I'm replacing the rear main and front seal on my '54 235. I was surprised to find out that the rear seal in my truck was not rope, nor was the front seal leather. I can only assume someone replaced these in the past, which is kind of a bummer because I wanted to see the original worn out rope and leather.
Anyway, now that I've looked at everything, I have some questions for the experts:
1) Bearing wear.
Here is a picture of my rear main bearing. Note the pitting. I was expecting it to be totally smooth. How should I interpret this wear? Does the bearing need replacement?
Here is another angle.
2) Debris.
I also found some debris in the main bearing cap, near the oil hole.
What could this be? Could this be bearing (Babbitt?) material? It is metal, but pliable like solder. Here is
another picture that shows its size in relation to the bearing cap.
3) Crank condition.
Here is what my crank looks like under the bearing cap. How does this look? The surfaces seem pretty smooth. The surrounding area sure is messy, though. Does anything here look wrong or in need of attention?
4) Upper rear seal.
Here is how the upper (rubber) seal is sealing with the block and crank. I know people say the newer-type seals won't work well because of the machining tolerances of the day, but to my untrained eyes that looks like a pretty good seal. Looking at it, I would like to assume that my leaks were coming from the seam where the two halfs meet up. I'm now re-thinking what I want to do. I have new rope seals, but now I'm wondering if a little RTV between these rubber pieces will fix it up. Thoughts?
5) Front seal.
Here is the front seal. I didn't have much luck getting it out, but it was also very late and I was getting tired. Here you can see where I
tried to get it out with pliers. Before I go beating on it some more, is there a better way to do this? Also, I noted the seal was very very hard--the plastic was not pliable at all. Should I expect this hardness to happen with the new seal, or will a new seal last for 10+ years?
Finally,
here is the page that has all the pictures and a few more Thank you for looking at my pictures and giving your suggestions. This is my first time through this stuff, and I feel a lot better going with others' experience and knowledge than my own guesses and assumptions. Especially when it comes to subjective evaluation of a part's condition. Thanks.
