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Got to be honest - I'm not going to enjoy cleaning this. Just scraped off about 1/2 inch on the top.

John - A pressure washer would make pretty short work of that.

I don't have a pressure washer, but a friend told me to take it to the carwash. I'm not going to dump all that muck into the wash system. Scaping will be OK - I'll just do a little bit at a time.

Just a labor of love.

Scraping it might take a little longer but it looks like dried out clumped up grease/dirt ,so after you can sweep it up .washing will make it messy to clean up the area after 👍

Agree with Kevinski. I used a scraper on heavy gunk, swept that up, and then finished up the cleanup with a pressure washer.

I placed the bellhousing on a metal drip pan to help catch most of the gunk. And yes, it is thick and hard in some places. 15 minutes a day!

Or, Livin’ the dream

Yep! And what a dream. Thanks Paul!

Sorry John, but that bell looks hilarious. I have a dirty one from a 235 and a dirty one from a 292, and if I add them together, they don’t come close to yours. We should have a before and after section to post photos of really crusty parts before we start cleaning them. They would provide comic relief and inspiration at the same time.

Got my flywheel resurfaced yesterday - looks good. Today I woke up and I didn't feel like touching the bellhousing. So, I decide to build an engine dolly from the Tech Tips section that Stephen Peterson posted (Thanks Stephen!). I decided to use 3" lag screws and steel casters to make it roll easier. It was pretty easy to build. I'll move my 235 to this dolly and that should make it easier to install the bellhousing, flywheel and clutch. Then I decided to do "15 minutes" (which was much longer) of scraping on the bellhousing and got about half the muck removed. If I can motivate myself, I'll do the other half tomorrow. I really don't like this part of the project.

I'll be sure to post before/after photos after painting. I had to use my screwdriver like chisel to remove some of this stuff. I'll keep at it.

After you get the big chunks scraped off, I've found that mineral spirits (paint thinner) works well for scrubbing and cleaning parts like that. It cuts the grease well, and dries without leaving an oily film like some other things--diesel fuel for instance.

Rich, I've been scaping as much as possible and using Easy Off oven cleaner. Spray and let it sit over night, then spray in the morning and let sit another hour. A bucket of hot water and sponge cleans it off pretty well. I do have some mineral spirits and might give that a try to compare. Thanks for the tip.

Got 97% of the grease build up off the bell housing and dropped it off for sandblasting. And I'm using the engine caddy I built over the weekend.

Got the bellhousing ready to install. From gunky, to scrapping, then sandblasting and finally some paint.

Nice. It's good to see parts get to looking like new.

Just a thought - you mentioned earlier about installing the bell housing, flywheel and clutch with the engine on your roller dolly. I'll bet you'll wind up doing that with the engine hanging from a hoist instead, as you'll need to get up under the bottom of the bell housing for some of the bolts. That is unless you enjoy lying on the floor (I'm getting a bit old to do that, and only do it when I absolutely have to.)

I had to lay on the floor (cardboard) to remove the clutch, flywheel and bellhousing. I'm thinking it would be easier to torque the bolts if it's sitting on the stand and not hanging? Yep - laying down on the floor and getting up is getting old for me, but I still do it when needed.

You guys can lay on the floor and still get up after you’re done with your chore? I can get down there if I’m careful, but usually like to have at least 3 tasks to do while I’m there. If I don’t have some, I’ll invent a useful thing to do which is why I have several circular arm-span sized clean areas around a dusty spot where I’ve plonked myself down.
The difference from before to after is remarkable John. That is worthy of a “shop art” photo, so you don’t lose track of what you are accomplishing.

That bell housing would make a great before and after post! Nice work John!

Just added it over there. Thanks for the suggestion, Phil.

Ha! Thanks for the laugh, Paul. Sometimes I feel that way - thinking, "What else can I do while I'm down here."

