Quote Originally Posted by Salty87 View Post
rather than sandwich many layers of plywood, that's an area where i used lumber....4x4 pressure treated but very dry.
I agree. Plywood is fine for the stringers if that's what you want to do, but dimensional lumber is my preference for the engine cradle area. I used a collection of 2x6 and 2x4s trimmed to size I needed.

To your other concern about getting the cradle back to it's original dimensions, I understand your concern, but I agree with Salty that you need to try your best but sometimes close it good enough for this work. Take lots of pictures and measurements.