Rear Main Rope Seals

[Dave Young]

I need a rear main rope seal for my '29 Chandler.  Is there a good/better/best with what is available and where should I get this from?  I did a quick online search and came up with a product name of Graph Tite.  What about NAPA or Tractor Supply?  Thanks

[Vila]

Quote

I have never needed to do that, but I had a 37 foot sailboat for approximately 20 years that had an inboard motor and I used a special rope in the stuffing box to seal where the propeller shaft went through the hull.  I replaced the rope every other year when I had the boat taken out of the water over the winter for maintenance and bottom paint.  I didn't need to replace it every time, but did since it was already out of the water.

 

I always wondered if it could be used for car engine seals of the type you are talking about.

 

See attached link:  https://www.westmarine.com/flax-packing

 

[JV Puleo]

McMaster Carr sells a variety of rope-type seals, usually available in a square shape in various materials.  I plan to use something like that on my 1910 Mitchell engine. I'm guessing that the modern materials are a bit better than the old seals were but, that is only a guess.

 

j

[WPVT]

If you Google search "rear seal / stovebolt", you'll find a lot of information on replacing the rope seal in old Chevy 6 cylinder engines. I used to have one years ago, and replaced the seal with the crankshaft in place several times, never successfully. Eventually, I tore down the engine and did a nice tight job of it. So tight, in fact, that the engine wouldn't turn over, even when towed. I am sure others have done better and learned more.

 

Finding the seal material itself should be relatively easy. It used to be supplied in two halves, oversize length, for trimming to fit.  The Chevy seals were called rope seals, but in fact, they were rectangular in cross-section, not round like a rope. Installing the seal successfully can be a challenge, though. Good luck to you.