Dozerman51 Posted June 25, 2020 Report Posted June 25, 2020 Well it looks like you got your money’s worth out of the 237. Good luck installing the 251. Take your time and it will all be good. Quote
RobertKB Posted June 25, 2020 Report Posted June 25, 2020 Interesting story! I'm looking forward to the updates! Quote
wallytoo Posted June 25, 2020 Author Report Posted June 25, 2020 10 minutes ago, RobertKB said: Interesting story! I'm looking forward to the updates! me too! Quote
Brent B3B Posted June 25, 2020 Report Posted June 25, 2020 What a “crappie” deal Wally ? ( come on, you all were thinking the same thing lol) Did you get photos of the cylinder thru the block? Quote
wallytoo Posted June 26, 2020 Author Report Posted June 26, 2020 i’ve looked, but i don’t see any. i’ll take some once i pull the motor, since i need some parts from it - manifolds, distributer, coolant elbow, fuel pump, water pump, etc. got the transmission pulled today. a heck of a lot easier with my recent purchase, a transmission jack. 1 Quote
wallytoo Posted July 5, 2020 Author Report Posted July 5, 2020 continuing to pull parts off in order to be able to remove the engine. finally got the clutch plate and clutch disc removed today. not as easy, because of the rod blowing out through the side of the block, so i couldn't turn the crank to expose all of the bolts of the clutch plate/cover. when it let go, the rod cap got yanked off. after that, the rod stayed in the down position, while the crank continued to rotate. when the #2 rod journal made its way back around, it slammed into the stalled #2 rod, and smashed it into and through the side of the block. in doing this, the rod got significantly bent, and the rod end got mangled. the result is that the momentum of the crankshaft drove it pretty well and wedged the rod between the crank and the block. after lots of attempts at prying, using chisels and drifts, and pounding on the crank with a drilling hammer, it wouldn't budge. today, i decided it was going to move, and used my 20lb sledgehammer, and pounded the end of the rod upwards. after about 6 whacks, it moved up and the crank partially rotated back. success!!! still took about 2 hours to remove the clutch plate and disc, and then the flywheel, but those are now out of the truck. with a few more minor things, i will be able to pull the engine. once pulled, i will take pictures of the carnage. 2 Quote
RobertKB Posted July 7, 2020 Report Posted July 7, 2020 Looking forward to pictures! Sad it happened but we all love pics! Quote
Jeff Balazs Posted July 7, 2020 Report Posted July 7, 2020 Hey Wally; Here is to smooth sailing with the rest of it! And btw the only pictures I want to see is of the old truck back at work. ? Jeff Quote
wallytoo Posted July 13, 2020 Author Report Posted July 13, 2020 progress today. yanked the hood, radiator cover, radiator, and hood rods, along with the motor. used the crane to get it out of the truck.... if you look closely, you can see the hole in the block, next to the oil filler opening (that's the #2 cylinder/rod).. good sized hole, too. the next tool is visible (it's the '52 ford 8n) a lot easier than carrying or dragging that block from the truck to the garage by "hand"... no problem lifting the block and moving it the busted block is now on the engine stand 2 Quote
RobertKB Posted July 13, 2020 Report Posted July 13, 2020 Ouch! Never good for the block when a rod lets loose. Thanks for posting pictures as I know a lot of us will appreciate it. Please keep us updated as you replace the engine. Quote
Merle Coggins Posted July 13, 2020 Report Posted July 13, 2020 You got yourself one of them fancy ventilated blocks... ? Quote
DJ194950 Posted July 13, 2020 Report Posted July 13, 2020 1 hour ago, Merle Coggins said: You got yourself one of them fancy ventilated blocks... ? Must have been one of those super rare NASCAR Racing blocks made for Lee Petty? Must still be worth a fortune to the NASCAR Racing museum! ? DJ Quote
wallytoo Posted July 14, 2020 Author Report Posted July 14, 2020 Pics of the rod and piston carnage Quote
RobertKB Posted July 15, 2020 Report Posted July 15, 2020 I would highly recommend not re-using them!? Quote
wallytoo Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) the piston sure is clean, though. no wear on the face. just missing a chunk. also, i haven’t yet found the missing piece of the piston skirt! Edited July 15, 2020 by wallytoo Quote
