Engine overhaul...

[SkipperII]

When I was a young kid, an elderly man ( who I will admit WAS a BSer) told me that, as a teenager, his vehicle engine started knocking. Do he pulled over along side the road, dropped the oil pan, took a connecting rod apart and then sliced a leather strip out of his boot to replace the con rod bearing. He said he drove it for years without replacing it. I don’t really know how much of his story was 100% true….

That was actually quite common, using bacon rind for main seals was also common.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

These tales are starting to get a little "out there"

 

[NDIHC]

Still true on a lot of models today.

Almost easier to raise the car and drop the subframe with the engine and transmission attached than pull the motor out from the top.

It's been years since I took an engine out the top. The last one was a 94 Chevy pickup. I've done hundreds dropped out the bottom or pulled from the front on a lift table. Most newer cars you can have the front bumper cover and radiator support off in a half hour or less. Makes pulling an engine in an hour or so easy.

 

[RedMF40]

Nice photo. On the MTFCA forum for Model T owners and its followers there’s one member who posts an astounding number of authentic pics from that era. I believe he’s a well-known parts supplier, can’t remember his screen name. Used to check in when I had my ‘23 Touring.

 

[JDIH]

It's been years since I took an engine out the top. The last one was a 94 Chevy pickup. I've done hundreds dropped out the bottom or pulled from the front on a lift table. Most newer cars you can have the front bumper cover and radiator support off in a half hour or less. Makes pulling an engine in an hour or so easy.

Pulling an engine in an hour... you could make some killer money on flat rate. Double the time to reinstall. You could make 20+ hours flat rate per day easily, replacing 2 per day and not work hard.

 

[JDIH]

These tales are starting to get a little "out there"

No kidding!

 

[Mark-Ia]

Nice photo. On the MTFCA forum for Model T owners and its followers there’s one member who posts an astounding number of authentic pics from that era. I believe he’s a well-known parts supplier, can’t remember his screen name. Used to check in when I had my ‘23 Touring.

Tom Rootieb posts old time Model T photos about once a week. They are very interesting and entertaining.

 

[NDIHC]

Pulling an engine in an hour... you could make some killer money on flat rate. Double the time to reinstall. You could make 20+ hours flat rate per day easily, replacing 2 per day and not work hard.

When an engine replacement pays 5 to 6 hours you have to get them out quick. And I was meaning an hour after the rad support is out. So about an hour and a half or so to get it out. Still don't make any time on them by the time we swap parts, reinstall, bleed cooling system, evac and recharge a/c and test drive, plus warranty paperwork and repackaging old engine for return. Just swapping parts takes a couple of hours. Replacing combustion seals on GDI injectors takes some time. We drop the engine and transmission together so they have to be separated and new engine bolted together with trans. Removing the engine is the easy part. This is a shot of a tsb with engine replacement times of 5.2-5.3 hours.

 

[Sprint 6]

When an engine replacement pays 5 to 6 hours you have to get them out quick. And I was meaning an hour after the rad support is out. So about an hour and a half or so to get it out. Still don't make any time on them by the time we swap parts, reinstall, bleed cooling system, evac and recharge a/c and test drive, plus warranty paperwork and repackaging old engine for return. Just swapping parts takes a couple of hours. Replacing combustion seals on GDI injectors takes some time. We drop the engine and transmission together so they have to be separated and new engine bolted together with trans. Removing the engine is the easy part. This is a shot of a tsb with engine replacement times of 5.2-5.3 hours.

Yeah, screw that. I don't know why anyone works at a dealer for flat rate. Modern day equivalent of a 1920's WV coal mine. No way I'm swapping an engine for 5.3, don't care what it is. The manager could do it himself.

My background is gm dealers, specifically automatics and diesel. Been out of those hell holes for 16 years now, but I keep up with the gm forum. The guys tell stories of modern 6,8,10 speed rebuilds only paying 9-10 hours, including R&R. I used to get 13-14 hours w/R&R for 4 speeds, no way would I touch a modern rebuild for less than a 4 speed from 20 years ago. Heck, I bill 8 hours just to R&R and program a boxed reman 6L80E in a 4x4.

