Digging in to an A banger!

[brett4christ]

Digging into the "spare" banger engine last night, I found something I don't think I wanted to find....

Pulled the pan to check the bottom end. Poked my finger around in the thick stuff in the windage tray valleys and found this:

Scanned for a possible source and noticed this on #1 connecting rod journal


#2


and #3


Couldn't get a good shot of #4.

What do you guys think? Dig deeper, or write it off and part it out?

[Flathead]

Don't give up yet, you can get fresh rods and replace any bad ones as long as the crank is OK. Pull it apart and check the mains as well. Good Luck with it.

[brett4christ]

Oh, forgot to ask....what size castle nut is on the rod? i tried 11/16 (too big) and 5/8 (too small)....I need "just right"!

[J Franklin]

21/32 socket on rod nuts.

[CarlG]

Originally Posted by J Franklin

21/32 socket on rod nuts.

If they are all originals. My engine had a mix of sizes when I got it.

[MikeK]

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When the fore-aft free play of the crank gets excessive it usually pinches off babbitt from the rod thrusts as you have pictured. Get a dial indicator and a pry bar and see how much total fore-aft crank play you have. If it is more than 0.007 you will need to address that before committing new babbit rods to the same fate. There is a "fix" of sorts, a bronze thrust to replace the rear babbitt face on the block half of the rear main bearing. Snyder's # A-6334. Some guys like to tin the crank face of it with babbitt.

[brett4christ]

Does a 17mm socket leave too much wiggle room?

17mm = 0.66929"
21/32 = 0.65625"

Delta = .013" or 13 thousanths

[hardtimes]

Originally Posted by brett4christ

Does a 17mm socket leave too much wiggle room?

17mm = 0.66929"
21/32 = 0.65625"

Delta = .013" or 13 thousanths

Hey Brett,
Looks like the Babbitt has given way. IMO, take down the crank mains/rods to check crank. Crank is most expensive and so if no damage yet..great news !
As for the rod nuts, do you have a copy of Jim B book ? If so, read up on his input regarding using stock rod nuts vs using improved alternative nuts and WHY.

[Clem Clement]

that 21/32 socket is called a FORD" socket. Hearsay has it that Ford intentionally used that rare size to keep us shade tree mechanics from fooling with his cars. Sears used to see them. Don't try to cheat on the size as you may burr the nut heads.

[eagle]

Here is 21/32 socket on Ebay. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Socket-1-x2f...item461e79463d

[brett4christ]

Bought it! Thanks Eagle!

[diomed]

I was just removing rod nuts, 17mm worked fine.

[brett4christ]

I tried the 17mm and it did fine for the first rod nut, but the second one slipped a bit. I stopped while I was ahead!

[Terry,NJ]

I found that it did. The 21/32 couldn't be replaced with a metric socket. I had to scour the flea market till I found one for $.75. I don't know if they're still made, but mine's an old Craftsman. .013 is almost 1/64th or .015625.
Terry

Originally Posted by brett4christ

Does a 17mm socket leave too much wiggle room?

17mm = 0.66929"
21/32 = 0.65625"

Delta = .013" or 13 thousanths

[d.]

21/32 Craftsman socket

[CarlG]

Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-J5421H...21%2F32+socket

[Bob Bidonde]

Replace the Ford nuts with modern standard size nuts that do not require cotter pins. I have bits of cotter pins from the connecting rods in the oil pan of some engines.

[Ed in Maine]

I am going to wade into this discussion but I admit I do not know what I am talking about! You are taking drastic action on this engine when there may not be an operating problem. If there is good compression and it is quiet, why mess with it? You may be able to get another 5-10,000 miles out of this engine. Ed

[brett4christ]

WARNING: The photos you are about to see are graphic in nature and may not be appropriate for all audiences!

Finally found time to dig deeper into the spare engine...not pretty!

I measured the end play of the crank at the timing gear/front bearing cap with a feeler gauge. Used the .007 gauge in the pack, shifted the crank, and remeasured with the .007 removed. It wouldn't go in! Sooo....

I removed the rod caps to find:



The rod journals, from 1 to 4:






Pulled the head, found:




Cylinder #1 bore:



#3 cylinder has a broken top ring. All cylinders look like #1.

Lastly, I wanted to remove the main caps, but several turns of these yeilded no progress:



Am I missing something on removing these square-head bolts?

[MikeK]

Originally Posted by brett4christ

. . . Am I missing something on removing these square-head bolts?

The nut and cotter pin on the other end!