Day 23 - Smaller update

Hey guys,

Just spent two hours in the garage, looking everything through and reading some info in my manuals. I decided to do some minor work while I was there.

I decided to remove the crankshaft and camshaft
sprockets plus the timing chain. There's a bolt in
the center of the camshaft sprocket...

In order to avoid the crank from rotating I put a screwdriver
through the drive plate against the block. Removal was easy.

Notice the woodruff keys that will ensure correct
allignment of the new kit I intend to buy. It is also
crucial to make sure that the new sprockets line up
correctly but I will get back to this on reassembly.

Both sprockets needed a little persuation. Two larger screwdrivers
or pry bars are sufficient if you are careful.

Sprockets and chain disassembled. Time to move on to the final
steps of the crankshaft removal.

In order to remove the crankshaft the first step on big block
engines is to remove the two bolts that keep the rear oil seal
retainer in place. You need a 3/8-inch twelve point socket to
reach these. Afterwards, just slide the retainer up.

This is the rear oil seal retainer. I found it hard to see
if there was a bearing underneath, but I'm thinking
maybe there's an incorporated bearing in the retainer.
Does anybody know this? Please comment.

As a last step I loosened all of the main caps
one quarter turn. After this they were removable
by hand.

I decided not to remove the main caps entirely. I was thinking I should ask someone for a hand. This is for two reasons, I really need to keep track of the caps and bearings to make sure they go back the same way, and the crankshaft can be quite heavy, so I should not take any risk.

A final question. The drive plate is still in place on the end of the crankshaft. According to my documentation I should separate them, but use white paint to mark the position of the drive plate to the crankshaft. Where would be a suitable spot for this marking? Or would it be a better idea to leave the driveplate in place and let the engine restoration shop deal with it? I would assume it just comes out with the crankshaft and I could keep them together?

Thank you all.