[zoegrant]

Grumpy Rick...I just finished doing the rear main seal on my 55 sedan with the engine in the car for the second time in a year. The first time I was able to slow down the leak but not stop it. This time there are no leaks or drips. If your using a neoprene seal set from NAPA the Felpro brand supplies a small plastic '' shoehorn'' in the plastic bag. After you have removed the lower seal cap and loosened all the crank bolts and if you do not have a sneaky pete or something similar you can take a fish hook with a piece of wire and put the barb thru the end of the rope seal and you can pull it out that way.
The challenging part is to get the new RUBBER seal in without peeling the back of the rubber seal as you attempt to slide it around the back of the crankshaft...here is where that plastic shoehorn comes in. Tell your mechanic that he will have to bend that sleeve to curve it to fit between the back of the seal and the block. Also, lube the seal liberally with assembly lube or grease and gently try to slide the rear seal in. Don`t rush.
What I find that worked best for me was to lube the side seals and also the sides of the engine block to make it easier to slide the seals in, then install the side seals into the cap with the ends slightly ahead of the cap,1/4" or so and those side seal tips pinched inwards so the seals start to slide in just as your pushing the cap upward. If the side seals start to bind then remove everything and start again after you have added a little more lube. If the side seals do not go completely flush to the block, no more than1/4" the installation of the side nails should push it in the rest of the way.
The nail set I received had flat or square cut tips, bevel the nails slightly, not pointed as the pointed tip can actually get stuck in the rubber of the side seal. Lube the nails liberally before installing. Tap from one side to the other in an even matter. Good luck