anyone try loosening up main bearing caps to lower crankshaft a bit to give the new seal more room to squeeze into place???? Just wondering ,got the sneaky pete an new rope seal an thought a little bit more clearance could make this easier. any ideas??? I pulled the old seal out not really thinking how hard it could be to replace it..

You might want to read through the recent thread about this repair that was posted in the New User Forum. That should answer your question.

I did this successfully on both my 216s. I used the Best seal and lubricated it with the Lucus additive. I also adjusted the main bearings down to minimum clearances. I pulled the transmission back to allows the back of the crankshaft to be lowered be a little more than a quarter inch. I used picture hanging wire to pull it in. It takes patience and the initial bit can be guided in with a small screwdriver. Once it starts to move, slow and steady is the word. You don’t want the crankshaft to to move when it is lowered. It could cause the timing gear to be improperly meshed.

Old 216 thanks for the reply , I also got a Best seal ,after fitting it into the bottom cap ,lubed it with a silicone spray and buying a Sneaky Pete Leisle tool to pull it through got it in without dropping the crank. I started out with a seal from another company which was way to big no matter how it stretched out ,watched a vidio on UTUBE where a guy mentioned the Best seal as the only way to go and I got to believe he was right. Just got the seal in an haven't put the oil in it yet. I know its a bigger job than I thought it would be but your right you have to go slow an steady. I read where some suggested breaking off pieces of old seal an forcing them into the upper end , all I know is my upper end when pulling it out crumbed and with that said I am glad I took the time to replace it. After all after 73 years things wear out. some how I guess I was hoping for a easy fix. this job is not easy but getting it done gives a feeling of satisfaction.

Stoker, that is great news and you did it without dropping the crank. That is amazing. Thanks for updating us on your success.

I got busy with other stuff an just got the oil pan put on an oil added , ran it for quite a while with no oil leaks. this made me feel a real sense of accomplishment. no doubt about it this is a big job
just wanted to tell all my feel good news , I did have an old friend mechanic tell me he would have only replaced the bottom part of the seal . after seeing the old one crumble into pieces glad I did the top part too.

Driving on the road iis the only true test

I found that 100 to 200 miles told the story. My first attempt on my 51 failed after a similar mileage. The problem was the slop in the main bearings. Once that was corrected, everything was good.