How much is too much

mattgic

mattgic

Junior Member
I found this girl in storage. It had been stored 30+ years.
Through the knowledgebase here and some YouTube videos, I was able to get it running. It had a signifigant leak at the water pump. More knowledge gathering I learned how the waterpump worked. Previous owner had filled the whole cavity with grease. I literally had to scope it out with a spoon. I also found there was no packing. While working with it I discovered about a 1/4" movement in the shaft, back and forth. Some have mentioned there may be some movement, but I thought this was a lot.

I tried to attach a video, but too new to the forum.
 
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mattgic said:
I found this girl in storage. It had been stored 30+ years.
Through the knowledgebase here and some YouTube videos, I was able to get it running. It had a signifigant leak at the water pump. More knowledge gathering I learned how the waterpump worked. Previous owner had filled the whole cavity with grease. I literally had to scope it out with a spoon. I also found there was no packing. While working with it I discovered about a 1/4" movement in the shaft, back and forth. Some have mentioned there may be some movement, but I thought this was a lot.

I tried to attach a video, but too new to the forum.
Click to expand...
I believe that the spec is 0.003” shaft play, so 0.250” (1/4”) is excessive. It allows the fan to move around, not desirable. This likely indicates excessive wear in the cylinder head. Vendors sell an extra long shaft to accommodate for this. As a “get by” alternative you might consider installing a thrust collar (Snyder’s A-8511-C) on the pump shaft to control movement.

Nice barn find! Should be a lot of fun to work on. I love the fender-mount turn signals.
 
mattgic said:
I found this girl in storage. It had been stored 30+ years.
Through the knowledgebase here and some YouTube videos, I was able to get it running. It had a signifigant leak at the water pump. More knowledge gathering I learned how the waterpump worked. Previous owner had filled the whole cavity with grease. I literally had to scope it out with a spoon. I also found there was no packing. While working with it I discovered about a 1/4" movement in the shaft, back and forth. Some have mentioned there may be some movement, but I thought this was a lot.

I tried to attach a video, but too new to the forum.
Click to expand...

Nice Find! Welcome to the Barn!
 
Looks like it might clean up pretty well. As per above answer, yes, there's probably wear inside the cylinder head on the boss that the end of the water pump shaft rides on. Only my opinion, but I think you are better off with the collar mentioned instead of the longer shaft. The collar can be installed to give you the desired .003" - .005" endplay whereas there's no way to guess at how much wear there is inside the head. If the new, longer shaft is too long, you'll cause other problems with how the water pump fits to the head.

Keep investigating & asking questions. You'll learn a lot along the way. Good Luck.
 
Thanks for all the feedback. I love all the unique knowledge on this forum. The car is a '28. She's far from original but full of originality.
 
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mattgic said:
"Excessive wear on the cylinder head" does that equal a head replacement in the near future?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily, only if it is worn through to the water jacket behind it. On the other hand, if the rest of the engine is sound a high compression head can contribute significantly to more power.
 
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mattgic's Ford Model A Town Sports Coupe
 
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