Another stuck Flathead story....

Yeah, even better if I had used mol***es instead of antifreeze.

I did some searching and found that this engine was built Jan. 4th, 1953. Pretty cool.

It moved a little more tonight....

 

It's moving, but not much. Soaked it down again.

 

ive got 2 flattys up here in canada and ive had one before the part i got now all 3 have been 8ba's 2 outta 3 run i even drove one across canada from alberta to toronto! after being in a field since 1972 and all have had this aluminum intake you speak of i actually welded my vise to a motor that didnt look as bad as that one lmao good luck

 

One of my favorite is to soak with brake fluid. Stir around every 15-30 min. Doesnt take long to un-stick stuck engines. but with a flattie its probably the valve guides. My coffee table flathead block suffered from stuck valve guides, a couple good taps with a hammer actually knocked them loose (cracked 2 valves but got them to move).

 

pm dubcee and studefreak because when i was over there they had a barrel with mol***es in it with parts soaking and the results were really amazing, that stuff really works killer

 

A few months ago I realized that my Farmall A's engine was stuck, probably hadnt been started in 10ish years. Stored inside. I put the "miracle" ATF/acetone in it, 2 cylinders soaked down but 2 held, they were the stuck ones. Really crusty cylinders, very much like your pictures. EVERY day I topped off the mixture, rocked the tractor in gear, pry bar on the flywheel, anything I could think of. I did this for more than a month with no movement at all.

I cut down a 2X4 so it would fit in the bore and pounded around 100 times with a heavy hammer and the piston didnt move at all. I decided to try the old timers method, coke.

I put coke in the cylinders and let it soak for a day, then I ****ed the old coke out with a jello shot syringe and put new coke in. I did this for 3 or 4 days. On the last day I decided to try the 2X4 and hammer method again, in just a few smacks it broke loose.

Thats what I would do.

 

It's still stuck although it is moving a little. I'm gonna try Coke again this weekend.

 

Careful if you tap the valves there Kev. I bent two...like REALLY easy, gettin' 'em freed up. Good luck man, glad to see a little movement. I'm watchin' the outcome on this one since I've got a couple to 'unstick'. Keep us posted...

 

i had to drill into the center of my valve faces, tap them, and then remove them with a slide hammer. good luck. it will all be worth it.

 

Keep us posted on your progress! I'm about to get a FH that will need something similar done, I'm sure!

 

I think we bent one the other night prying on it.

Now that's a great idea right there. Never thought about that little trick. Thanks Zach.

 

Really I don't understand why you just dont try the acetone/ATF mix?

This bore/pistons was rusted SOLID...no amount of smashing the piston with a sledgehammer would break it loose from the bore. Nada....

Overnite soak with ATF/Acetone had it loose FAST, NOT MONTHS, overnite !!

Made a believer out of me I can tell ya.

Try it its cheap and what have you got to lose?

Let us know how you make out dude !!

Rat

 

Ok... it's been sitting with the acetone/ATF mix for a week now. Nothing. I've been working it at least twice a day, back and forth. It is moving, but its just taking the slack out of the crank and rods. nothing moving up top. I've turned it pistons up so nothing runs out, I've turned it intake runners up, upside down.....

Looks like I'm gonna have to get more aggressive with it, I don't know?

Any more ideas before we drag out the BFH and start beating it apart?

 

Heat up the piston tops and bores with a propane bottle for a minute or so, then spray some WD-40 in there.. Let it sit for a minute and then tap the piston tops with your BFH handle... Do this outside!!!

 

Just so you know.... WD-40, Acetone, transmission fluid, PB Blaster and a Propane Torch do NOT mix!

That **** will ****in' Choke You To Death!!!!

Looks like I'm gonna have to burn my clothes and drink some beer to get over it!

 

That's why I mentioned to do this outside..

 

It worked for a guy on here that had a stuck early Hemi.... Give it a shot.... JUST BE CAREFULL!!

 

If you are going to salvage that block, be careful with the BFH lest you crack a bore.

I would take a center drill and a hole saw to the top of the offending pistons first. You need to remove the bad slugs more like an archeologist and less like an artillery officer.

 

Ive fooled with a lot of stuck motors and theres NO magic fix other then being patient ... My first step is to cleam as much rust and scrouge out and off as possible including taking a scribe and getting as much away from the edge of the piston , then I start with the penetrating stuff . Best stuff Ive found is either Kroil or FreeAll ( I saw the ad in the back of a Car and Driver mag years ago, Im impressed with the stuff) been trying the atf/acetone mix cant say it doesnt work but cant say it does ! have a 53 Dodge Hemi I dragged home from a junk yard thats stuck and have been soaking the pistons , its going down but still doesnt turn so ... one trick I found that has worked is to stuff a paper towel down hard on the piston pour some 2 stroke gas mix in (weed eater gas) n light it let it burn (this worked better on old time gas then this new **** there selling) , paper towel shields the piston from the heat , block walls expand giving more clearance and breaking the bond ... good luck !

