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Im just about to start with basically the same thing but a 48. Do compression tests as soon as you can get to crank. That will help determine which way you can go. Based on results of mine, have a zero on#3 stuck intake valve. Im now taking of hood, front clip and pulling the motor hopefully this weekend.
I'm in the process of trying to start Frank. It appears to be freed up, but no spark. (see here for that thread) Hopefully I can connect with tinman this week to see what he knows about these beasts.
But first, hopefully not more bad news. Is this a casting mark, or a cracked head? If it's a head, what does that mean for repairs in terms of time and money? Here's what I see.
Man that sure looks like a crack, but I would take the corner of your stainless straight edge and run it over the indication from both sides transverse to the indication line. If it's a casting crack you should feel it from both directions, if it's a crack you will probably feel it more from one direction than the other because it's at a recess. It would be nice to have someone put a magnetic yoke and and some powder on it.
What a great project to do with your kid. They will always remember "dads old truck". Even now that I am middle aged, every time I smell WD40, I think of helping my dad free up the rusty parts on his old car when he first got it. Thank you for posting your progress. I think if you needed a new head, worst case scenario, someone on this forum would have a good one to sell you cheap. Good luck and nice truck. I will be watching for sure.
Is there coolant in it now? AutoZone and others "loan" cooling system pressure checkers that fit in place of the radiator cap. You should only go up to 5 psi, to avoid radiator damage, but you can see if it leaks at that "crack". It sure looks like one.
Yeah, it looks like a crack, smells like a crack, walks like a crack. But.... maybe it's not a crack!?? I'm having tinman over on Friday to take a look, hopefully he'll know more.
@Ross, Yeah, I've got coolant in there now. It's not pressurized, but it's not dripping either. Here's hoping....
@bowsandovals Thanks. My guy is sure pumped to have garage time with me. Nothing like bonding over greasy hands and banged knuckles. He's already convinced it's his. Now I've just got 11 years to finish it and get it safe before I have to worry about him driving it.
In other news, I got down to the DMV the other day, and my title's in the mail! Hardly a hassle at all, although the clerk did a double-take on the title that was last issued in '75. Even got personalized plates, which is a first for us. I wanted "FORDY9" but that was taken, so I ended with "FORTY9". Now to get the truck worthy of wearing a shiny new plate!
Today may have been the biggest day yet in the (re)life of Frank. I can't believe I'm actually saying these words but ....
......
......
HE RUNS!!!!!!!! I can't even believe it!!! After sitting for 37 years and VERY minimal adjustments/replacements, IT GOES! It runs! I can't believe it!!
Man, the sound of that truck coughing, sputtering, then catching and firing up - aaaahhhhmazing! WOW!!
Ok, deep breath. First, the journey to get here.
Probably the biggest, most significant contribution was a visit by the incredibly talented and generous: tinman. Scott, you are awesome! Thank you!
Scott shows up in his blue, finished truck, to give me something to look forward to (right up until the point when he said it took 20 years to get there - yeah, that took a bit of wind out. But hey, I'll pull through, thanks for asking. ). Then we dive into my truck, and he is super helpful in pointing out a few weird things, and then really encouraging me that my truck is better off than his was at the beginning, and is actually in great condition body/frame wise. That was a huge encouragement!
Scott helped me pour some gas down the carb throat, compression test the cylinders (stuck valve on cyl 3, otherwise in good shape), and diagnose some things related to my points. Got it to cough, but not much more than that. Scott recommended a few things, then was on his way. Seriously, huge hat tip to Mr. tinman - you are phenomenal! And that ride around the block - inspirational!!
Here's the beauty that is tinman's ride: (and yes, I had 4 friends come up to me the next day asking if I had painted my truck, and how it looks great. If only it was that easy...)
And then, today happened.
First things first, I had to address my carb - I wasn't getting fuel, so Scott just poured it down the throat. Lucky for me, I had a remanufactured one sitting in a box that came with Frank. Figured it couldn't hurt to try it out.
Out with the old, in with the new
Got my battery charged up, and ready for action.
Chug chug chug, cough cough cough.
Fired! It did it! It ran!
I'm so pumped right now!! But wow, my garage is smooooooky! Apparently 37 years of oil burns off in a smokey haze that wakes the neighbors and alerts the wife to something big happening.
(yes, yes, I know. That syringe full of gas is horrible and a safety hazard. I had my fire extinguisher at the ready, and searched everywhere for a better container, but in the end, my desire to get it started won out. I'll address that when I actually want to run it for more than 30 seconds at a time)
My oil filter squirts oil like a crazy goon. Am I missing something obvious? Washer maybe? I'm guessing this isn't what you mean by "oil bath air filter".
Can you tell from the video if I'm still dead on cylinder 3? I had no compression with tinman, but maybe it broke free (and not just broke!). It seems to be chug chug chugging a bit out of rhythm, or am I just not used to hearing a flathead 6?
In case you can't tell, I'm a little excited. Now off to try to sleep and get back to work tomorrow morning! I'll keep everyone posted.
Oh, and an update on the crack - it's not definitive, but it does appear to be holding water (non-pressurized water, at least), so I'm crossing my fingers that it's a casting mark.
Has the pan been dropped and the gunk cleaned out?
Have you pulled the side cover and cleaned around the valves?
Have you flushed the water jackets of the block out. You can do it with a hose pipe "garden hose" and a rag. Stick the hose into the t stat housing or radiator hose and let er rip, seal the gap with a rag. You can do the same to the radiator.
If was mine I would pull the head and clean out the cylinders. I would clean the piston tops rotate the crank and wipe the rust, grime,dobber nests, dirt or what ever is in the cylinder out with paper towels. Think of nearly 4 decades of grit and grime now being ground into those cylinders when you run it. This will allow you to see the state of the cylinder walls.
While the head is off you can pay attention to #3.....it could simply be some trash not allowing the valve to seal.
The 7ha six was really a better engine than the V8. (at least for a truck) It made nearly as much power and was not prone to the overheating problems and quirks of the more famous V8.
BTW that crack looks like old paint or grime. From what I have seen when they crack there usually due to freezing, it's obvious.
Is the leak from the base or the top (under the nut) of the filter? A lot of times there will be an old gasket stuck in the oil filter base groove, not obvious at first. Make sure there isn't one.
I'd say it would be well worth the effort to pull at least the lifter cover for #3 and see what's up. You can hit it with weasel **** to help break it loose, and adjust several valves.
Haha. Yeah, definitely no mosquitos for a good 1/4 mile now. I was (am!) giddy that I got it going to quickly.
The oil filter leak is from around the screw. I'm sure I just need a new gasket - I reused the old filter for this first start up. Now I'm going to drain this, put a new filter in, and make sure I get the gasket too.
As for the valves on Cyl #3, I've sprayed a bit more down the hole to see if I get lucky and that gets it going. If not, off come the covers.
Is there a gasket "kit" that has the major ones (head, oil pan, intake manifold, exhaust, etc) or do I just buy them separately? Or is there a better/worse place to buy them? I figured I'd start with Mid 50, but wanted to ask first.
You may be able to get just the head gasket, but I believe the full set is more readily available from the suppliers. Even the chain parts stores can get it to you by mail.
FelPro FS7524S, Rockauto and Summit both have them too.
06-03-2016, 11:44 AM
