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Dipstick tube - how to drive in?
https://slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56257		 Page 1 of 2
Author:  Eatkinson [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 12:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Dipstick tube - how to drive in?
Just rebuilt the 170. Thought I had this handled until today when I was about to fill the crankcase with oil and a light shined on my marble head and I realized that YES, the dipstick filler tube DOES have to be fully seated into the block in order to get a correct and accurate reading from the dipstick, or I will be overfilling the oil every time. Crap!

How does one drive a very tight dipstick tube into the block without wrecking it? There is no o-ring: it's just an interference fit. The engine is sealed and back in the car so there's no chance of doing this without other stuff in the way. The 60 170 has a very long bent dipstick tube and I snapped this long one off trying to get it out of the block (yes a v tight fit), so I had it repaired.

Now I can't get it to fully seat at all: it jams up on entry. Not to mention that the bent neck is obstructing the large round Heat Riser counterweight on the exhaust manifold (odd because it wasn't in the way before).

See this old post. I've can't figure out one could use a block of wood here...? Maybe I need to sand the outside of the tube where it enters the block? Can't ream the block hole out at this point now because the bottom end is all sealed and I don't want shavings n' crap falling into the pan.
Author:  sandy in BC [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:12 pm ]
Post subject: 
Clean everything and sand the tube smooth....clamp on a pair of vice grips just above the place where the tube hits the block. Pound on the vice grips till the tube seats.

This requires some care..... you can pound and twist.
Author:  Eatkinson [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 3:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
That's a good suggestion: I'll do as much of this as I can. But the exhaust manifold and engine mount being directly in the way and it being a very cramped engine bay in comparison to say, the '63 Dart, make this tough to do. Pounding? Maybe. Twisting? HA. No room for that. I see some heavy sanding of the tube in my future unless someone has a different thought. I was thinking about what I could slip over the tube to create more of an edge that I could pound on. But now that the engine mount is snug up against it means I may not even be able to do that. Rats. Sometimes it's the simplest things. I wish I had installed the tube prior to the manifold and everything else. But it seemed so premature at that point...
Author:  emsvitil [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 7:11 pm ]
Post subject: 
Maybe freezing it will shrink it............
Author:  Reed [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 8:49 pm ]
Post subject: 
Get a block of wood. Drill a hole in the wood the same diameter (or very slightly bigger) than the diameter of the dipstick tube. Slide the wood block down the tube until it rests on the flared part of the tube. Use the wood block to hammer the tube into the block.
Author:  Eatkinson [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 10:59 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Get a block of wood. Drill a hole in the wood the same diameter (or very slightly bigger) than the diameter of the dipstick tube. Slide the wood block down the tube until it rests on the flared part of the tube. Use the wood block to hammer the tube into the block.
That is an awesome suggestion, I love it. And I can't possibly do it with the clearances I'm dealing with. Damn. I REALLY wish I had done this before putting the exhaust manifold on and the engine mount. Life would be simpler.

At this point, I don't even know if I can get the mount shield back on. It seems like such an unnecessary but a nice 'finishing touch'.

Image

Image
Author:  makapipi [ Mon Sep 22, 2014 11:22 pm ]
Post subject:  tapping tube in
Maybe several wobble extensions joined together and
taped to tube and end of extension sitting on wood so
you can tap it in.
Author:  Reed [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 12:28 am ]
Post subject: 
Substitute long flathead screwdriver for block of wood. Hit screwdriver handle instead of wood.

Or, spend some time with some sandpaper or a grinder decreasing the outer diameter of the dipstick tube.
Author:  Eatkinson [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:08 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks guys. All good suggestions which I have already tried. Last resort was a large flat stake which I managed to leverage so it wouldn't slip off that little ridge around the tube. But I stopped as I could see the just-repaired ridge starting to deteriorate from the tapping. Oh well. I did manage to get it a little further in. I'll make do as-is.
Author:  Reed [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 1:51 am ]
Post subject: 
This is a job for----RTV-MAN!

Just build a little ridge around the union.
Author:  dakight [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 2:52 am ]
Post subject: 
Support the engine and remove the motor mount to give you a little more clearance. Use a box wrench to slip over the tube and rest against the flange. That will give you a surface to strike but the force of the blow will be distributed over a wider area to avoid further damage to the tube.

Alternatively, Lowes has some steel bushings in their hardware area; find one that will just slip over the tube. It will have to be a little loose to go past the bend and it would be best to get the shortest one available or even shave off a ring with a hacksaw.
Author:  nuttyprof [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 5:35 am ]
Post subject: 
If you pulled the motor mount you could slide a steel washer on to protect the shoulder. (remember washers often have one face with a sharp face and one that is slightly rounded, use the rounded one) then use a piece of pipe that will slide over the tube. You will need to angle the end of the pipe slightly to make up for the bend in the tube.
Author:  nm9stheham [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:00 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:
Support the engine and remove the motor mount to give you a little more clearance. Use a box wrench to slip over the tube and rest against the flange. That will give you a surface to strike but the force of the blow will be distributed over a wider area to avoid further damage to the tube.

Alternatively, Lowes has some steel bushings in their hardware area; find one that will just slip over the tube. It will have to be a little loose to go past the bend and it would be best to get the shortest one available or even shave off a ring with a hacksaw.
^^ This... remove the mount temporarily. And then use one of the many good suggestions to put force against the tube flange.

Hint if you don't have a hoist handy: I have a super cheapo tiny bottle jack that can be set on the K member near the front left with a block of 2x4 under one side that tilts the jack at the correct angle to point it right up at the forward left corner of the oil pan flange on the engine. A piece of 1x2 on the top of the bottle jack protects the pan flange, and with a few pumps, the engine is tilted up a bit and the mount can be removed. Takes 2-3 minutes to set up. (If you do this, you would be wise put some other pieces of wood on the K member as back up support for the bottle jack while you pound on this tube, juuust in case the jack slips.) And, BTW, this is for a '62 Dart (B-body) so I might have more room to do this. And just be careful with your hands anytime yo use a shortcut lift method like this.
Author:  Eatkinson [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:09 am ]
Post subject: 
Thanks men. You're correct: I will have to remove the motor mount to make better progress. Appreciate the suggestions. Even better would be to remove the exhaust/intake manifold as they introduce all this vertical obstruction such that it's tough to pound on the tube in the correct up-down plane. But I won't be doing that. The 60 170 with power steering has such a complicated support system for the alternator up top, that to take the manifolds off easily, you have to remove the alternator which means removing the bolts that hold the thermostat housing on, which also means that you better hold that housing tight against the head with your hands or prepare to drain the cooling system down. Just to remove the manifolds. Jeesh!
Author:  nm9stheham [ Tue Sep 23, 2014 9:17 am ]
Post subject: 
BTW, when I looked at your first pix, the tube thing at the bottom looked at first like chrome-moly tubing, and wondered "What the heck is he doing here?!?".....but I now see it as a large hose for something....LOL

With your above description of removing the manifold, who needs a modern car for parts access problems? Wow....
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