Oil pan removal, stock '35, in car-school me?

[jakesbackyard]

I need to try get rid of my major oil leaks so I am going to try remove pan with motor in car. Any one done it and have some tips? I've searched and only found one thread on a 46. Any helpful tips would be appreciated. Thanks - Jake

[ford38v8]

Jake, I wanna talk you outta your project here...
First, "If it ain't leakin' oil, it ain't got no oil it." There is more truth than funnies in this old saying.
Next, you may be overfilling your engine: 4 US quarts without a filter, 5 US quarts with a filter. Notice I said US quarts? Confusion has abounded for many years due to some Ford instructions having been written for Imperial Quarts.

Best to identify exactly where the oil is coming from and why. Then if you still want to the job, pull the engine. Shortcuts don't work here.

[flatheadfan]

Jake-

I have done this several times and it is (in my opinion), the nastiest job possible when dealing with an early Ford. There are several repair manuals available that can give you a 'general" procedure but you will find that much is left out.

Some of the things that need to be done on a '35-'36 (not in any particular order) are:

1. Remove generator/fan, fuel pump stand, exhaust crossover, radiator hoses, steering links. air filter, motor mount bolts and of course drain the pan!

2. Jack up engine and wedge a 2"x4" chunk of wood between the rubber motor mounts and the engine mounting platforms.

3, Loosen and remove the front u-bolt clamps on the front spring. Unbolt the rear wishbone cup. Put the largest piece of wood you can between the end of the wishbone and the chassis crossmember.

4. Jack up the front end of the car as much as you safety can, usually until the spring comes out of the crossmember enclosure .

4. Remove the oil filler tube and unbolt the pan from the block. Note the front two bolts of the pan are difficult to reach but they need to come out.

5. A couple of mallet blows and the pan should become free. Things are tight but you will probably need to rotate the engine to get the crank throws in a position that the pan can wiggle free between the wishbone arms.

A few things I do to help matters are: I usually remove the front wheels and drop the entire front axle and spring assembly down. Granted this is making extra work but it does speed things up in the long run.

When reinstalling the pan I use several 5/16" studs to position the gasket (use gasket shellac), as an aid in locating the pan without the gasket slipping around.

To protect the wishbone arms from getting seriously scratched up I slice some paper towel cardboard tubes and fit them over the arms.

I am sure others will add to this list, this summary is not by any means complete.

Finally, after reading this ask yourself "just how bad are these oil leaks?" You may want to rethink the need to remove the oil pan. Remember early Fords are notorious for leaking oil and you may not gain as much improvement as you would like given the amount of work involved.

Needless-to-say, have a supply of mechanical jack stands.

Hope this helps.

Tom

[G.M.]

I have removed lots of pans and it's not to bad. I never dropped the spring that I remember. Take the cap off the wishbone and jamb it down with a 2X4 6 or 8"s long. You may have to remove the exhaust cross over if it don't clear. The IMPORTANT part is the counter weights on the front two cylinders must be down or the pan won't drop. You would think the counter balance should be up but they need to be down. The front of the engine must be raised about 2"s and the gen/fan lowered so it don't hit the radiator tank. The oil breather needs to be removed so it don't hit the firewall. I had some that the wire harness across the back of the engine needed to be picked up so it didn't pinch between the engine and firewall. As said in other posts if the leak is from the cotter pin hole below the fly wheel it is from filling with 5 quarts, 4 is all that is required. 20/50 oil will leak less then thinner oil. G.M.

[Brendan]

get the motor as high as you can get it, it took me 3 and a half hours to get the oil pan out of my 36. also when you pull the pan, clean the screen on the oil pump. i could not see through mine in my truck
Brendan

[jakesbackyard]

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Great information guys. Just the type of tips I need. Many thanks. I'm going to tackle this in a couple weeks so I'm gathering info and planning the attack now. I realize it's a real pia type of job, but so was taking out the rear drive line without taking the trans floor cover off. (I did't want to screw up my new carpet work.) Hard work just takes a little planning and forethought. Jake

[Ol' Ron]

The easiest way to get the pan off is to let someone else do it.

[jakesbackyard]

You're right Ron, but I hate to pay someone to do something I can do just as well my self. That way if any thing goes wrong I know who to blame.