Lanova engine rebuild

Vladislav · March 14, 2015

It's a long story.

Actually it's just a part of my WW2 Mack resto project. I started putting my hands on it about 12 months back although hadn't much good looking images to show out. Now I'm near a middle of this story and realized there's quite of a matter to start talking about.

I got that engine off the chassis long ago. Although didn't start working on it since I was busy with the chassis and other things. About a year back, in the winter, I finally resolved to take it apart. From the man I bought the spare truck with that engine from I was told it got stuck by rust.

Vladislav · March 14, 2015

I took the heads off and found out all the sleeves were rusty to death. Removed the attachments, layed it on its side and got the oil pan off. Damn old black and heavy oil overthere, looked more as bitum than motor oil.

Got the crank off. It was of the stamdard size but had rust traces either. Mostly on the main journals, the cranks were Ok. Had some labour hitting the pistons out. Had to hit them first to the inside (down the liner) with a piece of wood and a big hammer. And only after they made some move I drove them out hitting the rods (with a wood stock).

Just after it was done I found out in this type of engine I could got them off from the crank shaft side. The bores were small enough to clear up the pistons between the main bearings. It could be much easier.

Found out some rust on the cams, lifters, and teeth gears. Not extremely hard though.

eddeere · March 14, 2015

Enjoyed the pictures. Looks like it can be saved.

Vladislav · March 14, 2015

Got the block washed with gasoline for some days. Many times it looked quite clean but when you spray some other deep corner with gas it started spreading black fat stains. The cooling passes was another story. About 1/4 of the level was filled up with a kind of rusty clay. Nobody knew what it was exactly but the most of you know how it used to be. Bought good amount of bottles with shitter cleaner and filled whole the cooling cavit. Kept over the weekend and washed out with water flow.

The original plan was to fabricate new cylinder sleeves. Some while before that story I payed some interest to and was told "no trouble to make any liners, there are ready castings for sale locally.

After I got measurments and called the guy he said "nothing for that long with that small bore".

I recheked different ready liners for heavy trucks but had no luck. Everything was shorter or much wider.

That conclusion went into solution to order custom iron casting. I googled that matter and found out no less than 10 facilities. After calling them all there was a rest of the two. Both in 500-1000 km away. But there was no need of a travel, they could send the stuff to me. I ended up with one of them since the others asked about 3 times more for. I was promised for a week but it was turned out into 4. Pretty usual overhere, no matter you like it or not. The castings came at the time I was on the vacation in Normandy selebrating D-day so I could continue 2 more weeks later.

I brang them to the machine shop to cut them off on the outside to get the correct size for pressing in.

Forgot to mention, before that I pressed the old ones off the block and measured their OD's and the fitting bores in the block to get a correct sizr for the new ones.

Got ready sleeves from the shop and pressed them in. 20 ton machine made the work done being not far from it's limitations. The same getting off the original ones though.

Being in Europe I visited my Dutch friend and dug up hs stock. Got 6 NOS pistons, oil rings, and crank bearing shells. Had some luck with those shells but not at all. My crank had mains needed grind off and the cranks good.

At least I found no wear I could see with a micro gauge. The shells I got were STD cranks (perfect) and 2nd stage mains (very good, I wasn't shure I could go with the 1st stage). But there was a trouble. One of the shells of the middle main bearing was lost. I had exactly that journal good but was wondering what the shop guys will say to grind not all the mains... It became much later though.

Vladislav · March 14, 2015

So I had new pistons and the sleeves in the block. I brang the block to the shop and they bored and honed it.

After it was done I found out I had to machine the top surface also becase they cut the sleeve tops not perfect.

Had to bring the block to the different shop since the first one nadn't a milling machine large enough to do that.

Ughhh...

To be continued :banana:

41chevy · March 14, 2015

Nice work. You are really doing things correct and to last.

What is the bore diameter and length of stroke on the engine? Paul

steamer · March 14, 2015

Great work I hope you can post a video when you get It started. Dean

Vladislav · March 14, 2015

Nice work. You are really doing things correct and to last.
What is the bore diameter and length of stroke on the engine? Paul

Paul,

I'm not young enough to feel the need of fixing when got on the road. And hate to find out I "should do" something when I "could do".

The bore/stroke is 4-3/8 by 5-3/4.

Actual sleeves are long, here's the draving of castings I requested when ordering.

1958 F.W.D. · March 14, 2015

Vlad, have you ever used dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) to freeze the liners (shrinks them) before you pressed them into a block? I remember my father doing this when he did a cylinder kit (in-frame) on one of his F-Models and it worked like a charm. He was able to put the liner in by just tapping it with a small dead-blow mallet and a block of soft wood.

