Getting Engine On Stand

Thanks for the McMaster Carr tip. Where I live both Grainger and McMaster Carr are just about 4 miles from my home and shop. These were 2 of the 4 places I was planning to contact for the bolts. In my town of Whittier we have an older hardware store thats a throw back to the 50s. I try to shop there if at all possible to promote towny business. Lowes and home depot are the last place I try to shop.

Hi,

These 7/16 x 20 bolts are available at McMaster-Carr online. They ship almost as soon as they get your order. For me in SW Michigan, I order by 5:00 and the parts are here by 11:00 the next day, standard UPS rates.

www.mcmaster.com/#standard-cap-screws/=ubn60z

--Tom

Thanks for the comments everyone. I like to share whats happening in my Cord life here. For years I was attempting to take my radiator to the shop show cased on American Pickers out here in California. My father always used Harry's & Sons Radiator Shop in Rosemead Ca. He wanted is see behind the fence because of all the "old stuff" they had there. I learned so much just listening. Well as time goes by the shop is closing for goods. Only Jose is left working there after Bob died. Bob's wife Vicky is running the paperwork end of it and her son is sometimes there. I think I really missed having the best radiator specialists work on my Cord radiator but its how things end up these days. I had more than 40 years to get it done. The shop is world famous for the work they have done. I remember and huge redwood tree looking man with a full black bread rodding radiatos. He was the original owners son way back in the early 1960s. His name was Harry Jr. Usually just did his job qitetly saying very little. I'm going to miss knowing I had a great place that could figure out any cooling issue. I had them custom build a 5 row radiator for my 1989 F350 diesel. That a beast than was to install alone. It worked great too. As the cord goes. Finding out whats correct and what simply works but will be graded down if judged is a tuff bit of information to find. Then finding out the bell housing bolts are a 7/16x20 fine thread was interesting to say the least. Looking for them on a sunda turned up nothing. So it will be found on Monday. I have 4 places that I know will have them but they are closed on Sunday..

Hi,

Thank you Jonathan! If it weren't fun AND educational, I would not be in this hobby!

--Tom

Greetings Fellow ACD Club members,
It is exchanges like this between Gary Parsons (CA) aka 1748S and the always entertaining Tom Parkinson of Michigan that makes this club of ours so special. The commonality of these unique marque automotive restoration experiences and the satisfaction derived from it all are what makes the
ACD Club so unique and enjoyable. Put your prizes away for a winter's nap and dream about the coming adventures of next spring. Richards in Iowa.

Hi,

I swear, nothing is normal in a Cord block. I recall my dad had to make a custom-configured ring compressor to get the .020"-over pistons back into the block oh-so many years ago. (I think that ring compressor is still somewhere among the boxes of parts. NOTHING Cord-related was thrown out...)

He also built a wood cradle on steel casters to hold the block and transmission assembly. I guess either a standard engine stand was more of an expense than he was willing to incur, or he didn't want to explain the cost to my mother, or the block just would not fit to a regular stand.

As for the pistons being in the cylinders for decades with the spark plug holes open, the dire prediction was expressed to me many times that the rings likely had corroded to the cylinder walls and that the cylinders would be a rusty mess. So, I checked with a borescope, and the interior metals are as shiny and new-looking as when my father assembled the engine in 1955 or so. I also turned the cranks a few teeth with a pry-screwdriver, and it turned smoothly and easily. The assembly lube he used was Lubriplate #105 (for some reason I recall the black and silver label on the can), and it is the slickest, gloppiest, and apparently rust-protection-est stuff ever.

Good luck with your engine. Let me know if you need to borrow the ring compressor for re-assembly.

--Tom

PS: I just found out last night through a family history that my mother was actually happy to find that my father had bought the distressed Cord. Apparently the choice was getting either the Cord or a fire truck!

He chose wisely...

--Tom

:rolleyes: Wow what a job. I finally hauled my engine out from the farthest corner of the shop thinking its so easy to rig and lift... Nope. Not even close. I had very little working area even after I cleared the floor space. I finally half drug it out as I was lifting it. We sure have plenty of bellhousing bolts to remove. Some of them ar hidden very well too between the tall webs but I got all of them. I needed to lift the engine to remove the housing and the balance was off heavy to the bellhousing end. So it came off towards the floor of the shop. Then I rebalanced the engine and lifted it to remove the pressure plate. Those 6 bolts were last wrenched on way back in 1961. At that time the engine was new or it can be said so. The bearings were rebabbited and the roller rockers were installed. The bores had 2 thousands taper. Reason I'm taking the engine apart is to verify all this. I have had the heads off for some time. I protected the bores with heavy oiling so I will see how they lasted. What I did notice is the pistons appear to be loose in the bore. I can twist them back and forth. Thats not good in any engine. I may have loose pistons because this engine was assembled from 2 complete engines. So I have no idea what pistons are in the bores. I retired a machinst so its no big deal measuring what needs to be done. I'm really wondering what torque I find on the mains and rods. So after all this I'nm rady to lift and put of a stand and guess what.. No bolts or stud material to connect the engine to the stand. It appears to be 1/2x20 threads but I can figure that out tomorrow. 7/16x20 is the same thread count so I'm in no hurry to make a mistake. Its just another day in the Busted Knuckle Shop.... <!-- s:wink: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s:wink: -->