It’s amazing how a tiny oil leak can cause so much grief
Ever since the engine was last rebuilt, there had been a very small oil leak somewhere around the rear main which resulted in a very thin film of oil covering the underside of the truck. It was incredibly frustrating and quite frankly, it was the main reason the truck sat dormant for more than five years. I had just lost the motivation to deal with it. Ultimately external forces came into play which prompted the redux. I had sold the building in which Responder PSE was located and with a one year lease, it made it clear that the truck needed to be addressed. The sale of the building was a huge bonus having bought low and sold high. So it was worth the strife that would come along in twelve months when it came time to move.
After getting access to the block, we were able to raise the block high enough to end the menacing oil leak that had plagued the truck and created such consternation for so long. Something as simple as a seal can make life hell. It was time to do it right and replace the old factory pan with a high quality replacement and get it sealed once and for all. We even welded in a bung on the passenger’s side for a soon to be installed oil temperature sender.
To install the new oil pan with a one piece FelPro gasket, we had to improvise. The gasket is designed for a newer block with smaller oil pan bolts on either side of the crank. This is an old block and the solution was to have a local machine shop make some custom bolts for us. For the block, it is 5/16-18 X ¾” stepped down to ¼-18 X ¾” to fit the gasket and the oil pan. Finally, to ensure leaking would be a thing of the past, we applied a generous amount of RTV around both crank bearing seals. It was huge sense of accomplishment to finally have conquered the bane of my existence for so long.
