I was given a seized GSL-SE core when I started my SE-in-a-box project as a favor from a friend, as I needed the injectors, fuel rail, and other stuff. I've since cracked the motor open after pickling for a while, and I was able to disassemble the engine and scrape the chrome faces with a razor blade, and the irons and housings are actually in great shape. Ditto with the e-shaft.

The rotors are the problem. The front rotor in particular was caked in rust, and it had fallen into a pool of rust at the bottom of the front housing. This also meant that the seals were all rusted to the rotor. I was able to extract all the seals except for about 2/3 of the side seals. Many months of soaking in oil, exercising the end that wasn't stuck, pulling with picks, etc never freed the seals. I brought them into work where two machinists volunteered their help, but it would be at 5:30am before they were on the clock. I let them work without me and was greeted the next morning with two rotors with no seals, but some very obvious damage.

The machinists had taken a thin flathead screwdriver to a grinder and relieved one corner of the flathead. They then put the remaining fat pick into the groove and pried the corner seals out, inch by broken-seal inch. In the end, they were left with a sawtooth pattern on the outside of the grooves where they displaced the steel of the rotor and deformed these little sawteeth down into the groove. You'll see what I mean in the attached pictures.

Has anyone successfully recovered from damage like this? I'd think I can dremel them smooth again perhaps, but it would be a struggle to get it right. If I source new rotors, I understand that it would change my endfloat, and I don't have an assortment pack of shims for reassembly.

I'm just looking for advice on whether they're paperweights, salvageable, an easy fix, etc.



First, the general condition of the rotors and their worn bearings.









Next, the sawtooth profiles cut into the side seal grooves.







Finally, the pitting and rusting of the rotor face itself.

 

more close up pics of the damage would be good, but if they just nicked up the sides of the groove, that can be fixed. i actually just had to do that, an 86+ side seal, with some sand paper around it worked nicely. the 68-85 side seals are 1mm the 86-03 side seals are .7mm, so it fits with the sandpaper

if they tore up the bottom of the groove, i think that could be fixed too, but it would have to be done so that the seal sits in the right spot

 

they still look useable.. most important check the apex seal grooves in the rotors to make sure they are within spec, if they are, then.......
wire wheel the rotors,install some new bearings, and go have fun..

 

Well Robert my 1mm side seals won't fit into the grooves, and I can't think of a good way to clean them up. I soda blasted the rotors to clean them up, and I clearly need new bearings (one is now completely copper) but I'm not sure about the side seals. Should I work to clean them up, or just pop in .7mm seals and let them float?

 

No, he said use the .7mm seals with sandpaper to clean up the area that was messed up with the screwdriver. Once you get that area cleaned up you should be able to get the 1 mm seals in.

 

Gotcha, that makes a lot more sense. Thanks. By the way, if the bearings are showing copper all the way around, does that mean that they have to be replaced?