 

[NDIHC]

Yeah, screw that. I don't know why anyone works at a dealer for flat rate. Modern day equivalent of a 1920's WV coal mine. No way I'm swapping an engine for 5.3, don't care what it is. The manager could do it himself.

My background is gm dealers, specifically automatics and diesel. Been out of those hell holes for 16 years now, but I keep up with the gm forum. The guys tell stories of modern 6,8,10 speed rebuilds only paying 9-10 hours, including R&R. I used to get 13-14 hours w/R&R for 4 speeds, no way would I touch a modern rebuild for less than a 4 speed from 20 years ago. Heck, I bill 8 hours just to R&R and program a boxed reman 6L80E in a 4x4.

I should have gotten out of the dealer shop years ago. But at the time we had a good parent company and a great service manager. About 3 or 4 times a year the service manager would come out and give me a sheet with a merit based pay increase on it. He came around every morning with flag sheets. If I turned good hours the day before he gave me a thank you and a "good work". If I was low on hours he would ask why and what we can do to get more hours. Low hours were usually due to a job being held over and just not billed out yet. Things have changed. I have too many years in to start over along with being older than most people want to hire and some health issues makes it hard to go to something different.

 

[Duner Wi]

EJ Potter did that with a car he was driving home from California. He said it threw it out of balance so bad that it shook the tubes right out of the radio.

I'm guessing it was not in EJs character to keep the RPM down .

 

[JMOR]

Some say, "some getting far out there", well I was with my Dad when I saw him drop the engine out of a cab-over big truck and install another on the side of the highway. Early 1950's. United Auto Transport truck.

 

[ss55]

I've heard of similar but have my doubts regarding the " for years" part. gm

Maybe it was (parked for) several years before he fixed it properly?

 

[dhermesc]

EJ Potter did that with a car he was driving home from California. He said it threw it out of balance so bad that it shook the tubes right out of the radio.

Friend of mine had an old chevy pickup (early 1970s) and had a dead miss on one cylinder. He messed with the wiring and carb and never could get it to fire. Finally he checked compression and nothing - not even a single pound PSI. He dropped the pan and found the rod was tack welded to the base of the cylinder wall to keep it from getting into the crank. The rod was cut just above the connecting rod bolts and the base of the rod was still attached to the crank. Figured that was done to help keep oil pressure up. He looked it a while and bought a new oil pan gasket and bolted it back together. Figured he fix it "right" if he ever had to pull the engine apart.

 

[Texasmark]

Some say, "some getting far out there", well I was with my Dad when I saw him drop the engine out of a cab-over big truck and install another on the side of the highway. Early 1950's. United Auto Transport truck.

Hey Jessie, tell more of the story. Sounds like some kind of an accomplishment and I have been in situations where it seemed impossible to get to a solution but perseverance and "blind luck and superstition, got you through it. While I have your attention....want some Thunerstorms?? I'd be happy to share them with you. I have a Sorghum-Sudan crop getting mighty mature and I'd hate to loose it because it won't dry up so that I can get it baled.

 

[Texasmark]

Some say, "some getting far out there", well I was with my Dad when I saw him drop the engine out of a cab-over big truck and install another on the side of the highway. Early 1950's. United Auto Transport truck.

Hey Jessie, tell more of the story. Sounds like some kind of an accomplishment and I have been in situations where it seemed impossible to get to a solution but perseverance and "blind luck and superstition", got you through it. While I have your attention....want some Thunerstorms?? I'd be happy to share them with you. I have a Sorghum-Sudan crop getting mighty mature and I'd hate to loose it because it won't dry up so that I can get it baled.

 

[JMOR]

Hey Jessie, tell more of the story. Sounds like some kind of an accomplishment and I have been in situations where it seemed impossible to get to a solution but perseverance and "blind luck and superstition", got you through it. While I have your attention....want some Thunerstorms?? I'd be happy to share them with you. I have a Sorghum-Sudan crop getting mighty mature and I'd hate to loose it because it won't dry up so that I can get it baled.

Not a whole lot that I can add, since I was so young, but he had a 4X4 laid across door to door and a chain hoist from the beam to engine and lowered it out bottom. Reverse for install. I was in car with Mom , brother & 2 sisters as she kept Dad in food & water. Around here, the hay people say, "May is a tough hay month".....but now it is stretching into June!