Buick 23-4-39 Week 4 PICTURES

DaveAspi · 2 Weeks Ago

First of all thanks to Leif from Sweden and Leon from Canada for you expert advice!

Worked on fixing the broken crank pin today, proved to harder than anticipated. Pulled the radiator (see pictures), found the original hoses not cooperative and they had to be sacrificed. (note the rust in the hoses). Tried my darndest to get the front gear cover removed, and just could not get it off.

The crank shaft either hangs up on the crank hole part of the front frame (see picture), or the plate cover hangs up on the frame closest to the engine (see picture). I've jacked the engine up and down, and just can not find the sweet spot where I can pull the over off. It has to be something simple, that I'm just not seeing. Everything up to this point was quite smooth. I need fresh eyes, let me know if you see anything that I missed. I have to get behind that plate to see if I can fix the pin at the end of the crank shaft.

Until next week, Dave

50jetback · 2 Weeks Ago

What have you got holding up the front of the motor?

The round bracket bolted to the front cross member is the front motor support ( at least on the sixes and this looks the same ) so is the weight of the front of the motor now sitting on the cover you are trying to remove?

You may have to jack the front of the motor, if you do you should also loosen the rear engine mounts.

Seeing as how the block and radiator are nice and dry it would be a good time to blow it all out with compressed air, boy that's going to make a mess inside your garage!!!

Enjoying your blow by blow description of preparing this beautiful original car for its awakening, keep up the good work and please continue posting updates.

ROD W · 2 Weeks Ago

Dave
Its been 30 years since i had my buicks, a 25 tourer and a 23 tourer so the brains a bit rusty,
but I seem to remember having difficulty getting the gear cover off because you can,t lift the engine up high enough. I think I might have had to remove the main engine bolts at the back of the engine (rear engine mounts) to be able to lift it up,but they were very difficult to remove especially with valance panels on. I had the body off my car making it easier.
Hopefully somebody else might know if there,s another way.
Rod

ROD W · 2 Weeks Ago

I don,t know if loosening the rear engine mount bolts would still allow enough movement
to be able to lift the front of the motor (being solid mounts as well as a lip along the top of the engine mount casting) preventing any turning of the engine

DaveAspi · 2 Weeks Ago

Hi Stuart, I have the engine supported by a floor jack. You are quite right, the crank shaft either hits the crank hole at the front of the body picture 9, or the the gear cover plate just barley hits the rear of the support frame just behind the radiator- picture 6. There ies my quandary.
Rod, I thought about the rear engine mounts as well- but am hoping for someones magic cure before attempting that. If all else fails, I will leave it as is and hope to not use the front hand crank- easy way out!

Larry Schramm · 2 Weeks Ago

This is probably in the same line as the previous answers, but to get the front off my 15, the holder for the crank needed to be completely off, the rear mounts loose or you can break the block, engine lifted on a jack, and I seem to remember a hard to see bolt(s) by the front of the pan that needed to be removed. Took a while to find everything, but it finally came off. Good luck