The Ford Barn

Roger W Gerow · 02-09-2016, 07:46 PM

The oil pas gasket or the front seal is leaking on my '51 Ford. What is involved, or is it possible to remove the pan to change the gasket?

Diavolo · 02-09-2016, 09:16 PM

Pretty standard stuff. Drop pan, loosen mains, drop crank as low as you can, pull front and rear seals, install oil soaked new ones in block, raise crank, tighten mains, clean gasket surfaces, pull seals out of pan. Install soaked seals and new gasket, install pan.

Probably easier and faster to pull the block, put it on a stand and do it there.

tubman · 02-09-2016, 10:03 PM

I pulled the pan on the '51 I had in high school in 1959. I was 16 and got it done, so it's not a bad job. A couple things I remember that might help. First, you have to unbolt the front motor mounts and raise the engine as high as is reasonable. The next thing is to get the engine turned so the front counterweights on the crankshaft are on the top of the stroke so the pan will clear them when you slide it back after unbolting it. I figured it out by using a flashlight and looking between the pan and the block so I could see where it was. I'm sure someone here may be able to tell you which cylinder should be at TDC to accomplish this, but I've forgotten a lot in the intervening years.

I pulled the engine and transmission from my current '51 last summer to replace it with a modified Mercury. From my point of view, if all you need to do is replace the seals, dropping the pan would probably be easier.

Milt K from Pa · 02-09-2016, 10:29 PM

Roger,
If you just have to replace the gasket around the pan's edge, you can drop the pan down a few inches, clean the surface and replace the gasket. I did it in my '34 when I installed the wrong gasket and leaked badly. I didn't even drop the radius rods. It just took patience

Milt K from Pa

Roger W Gerow · 02-10-2016, 02:17 PM

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Thanks for the good suggestions.

02-09-2016, 07:46 PM	#1
Roger W Gerow Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Walla Walla, Washington Posts: 182	Removing Oil Pan The oil pas gasket or the front seal is leaking on my '51 Ford. What is involved, or is it possible to remove the pan to change the gasket?

02-09-2016, 09:16 PM	#2
Diavolo Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 67	Re: Removing Oil Pan Pretty standard stuff. Drop pan, loosen mains, drop crank as low as you can, pull front and rear seals, install oil soaked new ones in block, raise crank, tighten mains, clean gasket surfaces, pull seals out of pan. Install soaked seals and new gasket, install pan. Probably easier and faster to pull the block, put it on a stand and do it there.

02-09-2016, 10:03 PM	#3
tubman Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Minnesota, Florida Keys Posts: 10,303	Re: Removing Oil Pan I pulled the pan on the '51 I had in high school in 1959. I was 16 and got it done, so it's not a bad job. A couple things I remember that might help. First, you have to unbolt the front motor mounts and raise the engine as high as is reasonable. The next thing is to get the engine turned so the front counterweights on the crankshaft are on the top of the stroke so the pan will clear them when you slide it back after unbolting it. I figured it out by using a flashlight and looking between the pan and the block so I could see where it was. I'm sure someone here may be able to tell you which cylinder should be at TDC to accomplish this, but I've forgotten a lot in the intervening years. I pulled the engine and transmission from my current '51 last summer to replace it with a modified Mercury. From my point of view, if all you need to do is replace the seals, dropping the pan would probably be easier.

02-09-2016, 10:29 PM	#4
Milt K from Pa Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Pittsburgh Pa. Area Posts: 272	Re: Removing Oil Pan Roger, If you just have to replace the gasket around the pan's edge, you can drop the pan down a few inches, clean the surface and replace the gasket. I did it in my '34 when I installed the wrong gasket and leaked badly. I didn't even drop the radius rods. It just took patience Milt K from Pa

02-10-2016, 02:17 PM	#5
Roger W Gerow Senior Member Join Date: May 2010 Location: Walla Walla, Washington Posts: 182	Re: Removing Oil Pan Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements) Thanks for the good suggestions.