OhioTbird
- Reaction score
- 35
- Thunderbird Year
- 1957
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
We're glad you found us via a search engine! Right now, you can join our club absolutely free and unlock member only features like the site search! This notice only appears once! It only takes 30 seconds to register, and we would love to have you as part of the World's largest Thunderbird Forum/Club! Click here to continue
This site contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated. As an eBay Partner, and Amazon Associate I may be compensated if you make a purchase at no cost to you.
How did you do the main seal?? I did print out an advisory on how to do it without pulling the engine. Majorly intricate. There is a big debate on the original rope seal upgrades or going to neoprene. My tech says he wants to see it first to decide which way to go. The engine was rebuilt 35+ years ago buy a Ford specialty rebuild shop. I think I'm going to let it drip for a while.Just finished replacing the rear main seal in my 312ci with a new neoprene one from Best Gaskets with great success. Also opened my 9" Trac Loc inspected it cleaned it and put it back together with a new pinion seal. Again success!
Not necessary to let it drip anymore. You can do it without dropping the Tranny, but I did drop it and it gave me a bit more room to polish the journal surface for the seal to have a fresh smooth surface. This is the most important part of the job. After removing the old rope seal, which was easy, I took 1000 grit sandpaper cut it the length of the paper X 1/2" wide. Pass this strip of sandpaper over the journal. Grab the two ends with pliers and begin polishing turning the crank over two get all the surfaces. the move on two 1500 grit and finishing with 2000 grit. It will shine like a mirror. I took my time and spent 4 hrs for this part. Then following the instructions for the new neoprene seal, which pushes up and over the crank easily. Eaton Balancing has good instructions for this on the internet. My experience was "It's not that difficult. Definitely neoprene is the way to go, beats a rope seal to Hell and back! I've been driving it now about 250mi and no drips, no runs and no errors. A car lift helps tremendously if you can get access to one. Hope this helps.How did you do the main seal?? I did print out an advisory on how to do it without pulling the engine. Majorly intricate. There is a big debate on the original rope seal upgrades or going to neoprene. My tech says he wants to see it first to decide which way to go. The engine was rebuilt 35+ years ago buy a Ford specialty rebuild shop. I think I'm going to let it drip for a while.
Yup Backwards. Just remember the keeper clip pushes off from the handle side.I did finish the drivers side door on my ‘56 but I now think the door handle is in the wrong direction. I mindlessly just got to that part of finishing the internals and window switch when I was freewheeling through the process.
View attachment 21157
Got my M/C back and the tech told me you can't bench blead my type of M/C. It has to be mounted in the car to bleed it. Never heard of that.Frustrating day. Tried to bench bleed my just rebuilt M/C. Nope, took the end fitting off and it looks like the last reed valve was installed backwards , couldn't get anything out of it. OK back to my shop tomorrow. Then tried to mount my rebuilt booster. Got the back hidden bolt started which took a bit even with my small hands then the front bolt just refuses to start even though I can see it to align.
I've been threading nuts & bolts backwards, blind and by feel for decades. Dang fine thread bolts. Had to walk away after yes a couple of hours to attack again another day. Why is it when a ten min. job turns into frustrating hours?
Got my M/C back and the tech told me you can't bench blead my type of M/C. It has to be mounted in the car to bleed it. Never heard of that.
He explained that there is a check valve in there that needs the multiplied force of the brake pedal to open it.
I'm wondering if it is part of the engineering of the off set booster. The booster needs a positive application to activate and this valve provides that so the booster doesn't activate inadvertently.That's interesting. Now that I think about it, it seems like MC's I have bench bleed had bleeder screws on them. You plugged the outlets and opened the bleeder screw to bench bleed them. The Tbird MC has no bleeder screw so I can see there is something different going on.
I'm wondering if it is part of the engineering of the off set booster. The booster needs a positive application to activate and this valve provides that so the booster doesn't activate inadvertently.
Now that's old school now consider the new school. Automatic braking... It's supposed to be a safety feature but I've been reading reports and recalls of them going off at random.
Not likely unless there is something faulty with it. As I discovered when mine went non-operational the manual side still did it's job.Are you guys saying that the brake booster may decide when to apply extreme braking at ANY time it wants?
Oh Lord, then you get into the hydraulic wipers later before they went electric.No, I don't think so because it's the same MC with or without the booster. As I recall there is a check valve in the MC to maintain a residual pressure in the lines and wheel cylinders when the brakes are released, something like 8 psi. It's to ensure air doesn't get drawn in thru a small leak and also to minimize "take-up" when you apply the brakes. My guess on the bleeding issue is that the check valve can't open unless there is a pressure buildup which means that without a bleeder you can both bleed them and let fluid out thru the outlet of the MC at the same time.. as soon as you try to let fluid out to bleed it the check valve closes, or something along those lines.
As to the booster going off at random... yes, mine did that and smoked my brake shoes. I wish someone would come up with a power steering pump based booster like I have in my 99 mustang. It's very compact.
I don't know what all the possibilities are but it can fail in a way that results in a hard pedal and at the same time a slight unintended application of the brakes. I don't think a hard application is very likely.Are you guys saying that the brake booster may decide when to apply extreme braking at ANY time it wants?
I think the technology is sound. Just trying to understand it. Once I got back into the brake system I'm learning. It was just drums & shoes and leaking slave cylinders years ago. Never got into the top end. A whole different ball of wax.I don't know what all the possibilities are but it can fail in a way that results in a hard pedal and at the same time a slight unintended application of the brakes. I don't think a hard application is very likely.