I was given a '52 Merc flatty for my hotty. I was told to mark the connecting rods with some kind of stampy thing when I dismantle it, but, I was also told something or other about marking the cylinders in the propper fireing order; which is not the same as a typical S.B.C.. What is the fireing order on a Merc flatty? And what and where do I get the stampy thing so that it all goes back together correctly, after the machine work is completed?
You can get the stampy thing at Harbor Freight , it's a punch set with the alphebet and 0-9 numbers . You can also mark all rod caps with a regular punch ( fine point , 1 dot for #1 cyclinder 2 dots for # 2 cyclinder and so on ! You can also take notes and pic's who ever does the machine work will appretiate it ! later Peck !
Or you can use a magic marker. Keep the pistons in order and make sure you mark the rods so they are facing the right way when you re-install them. Make a cardboard holder for the valves so they will go back in order. Pretty basic, keep it simple, but be specific it might be a while before you put her back together. Having a digital camera is very helpful too.
Stampy thing's a punch set, ok. Harbor Freight, Ok. Take takedown pictures, ok. Thanks Peck. Now what are rod caps? And what does 31Acoupe mean by "rods facing the right way"? Thanks for the help.
For your purposes, the firing order is not what you need right now. Rather, you need to know Ford's system for numbering cylinders: Number 1 is passenger side front. 1 thru 4 are the passenger side cylinders. 5 thru 8 are the driver side cylinders. (Chevy numbers are based on the position of the rod on the crankshaft.)
Before removing the crankshaft "punch mark" the main bearing caps and block (on the same side) BEFORE you take them apart and assemble them exactly the same way as before you removed them. Keep the main bearing caps on the engine so you don't loose them. Take plenty of photos and label the nuts and bolts in clear plastic baggies.
Holy shit... Take off the heads, scrape off the tops of the pistons carefully. Try a new razorblade perpendicular to the surface, don't gouge the aluminum. Look for any marks that might point in the forward/headlight direction. Usually there will be triangles or v's or something. Flip the engine over. Take off the oil pan. Look at one of the rods. Look for a number stamped onto both parts of the rod, usually near the seam. Most likely they'll already be stamped. the numbers should go 1234 on one side 5678 on the other. The numbers most likely are facing the same way so they aren't accidentally reversed. Get a camera and take pictures of these clues so you don't forget. {{{{{{{}}}}} If you want to do something scrape the block where the heads meet and check for any visible cracks. Rotate the crankshaft and look for cracks down the cylinder walls and under the valves. Don't get rushed and take your flathead apart, only having it wait indefinitely in boxes that will be surely ruined. Even taking the heads and oil pan off, you have created almost 80 separate pieces that you will need to store. (heads, bolts, pan, bolts, oil pump, screen, bolts etc.) So when you're done scraping and looking, put the heads and oil pan back on, not tight just on. Put any bolts/fasteners in a plastic bag, then a paper bag, and put it in the valve area for safe keeping. If you don't see any obvious cracks in the head surface, you've got a really good chance of it being ok to rebuild, and most likely any invisible crack can be repaired, sleeved or whatever. If there is a stepped crack, that will stop your fingernail, obviously there is no need to hurry and magnaflux it. Save up a couple extra bucks, and give it to the person.....cough...... thats gonna rebuild your engine for you. Let them have the confidence of knowing that all the pieces are there, and learn the history of the engine as a tired yet oiled and rotating machine, not a rusty pile of misplaced or ruined pieces. The bearings can be plastigaged to calculate wear, feeler gauges can also be strategically used to calculate wear, lots of other tricks to save you money in the long run. This can't be done to boxes of rusty dirty parts, especially when bearings are switched or missing etc. Control Grasshopper. TP
Zibo speaks wise words. Good to see a girl seeking the knowledge.. keep askin and you will receive answers. Mart.
the BEST way to disassemble a 52 merc motor is at about 6k RPM on nitro, well, at least the most FUN way.
Ok! I think I've got a good handle on how and where to get started. I'm going to drop it off at Zibo's shop. Right in his lap! Just kidding. I'm a gonna get started next week. Just after I work up the courage; liquid courage that is. Thanks to all that have posted and given me some idea of how to go about this.
You dont have to mark everything if your replacing all the parts do you ? Heads,pistons,crank,rods,valves. etc .etc. etc.???
It depends if you want to throw $2000 or $8000 in it. Sometimes things don't need replacing, that is why it is good to not take it apart so your not forced to buy stuff that wasn't needed. TP
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