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Inactive by user's request
 
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada | Looks like the rear main seal in my '59's 230 is shot. Got oil in the bellhousing and from behind the oil pan. Have a small oil trail that runs down the driveway after I shut it off.  May as well take it off the road for a while to take care of this and do some other stuff I had planned for the car.  |
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Board Moderator
Posts: 3186
  
Location: The not-so-great, dirty-white North ( Michigan) | Kenny.....
Sorry for the bad luck, but look at it in this context.
You had almost 45 years on the seal (possibly) before it went.
I think for a rope seal, that is outstanding!
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Expert
Posts: 2824
Location: Snohomish, WA. | Kenny,
Ahhhh yes, the pesky rear seal!!! NOT my favorite job. A proper job means at least a tranny drop. Never had any luck sneaking the upper part of the seal in with a yanking wire. Don't envy your job here. And right when you really want the car on the road.
It could be worse though. I have an 83 Camaro that they thought it would be a good idea to put a spiraling serration onto the seal area itself on the crank. I suppose the idea was that the serration would move any oil back into the engine as the crank turned. HELLO???? ever heard of a file? Thats pretty much what it is. Started to leak a little, then a veritable fount of oil erupted.
The fix was a thin smoothe sleeve you had to drive onto the end of the shaft making a fresh, non serrated seal surface. What a pain in the ass!!
Good luck, Kenny.
Mike |
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Account Suspended (Steve Hobby Alias)
Posts: 3365
Location: North West Jorsey | Hey Ken
Rope seals are a PITA to change. 45 years old, they are usually petrified and an SOB to get out. Don't be surprised if you have to yank the engine and put it on a stand to work on it. But if you go that far, you may as well pull the crank and have it smoothed out with new bearings and an oil pump. If you can do much of the work yourself, you can save yourself some big bucks. If not, well baby steps. At least you'll have your trolley pictures to keep you company.
Let us know how we can help? |
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Location: Parts Unknown | When I rebuilt the 383 in my 60 Flite, it started gooing all over the flywheel im-midget-ly. I spun a clutch into individual layers within a week and had to pull the entire she-bang to do a fix. One does not just do a simple yank with a crossram car. You have to pull the top end off to avoid damage, so this added even more tedium to the project. Mind you, I was a year in the building of this car, so I was hot to go and drive this thing by this point. Stopping and backing up really had me pissed off good, but reality be what reality be, eh?
Got it out, separated the tranny from the block, got it on a stand and rolled it over. Pulling the crank and setting it on the bench, I replaced the rear seal and had a look-see at that race area on the crank .... shor-nuff, looked like some butthead had whacked it with a ballpeen hammer hard enough to raise a sharp burr to one side of the blow! WTF ? I was pretty bent already. This maneuver was going to take days, ... all for a 20 minute seal replacement! Now what, ... change the crank? I examined the "divot" and the area where the seal rides and decided to roll the dice on another engine pull by carefully filing the burr off and putting the engine back together.
All worked well for as long as I owned the car as far as the seal was concerned. The stock 10" clutch that was in the hulk when I got it (and all subsequent replacements) seemed grossly under-capable of hanging on to that crossram 383 ( how had it performed from 60 to whenever it died?), and I got real good at doing 20 minute clutches before an oldtimer down at Seattle Brake & Clutch sold me a 12" set up (along with some $#@! wise words) and the car never came apart for anything major again. |
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Inactive by user's request
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada | Thanks for all the replies and encouragement. Since this is an unrebuilt '57 engine, that seal is probably forty seven years old. The good news is, it turned out that the rear seal isn't leaking. I figured it was because it is so old. The bad news is, it's leaking from the front of the transmission. That means either the snout the throw out bearing rides on broke, or the less than two year old front bearing retainer gasket failed. In any event, the clutch is soaked with gear lube, not engine oil. Double rats!!!! I promised myself that if I had to take the thing apart again, I'd pull the entire sha-bang, lop off those six banger ears, weld in the V-8 mounting brackets Roger Howard sent me ages ago and install a Poly 318 and one of my 8 3/4 rear axle assemblies. In any event, the car is in serious need of a repaint and needs new rear window seals, rust repair in the tailgate, recaulking along the entire roof lip and a different windshield (remember, I have enough glass to convert the car to tinted glass.)
I may pull the engine and drivetrain out of my two door 318/stick wagon, redo that and install it in this one. Then I can put a 440-4 speed in the two door wagon. I dunno.....or I can redo the two door wagon, drive it with its original drivetrain rebuilt and park the four door for now.... 
It's gonna be in the low 100s for the next several months and with clear glass and no A/C, I'll be using the '66 Chevy truck or the '68 Imperial (both have A/C, but both burn fuel like a Missouri Class battleship.) The wife's Toyota Sienna van isn't me, but I suppose I could drive that more often. Problem with the Imperial and the Toyota is there is nothing to do with my left foot when I drive.
K. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5139
Location: cornpatch county, Southwest IOA | WHOOOOWWWEEE Kenny! A 440 4 speed in a 2 door wagon, that otta get some serious grocery's. Could I see what the 2 door looks like? I've enjoyed your streetcar -Mopar pictures, and the best half has a few telephone insulators of her own......Over |
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Inactive by user's request
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada | Just go to my photo album, fourth page. It's a mess, but it's do-able....
K. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 5139
Location: cornpatch county, Southwest IOA | I've always liked 2 door wagons. I used to drag race a 57 c---y wagon with a 283 and 4 speed in a special weight to cubic inch class. Whole lot of weight transfer with a wagon. I always got beat by a 55 panel with a 265!
440 - 4 speed ...DO IT! |
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RATS!!!!
