Two Bolts along Oil Pan Flange- 55 Wasp

supercub

I am about to pull my oil pan off, there are 2 bolts with bend lock tabs on them along the front flange. The gasket has clearances for these bolts. Are they totally separate from oil pan removal? The manual doesnt describe them Any ideas? Are they main bearing retainers?

54coupe

Those nuts are for a main bearing. You don’t need to mess with them to remove the pan.

supercub

Thanks

supercub

I removed the skid plate, should I expect the oil pan to drop down and slide rearward to clear the front crossmember? Is there a pickup tube that has to come out of the pump before it will slide rearward?

54coupe

On the 48-54’s you sometimes have to turn the crank so the throws will allow the pan to move rearward. I don’t know if you will have this issue in your 55

supercub

I can set #1 at TDC that might do it.

supercub

I couldnt get the oil pan out. I turned the crank so the first and second lobes are sideways, giving the least interference for the oil pan to slide out. It gets hung up on the front crossmember when liwered down below the cross linkage and pulled to the rear. It hits the steering cross linkage if pulled straight out to rear, and maybe even the oil slinger pan too. 
Has anyone removed an oil pan from a 55 Wasp 202? If I removed the cross linkage, would the ball joints be ruined? I have the front end jacked up from the frame.

Glowplug

Take the front mounts loose from engine and jack up engine as much as possible... should be the space needed.  

supercub

Will that damage the rear mounts at all?

Glowplug

Slow and steady and watch the attach points still connected.  

supercub

What is the best place to jack if from? How much do you think I woukd need,1-1/2"? I could put wood under each mount to jold it up, I need space underneath to work.

supercub

Should I just take the nut off of the stud or is it necessary to loosen the two forward nuts from the base plate of the mount?

Glowplug

I do not have a 55 Hudson, but the removal of the oil pan in a stepdown can be accomplished several ways in the vehicle.  One is to jack the engine up off the forward engine mounts.  This requires that a spacer be placed between the engine mount plate and the engine mount.  In the past when I have used this method. I have used an appropriately sized piece of hard wood ( 2X4 usually works) to make the spacer.  Then lower the engine back onto the spacer.  In a Stepdown this allows the pan to be pulled out from under the engine.    Good Luck

supercub

I'll try it. I have the top bolts off. The bottom bolts are really hard to get to as they are right against the side of the mount rubber. I brought a small hydraulic jack that has a wheel base. I am going to make a block that relieves the pan itself and just pushes on the sides of the oil pan. How much could I expect to raise it?

supercub

Haw Haw lets party!
I could only get a 3/8 ply shim under the motor mounts but it was enough to easily pull the pan out. There's some nice thick molasses in there.

superwasp

Oh wow.... That's a bit of sludge...

supercub

It cleaned out real quick. I have it all scrubbed out and flange clean. The flange needs some straightening around some of the bolt holes. Going to paint the outside. 

superwasp

Did your motor have an oil filter on it?

supercub

No, no oil filter. I took the oil pickup off and have it soaking in thinner. It was pretty dirty. Same for the oil cap. I've been looking for some felpro snap-ups to hold the gasket. Will try NAPA. Found them on ebay but I dont want to wait for them to ship. could make some out of 5/16 nylon screws. Everything looks good up in the engine, the bores and cam lobes look good.

superwasp

Well, I guess the Fram marketing of a gooey dipstick may have been more than just marketing.

supercub

Was an oil filter an option or an add-on for these cars? The engine crankcase is basically an open system, the gray color in the sludge could be from moisture. Im sure that the car sat for many years and the oil solvents evaporated out, leaving heavy crude. 

superwasp

Yes, Fram made an add on that bolted to the side of the block and simply plumbed in to the side of the block through ports Hudson had cast. 

superwasp

Here is an old thread on the topic discussing the pros/cons of adding one.
https://openforum.hetclub.org/discussion/169181/fram-oil-filter-canister

Glowplug

supercub said:

Was an oil filter an option or an add-on for these cars? The engine crankcase is basically an open system, the gray color in the sludge could be from moisture. Im sure that the car sat for many years and the oil solvents evaporated out, leaving heavy crude. 

If you are planning to drive the car regularly as a second car or possibly multiple times a week...  adding the filter might be of value, but the truth of the matter is ... if this is a hobby car and you are going to drive it to meets and the occassional cruise-in... change the oil once a year and DO NOT PLUMB the filter... this will assure you are not faced with nasty filter changes and the oil will get cleaned when you change it.  Most hobby car owners do not put a 1000 miles on their cars in a 12 month span.   My 2 cents... I used to drive my Hudsons as primary drivers... no longer... but followed the practice of changing the oil every 1000 miles and had Zero engine problems in the 45 years I drove my cars everyday.

supercub

I agree, for a hobby car which it is, changing the oil every 1000 miles is about right at once a year.  Plan on changing after a few hunderd miles after reassembly. I plan on putting it back together today as soon as the garage heats up a little.

ratlee2

You could tie the new gasket with dental floss to the pan in a couple of places and snip them off and pull out as you install the bolts.

supercub

Thats a good idea, thanks. I did get it together pretty easily using a pencil in the holes to line up the gaskets.
 I couldnt get the skid plate back on, the hole spacing is off, about 1/4" on each side. I think after sitting jacked up on the forward frame something- control arm bracket? got tweaked or unsettled by the weight of the car. Now that it has sat overnight off of the stands, I will look tonight to see if it will go. If so, moving on to the next repair on it.