Checking Starters, Adjusting Lifters

Since the last post, I picked up my uncle's '50 starter to find (mildly disappointingly) that it has the exact same dimensions as my starter, and interferes with the flywheel/ring gear exactly the same. I'm beginning to suspect that the ring gear is not fully seated(?) on the flywheel. It appears to my eyes to be able to move forward (away from the Bendix, toward the front of the motor) about 3/32".

Also, I began adjusting the lifters, finding that 6 of the 8 intake lifters were within spec (.010"-.012"). Of those, most were .011". I adjusted two, pretty easily. I'll detail the "how" later with photos, but the 1939-48 Ford & Mercury Shop Manual for Trucks & Cars has a great how-to on turning the motor the fewest times to get all the lifters in position to set the clearance. Also, the Van Pelt flathead site (an awesome resource) has this section on removing stubborn old Ford flathead lifters.

All I can say is someone did a nice job when they rebuilt this motor. I've had to do very little on it so far...

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It's Always Something

Well, I've gotten a lot done since last posting.

Besides attending underground rock shows

visiting old steam locomotives

and B-17 bombers

I also picked up a set of circa 1942-45 Plomb combination wrenches

which helped sate a lust for these tools I mentioned in this post.

Meanwhile, on the hot rod front, I had the inside bore of my front pulley machined to fit (it was too snug before).

Once that was done, I was able to install the pulley and set the intake manifold and fan assembly on the motor to see if the pulleys all line up. Thankfully, they do.

Then, today my friend from Okieville stopped by unexpectedly, but gave me a hand on the motor. First, we checked the connecting rod bearings (well, one at least) to see if we could tell if the crankshaft is standard or has been turned (under standard measurement).

Since the insert bearing (as I apparently have an entire 8BA rotating assembly (crankshaft, connecting rods, and pistons) did not have a measurement number on it, we just recorded the part numbers on it for lookup later.

Let me tell you that flipping that motor over (upside down) on that flathead stand gave me the willies. All I could imagine was the mounting bolts stripping out of the block and dropping the motor onto the stand, floor, and me. My friend assured me it would be fine. It was.

He also showed me the timing marks on the crankshaft and timing gears.

I can't recall if I've written that this motor already has an aluminum timing gear. The more we dug into this motor today, the more my friend's convinced it'll be a real ugly duckling that will (hopefully) turn into a beautiful(ly tuned) swan. We'll see.

After checking the bearing, we installed the two "dog turd" front crankshaft seals into the timing cover and oil pan. (This is a new one).

I'd been soaking it in oil, on the advice of my flathead friends. What was to have been a few days amounted to a few months, but I can't believe that would affect anything. Then, we heroically struggled to install the timing cover and crank pulley. The pulley wouldn't slide into place because of the still-swollen front seal. Finally, we drove the pulley home with a BFH and driver.

Once the front was buttoned up, we removed the old and installed the new rear main seal (cork) (this is the old one)

and installed the oil pan. I'm so glad we flipped the motor over. Installing that heavy pan and the gaskets would have been very difficult with the motor right side up. Here are the results:

Front seal
Rear main seal
Scary upside down motor with oil pan installed
Finally, there's always something when combining disparate Ford parts into a hot rod, and here's today's. Following my friend's recommendation, I installed the starter so I wouldn't have to fool with it once the motor's in the frame. After some discussion as to whether the Bendix should be in or out, I installed it in the "out" (not against the flywheel) position. After tightening it up, I went to turn the motor over with a breaker bar on the front pulley, just for kicks. In doing so, however, the starter Bendix clashed with the flywheel with a "clang." Figuring I'd put the Bendix in the wrong position, and at my friend's urging, I continued to rotate the motor, but it continued to clang. Knowing something was wrong, we looked to see that, even in its fully "out" position, the Bendix was still meshing with the ring gear.

We futzed with it a little, but have come to the conclusion that, since I'm using a '49-'50 Merc flywheel, and have a '49-'53 rotating assembly, perhaps I now need to use a '49-'53 starter and/or Bendix to clear the ring gear. Oh, well, I'm going to borrow my uncle's '50 Ford starter to see what differences, if any, there are between his and mine.

Results in the next post.

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Just for Kicks: My 100th Post

This is just for kicks, to commemorate my 100th post. I took the photo above and just wanted to share it. Something about the lure of a Police Interceptor is enough to tempt any red-blooded hot rodder. Enjoy! (And yes, I know you know all the words to this movie, and you know who you are!)

Mmmm...cop motor...



