I grew up on a farm. I don't remember my Dad ever working on his truck or cars except to check the oil. He did work on our tractors somewhat but he never tore engines apart. His philosophy was that he works hard at the chocolate factory, with a lot of overtime, and works hard on the farm, he'll pay an expert to do his mechanical work.

My brother was a motor head. He had the fastest cars in the area, a 68 Camaro with a 427, a 57 chevy with a 327 with 4.11 rear end, and other cars and a host of old pickups. But he never did his own engine work. He had a concrete construction business and made good money so he had a local speed shop do his work.

So I never learned from my Dad or older brother and I got into playing soccer in HS and college and then started teaching and coaching and you know how much time that takes up. So here I am taking off my heads!

 

Nothing dramatic to report today. The block and associated pieces, and all the larger parts I want de-greased, are at the machine shop. The guy got right to work. He liked the look of the crank and thought maybe it wouldn't need to be turned. He ground the intake valves but opted to go with replacement exhaust valves. Surprisingly, he felt the valve guides were in good shape and replacement would be a waste of money. I showed him the valve timing diagram from Ross. He said he was aware of what needed to be done. He also seemed up to speed on the importance of cam bearing orientation and how improper installation can cause problems with valve train oiling. Just as I'm writing this, I realize I forgot to bring in the rocker arms and shaft--I'll have to do that tomorrow.

I worked at sorting through my piles of parts and de-greasing bolts and things that were not sent to the machine shop. I also had a chance to steam clean my engine bay. I'm going to do some painting of the fire wall, frame, and inner fenders, but it isn't going to super detailed by any means. I've got too many other issues.

 

I like his thoughts on the crank. My last 272 Y block rebuild, the crank was standard and all it got was polishing. I think I went with .001 or .002 oversize bearings.

 

The rockers and shaft in my 215 were totally worn out. So were the rockers and shaft in the parts engine I bought back from a car I traded away. I had to find a NOS rocker shaft and rockers. I also found a NOS cam and lifter set just to do the whole setup. Be aware that the rocker shaft needs to be alighted with the rocker stands or the oil tubes don't fit.

If you do need rocker parts you can typically find rebuilt stuff on that auction site. I can't comment on the quality since I used NOS stuff, but for the money I had to pay I would have picked one of these up and inspected it first... be aware that there are two styles of rocker arms, one for adjusters with jam nuts (better in my opinion) and one with interference threads. Parts search here: http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw...29&_sacat=6000

 

I'm still waiting on an opinion on the condition of the rocker arms and shaft. The preliminary call is that if they weren't noisy when the engine was running, they should probably be good.

I worked on taking out my original transmission today--It's something I've never done before and, like everything else, it was a challenge with my limited skills. The transmission is out though, and I did't drop it on my foot. I have a replacement transmission all ready to go that I got last summer from a member. I'm just going to put in a new throw-out bearing. I also discovered that my rear engine mount is junk. That could account for the clutch chatter I was experiencing. My original clutch looks pretty good and I will probably re-use it.

The machine shop said the crank does need to be turned after all. Here are a few pictures from today:



Fresh out of the tank



ready for reboring



This is my old worn transmission

I ended up taking the transmission out through the bottom. The book said to take it out from the top, but I just couldn't get the emergency brake cable out of the way--lame, I know. I ended up taking the exhaust system off instead.

 

Sounds like 100% success ta me!

 

For when you put it back in:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...l#post16239260

Makes getting the input shaft into the clutch MUCH easier. Those 4-sp's weigh a TON

 

I'm working in a fairly well equipped commercial garage, and had access to a speciality jack--maybe specifically for dealing with transmissions. It worked very well. The book did say to take the transmission out through the cab, and I intended to do it that way, but the emergency brake cable was clearly in the way.

I started working on getting the cable out of the way, but just couldn't seem to get it detached from the handle. I then started working on taking out the handle, but soon realized in addition to the 2 easily reached bolts in the fire wall, it was also attached way up under the dash. Shining a light up under the dash, I discovered some very scary looking wires--you know the type--original cloth covered wires with the insulation falling off. I decided now was not the time to disturb that mess. Going out the bottom seemed like the thing to do.

So now The question. How does the emergency cable detach from the handle? I removed the little clip and it seemed like it should separate from the handle, but it just wouldn't. Did I just not pull hard enough? With the cable out of the way, I could go through the cab when the transmission goes back in.

Today I worked on painting my engine bay. A cramped messy job I'm glad to be done with. I didn't do a great job, but it looks better than it did.

 

If you are in a well equipped commercial garage why not put it back in the way you got it out?

 

Good point. With the exhaust system removed, and a transmission jack on wheels, coming down from the bottom should work; just like it did for removal. The cross member complicated matters just a bit though, and I can see why the book recommended coming up through the floor.

I still would like to know how to disconnect the emergency brake cables. I included new cables with my order for the rear motor mount that I need.

I have original brakes on my truck with a single reservoir master cylinder. If I aspire to going on cross country adventures with my truck, I best have a functioning emergency brake. I purchased 3 new cables for my emergency brake system. Ouch, they were expensive! I seem to have all the parts for my system thankfully; it's just that everything is "frozen" up after years of not being used. Any suggestions on resurrecting my system would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

#1 on the priority list for brake system is converting it to a dual master. Look at it this way - it is such an important safety feature that concours events do not subtract points for the conversion from stock.

 

Whether you're going to run a single pot or not, everything has to be 100%, that means replacing all the hard lines, hoses, and cylinders with new.

 

If you do not upgrade to a dual brake system I would suggest replacement of all hydraulic brake components. Rust has a way of forming on the steel lines, especially anywhere dirt can collect, like against the frame mounting points. Brake fluid being hygroscopic, the chances are the lines may be rusted internally as well. Any brake component containing soft items, cylinders, hoses, should be rebuilt or replaced.
Edit: BTW, replacing the front lines would be easier with the engine out.

 

Brakes were the first thing to be addressed back in 2012. I kept the drums and master cylinder, but everything else was replaced. The truck didn't have plates at the time and wasn't driven very much. When work on the truck started up again in 2014, it was discovered that the original master cylinder was leaking. As a result, I replaced my old leaking master cylinder with an original style single reservoir unit without giving the decision a lot of thought. In retrospect, I know now that I should have gone with a duel system.

So, my brake system is all relatively new and state of the art for 1952. No emergency brake though.

I have done some front end work--tie rod ends, wheel bearings, shocks, and king pins--but handling is still a limiting factor for the speed my truck can comfortably be driven. Given my brakes, handling, and final gear ratio, I would say 55 mph is about my top speed. If I drive my truck at the speeds it was designed for back in the 1950's, do you still think I need to up-grade to a duel reservoir brake system? Thanks.

 

Dual master cylinder or not, running around on 60 or 70 year old hard lines is asking for it. "Whoa" is more important than "go". I *think* you're saying those were replaced.

How old are the hoses? Cylinders? A dual cylinder is almost false security. It retains SOME braking, but not much and ONLY if it is installed/upgraded correctly. If I had a nickle for everytime I've heard "the pedal went all the way to the floor...."