 

Looks like it was eating pumpkin pie and gaged!!!

 

I know, you warned me..... I'm a slow learner.

That's about what I looked like running out the shop door, blind and gagging! There should be no insects or rodents in the garage for QUITE some time now!

 

If you have a bent valve no matter how hard you try you won't get the motor free. Try removing the valves first then try to spin it. The last 2 motors I had were like this.

 

The one I thought we bent the other night is not bent. It spins free now and is straight as an arrow, luckily.

 

i have a '52 flattie with the same problem. anyway, got talking with an instructor here at my school about it and (you'll think it's a crazy idea but he swears it works) he said to get a big enough rubbermaid tote that you could fit the engine into then fill it with water and soak it for however long it takes (weeks at least). it's a hell of a lot cheaper than wasting tons of solvents and all on a really stuck engine. but he said he used to do this at a shop he used to work at with all sorts of stuff (worked on '30s-'40s type cars) said that water made it rust and once it soaks long enough again in water it will loosen everything up. then you come in with the bfh and a piece of 2x4 and start driving pistons. (of course don't expect to save them all) about to give it a try myself next week actually, need to get this other engine apart and check it out. but that's my contribution, whether or not you try is up to you. nothing to lose is how i look at it. good luck

 

dude stop F@$ING around and take the engine apart. for the amount of time its taken you to sit here and wiggle the thing most likely doing more harm then good you coulda done like that other guy said and take the crank out and beat them out. set everything out on a table in order. take the oil pump out, take the drive gears out of the back, pull all the valves. clean it up proper find out what needs replacing and replace what it needs, keep what it doesnt. you can find stock stuff cheap. hell i got some stuff id give you if you needed it. ive done this many times i know that a motor that bad just doesnt "bust free" and run that thing has issues that need to be addressed. the valves are gonna be sticky and dry, half the piston rings are gonna be stuck the drive gears in back are gonna be rusted on the shaft and need to be cleaned and oiled. the oil pump should be flushed out, the main bearings and rod bearings should all be regreased. i could go on and on. just stop playing games and do it the right way. "kevo speed equipment" are you a professional? if so do things like a professional. ok im done ranting.

 

Soaked a Model A block ( rebuilt, but stuck from sitting )all winter and never budged. Old-timer told the same thing, hammer and a heavy oak stick. Pistons came out in pieces. New pistons and was lucky, just had to clean-up a ridge in each cylinder.

 

I have a stuck 41 flatty that looks the same. good info in this thread

I gave up and just bought a complete one the other day that turns on CL, but it would be nice to unstick the other one just for ****s and giggles.. this old stuff is worth saving.

 

Yes, and a quart of Vodka is the ***s for curing alcoholism.

Your teacher said this? If he or she is a shop teacher, look into a tuition refund.

The only time you submerge a motor in water is if it got submerged and you don't want it to begin flash rusting before you take it apart. For example, your boat overturns and your outboard goes under. Get it to shore, pull the powerhead and submerge it in water in the situation where it will take you a couple of days before you can open it up to repair properly. The water in this case slows down the rate at which oxygen hits the wet metal. It will rust right away if you pull it out of the water and just let it sit. But, make no mistake about it, it will still rust in the water.

Since you have a motor that is already rusted, dunking it in water is like --- well, see the first sentence of this reply. Follow the good advice in this thread and ignore lame suggestions from those who clearly have no concept of how to do it.

 

I've just picked up six more flatheads in varying conditions. 2-8BA's, 38-41's and a 52 Merc. Been working on one of the 8BA's , came out of a hot rod, which had the heads left off and was sitting in the great outdoors for ???? years. Getting the crank out wasn't too bad(which btw is a Merc 4") and then I had to beat the pistons out, but the valves are a mutha. I have three left that won't budge, I'll have to try Zach's solution.
Side note; the rod bearings were the early style, full floating, does this mean it's an early crank in a late block?
After I get this one apart, I'm going to bring in another one. My plan is to have them all cleaned and checked out, and then preserve them and keep em on a shelf for spares in case I blow the one in my car. And if I have the time and money, I'm going to fix up the Merc engine and drop it in my car in place of the 59AB.

 

Another option is to buy a bare block that has been torn apart, jet washed, hot tanked, and then mag'd. I just sold one for $500 plus $200 shipping. Have more if it would help you. We have to go thru alot of these to find a good one. Most of them look like yours. Hard way to make some extra money.