Dropping the Oil Pan

[Roadster Rich]

Finally go to the job of dropping the pan. Awful to be old and have to work on the ground without a lift for the car, but I got er done. Here is a shot of the pan with the tray out.
Attachment 110698
This was after draining the remaining oil but ony for a few minutes so I would not move any sludge. Here is a shot showing that there is only about 1/32 inch of sludge as scraped with a putty knife.
Pan Sludge B.jpg
I think this is pretty amazing after 46 years!
Dip Tray B.jpg
Here is the dip tray after I left it overnight upside down to clear out any oil
Tray Contact B.jpg
You can see the contact on the pan. I think I remember this being there as a kid when I redid the engine, but things are a bit cloudy from back then.
Tray Bottom B.jpg
Here is the pan bottom. Note one of the support fins is bent. Did not happen when I removed, so I assume this has been there since I did the engine in '66.
Cam Shaft B.jpg
Tappits on Cam B.jpg
Does the wear on the cam and tappits look good? Looks like the tappits are not totally flat and contact around the outer part of the bottom, but I would think this is OK, unless you can advise different.
Oil Pump B.jpg
I held the oil pump up, but will take it down and clean it all.
Front Seal B.jpg
Does this look like I can leave the front seal as is? I am not sure how tough this job is with the crank in place. May not be the best seal, but unless this is really a job I should do, under on my back, I would rather leave it!
Rear Cork Seal B.jpgRear Seal B.jpg
The rear is another question. Definitely leaking oil back through this seal and dripping out the bottom of the clutch. Is this a difficult job to do laying underneath the car? I have mechanical manuals that will tell me how to do it, but any advice?

Overall, I am really pleased to see how this has held up for so many years. I will recheck torque on all of the connecting rods and bearings. My old torque wrench was thrown out about 10 years ago, so I will now buy a new click type before I put it all back together.

[oldmanandakid]

One of the best tutorials I've seen on the Barn. Thanks for posting.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Rich,

Working on the ground without a lift may appear awful for some seniors; but remember that some young guys & seniors pay lots of money to go to a health club to do sit ups & lift weights.

Just keep at it & please don't stop -- like the old saying, if you don't use it you lose it

Many would be surprised to see how many younger guys are riding in battery operated shopping carts because they have become total couch potatoes & cannot walk far.

Wonderful pictures & most educational.

[matt92vr4]

I just dropped the pan in my dads a yesterday. I notice that you have a spring on the bottom of you oil pump. My dad has the same spring attached to the pan around the drain hole. Is this normal? Thank you, Matt

[columbiA]

Sometime around late 29 the oil pump spring was fastened to oil pump with a retaining clamp.The engine looks quite clean inside,as I thought it would.The engine appears to have the original tappets as they are hollow & cross drilled near the top for extra oiling for the cams.There will be no wear on center of cam heel because of the hollow tappets.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

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Originally Posted by Tom Wesenberg

I wouldn't worry about removing the pan due to the car setting for 18 months. I don't think anything bad happened due to setting a year and a half. Sludge forms from years of using non-detergent oil. Acids can form from many short drives where the motor oil doesn't get hot enough to burn off the water and raw gas formed during cold starts.

How many miles since the rebuild. I'd only drop the pan to check bearing clearance if it has enough miles, or if you need to check some unusual noise.

I don't replace gaskets, unless they tear into many pieces during the pan removal.

Tom, Dog here,
Tell me I didn't hear, "Reuse ooooold gaskets!
Bill said, Chief said, "Patch it and it will only come back to HAUNT you, patchin' is ONLY to get you back home agin' Buster T. (Wish I'd known Chief, I hear he was a "DOG" guy too!)

[Tom Wesenberg]

I have reused gaskets if the old one stays together. If it's hard but in one piece I'll add a thin coat of silicone. Never had a problem doing this.

[Bruce of MN]

I don't remember the tray in my early '31 having the same sort of depressions pressed in to the right of the rod depressions. Did they change or did I just not pay attention 3 years ago?

