Frank Tate
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Posts posted by Frank Tate
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Ok Bernie.....It has been 2 weeks.....you've had your fun. Now let us know how you and Helen are doing. 😉
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Thanks Bernie! I have double checked my clearances and gaps and have started reassembly. I am going slowly to make sure I have everything properly put together and torqued down. Everything turns smoothly now, with just a bit of ring drag. My rod to crank clearance is on the tight side of acceptable. I would rather it be a little tight.
I did a really good job of installing the gaskets! Cleaning them off all the surfaces so I can re-install new ones is a pain in the tail!
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Cam thrust is within spec and it turns nice and smooth. I will check the thrust today and will talk to the machinist that did all the work, but the crank turns very smooth without the rods and pistons attached. The machinist looked at the pics I sent him and said they didn't look too bad. So, I feel a little better. lol
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Hey Bernie,
Thank you for the well wishes for my "better half". She is getting better slowly. Much too slowly for her liking! lol
I am working on the 55 Tbird engine. I had assembled it and put it in the frame and wanted to test fire it, but it seemed to turn over very slowly and something felt like it was binding when I turned it by hand. So, I posted here in the technical section and on the HAMB forums where there are alot of guys that work on old Ford Y block engines. The consensus was that I needed to go back into it and check the clearances. So, I took it back down piece by piece, checking as I went. It looks like I over tightened the connecting rods to the crankshaft. And I have a scratch on one of the journals. I will talk to the machinist that did the work on the block and crank today and see what he says.
Frank
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The crank was ground 20 thou and the new rod bearings were matched to the crank journals. This is a basket case with a 59 block and 55 heads, water pump, etc. that came to me in pieces. So, I didn't look at the rods and note the numbers until I got them back with the new pistons from the machine shop and I started assembly. The rods and caps have matching numbers, but I have three #1 rods and two #5, a #6 and #7 and #3. I am checking with the machinist and will see what he says regarding the shiny spots on the bearings and the scratch on the journal. New bearings maybe and polish the crank and I try again.
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Well, I got it out and torn down again. Turning it over by hand and checking clearances as each piece of the rotating assembly was removed. Pulled the timing chain off and the cam thrust was in spec and the cam turned nice and smooth. The crank was still very stiff, so I bit the bullet and took out the pistons and rods. The crank now turns smooth as silk. The connecting rod nuts were a bear to break loose and the bearings all have a shiny spot on the top. And two of the crank journals have a scratch that I can feel with my nail.
So I am assuming I torqued the rod nuts down too much and there must have been a piece of trash on the bearing. -
11 hours ago, oldcar said:
Hello DrData
Thank you for your kind comments. Unlike many of you, I tend to confine myself to the one topic/project at a time.
I am a firm believer in the old adage. One at a time makes for good fishing. I believe in having just one project car and working on it until finished.
Apart from anything else I am very conscious that we only have a set amount of time in this life. I would hate to think that I am leaving a shed full of unfinished "stuff" when I finally "Chuff off". You tend to see it all too often, that some old codger has shuffled off leaving it up to a grieving wife or family to sort it all out.
Worse still, that family having no interest in clearing out a garage full of assorted bits, simply take the line of least resistance and call in the "Rubbish Removers".
Bj.
Hi Bernie,
While I agree with you in principle, in practice I am having a little difficulty so I take and try to work on one piece of a project at a time. Right now it is the Tbird engine rebuild that I screwed up. I had to put it on the shelf to attend to some "Honey Do's" last year and then my wife was in an accident just before Thanksgiving so I was nurse and chauffeur as she recovers. I think that regardless of the number of projects, you should at least have something that requires you to get up and think about. Exercise the body and the mind!
Keep on, keepin' on Bernie! You are an inspiration (at least to me 😁).
Frank
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Thanks guys. Trying to follow all the books and best practices, tips and tricks. It doesn't help that it is a 59/60 block with 55 heads and manifolds, etc. Like the Tbird specific water pump. Everything seemed to turn smoothly, but then once it was all together it got real notchy....if that is a word. Hard to break free and then stiff to turn.
Got it down to the block with only the water pump still attached. Will pull that off and then go after the crank and cam thrust clearances to see if those are the problems. Rod/crank side clearances are right on the money at .007/.008.
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13 hours ago, edinmass said:
Sorry Frank, I thought you had a commercial enterprise build it. Everyone today thinks “it’s just an old car, fixing it is easy”, well, it isn’t true. While rebuilding an engine from the 50’s for me is about as difficult as drinking a glass of water, most engine shops today can’t handle stuff built before 1990. Pre war is just off the list for 99 percent of the shops still around.
No worries Ed! Just a learning experience....I know I screwed something up, just gotta figure out what I did! lol
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On 1/21/2020 at 3:44 PM, edinmass said:
If any shop has a problem assembeling a post war V-8 engine, I would take it to another shop and tear it down.(all the way) A "Y" engine is simple, and if you can't get it right on the first try, you shouldn't get another chance.
Well, the guy in the shop responsible for assembling the engine (me) is now responsible for tearing it down and figuring out what he did wrong and correcting it. 🙄
I guess it is only fair that I am not going to pay myself for my crappy work....🤣
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Yup.....Have pulled it out and will go back through it and make sure all the clearances are correct. Dammit!
Definitely a learning experience.
