VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1937-1945 Advice on replacement rear 216 oil seals

Appreciate any advice on best practices replacing rear oil seals on my 40 216, especially questions below:

1. Looks like the oil pan can be taken down and seals replaced without engine removal, right? Are there improved oil seals to the original type that would be an improvement to original?

2. My car is a convertible with frame crossmember right underneath trams. Looks like trans should be removed up through interior, removing trans/bell housing cover. Is that right? Trans needs to come backward to clear bell housing, how to keep torque out of the way?

All advice appreciated, Bob

The 1940 convertible irame is a one of a kind. Does it have a cross member behind the pan BUT in front of the flywheel housing?
No seals today are as good as the old asbestose oringals but the graphite type is OK.
Tighten the rear main bearing as much as possible (rmove shims)
I think the long tie rod MAY need to be dropped.

Gene, no cross member behind pan but in from of flywheel housing. Cross member located to rear of rear of trans mounting bolts. Why would it be necessary to tighten rear main bearing and remove shims in order to replace oil seal? (forgive my almost total ignorance on this subject)? Any thoughts on how best to remove trans and deal with torque tube being in the way of sliding trans back out of bell housing?

Do you you think that you could remove the flywheel hoiusing cover without removing anything else? I you could you shoud be able to drop the oil pan OK.
Shims are removed to reduce the bearing clearence which in turn wii reduce the flow of ilo past the bearing.

Can you send me a picture of what it looks like at the rear of the oil pan?

Is that short cross member just in front of the big X center bolted in or riveted?

The cross member plate is riveted. Attempting to add photos of bottom of pan but doesn't look like I'm doing in correctly. I see what you mean about the log tie rod needing to be dropped. If I can figure out how to correctly use the attachment manager I'll send a photo of the cross member plate.

Photos of cross member plate. Rectangular hole in plate is for access to emergency brake cable adjustments.

you are all set to remove the oilpan.

Thanks, regards.