Charles Seims
Member
Hello fellows--
I just acquired another 1932 aluminum oil pan from a neighbor up the street. It differs from my other one in several respects. One is that there is no circular sump on the inside bottom. Two is that it does not have a casting date anywhere. Three is that the oil drain hole for the flywheel casting has been enlarged and tapped for 3/4 x 16 threads. It has the crankcase drain hole on the usual place, at the side.
This last is a new one on me. To get to the bottom of the mystery, I consulted my admittedly incomplete collections of Ford service and assembly change letters and learned the following:
Factory service letter to dealers #20 dated July 8 1932 (this information is also given in abbreviated form in earlier letters) defines the problem as dirt entering the flywheel chamber on cars that are driven on dirt roads with a high crown, so the bottom of the pan (the flywheel enclosure is the lowest point) drags in the dirt. Ouch! In that case, the dealer is instructed to drill a new hole of 1/4" diameter into the flywheel enclosure (and install a cotter pin in it) , tap the existing hole out to 3/4" and thread it. A diagram indicates where to drill the new 1/4 hole. (Query: How many Ford mechanics didn't read the instructions and drilled the hole into the oil sump?) The dealer is then instructed to install an #18-6403-R plug in the enlarged hole and and peen it over so it can't work out (I am not making this up. Better be careful where the hammer falls here!) This may be an issue, the service letter points out, with cars having a serial number lower than #18-78500.
My question is what the hell is an #18-6403-R? Has anyone ever seen the flywheel hole tapped like this or seen an #18-6403-R. What does the "R" suffix represent? I should point out that my pan has not had the 1/4" hole drilled out. Also it occurs to me that that anyone driving his '32 V-8 on dirt roads like that would soon be in the market for a whole new oil pan, and possibly a new engine as well.
I just acquired another 1932 aluminum oil pan from a neighbor up the street. It differs from my other one in several respects. One is that there is no circular sump on the inside bottom. Two is that it does not have a casting date anywhere. Three is that the oil drain hole for the flywheel casting has been enlarged and tapped for 3/4 x 16 threads. It has the crankcase drain hole on the usual place, at the side.
This last is a new one on me. To get to the bottom of the mystery, I consulted my admittedly incomplete collections of Ford service and assembly change letters and learned the following:
Factory service letter to dealers #20 dated July 8 1932 (this information is also given in abbreviated form in earlier letters) defines the problem as dirt entering the flywheel chamber on cars that are driven on dirt roads with a high crown, so the bottom of the pan (the flywheel enclosure is the lowest point) drags in the dirt. Ouch! In that case, the dealer is instructed to drill a new hole of 1/4" diameter into the flywheel enclosure (and install a cotter pin in it) , tap the existing hole out to 3/4" and thread it. A diagram indicates where to drill the new 1/4 hole. (Query: How many Ford mechanics didn't read the instructions and drilled the hole into the oil sump?) The dealer is then instructed to install an #18-6403-R plug in the enlarged hole and and peen it over so it can't work out (I am not making this up. Better be careful where the hammer falls here!) This may be an issue, the service letter points out, with cars having a serial number lower than #18-78500.
My question is what the hell is an #18-6403-R? Has anyone ever seen the flywheel hole tapped like this or seen an #18-6403-R. What does the "R" suffix represent? I should point out that my pan has not had the 1/4" hole drilled out. Also it occurs to me that that anyone driving his '32 V-8 on dirt roads like that would soon be in the market for a whole new oil pan, and possibly a new engine as well.
