Popped my first cherry. FINISHED PHOTOS ADDED.

[Michael_Gannon]

I feel like that annoying little kid with 101 questions about everything. Oh well. What's that black cylinder thing on the front to the engine? Not the oil filter, the one that runs horizontal. Can it be removed? I tried to take it off by removing the two bold that are on the end but I couldn't get a wrench on the one that is in the back closest to the engine.

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Front_of_m750_engine_with_heads_removed.JPG[/img]

[Cider1]

Isn't that the starter?

[m999s4]

Originally Posted by Cider

Isn't that the starter?

yep. that's the starter.

[TJR178]

Be careful taking that starter off. Be gentle.

[Norm]

In order to take the starter off, you have to remove the side cover. You'll have to decide if it's worth it or not.
The intakes are the metal pieces that join the carbs to the heads.........or, do you have FI?? Either way, they are cast peices & will have seems on the inside. Just look & it will all make sence.
While you've got the heads & jugs off, spray them with some engine paint & then sand the edges of the fins. This gives the motor a much more finished look.
I wouldn't clean the tops of the pistons without removing them. It's pretty easy, just take out the circlip from one side & slide the wrist pin out.
If you lay the intake gasket on the head & the intake, you will see that it is slightly larger that the metal faces. Just take a burr & grind away the metal until the openings are the same as the gasket.
You may not be an "expert" now, but you will be by the time you're done.

[just_ducky]

Mike I think it's great you've got the ambition to delve into the innards of your engine like this, however I think you really need a manual to help yourself along. There's a number of details you'll find really handy in one too. Torque settings for example when you go to put your engine back together could be a handy set of numbers to have. It'll save you alot of grief and frustration too, especially as its your first time!
Best of luck to you and your engine!

[Michael_Gannon]

Thanks for the clarification Norm.

just_ducky, what do I need a manual for when I've got this great board? JK, I'll actually probably get one because I do think it would be nice to have.

[Michael_Gannon]

Originally Posted by Norm

If you lay the intake gasket on the head & the intake, you will see that it is slightly larger that the metal faces. Just take a burr & grind away the metal until the openings are the same as the gasket.

What would be the benefit of doing this?

[Norm]

Better air flow, more uniform swirl.

[Michael_Gannon]

[img width=500 height=375]http://www.ducatimonster.org/ImageFolio3_files/gallery/DML_Titanium_Member_Folders/Michael_Gannon/Both_Heads_Removed.JPG[/img]

As you can see in this image, I've taken off most of what can be taken off the engine without actually splitting the main body of the engine in two pieces. I've got the heads and side cover and all that off, pistons out etc.. The plan was to strip and paint this as one solid pice then paint the heads, clutch, and alternator covers separately. This way if I ever needed to remove them again they wouldn't be painted together. Plus I'm thinking of going with different paints on these different pieces so they would need to be painted separately anyway. So anyway, my question for today is, do you think the chemical stripper I've been using to strip the old paint off has compromised the seal between the main two pieces of the engine that I left together? I'd hate to go through all this work sealing up one gasket leak and repainting the engine and all that, only to get it put back together and find I've created a whole new leak. What do you think? Should I bust it open and reseal it?