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13 hours ago, oldcar said:
Re The above photograph how many of the people looking at this know what they are looking at and how it works?
BJ.
Triple...sorry
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13 hours ago, oldcar said:
Re The above photograph how many of the people looking at this know what they are looking at and how it works?
BJ.
dupe
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13 hours ago, oldcar said:
Re The above photograph how many of the people looking at this know what they are looking at and how it works?
BJ.
Looks like a flywheel and starter nose gear to me Bernie....But I'm just a half a$$ed backyard mechanic. 😁
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So, I am asking this in the Technical section rather than the Ford section due to the Ford section seemingly being more of a parts for sale forum.
I am working on a basket-case 55 TBird. It came to me in parts and I am slowly trying to resurrect it. It has a 292 YBlock that was sent out to the machine shop, along with the cylinder heads, crank, rods, heads, rockers and valves. The block and heads were cleaned up and pressure tested. The block bored 60 over with new pistons and rings. Heads redone with new valves, springs and rocker shafts. I got it back and put it all together using the YBlock rebuild book and of course, the various YBlock internet sites. Got it installed in the frame and wanted to get it started before I started hanging everything else on it.
It seemed a little hard to turn over by hand, but I attributed that to the new rings and compression. When I installed the starter and tried, is seemed to turn over slowly without the plugs in it and very slowly with the plugs in it. I thought it may be the 60 year old starter, so I rebuilt that...no joy. So I bought a new 12volt starter and installed that. A little better, but not spinning it fast enough to start it. So I went looking for other issues. I have consistently pressurized the oil system and have oil up to the heads. Some folks I talked to have suggested the rings might be too tight, but according to my notes, they are within spec. Others have suggested the pushrods being adjusted too tight. So, I pulled the valve covers and pulled all the pushrods. They all look good, but I have 2 different types of pushrods. One is skinny and solid and the other is fat and tubular..
I think one is old style and one is new... But that got me thinking and I remembered that the block is not original to the care. My research shows that it is a 1959 292. The pushrods are for a 1955 292, while 1956 thru 1962 uses slightly shorter pushrods. The heads are 1955 292 TBird heads. Could the difficulty in spinning the engine be a result of the pushrods being too long? If not, then I guess I would need to tear it back down and build it back up again, double checking my clearances on all the bearing surfaces.
Thanks for any help or suggestions you may have!
Frank
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4 hours ago, Mike Macartney said:
Time to make the tool for pressing them into the piston from the inside. I need to sketch out some ideas as I need to spread the load on the outside of the piston as it not a regular shape.
Couldn't it be something as simple as a C clamp? Just put a small pad on the outside of the piston where the screw pad would rest. The bonus is that you can hold the clamp in your vise thus freeing up both hands to position the bushing and tighten the screw to press the bushing in. Sort of like this: https://duckduckgo.com/l/?kh=-1&uddg=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FHeavy-Joint-Removal-Adapters-Trucks%2Fdp%2FB01N7CO50E%3FSubscriptionId%3DAKIAILSHYYTFIVPWUY6Q%26tag%3Dduckduckgo-d-20%26linkCode%3Dxm2%26camp%3D2025%26creative%3D165953%26creativeASIN%3DB01N7CO50E
Or a threaded rod with appropriately placed nut and washers.
Frank
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Thanks! Will do.
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I picked this up at an auction as part of a larger lot. I think it is some sort of leveling plate that attaches to the ways of a machine tool/lathe. It has no markings that I can see.
Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
Frank
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If your friend wants their car restored, then they need to go to a reputable shop and pay them to do it. The Garage Squad is, imo, a little more realistic than some of the other shows. But they do not restore cars. They do get them up and running. Occasionally they upgrade systems with new parts or use aftermarket parts to make the vehicle functional. And they do it in about a week I think, so there is no way they can actually restore a car.
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You did what you needed to do at the time Bernie. I'm sure you will find a way to indulge your need to have something to be working on. 😉
Positive thoughts sent your way my friend!!
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Mike,
It may be possible for you to use a hot pipe method of wood bending to straighten out that slight dip in the bows. Check this out. https://www.wwgoa.com/video/bending-wood-with-a-hot-pipe-000009/
That will give you an idea and I think there are other Youtube videos that may be more detailed.
Good luck
Frank
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1955 TBird front suspension. $200 - Both sides, upper and lower A arms with spindles (one is slightly bent), backing plates, springs, spacers and mounting bolts. Mostly blasted and ready for paint or powdercoat. Used bump stops included...not shiny, but servicable. All new bushings included.
1955 Power Steering Pump. $125 - Will fit most Yblock engines, but NOT TBird. Rebuilt and ready to install
1955 Holley 4000 Teapot Carb. $175 - Fresh rebuild. Cleaned and soda blasted with new seals.
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I am not an engineer by any stretch of the imagination, so please take this with a large grain of salt. Rather than a coil spring, would it be easier to put some sort of leaf spring under the vanes?
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I've had luck with rearcounter.com for parts for my 55 TBird.
I thought I had a good site with NOSparts.com, but their website is not up to date and they told me to use rearcounter. Usually easiest if you have the part number or at least a partial number.
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Looking for a truck identification
in What is it?
Posted
Asked on another forum, a gentleman was looking to identify this truck. It was the one his grandfather used to deliver spring water. Any ideas?