Rain and Ford overhaul (was Re: [AT] test

[Grant Brians]

Mike, I actually think your "I can't believe" case may be partly right based 
on both your description and some of the the things I have seen over the 
years. What may have happened is that the owner at the time saw that the 
engine had the need for crankshaft work and the block had previously had new 
sleeves put in. So he did not have the sleeves done by the mechanic because 
"they had already been done!" Doesn't that sound likely?
    I remember a lot of the old farmers around here who were convinced that 
if the truck ran it was in perfect shape and it must have been the driver 
who borrowed it yesterday who made it run three quarts of oil low and 
"ruined" the engine.... Same theory.
        Grant Brians
        Hollister, California
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mike Sloane" <mikesloane at verizon.net>
To: "Antique tractor email discussion group" <at at lists.antique-tractor.com>
Sent: Saturday, April 02, 2005 6:06 AM
Subject: Rain and Ford overhaul (was Re: [AT] test


> No driving tractors around here today - the predictions are for 3-5" 
> before this storm is over. That isn't much for the Gulf states, but that 
> is a LOT of water in the Northeast. We had a couple of inches on Monday, 
> leaving all the creeks and rivers nearly full, so todays water will surely 
> cause some flooding.
>
> I am making progress, however, with the overhaul of my Ford 2N engine. I 
> pulled the engine and removed the valves, guides, camshaft, and 
> crankshaft. The reason for this was that I was not able to remove the cast 
> iron sleeves with my sleeve puller. But with the crankshaft out, I was 
> able to set up the puller, turn the engine over, and give the bottom disc 
> of the puller a couple of (not so) gentle taps with a hand sledge. That 
> got the sleeves moving just enough to let the puller take over. But it is 
> still a hard pull every inch of the way. I have two liners out, and have 
> the third started - one a day is about all these out of shape muscles can 
> handle. Once I have the liners out, I will order all the replacement parts 
> and put everything back together. The interesting thing is that the rod 
> and crank bearings are .010 oversize and are like brand new, but the 
> pistons, rings, and liners are badly worn (or broken in the case of the 
> rings). The block must have been bored to accept the thicker cast iron 
> liners, but the pistons are OEM Ford marked with 4 rings. I suppose 
> someone could have gone to all the trouble of boring the block, installing 
> new sleeves, and turning the crank and yet still put the original pistons 
> back in, but that doesn't make sense in my book. The piston grooves are 
> mostly double the original width! But, as much work as it has been and 
> frustrating at times, it has been a great learning experience. Thanks to 
> all who offered suggestions on removing the sleeves and the unique Ford 
> flathead valve bodies, and to Bob Brooks for lending me his valve unique 
> Ford flathead valve guide remover - I could not have done it without that 
> tool. My fond wish is that the assembly will not be nearly as difficult as 
> the tear-down.
>
> Mike