Vette58 Posted July 19, 2010 Share Posted July 19, 2010 Hi folks,I bought a marvelous '39 in excellent condition in January. After bringing it to Germany I found some problems with the engine. First inspection after removing the oil pan shows -axial play which seems to be too big-oil leakage-at least one connecting rod bearing almost goneWhat would you recommend?Uli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Shaw Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Machine the crankshaft to true the bearing journals and re-babbitt the main & rod bearings. Or just change to insert bearings. I suggest you also change the rear end to a taller gear ratio since you will no doubt run this car on the Autobahn....My 2 cents.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grant Magrath Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Hi Uli.You could have a look at Kanter's website for some rebuilding options. Bob's Automobilia is where we got all our rebuilding stuff from, but we didn't have to touch the bottom end fortunately. I have to agree with Mark on the axel ratio. If you could give it longer legs, it would be better.CheersGrant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vette58 Posted July 20, 2010 Author Share Posted July 20, 2010 Thanks for your input. I already found Kanter and his products. To change rear end what need to be purchased and where to get it?Uli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grant Magrath Posted July 20, 2010 Share Posted July 20, 2010 Keep an eye on eBay for a crown wheel and pinion. We have an NOS set, but the same ratio as the one already on your car.CheersGrant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barney Eaton Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 The 1939 Century had the lowest numerical ratio of all '39's at 3.90.Some on this forum indicate that later model cars had lower gears and they will interchange.Not being an expert, I would ask more knowledgeable Buick people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danhar1960 Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Uli,I had my engine rebuilt. Started out to be just a tidy up. Hahahaha Just lap the valves,...... then + new valve guides, .......2 rings broken. Just replace piston ???? No no no, new pistons, re-bored, slipper type con-rod bearings..............If you do take out the crankshaft and remove the flywheel, mark the position as it can go on incorrectly and the timing mark will be out of place. (speak from experience)If you do take the crankshaft out, I would suggest getting it and the flywheel balanced. It doesn't cost a lot extra. I did it to mine. It idles so smooth it's scary. Danny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vette58 Posted July 23, 2010 Author Share Posted July 23, 2010 Just a small update about the next steps.We will remove the engine from the car to inspect it in detail. After inspection we will decide what needs to be replaced/modified.Because this is my first Buick I have no idea about the quality of engine kits supplied by Kanter / Egge / Bob's.Do the use all the same sources / manufacturers?Engine has first priority now but I will look for rear end as well.I had some experience restoring my '58 Vette ( http://www.corvette-classic.de/resto/resto.html ) and like to gain some more knowledge now with a 20 years older car.Any additional information is welcome.Uli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry Schramm Posted July 23, 2010 Share Posted July 23, 2010 Nice work on the Corvette Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Grant Magrath Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 Uli. I can vouch for Bob's. we used their pistons, rings, valves, valve guides, valve springs, and gaskets and found them of the highest quality.CheersGrant Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RU22 Posted July 24, 2010 Share Posted July 24, 2010 If your close to Poland I cn point you to a good workshop to do machingClose to Holland another shopPM me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vette58 Posted October 30, 2010 Author Share Posted October 30, 2010 (edited) We want to reassemble the engine now. Actually we cannot find any fastening torque information for main bearings oder connecting rods in the shop manual.Is there any data sheet in the shop manual (or in any other source) or can someone tell me the correct values?In another forum I found 90-100 ft/lbs for main bearings and 40-45 for connecting rods. Can someone confirm this?best regardsUli Edited October 30, 2010 by Vette58 (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Engle Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 Egge and Kantor are world class. I would guess they make the parts that Bob's sells. They will be very helpfull in talking you through all the possiblities and helping you make good decisions on your rebuild.Bob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted October 30, 2010 Share Posted October 30, 2010 (edited) We want to reassemble the engine now. Actually we cannot find any fastening torque information for main bearings oder connecting rods in the shop manual.Is there any data sheet in the shop manual (or in any other source) or can someone tell me the correct values?In another forum I found 90-100 ft/lbs for main bearings and 40-45 for connecting rods. Can someone confirm this?best regardsUliFrom Team Buick - Reference*** you can down load a 1952 manual. [need to register as a user]. Will not be that much different to 39 for torque valuesThe 1942 Shop manual is very good. Pg 15-5 as attached is from the 1942 manual Edited October 30, 2010 by 1939_buick (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest 39convertible Posted November 3, 2010 Share Posted November 3, 2010 hi Ulii have a 39 century 66clast year i tryed to find out if there was a way to change the ratio from 3.90 to a lower one without changing anything else and i dont wanna change the whole rear end.the only way to do it was to make a new set of pinion and gear.i talk to several companys in Sweden ,Denmark, and Germany but they asking about eur3000 for a set and thats way to much for me.i could have accept eur1000-1200.from -40 and up you can use the guts from every rear end up to at least -56 if i remember correct.the -39 Buicks is a "one year only car" in many different ways please let me know if you find another solution.Janne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vette58 Posted November 4, 2010 Author Share Posted November 4, 2010 thx for the torque chart. I hope to have the car on the road end of this month.@39convetible: No rear end solution yet. But if you will find a rear end for you car you might be interested to sell your 3.90? This will be an improvement for the 4.40 in my car anyway.best regards from GermanyUli Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1939_Buick Posted November 4, 2010 Share Posted November 4, 2010 ... But if you will find a rear end for you car you might be interested to sell your 3.90? This will be an improvement for the 4.40 in my car anyway.Hey !! I want Janne's 3.90 aslo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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