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A Day to Myself

I got a lot done in the garage today, because I gave myself the gift of a day without obligations, except to work on the hot rod. Before I rattle off the day's progress, I have to share these pics from this week's military vehicles show. This is apparently the big deal version of the one I attended last September. For just $70(!) you could buzz unsuspecting fishermen in the Delta in this Huey helicopter (model unknown); I suppose you probably could've added the "Ride of the Valkyries" for additional cost, judging by crowd at the show. While it would've been a memorable experience, $70 was a little dear.



Let's see, starting at about 9am and ending about 10pm (with my feet kicked up, as seen above), I got the following done today:

1. Installed the flywheel, clutch disc and pressure plate.


It's a 9-1/2" clutch, from '49-'53 Mercury (maybe Ford, too; not sure). This was easy, and I got to use my torque wrench for maybe the first time (yeah, really; I guess I haven't had to assemble anything to spec so far). Also got to use my safety wire and pliers to wire up the flywheel bolts. I used this tech post at the Jalopy Journal to help me do it right. Compare the before photo with my work. I feel pretty good about mine.



2. Based upon two friends' recommendations, I pried out the (apparently) steel "freeze plugs" or "expansion plugs" (take your pick) from the oil pan rail, and started to drive pennies (pre-'83 only, though, because they're still 95% copper, 5% zinc. After that, they're mostly copper clad zinc.) into the openings, but they were filled with a hard, clay gunky stuff. You can imagine my disappointment when my friend confirmed that, yes, I should remove that junk - it's 68 years' worth of sediment clogging up the bottom of the water jacket, and would likely cause a hot spot if not removed.

So, with picks, and awls, and reamers, I went at the four openings, tipping the motor this way and that, to get probably two cups' worth of crap out of that motor. The weird thing was that, since the flathead has two separate water jackets, one side was dusty, powdery dry rust, and other side was silty, moist mush-like mud. Ugh. To add to my troubles, there was still water in one side of the motor, which poured out when I tipped it forward.



The good news is I can feel guilt free about Permatexing up the pennies and driving them home once I could no longer get stuff out of the water jackets by tool or air pressure (which got a bunch out, too).


3. To round out the day, I finally brazed up the oil pan, and it was easier than I'd been fearing. In fact, it was almost as easy as falling off a log. I just cleaned up the hole (getting that nice flammable oil away), set the torch, and heated and melted in the brass. Alas, safety first, so I didn't try to take any "action" shots with the torch, but you can see the results. Then, for good measure, I got to exercise another tool for the first time: my DA (no, not the haircut, the tool) dual-action or orbital sander, with 80 grit (wasn't sure what to use, but that worked fine for grinding down my (admittedly) lumpy brass and shaping it to the pan. Then I leak-tested it with some solvent and, satisfied that it didn't leak, cleaned up the spot and set the pan aside until I'm ready to install it.



After all that work, I decided it was time to have some pizza and beer, to put my feet up, and read a little bit out in the garage in the very pleasant evening weather we had today.

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For a Friend

Kind of a bittersweet post tonight. Not car related, except it concerns a friend of mine; one of my cranky old man hot rod friends: my friend who lives in Oakieville, from whom I got the double pulley.

He called me the other day ostensibly to let me know about a four banger hill climb coming up this month, but I know he was really looking for a ride as much as a buddy to go see it with. That's OK, he knows I'd dig it, and I don't mind driving us. Unfortunately, I told him, I can't go because I've got a schedule conflict.

But, here's where I feel even more conflicted: later in the conversation, he tells me they've found what might be cancer in him, and he has to get a biopsy next month. My heart dropped. I felt terrible, and am worried the cancer will get him. And he's a great guy, and someone with whom I really get along well. And he's got volumes of car, not just flathead, knowledge rattling around in his brain.

While I was initially concerned, I got even more worried this might be serious when he tells me he had some guys come by his place to take away all the "junk," which included probably a half dozen flathead engines and blocks, including the complete, running-when-pulled motor the pulley came from, and the raised intake block I found. Besides the engines were pulleys, water pumps, pans, you name it, including one or two four banger blocks. I asked if these fellas were gonna go through and sell the stuff. He said, no, they took it all away, about a ton's worth, as scrap. Scrap.

Ugh, I thought, why would he have someone haul all of this away for scrap? Unless, he just needed to get it out of there now. Before it's too late. I don't know what was or is going through his mind, but to get rid of all that stuff in that way seems so unlike him. So you can bet I'll be visiting my friend soon, and seeing if I can't work out my schedule conflict and take him to that banger meet.

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