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1953 Tucker Sno Cat 443 Mt Washington WMTW Channel 8 Restoration

at this stage based on what i see id just bite the bullet and rebuild that thing properly, crank looks terrible, block deck is beat, all that sludge is trapping debris etc, at the very least hot tank, deck, hone rings bearings and a quick bump on the seats grind valves
Well within Tucker Tolerance for this preservation.

I pray my crank bearings look this good at 72 years
 
Can’t find a crank pulley install tool so we will fabricate one out of another hand crank nut.

Will cut the crank jaw off and weld on the threaded rod. This will allow proper draw and alignment.
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Had some youth support making progress today. Jovan got a lesson in torque wrench operation and math.

Timing cover plate/engine mount back on regasketed and torqued. Will have to remove and thread seal a number of the fasteners when the timing cover goes on.

Valves all adjusted set to .014” for initial firing. Lapping the valves tightened up the spec here.

New intake/exhaust studs installed. Most of these are in the water jacket so Permatex high temp thread sealant was used. 3/4 a turn is all you need which is plenty of sealant.

For stud install, I like to jam two nuts then tighten until the nuts start to slip on the stud for torque spec.

Fabricated the crank pulley installation tool out of hand crank not cutting of the jaw and welding in a rod.
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Hand filed the key, key ways, and crank hub to clean up the burrs for a smooth install while waiting on parts and pieces.

Getting ready to pivot back to finish the frame once the regasketing of the motor is complete.

Template for the missing door using high strength thick wall 14 gauge square tube like
Tucker!
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Coated the new timing chain and gears with assembly lube for start up.

Speedy sleeve installed in the crank hub and installed on the crank. Permatex black for extra leak guard.

Manual refers to a seal alignment tool to tighten the timing cover on first. Here I left the timing cover loose while installing and let the hub center when I tighten the bolts.

Installation tool a must to draw on. Do not pound it on.

Timing cover torqued to 15 ft/lbs. Used thread sealant for most of these are in the water jacket.

Crank nut torqued to 135 ft/lbs.

Installed the two studs for the engine lifting bracket which need the long accessory studs for not the shorter head studs.

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Sourced an oil pan for a 251 and found a nice Rustoleum Silver Aluminum engine paint that blends in nicely pictured here on the OE Pan.

So I painted the new one only to find many 251 variations and this one doesn’t fit.

Considered repairing the OE pan for the patina but it has lots of dents and puncture damage. Copper braise and JB weld dressing. Good news is I sourced another nice pan. Marty deserves better.

Head cleaned up and flushed the internals for final install.
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New head hardware. Brake cleaner, paper towels, and a brush makes fairly quick work of the cosmoline.

Midwest Military and Vintage Power Wagons collectively had the hardware.

The Industrial motors had a buffet of mopar hardware unlike on automotive flathead variants which would usually be all studs or all bolts.

This Industrial 251 has a tapped headbolt perimeter to support mounting accessories, two accessory studs for engine lifting hook, and the rest traditional head bolts center.

Marty also features an aftermarket headbolt engine warmer stud which would have been added after production from Chrysler.

Ready for install.
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Installed the head this evening. Gasket coated in Permatex Copper Sealant which is recommended. Used a temp stud up front to get the head aligned when dropped on.

Many of the available gaskets are for a “hump head” which has an additional cooling port. This engine does not but the gasket works fine on the non hump heads.

Torqued in 4 steps following the pattern to 70 ft/lb then confirmed the final torque. Manual calls for a final torque when hot so added a reminder.

Tapped head bolts carry the hydraulic tank on this vintage.
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Oil pan I sourced is in excellent shape with a nice finish as is. While not OE to the machine paint is correct for Mopar flathead period prior to the Tucker tolerance overspray finish.

Compliments Marty’s storyline as a talking point as to the finish variations.

Material arrived to fab up the missing door #3 enhancement….

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Oil pan install went smooth. The way the gaskets lay on seems odd but that is the way with the sides proud and the sides on top. Doesn’t seem right but once the pan is layed on it all makes sense.

I little 3M 77 spray on just the pan side to hold the sides in place and Black RTV in the known leak areas at gasket mating locations before install. The end bolts on both sides need a little finesse when installing but went smooth.

Manual doesn’t spec a torque pattern so slow and even working around inside out by hand then 15 ft/lbs torque.

OE drain plug swapped out to upgraded magnetic and oring plug torqued 35 ft/lbs.

Panned out real nice on the patina finish!

Friend also hooked Marty up with some arch support.

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Thought the same thing when resealing my oil pan. Thought I had the wrong gasket set for a bit, but after some research and install no issues. The previous person doing the install must have thought the same, and then trimmed it. After it started leaking, the solution was a tube of silicone.
 

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Attempted a water pump rebuild which was pretty crusty and expected the outcome to be sourcing a new pump which proved true.

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