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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Working on a flathead on the floor

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Working on a flathead on the floor -- page: 1 2 3     supereal 04-01-2010 @ 7:39 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Good choice! Steve S 03-31-2010 @ 9:41 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 54 Joined: Feb 2010 The more I think about it and the more you guys teach me, the more I think I should put this engine to the side and grab another one. I located a complete running '53 8BA with 4-speed trans attached for a few hundred buckaroos. The guy says it has 2K miles on a rebuild but I guess eh didn't bother to paint anything when he did it. Maybe he just means rings and bearings. Even though the CM is a more powerful unit, I'm thinking that it's better to spend the same amount on a known good engine than to spend it on this one and have a chance that it has an unforeseen major problem. Over time, maybe I can learn to rebuild the CM on my own and by the time the 8BA is through running, I can put the CM back in. supereal 03-31-2010 @ 11:36 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 Be sure to carefully inspect the inside walls of the block above the oil pan for cracks. Freezing oftens causes them there. The photo shows a well worn engine. Rather than pull the pistons and hone the block, I'd leave them in place and scour the cylinder walls to get out as much rust as possible out, then turn the engine over and flush the cylinders with solvent. Then, coat the cylinders with oil. That way, you won't contaminate the lower end of the engine with consequent bearing damage. Don't use ScotchBrite, however, those fibers will certainly kill the bearings if they get into the oil. As to attaching to an engine stand, I did intend to specify that the stand be bolted directly to the 8BA block, not the adapter. For the 59AB, the engine is mounted to an adapter using the exhaust manifold bolt holes. Steve S 03-31-2010 @ 9:32 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 54 Joined: Feb 2010 Well, I've done a thorough visual inspection and found no cracks so hopefully there is nothing hiding where I can't see it. The cylinders do need to be honed. This photo makes it look much worse than it actually is. It's very light surface rust really... TomO 03-31-2010 @ 7:57 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 7385 Joined: Oct 2009 The part that is attached to the transmission is an adapter plate, used to adapt the 49-53 engines to the Mercury and truck transmissions. Do not use the adapter plate to mount the engine to the stand. Your block will be safe mounted to a stand that uses the bolt holes in the back of the block. I am concerned about the grit from honing the cylinder walls getting on the bearing surfaces and in the oil passages. If you are determined to do the honing, potect the crankshaft and the valve chamber as best as you can and then clean everything when you are through. Tom supereal 03-31-2010 @ 7:11 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 If you have the 8BA type engine with the removable clutch housing, it is safe to bolt the engine to a stand using the rear face. It is the earlier engines with the clutch housing cast into the block that can break and fall. I understand not having the resources to do a rebuild, but before you do much else, it is important to determine why the engine was removed and partially taken apart. More often than not, something serious happened to require removal, perhaps a crack in the block. Steve S 03-30-2010 @ 8:22 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 54 Joined: Feb 2010 Sounds good, but where do I find one? watwasithinking 03-30-2010 @ 7:14 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 33 Joined: Dec 2009 Steve, Slide it, kick it, roll it, cuss it....but do not use one of those flimsy modern engine stands that has the adjustable supports that mount to the bell housing....If you try rolling Big Bertha across the operating room and she tilts over....your engine stand will now be a bell housing stand. Trust me...you'll be saying my user name over and over if you make this mistake. KRW Tools made the best engine stands. They used the exhaust manifold attachment holes for mounting points, thus allowing for good balance and engine rotation. Steve S 03-30-2010 @ 3:30 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 54 Joined: Feb 2010 Thanks, I've located a used 2000 pound stand locally. Six wheels spread out wide, so it should be stable. I haven't found any adapters for under $100 so I'll just have to use the rear holes, and perhaps wedge a 2x4 under the front of the lump just for peace of mind. Cleanliness will be as good as I can get it but there is definitely some debris in the valve area so I've sucked it out and wiped everything down as well as possible. My garage is extremely clean, perhaps too clean, so no worries there. Stroker 03-30-2010 @ 3:03 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1460 Joined: Oct 2009 Steve: My humble advice is to get the engine up where you can properly work on it, as crawling around on the floor does not engender good working practices. You can trust any of the bolt holes on the back of your post 59A block. Use at least four that are as "spread-out" as possible, and don't re-attach the bell housing, as it only adds to the balance problem of hanging the weight of the engine farther from the engine stand. When you buy your engine stand, I'd suggest avoiding the 3-caster type, as they can be pretty unstable if you have to use any "leverage" on the engine to remove (or torque) fasteners. The 4-caster type, while slightly more costly, is much more stable. Ideally, I'd opt for the manifold-attachment type of adapter offered by some companies as Red's Heads, as they bring the block much closer to the attachment point, and will work on any flathead. The point is that you are contemplating some rather serious precision upgrades. Rule ONE is that "cleanliness is next to Godliness". Grubbing around on the floor is not conducive to Rule ONE. Brian was spot-on with his advice to make sure you don't screw-up the balance of the engine by changing the pressure plate/clutch assembly and flywheel in relation to it's originally installed position. "Get Her Up in the Air", under good lighting, and clean conditions, and you will be able to do a professional job.

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