Walt Dupont--Me.
Well-known member
This is what working on a flathead makes it interisting. I've been working on them for over 50yr's and found something differant today. A guy was stripping a 50 Merc engine for me to build. He called and said it was all stripped but he can't get the cam out. He had been prying and prying and finally broke the flange where the timeing gear bolts. I told him to bring the engine in. I put it on an engine stand and put a pry bar on one of the lobes next to the center main, the cam would only come out about 1/4in. It would snub right up like a lifter was still in. There was nothing that should hole it. I looked down the oil feed holes on the front and center main to see if something hadn't fallen in there. Nothing. I turned the engine over and look down the fuel pump push rod hole with a pen light. Something didn't look right. I took a long skinny screw driver and I could wiggle someting down next to the cam, I thought at first that someone had tryed to plug the push rod hole with a plug that was to small. I took a long skinny magnet and stuck it down the push rod hole, I could feel it lifting something, I kept playing with it and finally pulled it out with the magnet. It was a piece of the push rod about 1/2in. long and broke off the bottom of the push rod. I asked him if the rod was in it when he got the engine, he said no the intake and the heads were off when he go the engine. I cain't imagine it breaking by itself. Long story. Walt
AIN'T FLATHEAD'S FUN ?? 