Merle Coggins Posted July 15, 2020 Report Posted July 15, 2020 I'm being reminded of a similar engine failure from early on in my construction equipment mechanic career. We had Komatsu dozer that spit a rod through the block. I believe it started with an injector failure that caused piston damage. The piston seized in the cylinder bore and the con rod was ripped out the bottom, becoming a flail in the bottom of the engine. It busted a sizable hole in the block skirt. They decided to attempt repair in chassis. I dropped the oil pan and removed the remains of the con rod and discovered the crank was still good. Pulled the head and knocked out the piston and liner. The upper part of the block was still good. They brought in someone that stitch welded up the hole in the block skirt. Then I reassembled the engine with a new liner, piston, and connecting rod. We probably went through the injection system too, but I don't recall the details of that. (this was at least 30 years ago). I do remember that it ran fine when we were done with it. It at least ran long enough to go back to the customer. I never heard anything about it after that. Maybe it still runs today, or maybe not... Quote
wallytoo Posted July 15, 2020 Author Report Posted July 15, 2020 (edited) stripped what i wanted off of the broken block, other than the camshaft (i'll save it as a spare, don't need it now). got the "new" 251 block on the stand now, prepping it to get new bearings and gaskets. i'm using the oil pump from the 237, as it was in great condition, and better than the one on the 251. also using the head from the 237, and the intake/exhaust manifold and carb, the oil pan, the oil pickup/strainer, the fuel pump, coil, alternator/bracket, and dipstick. i think i'm going to use the main caps from the 237, too. edit: obviously, didn't use the 237 main caps, as the caps are matched to the block/crank. used the mains that came with the 251 and its crank. haven't decided whether i'll use the 251 distributor, but i'm leaning toward using it because it has vacuum advance. bearings/gaskets should be here next week. hope to have it close to road-ready by the end of the month. Edited March 22, 2021 by wallytoo Quote
wallytoo Posted August 9, 2020 Author Report Posted August 9, 2020 place i ordered my bearings from never delivered. ordered on july 11, still not here. gave up and ordered from andy bernbaum on wednesday, and the parts arrived on friday. today, got the crank installed with new bearings, and the pistons/rods with new rod bearings. in fact, i’ve got most of the engine back together. still need to install the water pump and the carb, then i can put the motor back in the truck - hopefully tomorrow. then it will be reattaching stuff like the starter, alternator, flywheel, clutch, etc. maybe drive it monday... 1 Quote
RobertKB Posted August 9, 2020 Report Posted August 9, 2020 Looking forward to more updates and first drive with new (different) motor. You work fast when you have the needed parts. You’ll like the 251 which to me is the best of all the various Mopar flathead displacements. Quote
wallytoo Posted August 9, 2020 Author Report Posted August 9, 2020 eh, i work at a comfortable pace. too hurried to take photos while putting things together, but still take the time to use a torque wrench for most fasteners. i wish i did take more pictures, but between fitting parts and greasy hands/tools, i don’t usually manage to snap any. Quote
wallytoo Posted August 9, 2020 Author Report Posted August 9, 2020 engine is in its new home. with the hoist, putting the motor in was a breeze. probably the easiest engine installation i’ve ever done in a vehicle. got most of the accessories hooked up: carb, alt, coolant lines, oil lines, dist/wires, vacuum piping for the 2-speed and the midland booster, radiator, hood, flywheel and clutch. put oil in the pan and coolant in the radiator. still need to install the transmission, accelerator linkage, parking brake, driveshaft, pto shaft, pto levers, install the floorboards, and couple the exhaust. once i get the clutch/brake shaft installed, i’ll start it to verify it runs, then complete the other stuff. 2 Quote
wallytoo Posted August 10, 2020 Author Report Posted August 10, 2020 engine runs! didn’t get as far along as i’d hoped. for one thing, i didn’t realize the full pressure oil canister is NOT compatible with the starter on the medium size trucks; i’ll need to figure something out for that. then, i used the distributor from the 251, but after a bit of trying to get combustion, i checked for spark with my timing light and found no spark being produced. so, i swapped the dist from the original engine, and almost immediately had it coughing and sputtering. with a minor adjustment, i had it running. i now have it purring. it starts instantly, and has steady 40 psi oil pressure at operating temperature. the gas line has developed a pinhole leak, so that will need replacing, and several of the coolant hoses leak, so i’ll probably replace them, too. it does have more throttle response than the 237 (no surprise), and seems to be pretty smooth at 3000 rpm. two-speed rear still shifts. maybe tomorrow the transmission et al will go in. 4 Quote
wallytoo Posted August 11, 2020 Author Report Posted August 11, 2020 1 hour ago, RobertKB said: Great progress! Not long now!? you bet! i'll be a bit disappointed if i'm not on the road by the end of the week, even though it has been nearly 3 years. Quote
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