When we rebuilt my 261 in a 2 weekend "Shop Class" taught by Hotrod Lincoln, he made a rear main seal setter tool from a Ford piston. It works beautifully to set the seal.
If anyone would like to use it in their own project, let me know and I'll send it to you. Hopefully, I will never need to use it again Anyway, it would be cool to get this tool moving among Stovebolters and see how many people we can get to use it.
Who wants to be 2nd?
John
~ John
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Yes, it's for packing the rope seals into the block and the main bearing cap, and it also works on 216's and 235's- - - - -all of them run the same size seal. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
One of the Frankenstein stovebolts with altered stroke length and custom machined connecting rods that I'm tinkering with just might end up running pistons from a 223 Ford 6 cylinder. The nice thing about auto parts is that they don't care where they run as long as they fit. I've run a Volkswagen engine with flathead Ford piston rings and wrist pins for a Corvair, and the 59 Burb I drove for years had a Dana type 60 rear end with a GMC housing, Ford gears, and a Dodge pinion flange.
It never fails to amaze me how supposedly mature adults can get passionate about the brand name attached to a 70 year old assortment of rusty junk parts! Most of us outgrew those kinds of petty emotions somewhere around the end of grade school! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Why *not* borrow this one?? What's the price of a few stamps compared to your happiness? Besides, making your own is so .... boring -- anyone could do THAT .
Imagine .... YOU could hold a little Stovebolt history in your greasy mitts. Just think of it -- you'd be using the very tool handcrafted by none other than the Hotrod man himself! This tool has been written about, talked about, photographed, and held/practiced with by many of the ODSS members (all sort of famous in their own right), such as DJ, AmtrakJoe, Pops, Mike B, Mike Roache, Hambone, Sweet, Billy Marlow, RoverDan and even Grigg (I think....) .... in fact, I think it's even been in the hands of Johnny V -- a past National President of the American Truck Historical Society (mainly because I threw it at him and he caught it out of reflex ...).
I can't believe for a second you could even contemplate passing up such an opportunity!
PM me your address and I'll get it out of its climate controlled, nitrogen atmosphere display case and on its way along Lewis and Clark's footsteps! What could be cooler than that? This could be the beginning of an epic tale of adventure -- imagine the journeys this little guy will make. And it could all begin with ...
You.
~ John
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Since the seal surface on a stovebolt crankshaft is 3 7/8", any standard bore size 283 or 307 piston will work- - - -just stuff a piece of dowel rod into the wrist pin hole for a handle. I happened to have a Ford 302 piston lying around in the scrap heap, so I just chucked the piston ring lands into a lathe and turned the 4" skirt diameter down 1/8". Use the skirt area of the piston to roll and flatten the rope seal all the way down into the bottom of the groove. A few taps with a rubber mallet or a dead blow hammer helps. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
You'd probably be more help than my grandson - - - -I offered to set him up in a rent-free shop and mentor him, but he decided to move three states away instead. Unfortunately, some long-term family drama that I can't help with made that decision necessary, but it sort of took the wind out of my sails on several fronts! Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Send it to me just to hold even for a minute before I send it along it’s way. I will never wash my hand again.
Tom -- I like your attitude! I can send it with Hambone the next time he's Granite State Bound and you can get it from him. That way, you can recieve it from actual hands who have used it! The two of you can genuflect over it and then pass it along! Have a beer to consecrate. It will be epic!
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Jerry, I'm older than you but, will you adopt me? I'm house broke and everything. Ed
Heck, Doc -- If Jerry doesn't, I'll adopt you!
~ John
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Nick -- I think Tom would be willing to let you cut in line as you actually want to *use* it Tom -- correct me if I'm wrong about that. Nick, PM me to remind me of your address and I'll get it up to ya.
...and don't call me Sir. I'm now a annuitant-drawing lowlife and drag on OPM
~ John
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Just my humor. Send it along. Needs to have a paper with it᠁ users of this fine tool need to create a provenance of use and list the names of who used it. It will become The Who’s Who of Rope Seals.
Just my humor. Send it along. Needs to have a paper with it᠁ users of this fine tool need to create a provenance of use and list the names of who used it. It will become The Who’s Who of Rope Seals.
That is exactly what I was thinking. Kind of like the Memorial Ned award which used to be given out to at Homecoming, whereas the recipient was tasked with adding something personal to the trophy before it was awarded to the next year's recipient. That was a blast!.
1952 5-window - return to "as built" condition | 1950 3100 with a 235 and a T-5 transmission
Stovebolters, Hotrod's inventive main bearing ropeseal tool is up for use. Why? My engine block ain't ready cause still missing some motor parts left at Virginian fellows shop that he promised he could/would assemble a 235. Now I've hauled everything back to Maryland to assembly myself! Hotrod's tool may only sit in my toolbox. John please send it along to next person who's more ready than I am. V/r, Nick
"We are not now that strength which in old days Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are"
1948 International Farmall Super A 1949 Chevrolet 3804 In the Legacy Gallery | In the Gallery Forum 1973 IH 1310 Dump 2001 International/AmTran RE3000 "Skoolie" 2014 Ford E-350 4x4 (Quigley)
Anyway, it would be cool to get this tool moving among Stovebolters and see how many people we can get to use it.
. 
