Technical Does your hot rod or custom have any leaks?

It's a constant battle but I try.

 

If it has tits or tires....they're going to leak.....old chinese proverb.....

 

I always heard, "Son, if it has tit's or tires your going to have problems". My grandpa! HRP

 

My 58 Edsel everyone says Edsel stands for “ every day something else leaks “. It doesn’t leak a drop! My dearly departed father in law frame off restored the car in the mid 80s - its excellent mechanical condition today is a testament to what a good mechanic he was!

 

For years my Powerglide would barf a large puddle of tranny fluid when is sat for 3-4weeks or more, so i would keep a big sheet of cadboard under it. Two years ago a friend suggested letting if be a little low and as long as it shifted well, just leave it be... have not had a big spill since.
As Cousin Edie would say "I don't know?"
Still have the little random spots, which for now i can live with.

 

For the hour or so, that this sat on the drive way, I had 3 spots of liquid on the ground. Now I have to put my detective hat on and see if I can find an origin. Good times

 

Flatheads don't leak....they just mark their territory.......so, mine don't leak....

 

My 727 torqueflite leaked starting with the first time I filled it in the fall of 2016. Over night every night it lost about an eighth of a cup. I had a drip pan under it constantly. It was leaking at the neutral safety switch. That I had replaced of course with the rebuild it underwent this summer. Its so nice now, not to have to wipe up fluid if I miss place the drip pan. NO MORE LEAKS AT ALL NOW STAINING MY GARAGE FLOOR after 3 years of clean up, checking fluid level, and replacing what was leaked. (He said while knocking furiously on wood).
A big thank you HRP for the opportunity to shout that out to the hot rod gremlin world.

 

I had a leak I thought from the front of the oil pan, so frustrating, had the pan off 3 times. Turns out it was the fuel pump, it would only leak with the engine over 2,000 rpm. Took a while to find.

 

Yep been there done that on my everyday driver.

 

I wish that was my problem. It's the aftermarket pan that won't seal. Going to get an OEM pan.

 

Does it leak?
You’re kidding, right?

 

My convertible never used to leak but when I got home from the KKOA Salina show. I parked it in the garage several days later moved it and had oil all over the floor. It drips from the left front corner of the hood across the grille, I suspect the front crank seal and fan is blowing it up that way

 

yeah, that's why it's spooky.

 

Of course!

 

Odd looking nerf bars.

 

Haha, the frame horns? Yeah, i got tired of smacking my shins on them in my tiny shop/garage space. One day, i stormed into the house, stole two hand-towels with my wife and kids watching wide-eyed and proceeded to duct tape them on.

 

Same with mine. When it starts to take it's time shifting, it's time to add a quart. I'm not sure if the filler tube is mounted too high or what, but the dip stick isn't too reliable. If the car has sat for a week or so, the first time it's put in drive, it's sluggish for 5 seconds then it's back to normal.

Leaks asside, I've always been impressed with the old Powerglide's performance. It might not be a racer, but sounds and feels so cool to drive! Cruzing at 55-65 mph you hear the smooth hum of all the gears, bearings, and tires in harmony, and the over-head valves ticking away.

 

My 59 is also a 235. When I first had it running it was really slow (turned out the timing was off a little due to chain wear) and asked here what should be expected for 0 to 60? The best responce was "Eventually".

 

I eliminated the power steering on my '53 because the rack seals kept leaking

 

Lol the wife got our 6mo a onesie that said that for the Frog Follies this year. Perfect.


Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app

 

Serious note...
Prior cars
1954 Buick Dynaflow…. TRANSMISSION LEAK MONSTER....
1961 impala, no leaks
1964 impala, no leaks
1953 dodge pickup, flatty marked it territory decently, best have a pan under there or cardboard.
1931 ford tudor, 440= no leaks, 727 leaked at pump vent behind torque converter... never fixed, still does it to this day with guy daily driving it
1929 ford banger, small oil seep, 5 drops a week max

current
1956 dodge, minor oil leak when parked on incline, seems to be rear main, and the steering box leaks a bit but lubes the leaf spring up real good so I leave it..
1953 belair, the 700r4 leaking from dipstick, will fix that at least.

Do I care? EH I like to keep catastrophic leaks to a minimum, if its a seep or minor leak, I leave it until I have to go do something else, and then try to address that leak when doing so. My 56 had a pretty bad selector shaft leak, it bleed out everywhere, a simple seal later and fixed. still its a orig 1969 transmission never rebuilt and still going strong... 904 is a great trans Id love overdrive but my 904 is a history demonstration... haha.

If something bothers you on a leak, fix it, if you cant fix it, then live with it until its pouring and affects drivability.

 

I remember my mother was alive when I rebuilt this one...she said "please don't park on the driveway"...so if I was gonna drive it to her house I had to park it on the lawn...this is after an 11 mile drive to my job...oh yeah this is a 1947 Willys Jeep...and as the Jeep gang says...."she is marking her territory"...I rebuilt everything on it and it would still drip...

I guess Jeeps all leak...

MikeC

 

They only leak until they're dry.

 

Just fixed a bunch on my car. Put all new seals in my rear differential and a rear seal on my transmission. I also did a couple of easy ones like tighten my oil filter and the fuel line going into my filter. I've always been the type to drive my cars as much as possible so it's a never ending process. But I don't mind.

 

If mine's not marking it's territory then I better check everything to make sure it's not dry.
Seriously though, I have never been able to get the drain plug on my trans to seal no matter what kind of sealant I use on it and the chromed oil pan wants to seep around the gasket. Then there's the front and rear main seals on the flathead that want to ooze a little bit. I park it on a piece of old carpet in the shop to keep the mess down to a minimum. I'm installing a T-5 trans this winter and will try to address the other leaks at that time.

 

Does your hot rod or custom have any leaks?

Is the Pope Catholic?!!

On my Willys coupe the 354 hemi has a rope main seal that is designed to leak and the Dual Range 4spd Hydramatic fluid coupler check valve leaks fluid back into tranny pan that overfills and fluid leaks thru the tiny weep hole in the driveshaft yoke. I welded a 2" wide spacer in the tranny pan and extended the pickup tubes to the deeper pan bottom which helped a bit but the fluid still reaches the hole. Ground down the welds and had the pan powder coated silver. Looks like trick aluminum pan.

 

Funny u should ask, 327 in the Merc, currently has a drip pan under it, BIG LEAK, haven't looked to see, too scared of what I might find. I didn't want to stop driving it yet.