Anyone
replace the rear main seal with the engine in
the car?
the oem brace was removed and it looks like the pan would come straight down, the shift rod might have to be moved but it looks like it won't be an issue.
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The pan will come out without any issues if you have a stock oil pan. Sometimes the high capacity aftermarket oil pans can cause a slight issue, but they are still removable.
I had to remove the parking brake mount (along with the crossmember) to drop my 10 quart pan. The shifter rod was also in the way as well as the starter. I did not work on the rear main but it seems like the transaxle's input shaft would hold the crankshaft in place even if the bearing caps are loosened. Thus, you may have to back out or remove the transaxle.
There is a tool to remove the upper rear main seal. You will have to loosen the rear main bearing cap. That is how we did it on my Cleveland engine years ago.
I have placed the seal when a 10 qt pan required removal. Parking brake bracket needs to be removed. If it has already been modified to be removable, you are one step ahead.
As long as you don't have a rope type seal that is pinned in place, the seal above the crank can be spun out using a small punch against one of the seal's ends. ZF stays in place. No fun, yet it was successful. Be sure to offset the end of the new seals about 3/8" from the plane of the oil pan block surface.
Thanks for all of the reply's
unfortunately the freeze plug blew out today. And it cooked the head gaskets. So the the engine is coming out. The ZF also leaks.
I ordered an aluminum block 427 from Titus Performance and I'm Sending the ZF to get modified for the extra HP
@jtpantera posted:I have placed the seal when a 10 qt pan required removal. Parking brake bracket needs to be removed. If it has already been modified to be removable, you are one step ahead.
As long as you don't have a rope type seal that is pinned in place, the seal above the crank can be spun out using a small punch against one of the seal's ends. ZF stays in place. No fun, yet it was successful. Be sure to offset the end of the new seals about 3/8" from the plane of the oil pan block surface.
the rope seal is only pinned in place on the mainbearing cap , by replace the rope seal by a rubber seal the pin must be hamered inwards.
sometimes needs all the bearing caps losen a little
Simon
A bit more on 351-C main seals. The original Ford rope seal was used 1969-'71, then supplanted by a 2-piece neoprene seal from mid-1972 until the end of production. The high-friction rope seal was held in place by a steel pin pressed into the #5 main cap. If a neoprene seal is substituted, the pin should be tapped thru its hole and removed, and a spot of RTV used to plug the resulting hole. Otherwise, a main seal leak may result, according to Ford.
Finally, in 1980 a one-piece rear main seal in both neoprene rubber and PTFE (teflon) was introduced for the 351-W that also fits the 351-C, but precision machining of the #5 Cleveland cap and block must be done to slightly enlarge the seal recess. The one-piece rear main seal is NOT a drop-in substitute! Once machined, a 351-C exposes a shallow, unsupported area that can be filled with JB-Weld to better support the one-piece seal under racing stresses.
To install the one-piece rear seal, the ZF, clutch and flywheel must be removed for access; the 2-piece seal can be tapped into an installed 351-C engine using a non-metallic pusher-bar, NOT a screwdriver which may nick the crank.
Note also, a 351-W front main seal also fits the 351-C crank as a substitute, but the Windsor front seal has no external seating lip, so extreme care must be used during installation in a Cleveland. Its absurdly easy to push the lip-less Windsor seal past 'flush' and clear thru into the block extension's front cover recess!