The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 235 Crankcase

I’m ready to reinstall the oil pan after a complete rebuild of my ’53 powerglide 235. While I stand there looking at the engine on the stand I’m trying to figure what I have forgotten to do.

The crank is in and shimmed to 0.0015” clearance on all 4 mains, and all main bolts torqued to 110 ft-lb
The rear main seal is in
The pistons, rings, rods and rod bearings are all in with bolts torqued to 40 ft-lb
The whole assembly is pre lubed with STP and rotates at less than 40 ft-lb
The oil pump is reassembled to the pick up screen, primed with STP, plumbed to the pickup and block, and locked into place
The cam is in and pre lubed
The crank and cam gears are on and timed to each other
The front engine mount plate is on
The two internal mount plate bolts are in
The front cover is on


I still have a feeling something is forgotten

A second question…. The gasket kit came with a set of cork strips and a set of rubber strips for sealing the ends of the pan over the front and rear bearing caps. Which should I use??

Kip's41 asks about oil pan gaskets, "...set of cork strips and a set of rubber strips...."

Use a generous amount of old fashion "Permatex A" and quit your fretting. Comes in a tube, part #1372.

Some points. Oil pan gaskets will have or not have a "tab and landing" affair where the oil pan meets the timing gear cover and the rear crank saddle, last one near flywheel.

If your set has two tabs on either end of the timing gear gasket and rear crank saddle, you must use a matching set of rail gaskets. Easy to spot, your rail gaskets will look a little "short" at the timing gear cover and rear saddle. This little bit too short thing is to allow a protruding tab, fits against the block, to fit in a narrow gap formed by your rail gaskets.

Very easy to see upon inspection. If those tabs and a thin sloping "wing" is present, make sure those match up well with your rail gaskets. Either fit or don't fit.

More critical, your cork gaskets are thinner than your rubber gaskets. This is year specific. Early year models use the cork gaskets, later years, the rubber gaskets. I "think" your 1953 needs the thinner cork gaskets but I am not sure, my age addled memory will not cooperate. Might even have all this thin and thick stuff backwards, but I know there is a difference by year.

Here is how you determine. Without adhesive or anything, place all your gaskets in place using the front and rear cork gaskets. Up front and back rear, your oil pan should meet your gaskets just like along the edges; all is equal. If your oil pan does not quite press against your front and rear cork gaskets, you need those rubber gaskets.

Contrasting, try your rubber front and rear gaskets. If your oil pan stands up above your edge gaskets, a noticeable amount, you need those cork gaskets.

Press down on your oil pan for both types of gaskets to better gauge your fit when oil pan bolts are installed.

Test fit your oil pan. Which you use, cork or rubber, is determined by how well those front and rear gaskets fit. Cork is thin, rubber is thick. Cork for older engines, rubber for newer.

Difference here is actually the oil pan. Older models have a smaller "circle" up front and rear. Larger on newer models.

Look on your cardboard box for your gasket set, sometimes, not often, but sometimes a note is on there about those gaskets.

Whichever, go with the set which best fits all away around the pan; must fit equally, no major gaps anywhere.

Serious about the Permatex A sealant. This is the absolute best for an oil pan and side valve cover. Don't use silicon nor a spray type sealant; always begins to leak in time.

Billyray

I have found the cork gaskets that came with my sets have always been too thick and thus very difficult to use. I use the rubber ones when they are available.

On your list of things needing doing, only item I notice which may or may not apply to your engine, is a splash guard over where the road tube vent fits. On the inside of this type of block, usually there is small sheet metal device, funny bends, two quarter inch bolts or sheet metal screws, cannot quite remember, short either way, this affair fits over the hole for the road tube to prevent oil from splashing through the hole. May or may not be present on your 53 engine.

On the oil pump, year specific, another old versus new thing, some oil pump to oil pickup tubes have a small clamp on brace. Don't know if your year specific engine should have this. A simple brace which grips the tube. I think this applies to much newer engines, maybe an afterthought by GM. Any empty bolt holes around your oil pump area?

Think about using a graphite based pre-lube next time. STP works great, a graphite lube stays in place better; does not ooze out during long term storage.

You can pre-lube your engine, like small block V-8 engines, by fitting an appropriate size and shape attachment in a drill, set for clockwise spin, shove it down there to your oil pump then spin your oil pump until oil is pumped out of your rocker arms. Not really needed for an old inline six but you will feel better about all this. Do this last just before you are ready to fire up your engine.

Billyray

truckernix adds good info, "I have found the cork gaskets that came with my sets have always been too thick and thus very difficult to use. I use the rubber ones when they are available."

Yeah, wish I could remember which is which. This is one of those "I know it when I see it" things. Shoot, I might even be confusing this with small block Chevy V-8 engines, same issue for those. I have built so many of those engines, six and V-8, I have a hard time remember which is what.

Frustrating becoming a senior citizen, you lose some of your self-confidence about your memory. Annoying to dress in the morning, stand and walk only to fall flat on your face because you tied both sets of boot laces together.

This is why I always wear my cowboy boots, only challenge is remembering right from left, not sure at my age I would notice even if I did mix 'em up.

I just know there is a year difference in oil pans. Funny, I can remember this better than I remember where I live. Thank goodness my old lady knows to go out and look for me when I am gone for too long.

As long as Kip carefully test fits his oil pan, he will be OK.

Billyray

Have you considered changing the two lower timing cover bolts to be removable without dropping the pan?

Hoyt

Hi Guys:

Thanks for all the input. Its been almost 50 years since the last time I did this.

Hoyt; yes I did think of that, but decided that I have no plans to go that far into the engine again.

Billyray; I failed to include the installation of the draft tube baffle as I had left it in when the block was sent to the machine shop so they kindly reinstalled it for me. And yes I do plan to spin the oil pump with a drill motor just prior to starting the engine. No empty bolt holes or extra parts.

Billyray & truckernix; Good suggestions on the rubber vs. cork end seals. In my kit the cork is the thicker of the two. There are 4 pan rail gaskets, but two are for a pan rail with a few extra curves (mine are fairly straight) and when you line up the end tabs and bolt holes the remaining two will only fit one way. One of these was 1/8” too long so I trimmed each end. Today I will put the cork end pieces and rail gaskets in place and set the pan on to try and determine if the cork is holding the pan too high off of the rail gaskets.

I have found that these gaskets change dimensions both getting shorter and longer. Sometimes it is a long effort to get everything lined up using the screws. It is more challenging lying underneath the motor!

I replaced the locks on the front bottom cover bolts with lock washers and that was a mistake. The lock piece provides a sort of seal for the bolt head.

I did get the pan on today. Ended up using the thicker cork end gaskets.

Earlier I set the rail gaskets and rubber end gaskets in place with no sealer and gently tightened the pan bolts and screws. I was able to insert a 22 gauge wire between the curve of the oil pan and the rubber seal, so determined there was no seal.

I coated every thing with #2 permatex and applied a little extra at the joints between the pan rail gaskets and the cork end gaskets.

It may be a couple of weeks before I run the engine to check for leaks as there is still lots to do and I’m still waiting on lifters from Egge