Superdog · March 14, 2015

Vlad, have you ever used dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) to freeze the liners (shrinks them) before you pressed them into a block? I remember my father doing this when he did a cylinder kit (in-frame) on one of his F-Models and it worked like a charm. He was able to put the liner in by just tapping it with a small dead-blow mallet and a block of soft wood.

We used to just put the sleeves in an old freezer overnite.

Vladislav · March 14, 2015

Vlad, have you ever used dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) to freeze the liners (shrinks them) before you pressed them into a block? I remember my father doing this when he did a cylinder kit (in-frame) on one of his F-Models and it worked like a charm. He was able to put the liner in by just tapping it with a small dead-blow mallet and a block of soft wood.

Randy, no I didn't. Original manual for this engine tells just "press out" and "press in". With a portable press using stock bottle jack.

So I measured carefully the original liners and the bores in the block. Than gave the figures to the shop guy. He couldn't keep the size from liner to other absolutely sharp although the bores had some difference either. So I "played" with new sleeves placing them with about equal tight.

I would use thermo effect but those parts were long and needed a while to be in place. So they would balance temperatures being in contact so long.

And as it seems to me, newer Mack engines such as E6 have much slighter fit in a block. At least I was told so from the man who owned my R and made inframe overhaul.

41chevy · March 14, 2015

I agree. Nothing more sorry to see than a beautifully restored vehicle the barely runs or breaks down because of the mechanicals being "rebuilt " with a spray can. I always make my mechanicls better than when it left the factory.

You are lucky to be able to have the liners cast, That type of job in the U.S. is almost impossible to have done because if enviromental regulations and size of the order. Most foundries that can make the parts want an order of 100 pieces or more.

Paul

Vladislav · March 29, 2015

Paul, that wasn't the best way to cast the liners because it was not a centrifugal casting and some minor cavits came on the surface after honing. Not too big and too many though. I could go another way ordering custom pistons. Some places offer it overhere although I'm not shure how they are really solid to not fall apart inside a running engine. I've heard this kind of stories.

Part 2 of the story.

After the block was machined I closed it all over the holes with plywood covers and put the front and other original covers with temporary gaskets on. Than sandblasted it and painted. Made the same to the other parts.

It was a usual combo of self-etching primer, second common primer and than acrilic paint mixed with matt additive 30:70. So just 30% of paint and 70% of matt. This makes a smooth matt surface you use to see on military vehicles.

Vladislav · March 29, 2015

Allowing the paint to set up well I payed attention to the crank shaft. It had some rust as said above so I got it to the shop. They ground the mains off to the second stage, the size I found the bearing shells for. Having no shells for the central journal I kept it standard. It had no damage so it was possible. Shop guy was not too lucky about it. He spent about 40 minutes setting the shaft into the lathe. It was not almost a lathe but the crank grinding machine.

After he had the shaft almost centered he ground it over in about 10 minutes or less.

A couple of days were spent filing the piston rings to obtain the correct gap. Not a great trouble but there were 30 rings at all and I wanted to do it well.

There was one more point in that story I wanted to pass buy with no doubt. The rear crank seal.

The original one was of the old wire style and I knew it might be leaky. So the plan was to go to a modern seal.

I had the rear cover off E6-350 engine and found out it could be fit to my block easily (40 years of difference!).

It needed though to be cutted off from the inside diameter to clear up a flange on the original Lanova crankshaft. I could cut the flange but preferred to modify the cap wich might be swapped easily if something goes wrong. The other trouble was the size of the shaft journal at the seal area. Econodyne seal has larger ID.

I made the steel sleeve to press on the shaft and get the correct size to work with E6/E7 part. Bought E7 teflon seal from ebay and made a steel part to press that seal in place. Not almost the same as Mack tool but the steel cap of the size to drive the seal in.

41chevy · March 29, 2015

Gee! After it is all redone and detailed I put it in my living room as a piece of art work!! Excellent work on it. Paul

Vladislav · March 29, 2015

Than everything as usual. Layed the block upside down on the wooden blocks. Put the bearing shells in, oiled, put the shaft in, fit main covers, tightened, wired them up. Than attached the flywheel housing and the rear cover with the seal. Bolted up and turned the block to stand vertical. Assenbled the pistons with the rods and got in. Wired up the rod bolt heads.

Revised the oil pump and found nothing wrong with it. Put in place, wired up and attached the pan. Yea, made the new gasket for it and for the small one either. And galvanized original bolts and than painted them before putting in place.