Technical Ever Heard of a "charging problem" that required pulling the engine?

It is if you want to keep the battery full,

 

Glad to see you on the HAMB Ron. Love seeing your 56 around. Baumiller just bought a 56 off my folks. Was a Speedy Sleeve not an option to fix the snout?

 

Nice, really nice car. The stance is awesome.

 

The machine shop didn't consider it an option. It would have to be slotted for the keyway and it needs to be a really good, tight fit. That is particularly true for this engine since we spin this motor to 6800 rpm.

 

I gotta ask, how long did you stare at it until you figured it out? Thats not something most of us would look for right away if we were chasing a charging gremlin!

 

After fixing the crankshaft and reinstalling the engine and everything...
"Is it charging now?"
"Yup!"

 

I had been working on it for a while and was checking voltage at the battery...and something didn't seem right. Sure enough, NOTHING was moving. I'm sure if I had driven it at all it would have over heated since the water pump wasn't moving either.

 

I don't have the short block back from the machine shop but I can't wait to drop it back in and bring it back to life!

 

I have heard of crankshafts having a double keyway as an extra precaution.

 

...here's the p.u....

 

Badass truck. I think I ordered those wheels for Ron close to 18 years ago?! Maybe not quite that long

 

Funny story, I too have had some weird mechanical issues. The day I met Ron was when I owned the Rocky 33. I had stopped at NAPA on a Saturday on my way to the shop and the flatty would not start to leave. Well, Ron was there in one of his AD pickups and rope towed me around the corner to the shop. Gave me a lot of crap an inline chevy had to rescue my flathead. As we were looking around to see why the truck would not start Ron got a funny look on his face. It seems the extra door I had in back had slid over and pinched a rubber fuel line to the bed mounted fuel tank! Of course it would not start without fuel!!! Thanks for the help that day Ron

 

Those pics are before we added the roll bar and the new wheels. When we went to alcohol it was running fast enough I couldn't get by without the roll bar. Here's a pic in it's current configuration. It's best et to date on alcohol is 10.94 @ 119 mph.

 

I used to never be scared of an in-line 6...

 

Didn't you notice the power steering not working? Just kidding.....

For sure, I would drill the crank snout and bolt on the harmonic balancer.

 

I had a charging system/crankshaft problem stump me for a bit, too.

Got a call from #2 son, "My truck won't start."
Me: "You outta gas?"
Him: "Nope, full tank."
Me: "Does it crank?"
Him: "Nope"
Me: "Where are you?"
Him: "Downtown at the party store."
So, I get the tow strap and drive the 1/2 mile there. He shows me that the starter just clicks, but not like a bad solenoid. Like the engine is locked up. Check the oil, full. So we hook up the tow strap and I tell him just for the sake of meanness, try popping the clutch. Back tires lock up. Put it in neutral and get it home. Try breaker bar on crank snout bolt. LOCKED UP!
So, we decide that if the engine has to come out, no harm in taking the head off just in case it can be fixed with the short block still in.
He takes the alternator off and it is absolutely seized. Now, I'm trying to figure out how a broken or seized crank causes the alternator to weld itself together. Then it dawns on me to try to turn the crank. It turns stupid easy. Hit the starter and she starts right up.

Did you know that a serpentine belt grips so well that it can hold the whole drivetrain from turning?

So we open the alternator and find that a bearing had failed and a needle had wedged itself between the rotor and stator. Just to see, we put a used bearing in and it still charged fine.

The part of the story that I find ironic:
I go to my buddies repair shop and start to tell him the story and before I get to the part about getting the truck home, he says, "Needle bearing fell out of the alternator." I'm standing there dumbfounded and he continues, "Happens all the time."

I never heard of it before or since.

 

When one of my buddies tell me one of these stories about some odd-ball problem they have found, I always tell them, with as straight a face as I can muster, "well, that's the first thing I would have checked"

 

My cousin had a GM product with a 250 six that locked up and had already pulled the engine,I come over and remove the distributor and the engine turns over just fine. The next day it was back in and had a new distributor.

 

Late model Toyota's are known for this only it's the A/C compressor that locks up.

 

1979, a customer at my shop bragged about his truck.
His truck was a 67 Chevy, 292 six, good reliable work vehicle.
He told us about this new 'mastic', a glue that would stick anything. His employees resented this new 'stickum', as he'd leave them to finish 'the job', 'Just glue everything'.
He'd then go to the local bar, the Winchester Lounge, every day...about 2:30 P.M., sometimes leave before 5.
He called me at around 5:00 P.M., said he couldn't 'move his truck', could I come and see what was the problem?
He was right...Truck wouldn't move, like the brakes were locked up. I crawled under, loosened bleeder screws at wheels...No pressure...
He had tried to move it, slipping the clutch...Burned the disc so bad the engine would idle in gear!
I then called my tow truck guy, 'Big Lou'. Lou hooked up to it and damn near pulled his Ford wrecker to a wheelstand! Finally...The truck rolled with great force...ripping 2 big holes out of the asphalt...Big Lou pulled it about 15 feet, the Chevy truck doing little 'hops'...Ka-Boomp, Ka-Boomp, as the patches of asphalt stuck to the front tires...
His employees had applied some of the 'magic mastic' to the bottoms of the front tires, then rolled the truck back, sticking it to the parking lot, where inside, his ass was planted on a bar stool. They said 'Serves him right'.
I didn't charge him for the 'Service Call'.
Big Lou charged him $40, laughing all the way through. I did a clutch job, and replaced front tires...

 

My daughter's OT, dead in a busy intersection, solenoid clicking. Tossed the jumpers on it, hit the key, loud bang. Alternator was locked up, serpentine snapped the aluminum power steering pump mount.

 

Nice 56, love the six banger. Here's a picture of mine that I hope to get to the track this spring. My car is not a six but a v8. Looking to have some fun in my retirement years.

 

That oughta do it!

 

Sounds like #2 son talked to your buddy before you did...

 

Very nice! Have you had to the track before? It looks like it is setup to do some business at the strip. Nice clean car!

 

Just looked at the pictures.
Wow.
No wonder you can't wait to get her running again.

 

Tapered damper that bottomed on end of crank? Blown cranks recommend dual key ways.

 

Everyone on here should know by now that I am totally committed/addicted to 56 Chevrolet's. I'm current on my TENTH one, and white is the color my 150 Model 150, Utility Sedan Bracket Car was. I'd love to have a 2 door sedan again, preferably a Model 150. It's getting too hard for me to see out of my 56 Sedan Delivery with all the spinal surgeries/fusions I've had; last surgery was on 1/5/2021 and the incision is about 10-1/2 inches long, was closed using 49 staples, and they gave me the worst haircut I've ever had. Anyway, does the dampener also have to be replaced? I would think so if things were spinning the way it sounds. It probably broke the key off in the key-way; I've seen that happen before. A Jiffy-Sleeve might repair the dampener, depending on how ground up it is and whether it's still concentric/straight, but the crank's a big paperweight now. If there's anything special about the crank, it could be welded up, re-machined, and the key-way re-cut. Sounds like you already had a retention bolt added to retain the dampener. Post up some on-the-track photos of that 150 South Dakota Six; you too 55onefifty. Both your cars are nice! Did I say I loved white 56's? I am Butch/56sedandelivery.