The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Getting Crank to Move Manually, 1954 235

I am at the stage where I am trying to see if the engine I was told was a "crate" engine when I purchased my project is actually usable.

I have no idea of the history of the engine. The castings indicate that the block and the head were both created on the same day in November of '53 and the serial number shows that it was intended for a car with a PowerGlide transmission. The engine might never have been used, or it might have been used up and just repainted - who knows?

As suggested here on this forum, I squirted some ATF/oil into each cylinder a couple weeks ago. All of the spark plugs are very loose and I have tapped on each of the valve stems (lightly) with a block of wood and a hammer.

8 of the pushrods can be turned by hand, the other 4 will not move, but I don't know if that is surprising or not. The engine oil looks absolutely new.

I tried to turn the crank using the fan blade and pulling on the fan belt, but there didn't seem to be any movement at all. (I didn't want to put too much force on the fan, as I didn't want to bend it.)

I don't have a hand crank for the engine and wonder what suggestions there might be for a next step.

Seeing that you have access to the front of the engine, your first choice is to fabricate a key that will fit the center of the harmonic balancer so you can attach a breaker bar/lever and rotate the engine. If you choose not to use the front end method, you will need to remove the starter motor or the inspection plate from the bottom of the bell housing, then you can pry against the flywheel teeth and rotate it a small amount at a time.

What "78" said with the bellhousing inspection plate. Looks to be easy to remove and you can pry a few teeth at a time with a big screwdriver.

No "key" required for the front- - - -the hole in the balancer is squared off, and a 3/4 inch drive ratchet is a good fit. I strap the engine down onto a forklift pallet, and use a 3 foot cheater bar on a 3/4 drive. If you will add acetone to that ATF (50/50 mix) (available in the paint department at Walmart) it has been tested to be just as effective as KROIL at rust busting. Use the chisel shaped end of a shepherd's crook wrecking bar between the bottom of the bell housing and the flywheel teeth for a lot more leverage than you can put on the crankshaft hub. I'd suggest loosening up all the valve adjustments to minimize the chance of bending pushrods while you get the crankshaft and rods moving. Rock the engine back and forth a little at a time until you can make full turns in both directions.
Jerry

Thank you HRL for that info about the damper recess, I have no experience with the GM inline sixes. I know, I shouldn't even be on this forum with my limited background!

Its got a 5913 head on it which I have only ever known to be 54-55 but since I don't really play with anything earlier than 55, I suppose it could be a 53.

As for turning, the balancer has two threaded holes for installing a balancer remover. There might be dirt or other junk in the holes but they are threaded. Clean them out if necessary, install a pair of grade 8 bolts, long enough to stick out a ways, and then use a pry bar between the bolts to leverage the balancer and turn the motor clockwise (facing the motor).

Thanks for suggesting the bolts-in-the-balancer option, Mike.

The dates on the engine show it was manufactured in November '53, but the stamped codes show it was for the 1954 model year, so it conforms with your experience.

The 5913 head is the "low compression" type used on some 53 engines, all 54s, and some early 55s. It can be milled down .090" to have the same compression ratio as an 848, but the intake valves need to be recessed the same distance to shroud the edge of the valve from the flame front when the spark plug fires. That was a popular modification when the hotrodders didn't want to buy a new 848 head for the higher compression ratio.
Jerry

All Right! it moves! (It did get easier when I took it out of gear! )

I used a 3/4" drive and it was not as hard to move as I thought.

I loosened all the valve adjustment screws (as Jerry suggested) until there was no contact at all and everything seemed to move as it should...except one exhaust valve rocker. I have removed the adjuster screw and nut completely and there is still a bit of interference between the pushrod and the rocker. It is not so much that I can't slide the rocker to the side on the rocker shaft and pull the pushrod out of its position. I did that, and the pushrod looks fine on both ends, but what might be going on that keeps pushrod up high enough that there is not as much clearance between this rocker arm and the pushrod as there is on the other cylinders?

If I am identifying it correctly, it is the number 3 cylinder exhaust valve that seems to be different from all the others. I just went out to the garage to check that the pushrod in this position is not longer than the others - and it does not appear to be. The difference is not really much as all, maybe 1/16"; but the others are flopping around and this one wants to rub against the lower surface of the rocker arm just barely.

One of the many assumptions I am making in this effort is that the engine is utilizing hydraulic lifters. The stamped serial numbers near the distributor suggest that it was manufactured to use hydraulic lifters...but would I be able to tell if it was not without pulling the side cover? (I did try pressing down on the pushrods and can feel a bit of give which I assume is the spring inside the lifter...therefore hydraulic lifters)

I realize that the Shop Manual I purchased to assist me with the project is for a 1940 Chevrolet...but this is a 1954 engine...and the Master Parts Catalog I have is 1929-1950! I guess I need to pick up a newer shop manual to even know how to adjust the valves! (I did watch a few videos - one of which explained how to adjust hydraulic lifters after you install them, before you run the engine...but I don't know if that really applies to engines of this era.) Any suggested methods?

HERE is the manual for adjusting hydraulic lifters from the 49-53 Passenger Car Shop Manual. Should work for your '54 as well.

