Los_Control

I use them to show my southern drawl coming out

Sings his favorite song .... Tomorrow .... Tomorrow. Think I can give you measurements you might need for this project .....Tomorrow.... Still not sure what exact measurements you want.

I would never suggest a press is needed to install a seal. Been done for decades & nobody needed a press to get the job done. You do you .... I would pass on all the information on how to do it properly. .

Lets be honest here and back the truck up. Earlier photo's showed you are a good candidate for a speedi sleeve. Your pulley looked terrible. I'm calling out others that have used them possibly offer advice. You now have the old seal out, will be several hours getting things perfectly cleaned .... getting a sleeve for the job .... fitting it. ..... Your journey is just beginning ... you will not just slap a new seal in it & get on with your day. I have been wrong before.

Just asking for a friend ..... does the manual show a felt gasket? I have only replaced these seals on vehicles 30 years newer ..... never was a felt gasket involved. The new seal is a interference fit into the case. It should not be sloppy, it needs to be driven in to make a good seal. The rubber rides on the crank pulley making a seal. Just saying .... My friend does not see a need for a felt gasket .... what do I know.

Hello Dennis. For what it is worth, I have ACDELCO R45 plugs in my engine ..... Years ago I heard some quality issues with Champion plugs. I actually have a new set of Champions around, was what I did my first start on .... As soon as I could I replaced them with the ACDELCO ... now the Champions are spares if I ever need them. I have no facts to backup the quality control issue .... just something I heard on the internet so assumed it was true. .... I have ACDELCO in all my vehicles. I have ran NGK plugs & think they are a quality plug. I'm just assuming here. Someone you or the previous owner had a plug foul out. The particular parts store did not have the same plug you were running, so they sold you a NGK of the same heat range as a replacement. Now you are having problems again with the same cylinder .... The plug is bad & fouled .... I'm suggesting that it is not a brand of plug .... A hotter plug could help. Just a problem with that cylinder. Years ago we use to be able to buy a anti foul plug adapter ??? All it was is a extension that raised the plug 1/2" higher .... getting it away from the oil. Anyway you go, you have a opportunity to pull the head & investigate whats going on. Back in the day it was pretty common to pull in a car at the local service station, pull the head & drop the pan .... Replace the rings & bearings & send it back out ..... If you need a valve job this could turn into a 2 day job ..... they did not remove the engine from the car. .... Unless it was needed. I have no idea what a engine gasket set cost today .... It used to be around $100. A small price to pay to pull the head & see what is really going on. Might be simple, might be major .... A small price to pay $200 & labor + a weekend, to take a look. If it is a easy fix .... fix it. Is a major ordeal, slap the head back on & run it .... decide what you want to do with it.

I'm married, I never have cash in my wallet I did use a piece of notebook paper cut into the size/shape of a $1 bill. For my truck. That thing fluttered so bad that within 20 seconds the paper ripped in 1/2 ..... Until I can take it out for a nice long drive ... then diagnose I refuse to do anything with the motor. It runs well & plenty of power as is. The dollar bill test is quick & dirty, will tell you if you have a valve problem, will not tell you which cylinder.

Pay close attention to the filter when you change it .... is it restricted from old crud coming loose in the tank?

I'm kinda surprised the front lip is as narrow as it is .... you really do not have much surface to beat on. If you were to take a blunt chisel or drift pin .... using the rear wall for your impact point .... I would think it would come out. Installing with correct tool will be much cleaner.

Ouch ☹️ Sounds like it is time to remove the starter and give it some love. Seems like it was a working starter for some time, now the bendix or gear is just not coming out as far as it should. Be worth a try to take it apart & give it a good inspection & cleaning .... maybe some new brushes ..... or possibly take it to a starter repair shop & let them inspect it. Might be easy to replace the brushes & a good cleaning & work as good as new. Or it can turn into a wallet flush ...... I'm hoping for the best.

I wonder if my 50 Dodge 218 would be the same ..... I really have no idea.

Sounds like a interesting motor, never heard of it. Welcome to the forum. There is a photo size limit on the forum. Depending what you are using ..... I take photos with my android phone, then download them to my desktop pc. I find it easier to go into settings on the phone & change the size there. Now when I want to load the photo it is already the correct size. If you have photos already on you computer, then you need to open them with some sort of photo program and change the size of them there. I just got a new phone last week .... first thing I had to do was change the photo size in the phone .... default settings are always too large.

I'll meet you there

Most people never use a press enough to justify the space they take up. Is no shame to take the part to someone who has a press.

That little press you show is not going to do what you want. Here is something that will. Not too much more in price, just takes up more room.

Curious too see what others say. My used un-rebuilt engine had issues when first started. It smoked terrible. .... For many reasons. I poured oil in the cylinders .... the valves were not seating correctly, some rings may have been stuck. But after several heat cycles it was pretty presentable. ..... Then 3 years goes by and it smokes again. I honestly believe the only way to cure this is to run it. They need to be ran in their power band ... through all the gears and under load .... not just sitting at a idle in the driveway. Once you run it under operating conditions, you will know if any further work needs to be done. I'm just saying, when you turn off a engine .... some valves will be open ... they can collect moisture and cause a poor seal at the valve seat .... cast iron rings can get sticky on aluminum pistons. You are fine ..... you just need to drive it then access your engines condition.

