[tubman]

Here's some random information about strange engine noises. I had one in my '51 Ford I couldn't track down. I tried everything and couldn't find it. I initially thought it was a throwout bearing, because it went away when I depressed the clutch. I pulled the engine and replaced it with a Mercury I had. I had to swap oil pans, and when I cleaned out the Ford pan, I found a chunk of the thrust surface of the rear main in the bottom of the pan. It was about an inch long. I initially didn't know what it was, but when I compared it to a new rear main bearing I had, it was dimensionally the same. I don't know if it was the actual cause of the noise, but I am going to replace the rear main on the Ford engine and see. (The engine was in good shape otherwise.)