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Classic/Antique Car Repair/1958 plymouth rear leakly mail seal

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Expert: Paul Wilczynski - 1/7/2009


Question
Hi Paul , I have a 58 plymouth with a 350 b motor that I had rebuilt about a year ago , now it started to leak while running. Is ther something that I can try without replacing it, Thanks Tim

Answer
Tim, if my memory hasn't failed me, this is a "rope" type main seal.

You can buy a kit to remove the old rope seal and install a new one. It has a screw-in puller rod and a "Chinese handcuff" type of installation tool. It's called a "Sneaky Pete", and is made by Lisle. It's their part number 27000:

http://www.sjdiscounttools.com/lis27000.html

By all means use a Graph-Tite new main seal. These cure any and all leaks of rope seals, and I believe the manufacturers would have used them exclusively, had they been available back then.

http://www.bestgasket.com/about_our_products.asp

There will be instructions with the Sneaky Pete. Be sure you drain the oil pan, pull the rear main cap only, and disconnect the coil wire. Hook up the screw-in puller and jog the crank with a remote starter button or have a friend turn the key in tiny bursts, to ease out the old rope. Then slip the Chinese handcuff through the rope groove around the crank, fasten it around the new rope, and once again jog the crank by hitting the starter, while pulling the rope through its groove. When it's all done, trim it slightly long, fit the other half into the cap and trim it slightly long, lube it with STP or assembly lube, and torque the cap back into place.

Reassemble, fill with oil, turn over a bit, connect the coil wire, and start it up.

You should be good to go.

--Paul

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Paul Wilczynski

Expertise

Most questions involving vintage car restoration, mechanical and body, paint and upholstery. Parts sourcing. Extensive experience in wood-bodied station wagons, British and French cars of the '40s through '70s. Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Sunbeam Alpine and Tiger, Citroen Maserati, VW Beetle, 1955-65 Chevrolet (especially Nomad station wagons), Corvair.

Experience

Wide-ranging and long-term. I owned a restoration shop in the 1970s, continue to dabble in vintage exotics. At one time, had a seven-car collection of contemporary exotics which I had restored and maintained myself. When I was 18 years old, I designed a woodie kit for the VW Beetle, which I developed into a product which was featured on television and in over 100 magazines and 25 books at last count. I still own and drive one of my creations. I owned a design and fabrication consultancy from 1982-2002, specializing in show car fabrication for manufacturers including Ford, Mazda, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, etc. Since 2003, I have been a department manager in Industrial Design, and a full-time instructor in automotive design and fabrication at the university level. My students go on to design automobiles as staff designers for major auto manufacturers worldwide.

Organizations
Western Automotive Journalists, Industrial Design Society of America.

Publications
Long list of magazines and books, including Playboy, VW Trends, VW Greats, Hot VWs, and European automotive magazines.

Education/Credentials
I teach design and fabrication at university level. My education is in Industrial Design, University of Illinois (1966-1970).

Awards and Honors
Many awards for restorations in local concours and shows.

Past/Present Clients
Mazda, Ford, GM, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Honda, Toyota, Chrysler, Mercedes, Porsche.

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