I think it would be vice abuse to try & use it .... not easy either because of the jaws and diameter of the seal .... I have broken the jaw off of a vice before. They have limitations. I have used my truck as a press before. .... Light duty to compress the springs to put a pressure plate back together. I do not think my 1/2 ton truck would have enough weight to push out your seal. Buuuut!, if you can get setup under the foundation of your house ..... ??? That is something Fred would do .... Don't be Fred. I feel really comfortable with a tool like this. I use to work on a production line using a tool like this several hours a day. I would use the tool to make a wide area removing the thickness of the metal of the seal. By doing so you are making the metal seal so thin & weak you can manipulate easily with a screwdriver. And finish cutting it out without touching the case. Heaven forbid, you do touch the case .... you can clean it up and repair the damage you caused. You need a round hole for the new seal to fit in & seal .... If you cause a groove .... JBweld is your friend. As it is, seems like you may be likely to cause more damage with a hammer then a grinder. Just one of those areas, either step up your game & get creative ..... Or take it to a qualified professional & have the seal changed for you. Remember getting the seal out is only 1/2 the battle, you still need to install the new seal.

While it should not be necessary, if I was fighting with a seal this stubborn. I would probably have got my dremel tool with a cut off wheel & cut it out of there. Would take longer then just knocking it out .... will be a delicate operation not damaging the case. Seems like it would come apart in 2 or 3 layers. Get all the outer layers out would be quick & dirty. Then be very cautious cutting the last layer so you do not damage the cover. Should be able to get the cut started, then pry on it with a screwdriver trying to pull it away from the cover & keep cutting. I could do the same thing with a die grinder & carbide tip. Use a hacksaw blade? Figure out what you have & use it. We all know it should not be this difficult, Who knows what the last person used to glue it in with.

You missed pictures of what alternator you have.

If I wanted to do the swap .... I would search for 3:73. If I already owned the 3:55 .... I would try to work with them. Thats just me.

If you had the new seal in hand, sure it would be self explanatory. I'm still looking at this photo here .... The lip or edge of the seal is on the outside, so would drive it from inside out. I can be wrong here though .... would not be the first time. A few minor taps will get the seal moving .... really should not be too much trouble to drive it out. I would guess from the inside out from the photos .... I might guess the other way in person working on it. A few taps both ways will tell you ..... You do not need a 3# sledge hammer here .... just give it a few taps & get it moving .... you will know.

You can see it is flush on the inside ... overlaps on the outside .... you need to push it out

Weeeel lets see here ..... the 3:55 ..... I'm assuming you have the gears to use on your stock rear end. You do not want a modern rear end. I would think it would perform better on the flats, do what you need to improve fuel mileage. Hills might be a problem. But, how big of a problem would it be? ..... I'm guessing, you just might have to try it once & see for yourself. I'm assuming you have the hogs head with the 3:55 gears ..... so pull axles swap hogs head and put it back together .... not a major ordeal. I swapped one on a 1961 Dodge truck, non tapered axles in about 1-2 hours. So now you have a better gear ratio. I have heard mixed messages about the 3:55. There is a guy who ran both 3:55/3:73 .... He claimed he loved the 3:55 while his engine ran well. As it got older & less compression .... it no longer had the ooompf needed to push the 3:55 up the hills. .... He had a T5 transmission & would need to downshift from 5 to 4 on the hills. ...... With 3:73 he could just stay in 5th on the hills on the freeway. Comparing apples to oranges if you have a stock 3spd. ..... Point is. If your engine runs strong, you may not have a problem at all. If it does struggle on the hills, now you have a good reason to add chrome & dual carbs, headers & straight pipes. Another option would be to install shorter tires. ..... 3:55 you are in the ball game .... not ideal but doable. IMHO

There are different versions of these stands, maybe what you mean by making a wood platform? I would be comfortable with something like these in the dirt. Usually see them under the wheels, would work just as well under the frame or axles. So you can work on the brakes. Still a pita jacking the car up to get them in place .... things we live with.

Looks like you have a challenge in repairing the original flatbed. While it is not terrible .... making it exactly original could be a challenge. Making it functional looks much easier Using acids to cure rust issues is or can be a art. Muriatic acid can be used safely .... in the back yard. .... Anywhere near your shop it will rust every tool in vapor range. Very aggressive .... but when you need that it works well. ..... My avatar shows my Texas suntan .... nothing would touch it except acids. This product is $15 a quart .... directions are to remove loose rust, apply with a brush then paint over ..... Actually works pretty well .... still aggressive. If you use it inside the cab of the truck .... Vapors will cause & leave rust on cables & such .... not as bad as the muriatic acid above .... you will see traces of it. As you can see, this item is food grade .... meant for removing rust from stainless steel restaurant equipment. It is the most expensive, It really does a good job .... phosphoric is the main ingredient in all the rust converters. It does the least damage from vapors .... I find it the most pleasant to work with. Just depends what your job is. Muriatic is the most aggressive. Ospho medium. phosphoric the most pleasant to work with, & does a good job. I can use phosphoric acid food grade inside the cab of the truck with no negative side effects. .... Takes longer. With the fender above ..... only the most aggressive acid would touch it .... do it out back not in the garage. Just sharing my experience with different acids being used as rust converters.