Time to upgrade my Trail Pig... (1 Viewer)

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just a cheap option to throw out there. you can replace the bearing and run it. it's been printed before, but my 78 had toasted (as in completely gone) crank bearings and one journal of the crank was worn bad enough to have a groove sticking up to fill the oil path on the bearings. we ground the crank with emery cloth til it was smooth, slapped standard size bearings back in (no need to plastigage, there's no way it would register). i ran nothing less than 20w50 oil and it was a daily driver for three years before head issues and lack of money to fix them were it's demise.

i drove it from illinois to colorado towing a loaded 5x8 uhaul trailer and drove it to and from the ranch where i lived to the one i worked on (about 28 miles each way), in to ft collins at least once a week (another 35 miles or so, one way), and down to denver (probably close to 60 miles or so, one way), every weekend to see my parents...lower end was never my problem. point is, i was not easy on the rig.


also, look in the 40 section for romer dizzy conversion. his distributer walked and locked the engine. we did the same thing, he never had an issue again.

if you've got the money and really want it to be correct, then go for it, this is just a possiblity if you're looking for a quick easy cheap fix
 
I second what Ige said.

Be careful tearing into a motor too far. Before you know it you will have the whole dang thing torn apart and scratching your head and saying "dang, I didn't mean to do that."

That's exactly what I did... :doh:
 
Be careful tearing into a motor too far. Before you know it you will have the whole dang thing torn apart and scratching your head and saying "dang, I didn't mean to do that."

That's exactly what I did... :doh:

Tell me about it... I did the same with my other pig recently. I ended up rebuilding the top end of an engine I was hoping to just drop in. Then, when this originally happened I almost decided to find a 2F to drop in to replce the F engine. I'm glad I have taken the time to drop the pan and take a look. I am definitely going the cheap way with this engine. It' just not worth it to me to spend a bunch of coin on this 'ol F...


Thanks for the advice eventhough- I've been following your 'rebuild' as well. :)
 
And pics...

Pic 1: As she sits now...
Pic 2: No carnage left in the pan...
Pic 3: Plugs are soiled, but that's to be expected and isn't any worse than usual...
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Y mas...


Pic 1: Crank journal appears OK. I'm hoping some emory cloth and elbow grease will do the trick. What do ya'all think? (I guess I should dig the micometer out...)
Pic 2: End cap looks OK to me as well. Should shine right up, right? The surface seems fairly smooth, certainly does not have grooves in it. It just looks bad/blotchy. Same with the crank journal...

Question: Would you toss a used rod bearing in, polish up the journal and end cap, toss it all back together and run it? If it were your trail rig? With an old a$$ F engine? :)
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emery cloth the journals smooth and throw some new bearings in
 
SHE LIVES!!!

I went down to NAPA for some supplies. As soon as I got home I went right to work. Grabbed emory cloth and polished the bearing cap and crank journal as best as I could. It looked quite a bit better than in the pics above, but not perfect. I oiled the replacement rod bearings and set them in place. I oiled the rod and assembled it all. Torqued it to specs and tossed the cotter pins back in.

Then I put some RTV sealant on the old oil pan gasket. The gasket was new'ish so I decided to reuse it. Put 7 1/2 quarts of oil in, new oil filter, new plugs, and new (oem/glass bowl) gas filter. I tossed my 11 year old Optima battery in. One squirt of starter fluid, and she started right up on the first try. :)

She needs a valve adjustment, but other than that, same old pig. No more lower end knock at all, thus far. I hope my 'fix' lasts, I keep ya'all posted. Pics below...


Pic 1: Wow! Look at the garage floor! It's been about two years since the rig had been parked in the garage.
Pic 2: Herd is back to two running Cruisers, even my wife is happy for me. :)
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Cool. You know you could always pull the pan and check after 1k or so and make sure all is good in the world. Wouldn't hurt to know it was going to give you trouble on the trail.
 
Cool. You know you could always pull the pan and check after 1k or so and make sure all is good in the world. Wouldn't hurt to know it was going to give you trouble on the trail.

I think that's a great idea. I will plan to drop the pan and inspect everything in awhile... Driving it to work today, wish me luck. :)
 
Well, the same rod knock sound is returning. Just slightly, but I hear it. I may drop the pan again over the winter and toss a new set of crank rod bearings in. The bearing I used was a used one from a 2F and I'm not really sure if they are the same. I'll have some time to tear into it this winter.

Of course, I really want to work on the other rig more...
 
you are going to have trouble that engine.
are you sure you have good oil pressure?
 
you are going to have trouble that engine.
are you sure you have good oil pressure?

Good question. Honestly, I can't remember checking the gauge when I took it for a spin. Sounds stoopid, I know. I think it was normal, but I just don't remember... I'll have to check it before I tear it apart. The more I think aboout it, the more I realize I should yank this engine and toss a 2F in. That would be fairly simple and cheap, which is what I need for this rig.
 

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