I've just put the 215 motor from my 53 back together. It has been 28 years and 60,000 miles ago that I rebuilt it. Everything looked fine 'cept the timing belt was a bit loose, so I replaced it. The brearings are good enough to keep using for another ten years or so (at the rate that I plan put on miles). Also, I squirted the stock green paint on the block to pretty it up. Now, here's my question: is there a way to somehow put the engine oil back in the motor in such a way that I can be sure all the parts are well lubricated before I start it up next spring. If I "injected" a couple of quarts in through the hole in the block where the oil pressure sensor screws in, would this fill up all those nooks and crannies in the crank? I did put the motor back together using liberal amounts of assembly lubricant. Just asking. I never "injected" the oil in any motor before, and I've never had any problems that I'm aware of. But this time it's going to be sitting on a stand for about six months before I'm ready to crank it over.

 

Hi
Yes priming the oil gallery through the gauge sensor hole is a good idea
When I fire up a rebuilt engine for the first time I crank it over on the starter with the plugs out for a while to get some oil circulated

Good luck

Stephen

 

You could also remove the distributor and use a drill to spin the oil pump. The 215 has a tangent drive but I can't remember if the slot is in the oil pump shaft or the distributor shaft. If it's in the oil pump shaft, you can use a standard screwdriver style bit. Stephen's method would probably work better since you already have the engine completely reassembled. What brand and color paint did you use to repaint your blcok? I've been looking for two years and haven't found a match yet.

Good luck!

Kevin Kessler
1953 Ford F-100

 

Kevin,
thanks for the idea about using the oil pump itself. The oil pump shaft end is the end that looks like a screwdiver blade, so I'll have to fabricate a driver by putting a notch in a piece of steel rod.
As far as the paint color, the local auto parts store up here sells Plasti-kote brand engine enamel in a color called Alpine Green. When I cleaned up my engine prior to applying this paint, I found alot of pieces had the stock color under the blue that I had suirted on many years ago. It was a pretty close match. And, in as much as I plan to drive this during the summer months, it will probably look just fine when it gets a bit of dirt and grime on it. I'll post a snapshot into my gallery. See what you think.

Thanks,
John