2/14/13: Valentine's Day Motor Work

Tonight we pulled the oil pan and flywheel.

To do this work, however, we first had to mount it on my engine stand.  This was not as easy as the first time I did it, however, because I was ignorant to one or two very important facts.  The first is that the front exhaust port bolt holes are not 3/8" like the middle and rear holes; the fronts are 7/16".  I didn't know this last time and somehow was lucky enough to shove some 3/8" bolts in there and not have them tear out of their threads and drop the motor on my feet.

My friend W (the old timer) said that this dimension difference dates back to the first V-8's and Ford carried it through (at least through '48; I'm not sure about '49-'53 blocks).

So, we had to run taps into all the bolt holes to clean them up and then drill out the Vern Tardel engine stand mount to accommodate the larger front bolts (that we had to scrounge from my assorted coffee cans filled with hardware).



Once we mounted the engine securely to the stand with a mixture of too long and just-right bolts and nuts, we pulled the oil pan and removed the flywheel and W examined the engine and the pan mounting job I did.  He is convinced that if the pan and its seals (front, back, side rails) are not installed just right, you're asking for leaks.

He thought the cork seal in the back was OK, but the pan flange could be centered better, so he pounded it straight.

In taking a quick look at the motor, (and I subsequently stuck a set of dividers down one of the bores), W thought that the previous rebuilder (this motor was rebuilt at some time) probably pulled the sleeves and rebored it .045 (my understanding) to get it to 239".  Therefore, it's probably an 81A, originally 221 cu. in., not a 99A or 99T Mercury or truck block.

As the apprentice mechanic on this job, I got the unenviable task of cleaning out the residue sludge (that had dripped out of the block since I last ran and drained it) out of the pan and filing and straightening the pan rails to ensure a good seal when we put it back on.

Next thing to do for me is search for a usable 9" flywheel and pressure plate.

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