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Old 09-06-2014, 06:25 PM   #1
fourbangerbob
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Default Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

I was told my 30 chassis had a Sears/Roebuck engine installed in 1969 , ran a few years, then sat until 2004! Runs pretty good, will not idle very slow. Now have 50 psi in each cylinder!

Stuck rings--how about a quickie overhaul--finish hone and new rings?

worked on my 43 GPW Jeep.
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Old 09-06-2014, 06:38 PM   #2
Tom Wesenberg
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

My 28 Phaeton has good power with only 50 lbs compression in each cylinder.

How much have you driven it?

Have you checked the tune up, carb, and installed fresh gas? Plugged exhaust?
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Old 09-06-2014, 06:54 PM   #3
Joe K
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

What color is your engine? Does it have numbers on the number pad?

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Old 09-06-2014, 08:37 PM   #4
zzlegend
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

Ditto what Tom said. Fresh oil, fresh gas, check points and timing and run it.
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Old 09-06-2014, 09:42 PM   #5
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

The engine block was red, some one painted it green but the red is showing in places. 50 psi is good enough? I want to make a "banger" Stromberg-- down draft, standard head and stock exch.. 50 psi will pull a 2 barrel?
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Old 09-06-2014, 09:46 PM   #6
Tom Wesenberg
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

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If you want more power, the best bang for the buck is the Snyder's high compression head, 5.5 to 1 instead of 4.22 to 1 makes a big difference.
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Old 09-06-2014, 09:50 PM   #7
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

Tom, I live in Apple Valley, mn. I was going to the Banger show next weekend in Northland Iowa.
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Old 09-06-2014, 11:17 PM   #8
Joe K
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

The "original" engine installed in my 29 CC pickup was thought by the former owner to be a 50s replacement sold by Sears. If you're sure of your engine source this sort of confirms it.

My sears engine has no number - and from the looks of the number pad - never had one. (I.e. not milled off but rather as found cast surface.)

I do remember as a kid seeing the (then) Sears "Big" book and finding the page of Model A replacement parts. Quite a thing when you think of it - being able to buy parts from Sears for a car that was then 30 years old?

It would be like buying parts for a VW Superbeetle today.

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Old 09-07-2014, 08:16 AM   #9
Keith True
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

The Sears engines here were done locally,in Manchester N.H.There was a machine shop a block from the Sears service center that did them.It was called either Manchester engine rebuilders,or Manchester Motor rebuilders.Those were the real names of the two shops,but I don't remember which one did the Sears work.I do know that the shop had a name for doing good work.Those engines were painted silver,with almost a gold tint to it.Those engines were stored in the Sears tire and brake shop.If you bought one they would roll it up on the car lift,pick it up,then rassle it into your car or truck.No forklift there.I'll bet a lot of people here have seen some of the old J.C.Whitney engines.If one rod was spun,it got one rod journal turned.If one cylinder was scored,it got one cylinder bored.
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Old 09-07-2014, 01:20 PM   #10
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

I have an engine in my collection that was said to be a Sears rebuilt engine sold in the 50s. I remember the model A rebuilt engines pictured in the old Sears catalogs back when I was a kid. The paint was all gone on the one that I got in 69 and it had an april 1930 motor number and no tag stating bore and bearing size. The number 3 and 4 cylinders were resleeved and the sleeves obviously protruded below the bottom of the block. The pistons were four ring and all were .080 oversize. The babbit bearings all looked real good and had deep and uniform oil grooves. I assed around and let it freeze and crack the head. I thought all of the water had drained and I walked away without checking. The drain petcock had stopped up and it still had enough water to cause a problem. Strangly enough, the head was the only thing that cracked. When I removed the head and attemped to replace it I wrung a stud off in the block. I later overhauled it and it ran real good. I ran it a while in my speedster untill I replaced it with a hotter engine. It is one of the four complete engines that have been sitting in the back corner of my shop for the past several years. I will probably use it again in something else that I put together .

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Old 09-07-2014, 08:39 PM   #11
Ron in Quincy
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

Back in the 60's I purchased a 28 Phaeton with 58,000 original miles. The original engine had been rebuilt but never run. When I opened it up to check the inside, every thing was like new ; the pistons were 40 over standard and 4 ring; knowing Ford did not ever make 4 ring pistons, I check with a couple of engine builders and both told me to replace the pistons with 3 ring pistons as the 4 ring pistons wipe the cylinder too dry and will wear the bore too fast.
I followed there advise, got new 3 ring pistons, had the pistons pins machined to fit the new pistons so I could reuse the rods.
This was the quietest A engine I have ever had; 15 feet away from the A you could not hear the engine running.
I do not know myself if 4 ring pistons are bad ?, but the way the engine ran I was sure glad I changed to 3 ring pistons.

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Old 09-07-2014, 09:17 PM   #12
Purdy Swoft
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

What I have been told to do and have done with the 4 ring pistons is to leave the third from the top ring off. The bottom ring is the oil ring and the three ring , ring sets fit the four ring pistons good. New three ring pistons would be better and would probably be lighter. The two engines that I overhauled with four ring pistons had already been run for years but the pistons were still in usable shape. I decided to save some money and try the four ring pistons with three rings and they worked out ok. I've still got both of them but am not running either one at this time. The second engine with four ring pistons is the one pictured above with the F3 head and B water pump .It also has a B cam and would wind up to a high pitch when I run it in an early 30 AA truck. It would easily run over fifty miles an hour with a load of rough lumber in my old AA. When I sold the truck I kept the july 1930 engine above and let the numbers matching engine go with the truck. When I got my roadster, I had planned on putting that engine in it untill I discovered the roadster had a matching numbers engine so I overhauled and used it instead.
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Old 09-08-2014, 10:28 PM   #13
Minnesota Denny
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

Hey Four Banger Bob you are never going to find the four bangers if you are going to
Northland, Ia. The Four Banger Flat Hill Climb/speed trials is at Northwood, Ia. Saturday,
September 13. Hope to see you there!
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Old 09-09-2014, 11:39 AM   #14
oliverguy
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Default Re: Sears/Roebuck Overhaul

my father bought a rebuild sears engine for a model A in about 1964. Ordered it through the catelog and picked it up at the store.
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