still ran and did not knock then.  This is the 
first time in 40 years of mechanic work I have had this happen and it 
had to happen on one of the hardest engines to find a replacement for.  
I really do not know whether to scrap the whole generator or what.  A 
friend has an old gleaner combine with a Hercules engine on it for 
$500.  This generator  has a sae2 bell housing so it will have to be a 
qx series engine to fit the bell housing to drive the generator or I 
have to do a bunch of machine work on an adapter. 

I can only guess that this engine was overhauled ( government surplus ) 
and put in storage outside and stuck up without running and someone got 
the rod turned the wrong way from the piston.  We paid a lot of 
attention to getting the pistons back the direction they were supposed 
to go and did not take the rods off the pistons, so they had to be back 
the way they were took out.  Gaskets are a fortune for this thing so I 
really do not want to do a lot of work on it.  The rings were $250.....  
Gaskets are $100 a set for the head set.  I am thinking about patching 
the block with a metal patch if possible. 

This was the last project I had started since I retired a year ago.  
Every project I have worked on since retirement has taken 4 times longer 
than expected and I have lost tons of money on every one.  

Does anyone have any experience with hercules 6 cyl engines?  I really 
wonder why the rod was hitting the side of the block.....  I had a young 
felow helping me who is wanting to learn mechanic work and he is very 
careful about checking things and I checked out everything he did before 
we put the pan back on.  

If I get this one out the door, there is never going to be another 
hercules engine on this place.....

BTW
I hope you all enjoy a great Easter Sunday with your family. 

Cecil in OKla