Yes, you should be able to find a rope seal. NOS if nothing else.

However, two things come to mind. First, in order to install the rope seal correctly, you are going to have to remove your crank. I am sure there has been some person who has installed and not done this, but I am referring to factory recommendations / standards.

Secondly, in order to work corectly, a rope seal needs serrations in the crank, but yours are cut backwards, so a rope seal is not going to seal well / last long with what you have.

Kinda of the perverbial rock - hard place so to speak!

The reverse rotation seal shold have worked fine, I have had zero problems with them, as long as the crank is not serrated (covering serrations with a speedi sleeve is fine) and the seal is installed correctly. Without seeing it first hand, not sure what / how to advise on the seal.

Sounds like a nice boat, I have to agree, why waste the rest of the summer, summers are short enough as it is up here. Hopefully you can hold things together long enough to avoid it

David

 

These "serations" as you call them, will have nothing to do with how long a seal lasts. These are not wearing on the seal. They're there only to "pull" excess oil away from the seal.

 

Now all fixed. The solution was to remove crank and machine off knurled portion. Went to standard 2 piece seal and now had run leak free for 2 seasons. BTW, the machinist inspected the crank and stated that it was very straight, and there was virtually no run out at the seal surface.

 

Good ta know. And thanks for letting us know

 

Actually, I hate to bring this up at this late date, but yes, those "serrations" were designed to be used with, and only with a rope seal, never the neoprene lip seals. The lip seal will have a shorter service life due to excessive wear.

But you are correct on the point of there origional purpose, to pull oil away from a ROPE seal.

David

 

im sorry to get a little off topic but i am currently doing the exact opposite of what your doing taking a 351w reverse rotation and putting it in a truck. I was told that the only difference was the cam because the gear is cut backwards to a regular rotation. Is the crankshaft also different?

 

If it a older engine that used the rope seal, the serations on the crankshaft are cut backwards.

If it a later model one piece rear main seal type, then you need to put the standard rotation rear lip seal in as the little cast in serations are backwards. (if it has the cast in serations)

Don't forget the front ip seal, those were also made with the serations cast backwards, making them directional seals as well.

David

 

i was hoping you werent going to say that. i have the motor assembled ready to go so i guess my best option is to pull the rear main first if the back doesnt have the serations does that mean that the front wont either?

 

Not neccsarily on th efront seal, just depends upon the seal maker and there paticular mood that year.

I have observed the same box, same manufacture selling the items, and inside the box the seals are different.

What will happen if the serrations are pointed the wrong way is that they will not pull the oil away from the seal lip and you will get a oil leak.

Sorry for the bad news, but at this point you really do not know what you have there, and it is probably a lot easier to deal withit now than after in the truck.

David

 

I know this is an old thread, but I thought I would follow up with my fix. I wound up removing the crank, and had a crankshaft shop grind off the frets. I re-installed with a standard two piece seal, and wa la. No more leaks. I have operated the engine for 4 seasons now. BTW, the crankshaft guy checked the crank for straightness and the seal journal for being round and said it was near perfect.

I believe that the original speedy sleeve made the seal too tight. In reality, Ford may have had the seal machining non-concentric with the crankshaft.Was not that important with a rope seal. Perhaps blocks with a more true location of the seal to crank would put up with the additional "tightness" of a speedy seal.

 

That's damn good ta know Bud. Thanks for the follow up.

 

Shuffster...I'm in the same dilemma...twin 351w builds with 418 stroker kits. The Scat cranks are smooth. 2pc. Exactly what 2 pc seal did you end up using? I can't find a rr one, and want to make sure i understand what you did.
Craig
24NovaVdrive

 

The reverse rotation motor used the same rear main seal, The difference was in the crankshafts. The knurling just forward of the seal was reversed as opposed to the std rot. crank. This knurling pulled the oil away from the seal in operation to avoid oil piling up next to the seal and causing a leak.

 

So he used the standard rotation rms, not the discontinued rr seal?

 

I don't know what he used, only that it makes no difference which, the difference here was the knurling on the crankshaft itself.