VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 1940 - 216 Engine Disassembly

If it was me, I would take the motor all apart and check everything.That is why I do all my own work.

Monday I Had blown out the block again after removing the forgotten Frost Plugs. Again a good handful rust sludge




Now the engine is back in the shop, hope they will do better work, now. It seems that they haven't cleaned it correct. Found Sludge in the Oil Channel and on the Main Bearing Caps





@chevy1937 and Chev Nut - If I could do all the work myself I had done this ..

Hi Andre,

Just want to make sure you see the marks on the timing gears for aligning them. I reassembled an engine about 5 years ago with the gears off one tooth. The engine would start but only run at high idle.

You can see two dots on the smaller gear and one dot on the larger one. I painted the larger one so I could easily see its position. You are doing a great job of micromanaging your assembly process. Thanks for sharing all the pictures and experiences with us. Future restorers will benefit a lot from the process/challenges you have gone through.

Best wishes, Mike

As someone that has an engine currently being rebuilt, I've been following this post with keen interest.
I know it's always best to thoroughly clean out a block but given the fact that it's almost impossible with these old engines, why not install a radiator coolant filter that at least prevents radiator clogging ?
I guess this a question for anybody following this post, not just a suggestion to Alligator.
Anybody running one of these ? I bought a Gano Coolant Filter and plan to install it when I get my engine back. Obviously not period correct, but ….what the heck , I can alway remove it

Hi Mike,
thanks, yes i can see the marks. On my new gears there are marks on both gears. On the old there are only on the small gear two marks?! Both gears from you are fiber? The small one on my car was and is metall, the big fiber.

@hardaground - seems a good idea and i thought about that too. Brings more safety for the, new rebuilt, Radiator i think. Its impossible to clean the system from alll the rust. What size should i bought? Somebody knows the diameter?

From the shops that I have been in over the years, my impression is that it is possible to completely clean the block. I used to see ones that were tanked and they did not have buildup inside the coolant passages. the same with the heads that were done. I understand that some shops have converted to a system that heats the block in an oven and then afterward all the ash is blown out.

Many shops are now using the oven heat method for cleaning as it eliminates the hazardous waste issues. I do not think it does as good a job as an aerated heated tank.

From what I have seen the only way to fully clean the water passages is the a piece of wire and compressed air and that is even more effective when the block has been dry for months. It is surprising how long the crud will stay damp.
Tony

A temperature of ~800 deg F will remove the organic materials such as oil and grease. However, those temperatures will remove most of the water from iron oxides (rust) and hard water salts. It makes them brittle and powdery but some will still stick to the surfaces. Still takes mechanical abrasion or chemicals to remove the final traces.

Hi Andre,

The smaller gear is made of metal not fiber.

Good luck, Mike

June 17 - Engine is back again. Now it is, how I want to see good work. Everything is clean and the screws and bolts are marked for right measurement / torque.



2018 - Did some work on the engine. Installed the Oil pump with a new Pipe, because the old fitting was cracked.



Installed the Timing Cover with new shaft seal.



For the Balancer I got “Speedy Sleeve” from SKF, because the shaft was worn by the oil seal and Speedy is fantastic for this repair.



In order to mount the balancer correctly, I made the puller and driver, which is described in the 1940 manual, myself



Overhauled the Distributor on this Thread

https://vccachat.org/ubbthreads.php/topics/315811/1940-distributor-remove.html

Are these the right torque specifications for the 1940 216ci?
http://www.hotrodreference.com/1209/chevy-stovebolt-216-235-six-cylinder-torque-specifications/ treasure threatments
I´ve found a pdf called "inline six timing" torques shown there are different?
Need Water pump, flywheel to crankshaft, flywheel housing to engine, clutch to flywheel, head bolts, rockerarms etc. Manual has´nt any torque specification?

Looks good to me when you consider Chevrolet had no recommended torque settings in 1940.

Ok but the Head bolts, I have to tighten in the 1940s with 80 and not 93?

Chevrolet says 70 to 80.

What year did Chevrolet start recommending various torque specs?

My 1939 shop manual makes no mention of torque.
The 1941 and 1942-47 manual mentions head torque only in the installing cylinder head section.
1949-1954 manual has a chart at the end of the engine section giving torque of al engine related parts as well as end of other units sections with the torque listed.

Thank you, Gene!

Ok, found in 1940 manual the head torque with 75-80. More torque I found in the book " fix your chevrolet"

Should this mark be on 0, 5 or on the metall point ?

It can be set (with the engine running at slow idle speed) any where between the 0 and 10 degress advanced. Setting is determined by yhe octane rating of the gas you are using.I have found that about 8 is the best setting on my cars.