The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot Big Bolts Anyone ever hand crank a 216?

I just got my 1946 1.5 ton home today and as I was looking it over a little closer, saw the jaws on the balancer for a hand crank as well as a hole in the grill and a support bracket bolted to bumper.

My 51 Chevy sedan (with a 235)has the jaws on the balancer also, but no access hole in the grill, so I'm guessing at that point, they were just using up the balancers they had left.

I also have a crank only H Farmall tractor 4 cyl and am curious as to what it's like to crank a 6.

Thanks for the links webstershotrods, I appreciate it. The video makes it look pretty easy. I would have expected a six to be a real bear to crank.

The guy in the video is taking some awful chances. He's pushing down on the crank, whch is inviting a kickback, and a broken wrist, or jaw, or worse. The right way to hand-crank any engine is to position the crank handle at the bottom, grasp the handle with all your fingers, including your thumb, on the same side, and make a quick 1/2 turn pull, stopping at the top. If the engine kicks back, the crank handle will straighten out your fingers without creating any injuries. Just get your wrist out of the way before the handle swings around and breaks something! A well-tuned engine should start with one or two pulls. If it's cold, pull it a time or two with the ignition turned off, and the choke pulled. Be careful not to flood the engine!
Jerry

Hotrod Lincoln,
Thanks for taking the time to post the proper proceedure. Luckily enough, I was doing it that same way when my old tractor kicked back many years ago. I have never tried to start it in damp weather since.
I guess another thing to keep in mind is to try and maintain a posture or stance where you can shift backwards after you pull up. In otherwords, you don't want to loose your balance and fall towards the crank, just incase it doesn't release or does kick back. Or maybe brace yourself with the other hand against the grill?

Good idea! The stovebolt engines aren't prone to kick back like the Model T or Model A engines, because they don't have a manual spark advance. Forgetting to put the spark lever in the "retard" position on a T model was a guaranteed way for the engine to try to run backwards, and take the crank with it. On most tractors, the magneto has an "impulse coupling" which serves to retard the spark while it's winding up the spring to snap the mag around faster than cranking speed. Keeping any engine well-tuned is the secret to successful hand-cranking, even a lawn mower or chain saw!
Jerry

Crank started my 38 just to see if it would, wasn't to bad. Some of the trucks I've had the handle would be kicked loose if turned backwards as the back edge of the balancer crank insert was rounded. Still I used the same method as HRL described palm up all fingers and thumb on oneside so if it did kick or slip fingers would release.

I've started my 1928 Chevy with a 4 cylinder, as well as numerous old engines I've collected that only have a hand crank to start.
Holding the crank properly is very important for your safety, a fingers and palm only grip, don't use your thumb unless you want to loose it.

Plan to fit a hand crank starter to one of my Detroit diesels just for fun, we'll see how it goes :-)

Grigg

Better re-think that one- - - - -all the hand-crank lugs I've seen are made that way, but it's to disconnect the crank from the hub as the engine fires, moving faster than the speed of the crank. If it was tapered to disconnect on a kickback, you wouldn't be able to turn the crankshaft at all.
Jerry

I use my Super C crank on my '49. It is elongated because it is actually a jack wrench from a South African bottle jack I got from work but the end is the same! Clears the bucket loader on my Super C as well!

What are the dimensions of the hand crank for 1941 Chevy truck?

I got a '46 OS 1.5ton with a 216 that came with the crank.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm311/jungerfrosch/linked/1946ChevycrankDemensioncopy.jpg

A= 5 9/16"
B= 7 13/16"
C= 27 4/8"
D= added by mistake
E= 7/16" end to center of pin

Bar stock is 11/16" diameter

Pin is 5/16" diameter, and they stand 1/4" tall

The end of crank looks it has a forged/cast section that is added to the solid bar, or forged somehow onto the end. The pins do not go all the way through the middle of the bar, so they may be more accurately described as nubs. The hole at the end is 3/8" deep and 7/16" diameter, and on mine is not perfectly centered. It may be a result of forging the end of the rod to form the pins. if you want a close up of the end let me know.

Tad

Perfect. Thank you!!

i had an f12 farmall break my arm you dont even want to go there. the farmall didnt have a starter but the truck does use it
or you may be sorry. philip

There is always some risk, but when hand cranking something pretend your thumb is glued to your hand and you only have 4 fingers; hold the starting crank without using your thumb.

Grigg

I ordered one from The Filling Station, and it met my needs perfectly.

You guys should try starting a MM U with a big 4 cylinder.. 4.5" bore, 5" stroke. I can barely do it. Most guys I put on it can't even turn it fast enough, some can't even turn it. It's actually rather funny... I only weigh 150lb and I can start it, but these 200lb he-mans can't... cracks me up. There's alot more muscle to us skinny old farm boys than meets the eye.

And I forgot the other day, I've seen worse. I was at a MM salvage yard and the guy had two Big MM power units both were six cylinders and I think may have had a 4.625x6.00 in bore and stroke. Cause it looked like a GB engine with two extra cylinders. They both had hand cranks... I didn't try to crank them, but I can imagine it would have taken a guy bigger than me to start one, even with the compression release.

The ones that really challenge me are the big John Deere 2-cylinders with a hand crank built into the flywheel on the side. It's sort of like a necker's knob on a steering wheel, but it's designed to stow away from centrifugal force as soon as the engine starts. The trick is to release the compression, get the flywheel spinning, and hit compression and ignition at the same time. If everything goes right, it will pop a time or two, and start running. (Now you know why they're called "Johnny Poppers"!)
Jerry

The cars might have been different but my '51 1/2 ton truck w/ 216 has the jaws and the hole. Its a bit hidden by the chrome but the rear grill and the lower splash apron both have the hole. ...just used it the other day to spin a couple valves free after a good soaking.

http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5185/5695931707_78aab69b57_b.jpg

thanks mate, i have got a crank at home that looks the same as that, was told it was for the chev but said no way it would have bigger lugs than that, good on ya