Oil Pan Sealing Tips LA Small Block?

[Andy]

Thanks for the advice fellas. I have replaced the rope rear main seal already with a rubber two piece seal and used just a small amount of black rtv where the two ends meet. I used red anaerobic sealer between the block and the cap since they are machined surfaces. I am doing the front cover gasket and seal, valve cover and the intake gaskets as well. None of them ever appear to have been replaced and the engine is quite an oily mess but it runs very well. When I’m done it should look as good as it runs I hope!

[Too Many Projects]

You working on a Pontiac ?? I haven't seen a rope rear seal in a Chevrolet in 55 years of working them.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Too Many Projects

You working on a Pontiac ?? I haven't seen a rope rear seal in a Chevrolet in 55 years of working them.

318 LA small block mopar.

[Too Many Projects]

Ah, I didn't notice this was in the Mopar forum....

I do have a soft spot for Mopars. I bought a '72 'Cuda new for my 20th birthday.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Too Many Projects

Ah, I didn't notice this was in the Mopar forum....

I do have a soft spot for Mopars. I bought a '72 'Cuda new for my 20th birthday.

No worries Mitch. I've always liked Mopars as well. The truck I'm working on now has been a part of my life since I was about a year old. My dad bought it in the mid 80s and used it for his business for about 20 years and then passed it along to me several years ago since he retired. Just been slowly working on it, fixing all of the issues it's developed over the years. I figure it will be a pretty cool tow truck for my Mopar cars in the future.

[Andy]

Well, I've been hard at work on this Truck for the past few months. I'll add posts as I get time to show the progress. I was able to fix all of the oil leaks, replaced the timing set, cleaned the engine up and repainted it while I was doing the fixes and upgraded the old 2 barrel setup to a vintage LD4B edelbrock 4 barrel with a small 390 cfm holley carb. Cleaned up the trans, resurfaced the flywheel and put a new clutch in and this thing drives like a dream now. Also figured out why the shifts were so sloppy. The shifter cane tip where it engages the shift rail in the trans was heavily worn. Fortunately, I was able to source another one from a 1963 parts truck that looked almost new and has a different bend in it so the shifter is in a much more driver friendly location with shorter throws between the gears!

I was able to get it back together just in time for Father's Day so my dad could drive it. I was able to relive some old times as we have been many miles in this truck together and make some new memories! Hope you guys had a good Father's Day weekend as well!

[Andy]

Continuation from the post yesterday. After examining the internals of the trans, everything looked good, so I cleaned it up, replaced the input shaft and output shaft seals and reinstalled the top cover. When I put the shifter cane in and gave it a quick test prior to putting the trans back in the truck, the difference was unbelievable. It honestly felt like going from rowing a boat to a hurst competition plus.