Chunks in the oil pan
 

Aloha
Need some help with replacing part. I remove the oil pan on my 29 coupe and found some big chunks of metal inside the pan. I found the problem, however not being a mechanic I do not know the name of the part, even looking at manual or part catalogs. Need some help identifying the part (next to the timing gear and the oil slinger) and to let me know if I have to take the engine out to repair.
I am pretty sure I got to take the radiator out and possibly loosening the crankshaft. At this point I am not sure if there is additional damage but everything looks good inside the block.
Any help greatly appreciated, diagram?
mahalo, thank you.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Looks like you have a pot metal front pulley and seal spacer. The pully probably came loose allowing the sleeve to get chewed up by the gear key. Thats an easy fix- pull the crank ratchet nut, remove the pulley and the sleeve. Replace with a new pulley. The seal is probably chewed up, so the front cylinder cover will need to be removed to replace the seal.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Well, it's not all that easy to replace the pulley, especially with a one-piece pulley. The two-piece pulley's advantage is that it can easily be installed and then removed if necessary without removing the radiator or jacking up the front of the engine to clear the crossmember. But its advantage is also its defect: the two-piece design makes it more likely to fail than a one-piece - as proven here.
I have never been a big fan of two-piece pulleys because of the potential for problems like this, plus the rattling noise created between the two halves if the ratchet nut cannot completely draw them together. Removing this damaged two-piece pulley should not be a problem, other than getting that %^$* ratchet nut loose. There are lots of past discussions on that topic that you can look up using the search mode.
If you can physically do the work, it would be better to install a QUALITY one-piece pulley, not one of those bulbous-looking aluminum ones sold by J.C. Whitney in the 1960's and 1970's. (I just removed one of those turkeys from a friend's engine). The big vendors have quality one-piece pulleys, usually balanced, as evidenced by the drill indents. But be forewarned: you will at the minimum need to raise the front of the engine in order for the new one-piece pulley to clear the crossmember and be slid onto the crankshaft. It will be easier and safer in the long run to remove the radiator first to avoid damaging the fins and tubes in the radiator, as well as giving you more room to work up front. In order to raise the front of the engine high enough to do this job, the rear engine mount bolts must be radically loosened or at the minimum, one bolt removed from each side and the remaining two loosened so that the engine can be pivoted. You will also need to remove the nut from the bottom of the front motor mount so that the engine can be raised up front.
Not a particularly difficult repair, but because so many things must be removed or loosened, it can take a couple hours.
Marshall

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

On the right in this photo is that horrible one-piece pulley from the dark ages of reproduction Model A parts that I referenced in my previous post. Avoid this pulley if you find one in a box of parts at a swap meet. Bad news from overseas or from south of the border!
The pulley on the left is a quality one-piece affair from a major Model A supplier. Go for that one!
Marshall

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Aloha
Thanks to both of you. I believe I should be able to do the work, but I will gone for a few month abroad before I can do the work. I hope it will be ok to contact you then to get more info.
Mahalo

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Aloha
Thanks to both of you. I believe I should be able to do the work, but I will gone for a few month abroad before I can do the work. I hope it will be ok to contact you then to get more info.
One more thing what to do if the ratchet pulley nut is stock? how to remove it?

Mahalo

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Try this thread:
https://www.fordbarn.com/forum/showt...ht+ratchet+nut

Marshall

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

I am using the cast steel two piece from Snyder's on mine. It makes it a little easier to install the timing cover with new rope seal. I don't think this one will fall apart like the old two piece pot metal one did.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

That's probably the one I recently installed. I wanted the one piece pulley but the vendor didn't have any in stock and no idea when they will be back. Common these days!
I was on a rally last week and a Model A broke the pulley like I've never seen one break before. It broke all the way around the bottom of the vee, leaving a domed ring of steel in the cross member. Our solution was to take off the fan belt and drive it home (2 days' drive). We charged the battery over night to keep it going with no generator.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Without a water pump? How'd you pull that off?

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

you need to make sure that notch lines up with the wood drift key . that is probably what happened to that one. I pulled one apart awhile back with a bad front seal leak and that was what had happened.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

It's called "thermosiphon" cooling, based on the principle that hot water rises, so the coolant is self circulating just like a Model T which had no water pump. I've read that this thermosiphon principle was the main way an A cooled itself and the water pump was just an assist.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Or buy an harmonic balancer from Murray Horn and never crack a pulley again

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Yes sir you get double your pleasure with one of Murray's dampers. I really like mine and it fit perfectly.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

I have one too and it makes a noticeable difference to the smoothness of the engine. The only down side is it can be difficult to replace the fan belt with one fitted but how often do you need to do that anyway.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Jack, how much are those? How many miles do you have on yours? I hear you have to jack the engine up each time you want to change the belt. Can you still use the manual crank ratchet nut with the balancer?

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

I paid $300 including shipping from New Zealand. If you use a cogged belt it should fit on. No on the ratchet nut.

Re: Chunks in the oil pan
 

Why not, I do.