The Ford Barn

jrvariel48 · 10-02-2016, 09:56 AM

I finally had a chance to open my old motor up and here's what I found!
I'm not exactly sure how it happened. If you look close at the picture with the piston in the bore, you can see the hole it punched into the coolant passage

Kube · 10-02-2016, 10:13 AM

Yikes! What led up to this failure? Rebuilt engine?
I've never witness a rod breaking in a flatty.
What can you tell me???

Tim Ayers · 10-02-2016, 10:24 AM

Man, that is some carnage. Did this motor have the blower on it?

Brendan · 10-02-2016, 10:46 AM

that sucks! sorry!

jrvariel48 · 10-02-2016, 10:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kube

Yikes! What led up to this failure? Rebuilt engine?
I've never witness a rod breaking in a flatty.
What can you tell me???

I'm really not sure. I bought it as a running motor and it ran great! I was going 10 mph when it let go!

jrvariel48 · 10-02-2016, 10:54 AM

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Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Ayers

Man, that is some carnage. Did this motor have the blower on it?

Nope, no blower, just a dual carb set up.

jrvariel48 · 10-02-2016, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brendan

that sucks! sorry!

Thanks Brendan! The motor's been replaced with a 1946 59L truck motor.

Mike in AZ · 10-02-2016, 11:41 AM

wow....have seen the pic of the con rod twisted sround the axis, but that is nasty...Mike

rotorwrench · 10-02-2016, 11:58 AM

From metal fatigue to forging flaws, it could have been from day one and got passed inspection processes or from a small blemish or inclusion that started to crack. It's a shame though. The Ford rods are stout but sh!t happens no matter how rarely.

Charlie ny · 10-02-2016, 05:10 PM

jr,
I admit to thinking about this situation when I square off and wind my motor
to 5 grand...........I think about it but I still do it.
Charlie ny

tubman · 10-02-2016, 05:21 PM

I'm with "rotorwrench" on this one. When the original engine in my '51 club coupe started making a funny noise at 81K, I removed it and pulled the pan. To make a long story short, I found about a 1 inch chunk of the thrust surface of the rear main laying in the pan. I could not figure out how it could have gotten there in one piece. I've talked to a bunch of people who have some insight into this sort of thing, and the consensus is that it was a manufacturing flaw in the bearing, or and assembly error that broke that chunk out and dropped it into the pan when the car was originally built. Over the years, the reduced thrust surface wore more than it should have, thus the noise. (Yes, the noise changed when I pushed in the clutch.)

40cpe · 10-02-2016, 05:46 PM

I had a Y-block break a rod like that from a bad wrist pin bushing putting unequal pressure on the rod.

VeryTangled · 10-02-2016, 06:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Charlie ny

jr,
I admit to thinking about this situation when I square off and wind my motor
to 5 grand...........I think about it but I still do it.
Charlie ny

I like the way you roll.

jrvariel48 · 10-23-2016, 12:38 PM

I would like to reuse the Mellings oil pump I had in this motor. Can I take it apart to clean it out? I just want to make sure nothing got in there and did any damage.
Is there any gaskets that need to be replaced?
Thank you,
Joe

Ronnie · 10-23-2016, 01:54 PM

Can easily be taken apart.

R

flatjack9 · 10-23-2016, 02:05 PM

There is a thin gasket between the bottom plate and the housing.

jrvariel48 · 10-24-2016, 07:04 PM

Thanks guys! I'll give it a try

Flathead · 10-24-2016, 09:06 PM

I don't know the history on your motor, but the top end of that rod where it broke, looks very rust pitted. It looks like it was rusty and then maybe bead blasted, a good rust pit can make a weak spot that will crack under stress. These rods are normally quite strong and not brittle.

Kurt in NJ · 10-24-2016, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flathead

I don't know the history on your motor, but the top end of that rod where it broke, looks very rust pitted. It looks like it was rusty and then maybe bead blasted, a good rust pit can make a weak spot that will crack under stress. These rods are normally quite strong and not brittle.