Please do not make that assumption. Pull the side plate and take a photo of the tops of the lifters. Then we can tell for certain.

Loosen the bolts holding the rocker shaft stands to the head if you want a little more clearance for the pushrods. Ditto on Mike's advice about pulling the side cover- - - - -I'd suggest pulling the lifters out of the block one at a time and doing a detailed disassembly and cleaning. Just don't mix up lifters on the cam lobes, and definitely don't try to mix and match lifter parts and pieces! Also check the bottoms of the lifters for wear- - - - -they should be slightly convex or at least flat- - - - -cupped in the middle is a real problem! Unless they're badly worn, lifters can be reground to their original shape, but it takes some special equipment to do it. A reground original lifter is still much better than a new one made in some offshore sweatshop!
Jerry

Nick, Just in case it may help, here's a link to the 1954 Shop Manual Supplement that includes a little more info than Kevin's provided link info. The 1954 changes to the engine for the hydraulic cam equipped engine are detailed in this section and could possibly help answer more questions on that.

Thanks for all the assistance!

Now my inexperience is worrying me. It seems that that pushrod cover plate would be easy to bend causing it to be difficult to seal in the future. Using a putty knife I have gotten the top and sides loosened, but the bottom corners and the bottom edge are still stuck pretty securely. It looks as though whoever last assembled the engine used some blue, rubber type gasket sealer.

Because of the shape of the block, I have not yet found a good angle to approach the bottom of the side plate to separate the gasket from the block. Is there a trick...a tool...something I can make to get that gasket loose without bending the cover? Am I worrying too much about something that will get reinstalled with lots of gasket sealer?

Try a real long putty knife to cut the gasket sealer from the lower area. If you bend it, it can be flattened out with a hammer and a flat plate.

They probably used RTV, which can be a pain to remove. The proper original cork and rubber style gasket should work fine with a small bit of gasket sealer. Lots of guys use Permatex 300.

Might use a heat gun (hair dryer?) to loosen it up.
I have a de walt 20v cordless on that comes in real handy.

A heat gun, or a Propane torch will loosen the gasket sealer. If you bend the cover a little. just hammer it flat- - - -it's made of steel, not glass. Be sure you've got ALL of the bolts removed before you get frisky with it, though!
Jerry

Mixed in with other tasks today, I did get the side cover off thanks to the assistance I received here.

Since I was told that the engine was a "crate engine", but didn't really trust that, I didn't know what to expect when the side cover came off.

It looks rather clean to me - but I don't really know what I should be seeing. I am relieved to a certain extent, as I was afraid that I might be looking at a real mess when I opened the engine up.

I didn't have time to even wipe the gasket bits out of the corners before I took the photos this evening. There is a bit of orange-ish stuff here and there, which I am assuming might be a little rust from condensation mixed with oil? (Note the bottom of the 4th pushrod from the right and the lower left corner of the chamber.)

I will pull out the lifters tomorrow, one by one, and clean them up.

Anything else I should look for while I am working in this space?

Also, the road draft tube is not attached via the little bracket that goes to the side of the block near the bottom of the block...but that sucker seems to be firmly seated. How is it supposed to come loose?

I assume that I can pick up new valve cover and side cover gaskets at NAPA?

Thanks!

Looks like some storage corrosion- not real serious, IMO.

The draft tube is a press fit in the block. Wiggle and pull to remove.

NAPA should have gaskets, but maybe not the pushrod gasket separately.

I'm pretty sure I can see the wire clips in the top of a couple of the lifters in Nick's 3rd photo here.

That would signify hydraulic lifters.

That engine is clean enough that I'd choose to button everything up with new gaskets, do the valve adjustment, and fire it up. Don't worry about the minuscule amount of dirt and corrosion that's visible in the pictures.
Jerry

Bill, I agree, I see plunger clips on the lifters so Hydraulic lifters.

Jerry,
Should I bother with taking apart and cleaning up the lifters, or does the appearance of the space indicate that the lifters are probably fine as they are?

I'd be surprised if there are any internal problems with those lifters. They look like they might be new, or at least in very good original condition. Skip the cleanup and fire it up. It might take a few minutes of running at a fast idle to get them to pump up and quit making noise, but if indeed they are new, that needs to be done for a break-in run. As soon as you see oil pressure after startup, turn the idle speed screw in to get around 1500-2000 RPM, and run the engine at that speed for 15-20 minutes. Idling with new lifters before they establish a wear pattern to the cam lobes can scuff the bottoms of the lifters and damage camshaft lobes.
Jerry

Thanks for that! I will do as you suggest.

A few questions as I move forward.
I see a variety of gasket choices (Fel-Pro, Mahle and Victor Reinze) listed at AutoZone and a few different at different prices at NAPA.
Is there a default brand I should go with?
Are there choices between cork and other materials that I should be aware of?
What is (are) the recommended gasket sealant(s) that I should use? If there are different answers for different applications I will be running into, is there a good reference source I should be aware of?

Thanks for all your patience with so many basic questions!

I think you'd be fine with any of those three known brands. They should all have the cork/rubber gaskets for the pushrod cover.