There isn’t much to add, I encountered a road block pretty quick. Next stop is to start working on splitting. Removing the stator cover was straightforward and was not disappointing. No massive amounts of corrosion or any other horrible findings there. Also I found that the flywheel has a very convenient pair of shoulders on it to grab, I’m not sure what people’s deal is with removing the head and stuffing wood or rags in to stop the engine from turning is. The other end took a bit of heat and a special tool, part# LONGASSPRYBAR to spin the drive coupler off. After removing I could then see the business I was after.
Yup, I’d guess there is an issue there. On to taking apart the other side, well while I can easily not turn the flywheel, I can’t easily remove it. It has center threads for removal, but the thread pattern is 18×1.5. I ordered the right tool, as well as all the gaskets I should need for reassembly and am now waiting on them. Day 3 should be cleaning out the inside of the hull and hopefully I’ll have some after photos to share from that. Otherwise we’re in a holding pattern until stuff arrives.