Tip the front iron up to vertical. Assemble only the front side of the front rotor.

 

Slip the rotor over the front crank journal while the crank is horizontal.

 

Slip crank and rotor into the front stationary gear/bearing.

 

Tip the front iron back to horizontal.

 

Build up the back side of the rotor.

 

use an apex seal to align the corner seals.

 

Install the rotor housing.

 

Super glue the apex seal pieces together wearing rubber gloves on a piece of wax paper or Visqueen.

 

Install apex seals and springs as a unit.

 

Use screen door springs or similar to clamp rotor housing to front iron.

 

There you go. Nothing falls out. Nothing lost. No extra pieces on the floor.

 

You can use grease to hold the pieces together, and it works fine, unless it is warm. You can hold corner seals and side seals in with silk thread taped to the rear of the rotor. Or you can super glue the corner seals in place.

Or, you can hold pressure on the side seals pushing both away from the one corner seal close to your index fingers, while holding that corner seal in place with one index finger, and snap the rotor down when within 1/2" or so. Most folks do that. Still there is a chance for error. Or, you can do all of the above. 

 

Pay attention to the handedness of the oil scraper springs. When new they have colored dots of paint to indicate a front or rear spring. Just the spring keeps the scraper from rotating in the rotor and wearing out the "O" ring. The spring has one rounded end and one square end. The rounded end engages a shallow hole in the rotor. The square end engages a notch on the under side of the scraper.

 

Once you get the idea stuck in your mind you will never forget it.

 

Lynn E. Hanover