Earlier in the project I struggled to get the Okie bushing installed all the way. The torque tube was sitting on saw horses, so when I was tapping the bushing everything was moving. Now that the torque tube is installed I was able to tap the bushing in that last 1/4 inch. I used the old bushing to help tap it home.

Had to get other things done today, so not much work on the truck. I tried to remove the old pilot bushing with the little slide hammer I have and it wasn't enough to budge it. So, I went to Autozone to borrow a puller and it came right out.

I got the pilot bushing installed today. I was going to use a socket to help tap it in, but I didn't want to chance mucking it up. I saw a YouTube video where they used a harmonic balancer puller tool from Autozone and it worked very well. One issue was this kit did not have the correct bolts/threads to work with my flywheel (Bolts are 7/16 x 20tpi). I went to Home Depot and Lowe's, but they only had them up to 1 1/2 inches and that wasn't long enough. Then I went to a local bolt shop (Double D Bolt) and picked up a couple that were 2 1/2 inches ($1 each). Next issue was the bolt was a little to fat to fit through the pulling tool slots, so I had to use a file to soften the edges in the slots - not much though. After that, all worked great.

After the pilot bushing install, I was able to install the bellhousing and prepped the flywheel for install. Starting to get excited about installing the engine in the frame.

Working to get the front engine mount installed. Maybe a little different, but I could not get the carriage bolts to go in from the top on either side and the hole is round not square. Just not enough room even after grinding one side of the bolt flat. My truck is a 1946, but the 235 engine is from 1960, so the front is a little different I think. I went with some Grade-8 bolts from the bottom. I flattened one side of the lock washer and used a Nyloc nut to secure it. Not sure about any science of going from the top or bottom? I might go back and cut some of the threads off to shorten, but it looks like they won't interfere with anything.

Edit: I removed the lock washers that I grinded and replaced them with flat washers.

Looks like a viable solution John!

Enjoy watching, your doing a fine job.

I have seen some with a hole drilled since they are upside down and a pin put through for good measure.

Now there's a man with a good idea! And I like it!! Thanks Kevinski.

Update: So I was replacing my carriage bolts with 2" Grade 8 bolts. But the 2" bolts were a little short, so next size I could find were 2 1/2". This morning I drilled a couple holes for the cotter pins and when I went to install them they were suspiciously short? Yep, I drilled the shorter 2" bolts. I took a deep breath and said, "OK, we go again." Got the correct bolts installed with pins. I was thinking about shortening the bolts a bit, but I don't think they'll be in the way of anything. Thanks again for the idea.

Updated photo to show removal of lock washers to flat washers.

Not much work today - just some parts cleaning. I had a root canal this morning and I'm just taking it easy.

Thanks Alvin! Much appreciated.

Not much today, but still progress. Got some parts painted and installed the front and rear engine mounts. I need to replace the U-joint on the yoke and I'm pretty close to getting the engine placed in the frame. Getting closer!

John is a real belt AND suspenders kind of guy.

Belt - yes, but no suspenders yet. I like the idea though. Just hoping nothing falls apart when I take an all day trip in the truck. I'm dreaming about it every day.

Oh my gosh! Look what showed up today. I bought these off ebay and the seller shipped them on January 21. They have been sitting in the Indianapolis USPS distribution center since January 22. I filed a report with the USPS and ebay. On February 16 it finally showed it was scanned again and being processed. These are the front shock links. Now I just have to ask my neighborhood welded to help me fix the rear links.

That's pretty nice. Two the same size. What did the correct length turn out to be?

Are those NOS parts?

From center of top hole to end is 9 1/2 inches. Although part was listed for a Buick, but Chevy and GMC was on the tag. It is the same part number and length for my '46 truck. Just lucky to find two. The wait was worth it.

Latest work - When I rebuilt the lever shocks and installed them I did not top off the jack oil, so I did that today. I also painted and installed the front shock links. These were the links lost in the mail for 30 days. Then, I installed the transmission to the engine. That took some effort to get the alignment correct, but it did slide in with no swear words being audible.