The ridge you can live with. The rod bearing can be replaced (replace them all, obviously, with 'standard undersize'. The crank pin? Depends on how bad it is. If it is not too bad run it until it knocks again and then change the rod bearings again - no need to pull the motor for this. Otherwise, pull the crank and have it recut. Also hone the cylinders and new rings. Least expensive repair options and this is how it was done back in the day.
You don't want to "live with the ridge". There are cylinder bore ridge cutters and they should be used to remove the ridge BEFORE removing the pistons. If you don't you can crack the ring lands (the piston portion between the rings) and ruin the pistons. Further even if that doesn't happen, installing new bearings can move the rod upward just a bit and cause the rings to hit the ridges. Finally, having the crank journals "turned" to provide a new bearing surface will make all the effort and expense you go through worth it. The time diferential, and cost differential, of doing a half ass job is small compared to doing it over sooner rather than later. To do it really right, it probaly should be bored and new pistons installed. But if you are going to shave the cost somewhere, the cylinder bores/pistons are probably the least consequential place to do it. Obviously, these are just my opinions.....others may disagree and, in the end, you'll have to choose what suits you best. Ray
I stated that I had ridges in an incorrect manner. It doesn't have any ridges at the ends of the strokes. when I run my fingers up and down the bore of the cylinder it is wavy.Do i even need to worry about this? I had to pull the engine to do this. there is only maybe an inch between the pan and the front cross member. Any estimate on prices on what machine shops charge for this work? What are the different sizes of these engines?
engine sizes from the 40's thru '53 was 217.8, thereafter 230 cu in. Dodges used the 230 somewhat earlier....... Ray
I had a '53 Dodge 230 in my '36 pickup the past 20 years. It started knocking bad in '09, coming home from a show. Like you, I pulled the pan, and found rod # 1 loose on the crank. Pulled the bearing, emery clothed the crank, Installed new bearing from Kanter. Drove the truck 5 miles and it started knocking again. By next spring I'll be done putting this 331 Chrysler in it, and drive it for another 20 years, only faster! If your gonna keep the flathead, rebuild it completely.
I don't disagree that there is a 'right' or 'best' way to do it. Unless I am mistaken, the OP expressed concerns about the time, effort or cost associated with a complete overhaul. My point is that there were many many expedient repairs performed on these motors back in the day. The fancy machine shop capability we take for granted today was not as common. And, due to poor oils (compared to today), road draft ventilation systems (that brought grit into the motor) and not-as-good oil and air filters, it was common for motors to get rebuilt at 45 or 50 thousand miles. The expedient methods and techniques will not give you a 'perfect' rebuild, but they will get you back on the road and last longer than you might expect. Many years ago as a teenager I was driving my 49 Dodge with a 218 motor in the mountains. The motor had 100K miles on it from the original owner. A rod started knocking. I drove over a drainage ditch and managed to drop the pan with the oil in it. I pulled all the rod caps and folded over 4 layers of tinfoil, salvaged from my lunch. The aluminum foil shims went between the lower bearing insert and the cap. Back together with the same gasket. When I tried to crank it over it would not turn over as the motor was tight. I let it roll downhill (fluid drive transmissions are great for jumpstarting a car) and let the forward motion of the car help the starter turn over. The engine caught and the foil pounded out just right and the motor did not knock. I drove it like that for quite a while until time and savings permitted dropping the crank and getting it cut. Was it done the right way? I guess not unless you factor in that it worked in the situation I was facing at the time.
Since I already have the engine pulled I think I will go with a full rebuild once I get a little more saved up. I looked at kanter and their rebuild kits were $800, unless someone else has a better source for this stuff. Anyone want to throw a ballpark figure of what the machine shop is going to charge me? And recommend a machine shop in the Mason City Iowa area?
I fully support your decision to do a full and proper rebuild-- start with the main bearing housings--get the block align honed if needed. DON'T let the machine shop overlook this step. crankshaft main and rod journals--besides diameter wear, pay attention to taper and out- of-round--more than .0005 it needs machined. bore diameter--again, more than .0005 taper or out-of-round calls for machining as far as parts go--these engines were used for so long that all the regular parts suppliers--Clevite, federal Mogul, sealed power, fel pro, still make the stuff. Your machine shop can get it from his WD. one extra step that I recommend for ANY engine, is to check your head gasket thickness and your piston to deck clearance--squish/quench area is critical for combustion chamber turbulence and detonation resistance. Try to get your piston to head clearance in the .035"-.045" range if possible.
Hell,for less than $800 you can find you a good running engine that someone has pulled to do the V-8 swap,Throw a couple of ads out and see what you come up with.$800 for the kit,probably 3to4 hundred machine work and your gas money is gone.
As far as parts go, check with vintagepowerwagons.com. Them, and Kanter should have everything you need. Places like O'Reilly and Napa carry a lot of stuff too.
Okay I tore the engine down and was able to get a better look at what was going on inside, and talked to the machine shop and looked up parts, and I will definitely be looking for a different engine. This would have been my first engine rebuild and I don't feel like I'm in over my head, I just don't have the funds to do it, due to buying a house and a ring. I've searched the hamb and I wasn't able to answer my biggest question, what engines will attach to a powerflite that was behind a 6 cylinder and what adapters do I need to do it? Thanks for all the help so far, and as always I do appreciate any help.
first things first----DON'T junk it!!!! part it out, sell it whole, give it away....whatever....there are guys who'd like to have those parts for their flathead six projects. as far as engines to go with the powerflite.....it's either the flathead sixes or the same era hemis and polys. And, yes, you'll need the aluminum bellhousing adapter that matches. Anything else will require an expensive custom adapter setup. I guess it depends on whether it's a budget or an interest issue. If it's budget, forget any of the powerflite equipped v-8's
This will sound a bit goofy, but check the fuel pump diaphram. After a long sit and getting the new "Modern Mystery Gas".you could be getting oil dilution due to fuel sneaking past the diaphram, causes blow by, low oil pressure, intermitent bad running (due to low fuel pressure and dirty oil contamination in the fuel/carb) and blown engines. If an old Mopar flathead six has blow by it is going to blow up!
It's a budget issue at the moment, I'd like to get an engine that I could put in there and live with for a year or two so I can build the engine, After looking through some of the threads of peoples flathead 6's I'd like to go that route eventually. I guess I should also say that when I tore it apart I found that the #3 rod bearing was very beat up and I think the crank is salvageable. I think it was caused by the second main bearing, it wasn't seated right and it didn't look to good either. Other than that it looks good but it also only has 38--- miles on it. But to do it right I'd still have to pay to do a full blown machine shop trip and get a ton of parts for it.
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