I just went back and looked again and I will agree that it looks like that rod was very rusty at one time

jrvariel48 · 10-25-2016, 03:57 AM

interesting! I don't know the history of the motor. I bought it as a running motor and installed it.

10-02-2016, 10:13 AM	#2
Kube Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Wisconsin, USA Posts: 9,007	Re: Snapped Conrod! Yikes! What led up to this failure? Rebuilt engine? I've never witness a rod breaking in a flatty. What can you tell me??? __________________ "I can explain it for you. However, I can't understand it for you".

10-02-2016, 10:24 AM	#3
Tim Ayers Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: NJ Posts: 6,181	Re: Snapped Conrod! Man, that is some carnage. Did this motor have the blower on it?

10-02-2016, 10:46 AM	#4
Brendan Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: At my kitchen table in Santa Rosa, Ca Posts: 2,903	Re: Snapped Conrod! that sucks! sorry! __________________ If it would have been a snake it would have bit ya! i can't spell my way out of a paper bag!

10-02-2016, 11:41 AM	#8
Mike in AZ Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Waddell, AZ Posts: 2,540	Re: Snapped Conrod! wow....have seen the pic of the con rod twisted sround the axis, but that is nasty...Mike

10-02-2016, 11:58 AM	#9
rotorwrench Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: San Antonio, Texas Posts: 16,436	Re: Snapped Conrod! From metal fatigue to forging flaws, it could have been from day one and got passed inspection processes or from a small blemish or inclusion that started to crack. It's a shame though. The Ford rods are stout but sh!t happens no matter how rarely.

10-02-2016, 05:10 PM	#10
Charlie ny BANNED Join Date: May 2010 Posts: 3,019	Re: Snapped Conrod! jr, I admit to thinking about this situation when I square off and wind my motor to 5 grand...........I think about it but I still do it. Charlie ny

10-02-2016, 05:21 PM	#11
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 10,319	Re: Snapped Conrod! I'm with "rotorwrench" on this one. When the original engine in my '51 club coupe started making a funny noise at 81K, I removed it and pulled the pan. To make a long story short, I found about a 1 inch chunk of the thrust surface of the rear main laying in the pan. I could not figure out how it could have gotten there in one piece. I've talked to a bunch of people who have some insight into this sort of thing, and the consensus is that it was a manufacturing flaw in the bearing, or and assembly error that broke that chunk out and dropped it into the pan when the car was originally built. Over the years, the reduced thrust surface wore more than it should have, thus the noise. (Yes, the noise changed when I pushed in the clutch.) Last edited by tubman; 10-02-2016 at 06:08 PM.

10-02-2016, 05:46 PM	#12
40cpe Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Star, MS Posts: 4,024	Re: Snapped Conrod! I had a Y-block break a rod like that from a bad wrist pin bushing putting unequal pressure on the rod.

10-23-2016, 12:38 PM	#14
jrvariel48 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,426	Re: Snapped Conrod! I would like to reuse the Mellings oil pump I had in this motor. Can I take it apart to clean it out? I just want to make sure nothing got in there and did any damage. Is there any gaskets that need to be replaced? Thank you, Joe

10-23-2016, 01:54 PM	#15
Ronnie Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Canada Where it snows Posts: 2,058	Re: Snapped Conrod! Can easily be taken apart. R

10-23-2016, 02:05 PM	#16
flatjack9 Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Oshkosh, Wi Posts: 4,527	Re: Snapped Conrod! There is a thin gasket between the bottom plate and the housing.

10-24-2016, 07:04 PM	#17
jrvariel48 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,426	Re: Snapped Conrod! Thanks guys! I'll give it a try

10-24-2016, 09:06 PM	#18
Flathead Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Southern Maine Posts: 1,499	Re: Snapped Conrod! I don't know the history on your motor, but the top end of that rod where it broke, looks very rust pitted. It looks like it was rusty and then maybe bead blasted, a good rust pit can make a weak spot that will crack under stress. These rods are normally quite strong and not brittle.

10-25-2016, 03:57 AM	#20
jrvariel48 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: New Jersey Posts: 1,426	Re: Snapped Conrod! interesting! I don't know the history of the motor. I bought it as a running motor and installed it.