Hey guys,

Still working on my '57 F100 and trying to get the engine free (272). It is stuck as the truck was sitting in my Grandpa's barn for about 30 years. The truck only has about 20K miles on it and it was running when put in the barn way back when.

I took the spark plugs and put a mixture of ATF and Marvel Mystery oil in the spark plug holes. That has been sitting a good 3-4 weeks and I know the oil has gotten down to the block as the dip stick was way past the full mark.

I replaced the crankshaft bolt with a heavier grade bolt and tried to break it free with a breaker bar, but it will not budge. I also tried to bypass the starter relay to get the starter to engage on the flywheel and hopefully break it free, but for some reason the starter is not working (I am planning to take the starter out and have it inspected and everything that is worn out in it replaced).

Since none of those things worked, I am going to hook the truck up to my dad's diesel and drop it in gear (it is a 3 on the tree) and have him pull me from behind to try and break the engine loose. I have no brakes or clutch, so I can't have him pull me in front and get the truck going and then drop it into gear.

If this does not work, I am thinking I am going to have to rebuild the engine...

Do you guys have any other suggestions for breaking the engine free that maybe I have not thought of yet?

Any help would be appreciated!

Thanks,
Taylor

 

Had the same problem with my F100 the previous owner said he and others tried a bunch of different angles, they couldn't get it to turn free. So I drove around with a leaker while the original was rebuilt. Almost seems to be something peculiar to Y-blocks? Keep doing what you're doing with penetrating oils, give it some more time, more applications.

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You need to be careful pulling it behind another truck... If it gets enough traction it could start bending things. If you bend a rod, you could do major damage to the block.

If you pull the plugs, can you see inside of the cylinders with a flashlight? One or more cylinders may have been full of water, & the rust will be easy to see. If so, pulling the heads & cleaning it out would be the only way to go, short of a rebuild, of course.

 

Just do the rebuild. Or, at a minimum, yank the pan and heads off and take a good look.

At this point preventing damage needs to be the priority.

 

It's either the rings frozen to the bore or the valves rusted to the guides. Some guys recommend acetone mixed with ATF or Diesel mixed with Acetone or ATF. Sounds like a witches brew, but that's what they say.

Rather than risking breaking the crank bolt, buy a flywheel turning tool. They work off the ring gear.

Make sure the plugs are all out when you try to turn it. It may make sense to pull the valve cover and make sure the valves will move. They all should move at least a little (the pistons will probably stop a couple, depending on crankshaft position. Removing the rocker shaft probably isn't necessary.

If you do pull the truck, put the trans in 3rd gear. Try filling the hydraulic clutch reservoir with brake fluid and bleeding the system before you pull the tuck.

Often the clutch disk will rust to the flywheel on a stored vehicle.

 

Acetone and ATF are pretty close to being PB Blaster which is excellant penetrating fluid. Since it is stuck so bad, I really don't know how you will avoid rebuild long term. Have you been tapping on the outside of the cylinder walls at all. I have had success with a three fold combination, lots of PB Blaster, gentle tapping on the outside of the block and lots of patients. You need enough Blaster in there to fill up and go down around the whole circumference of the cylinder. They do sell it in gallon containers.

 

Even if it works. (pulling it with the truck). Wouldn't you rebuild it? If its rusted wouldn't the rust be a problem if you got it running? I vote pull it to find out whats wrong before you break something. Just my opinion, I could be wrong.

 

Assuming engine has only 20k, if it were able to turn maybe it could be run without a lot of drama. Rebuild carb, new rubber, and a few other odds and ends and it might run OK? Dunno either, but seems it would be worth a try first. So long as compression is OK, valves aren't sticking, etc, doesn't burn oil, why not... Maybe all that is wishful thinking though.

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I definitely would not pull it, odds of causing significant damage are much higher than freeing the engine. At most you may try to manually rock the truck with it in 3rd gear. You have so many things to fix, I recommend more patience on the engine and fix other things first, like the brakes and clutch while you soak some more ATF or MMO.

I would take the valve covers off and soak everything there, the rockers may be stuck. I certainly would add more in the cylinders. Pull the distributor and pore some in there.

I think I would pull the carb (it likely needs rebuilt anyway), intake manifold and the valley pan and soak everything there.

Patience is the secret and I remember being your age and I had none. Keep in mind that this is a marathon not a sprint. So think about your grandfather or father and try to think emulate their patience.

 

Taylor,

I used this book when I rebuilt mine, it is very helpful and is pretty cheap.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/How-to-Rebuild-Ford-312-292-272-256-239-Y-Block-Engine-Book-/321340680039?pt=Motors_Manuals_Literature&hash=item4ad165a767&vxp=mtr

 

Thanks for the tips, ideas, and suggestions everyone! After trying several different methods, Dad and I were able to break my truck's engine free this afternoon! The cylinders do have a bit of surface rust from sitting (which we can sand and take care of), but everything else looks great, so I will not be doing a rebuild at this time (Maybe down the road, just depends how it runs, etc.). Patience and Perseverance paid off today! This is definitively a huge breakthrough!

 

Outstanding!! How about some pictures?

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Thanks for the kind words! Forgot to take pics today...Will get some tomorrow. This was my first engine tear down and I really had fun and learned alot! I did 99% of the work myself and Dad told me what to do.

 

That's excellent. Spending some quality time with the old man, you'll also learn a lot of useful skills that will translate to modern stuff, and other fields too. Doesn't get any more basic than a 292 Y block V8, My F100 wouldn't win any beauty contests but, it is mechanically sound and reliable. They are no nonsense pickup trucks. The armrest was an extra cost option, for example. I guess expectations were a little lower back then?

I love my XLT 4x4 w/ V6, AC, AT/OD, PS,, etc, but there's something to be said for having a simple and easy to repair rig available. Gimmee a load a gravel and I'll drive er down to Kansas City and back no problem.

 

Congratulations. Good luck with the rest.