[Roadster Rich]

In this case I will have no trouble with the gasket decision. The valve guide one came off in pieces and I had to scrap away some remaining pieces. The pan one came off in about three pieces on one side and the other was basically in one piece.
Which are better, the paper or cork?
Also any suggestions as to the best (not most expensive) torque wrench to buy? I am thinking a smaller one like 10 to 80 ft lbs might be a bit more precision for the kinds of torque I need for the Model A.

[gweilbaker]

I like the cork mix type but that's me.

[H. L. Chauvin]

Cork Torque Caution: If one uses a cork gasket, (e.g., oil pan &/or valve cover, or any other area ), the cork compresses or mashes almost as easily as mashing a marshmellow between one's fingers; hence only very "little" torque is required.

Good idea to:

1. Try straightening the upper sheet metal mating surface of the oil pan if bolts have caused deformed humps along this gasket area; and,

2. Try to very "gradually" equalize amounts of torque in sequence on each bolt; and,

3. To prevent cork gasket rupture, stop tightening a particular bolt "immediately" when one sees the cork "beginning" to ooze out of from under said bolt.

4. In summary, be mindful that very little torque can mash & ruin a cork gasket.

[columbiA]

The only place on an A that I use a torque wrench is the cyl head.Use a short 1/4 or 3/8" ratchet to tighten pan bolts.Many bolts have been broken by using a T-wrench .

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Panners,
I use 3M clear spray trim cement to locate testy gaskets. A medium coating on the gasket & the surface you're mounting it to, let it dry until it doesn't feel tacky, then stick that dude on!
If you have a cork type gasket that's shrunk too small, give it about 3 passes with the 3M on one side, then soak it in water until it fits, you'll be amazed, the sprayed side WILL still stick to the other sprayed surface!! Bill W.

[BILL WILLIAMSON]

Originally Posted by columbiA

The only place on an A that I use a torque wrench is the cyl head.Use a short 1/4 or 3/8" ratchet to tighten pan bolts.Many bolts have been broken by using a T-wrench .

Yep! Use moderation in ALL things! It's not hard at all to torque wheel lug nuts to 55 FT LBS just using the hand crank. Think about it, that's the same torque we use on our cylinder heads! A seasoned mechanic develops a "FEEL" for tightening things properly & rarely ever breaks a bolt. Bill W.
(Yes, I know it's a Model T, but ain't she SWEET?)

[HDowse]

Rich:
You may want to buy a new oil line but soldering it back is pretty easy. The first time I did mine on my '28 I forgot to align the two faces to the valve cover. It was easy to do it right the second time, too. I'm looking forward to seeing what you find when you drop the pan. That's a winter project for me also.
Hunt

[Roadster Rich]

Finally finished buttoning up the engine. Plastigaged the rod journals and was amazed to find them very consistent and about 0.0013 or so clearance. The largest spot I saw was still under 1.5 thousands. I did not take the main apart to measure, just the connecting rods. Thanks to Dave in Australia to warn me about adding the break away torque of my special "aircraft" type lock nuts. My torque wrench did not go below 15 with any accuracy but I added about 10 ft lbs to the rod journal torque. I ended up painting the exhaust manifold with the VHT paint and sneaked by my wife by using the oven to cure while she was gone one day. Sure enough she came home after about 4 hours and asked me what that strong smell was in the house. the oil pump was very clean and the internal filter had nothing on it. I did solder the oil return pipe per your suggestion and it worked fine. As many have said on this site, the worse part of putting her all back together was those damn splash guards, but finally all is complete. Great advice on this page. Now I have confidence for another 46 years! Yeah don't I wish.

[Mike V. Florida]

Originally Posted by columbiA

The only place on an A that I use a torque wrench is the cyl head.Use a short 1/4 or 3/8" ratchet to tighten pan bolts.Many bolts have been broken by using a T-wrench .

You can say that again!!!

[Al 29Tudor]

Roadster Rich,
Thanks so much for this excellent post. It answered many questions I had in preparation of dropping my pan.
I'm sending a PM. Thanks again,
Al Leach