A friend of mine has a really nice 50 Ford two door sedan with a stock flathead. He asked me a few days ago about changing the pan gasket in it. My questions before I tie into it are 1... Can the pan be dropped out without alot of hassle in the vehicle? And 2.... I said I should change the rear main seal while I'm in there, so is there an upgraded seal you would suggest putting in, such as a 2 piece lip seal?
Per 1951 Motors Manual... Paraphrased.... It is not necessary to raise the engine in these cars, but the proper combination of standard tools must be used to reach the two forward 5/16 cap screws.... 1. Remove the crossover pipe but do not remove the heat valve. Run a nut on the manifold stud to keep the heat valve from falling off. 2. Unfasten the steering idler arm support from the frame and pull down on the steering linkage. 3. Remove the starter motor. 4. Remove the flywheel housing cover. 5.Take our the oil level dipstick and unfasten the pan from the block. 6. Lower the pan, rear end first. Crankshaft rear oil seal 1935-51 V8 and V12... Oil sealing in these engines is controlled by a two piece metal retainer having a groove which return excess oil to the crankcase. These retainers can be replaced with out removing the crankshaft by simply taking off the rear main bearing cap. The upper half of the retainer can be pushed around and taken out through the bottom. OK..... Personally I would not do this on any car but my own. For a friend or acquaintance...... You have a 50 percent chance that it will still leak and another 50 percent chance that it will actually leak worse. That means there’s a 100 percent chance he’ll be unhappy. Yeah, I know.....it’s the new math. I would not touch this job with a ten foot pole.
Thanks for the help. I assumed it was a rope seal. I've done quite a few 2 piece lip seals in the vehicle sliding them up into place with success. However, I don't like the odds you're telling me.
You are dealing with a car over 7 decades old so the potential to break stuff is high. Bolts are rusted in place. (Idler arm frame connection) Components that are severely worn (steering). Rusted fused manifold bolts and studs... Dented pan lip from over tightening. There’s just a long list of things that can go wrong. Things can happen that would have happened anyway.....It’s not your fault but the fact remains that it “broke” when you worked on it. I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with your friend. I don’t know what shape the car is in. It may all go smooth as silk. If you do go ahead with this make sure it’s understood up front with the owner, that anything can happen. This work may lead to more extensive and expensive repairs.
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