I got ‘Horace’ a 1953 Ford F-100 with a 239 Flathead V8 and 3 on the tree light duty transmission in 2009 from my wife’s Uncle Horace in Alabama and shipped him up to us in the suburbs of Philly. I first had to replace some brake lines and then the clutch. Now I’m a retired band director/school district administrator not a mechanic. I had no garage and it was sure cold crawling under to do that work in Philly.
I retired and returned to Alabama in 2020. I now have a two car detached garage just for Horace (and no snow thrower). November 2021 the center crankshaft bearing cap busted and the engine froze. I figured the oil pump gave out but regardless had an engine rebuild in my future.
While disassembling the engine I took a lot of pictures. On reassembly I discovered not enough, “Why didn’t I take one from that angle.”
Took the engine to a machine shop in Birmingham to have it cleaned, aligned, and bored. I was dutiful on disassembly to put everything in baggies and label them. He said, “You do realize we just dump them all in a basket to clean them.”
I discovered Horace has a Mercury engine. But only after purchasing and installing Ford pistons (and breaking a few piston rings). Those pistons are taller than the Merc pistons. The first set of Merc pistons I purchased had a pivot point where the control rod connects in the wrong place.
Third time was a charm. Right pistons and I actually got good at removing and installing rings and inserting the pistons in the engine. Mom always said what I did would come back to haunt me. As a band director I often said, “Let’s do that one more time.”
Proud to say the engine started the first time!
I wanted to replace the oil seals on the light duty 3 speed transmission. Mac VanPelt advised against it but I was a school district administrator, do I listen….. No, ended up disassembling and reassembling the whole thing. First time down the road when I shifted from 2nd to 3rd the thing froze up. I had to unhook the drive shaft and push him back to the garage. Take the tranny off and disassemble.
Turns out I broke teeth off the 1st & Reverse Gear and the Cluster Gear. Got those from VanPelt and reassembled. I also discovered that the manual says the shift fork for the 1st and reverse gear says to “Position the low and reverse fork with the smooth side of the fork toward the gear….” That should be TOWARD THE REAR.
This time out it froze in second gear so at least I could get to a place and call AAA. Take it down and disassemble ‘one more time.’ An online forum had a picture with the specs for the synchronizer bronze ring to be .060 to .080 when new. Mine was .010 on both sides. VanPelt sent new ones. I reassembled and reinstalled.
I finally get out on the road and the truck stops. There is no gas in the filter beyond the fuel pump (or in the fuel pump) but the gas gauge says half a tank. Began investigating fuel pump. Take it off and clean it good. But still nothing. Then I wisely inserted a wooden dowel in the gas tank. Hardly any gas. Apparently the specs for the Carpenter fuel sender don’t match the MidFifty gauge. Carpenter advises installing a voltage reducer on the gauge. That seems to work.
But then I started looking at the oil gauge. It is pegged all the way to the right past 80. Carpenters won’t or can’t tell me the specs of their sender. MidFifty does and says one should use the MidFifty sender with the MidFifty gauge. Ordered and installed.
FINAL TIDBIT OF KNOWLEDGE – The doc at the doc-in-the box says to hit the transmission with a wrench instead of my fist. I’ll try to remember that in the heat of the moment.