Easiest way to repair an engine which knocks, without pulling it from the car?

Absolutely no one cares about that, nor should you.

Pull the head, yank the bad piston and rod, take it to a machine shop to have the big end checked and re-sized if needed. Bring the crank and have it ground undersize, buy the correct bearings for the undersize crank or buy a crankshaft kit and put it back together.

Find and replace the balance shaft and hardware. Every gasket, every rubber seal, everything made of rubber - hoses, ducts, all. Check every bit of wiring and connectors. Anything cracked, corroded or even slightly suspect, you change. If you don’t you will go insane trying to make this thing run again.

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