In order to replace the rear main seal in a 56 322 (Special), do you have to remove the engine completely?

I've never done one before, and I've been told that the extent of the job depends alot on the engine/car. Is this true?

Right now, it leaks about 1 quart per thousand miles. Maybe a teaspoon on the garage floor after two weeks sitting.

Thanks very much.

Hi there, Do a search on engine leak and you will see one by Iddie mackel and it will give you all the details on the project:thumbsup: Good luck, Bill:beers:

What a great thread. I just read the whole thing this afternoon. Thanks Bill, for pointing me there.

So, what did you do? Yours is a 322, I presume? Did you do yours yet? Was it the rear main? Did you use neoprene from the 231 V6?

Again, many thanks. This may be something I'm willing to tackle...AND...it helps me know some other places to look for a leak before I tackle it.

:thumbsup:
Daryl

Daryl, Mine is the 322 and I'm in the process of rebuilding it right now. I went ahead and put in the neoprene one and am going to try it. Iddies crank might have been worn a little more so the seal may have not worked in his case:confused: The 264 is basicly the same engine. I think either seal is fine, but the neoprene might have a little longer life. I hope so anyway:clonk: I'm haveing fun redoing my 56 right now though and that is what this hobby is all about:hurray: Good luck with your project, Bill:beers:

Hello 56cent & ddiddle,
I agree that my crank might be worn a little.I sure hope you guys don't have the problems I had,but if a problem arises,I learned quickly that this forum is the place to be. :shifter:

iddie :waving:

Hey Iddie, Are you still leak free? Out playing with your car?:shifter: I'm starting to reassemble mine finally:smash: Got my heater core back and most of my other parts. I tired of it laying all over my shop and getting tired of the snow up here. Can't wait to get out and try it out:bana: Hope your spring is going well. Bill:waving:

Hey Bill :waving: ,
Yep,I'm still :shifter: and having a ball.Once in a while I see a dime sized spot of oil on the concrete slab of my carport ,but it doesn't happen every time I cruise, so I don't worry about it.Our temperatures are supposed to be in the 60's :D all week,so I'll be cruisin' every day :hurray: .I hope you get to cruise soon.

iddie

The Rear Main Seal Area On These Two Engines Is .050" Smaller Then What The Seal For The 231 & 252 V6 Is Designed To Work With. It Will Leak As We Found Out A Few Years Back. The Seal Will Work Perfectly On 364-401-425- And On Small Block 300-340-350. Get In Contact With Egge Parts In Santa E Springs, Ca. For The New Type Of Seal Material Developed By Best Gasket Co. And Yes You Will Really Need To Pull The Engine. It Really Is Faster And Easeier. The 400-430-455 Also Have New Style Rubber Seals Front And Rear From Ta Performance On Az.

The Rear Main Seal Area On These Two Engines Is .050" Smaller Then What The Seal For The 231 & 252 V6 Is Designed To Work With. It Will Leak As We Found Out A Few Years Back. The Seal Will Work Perfectly On 364-401-425- And On Small Block 300-340-350. Get In Contact With Egge Parts In Santa E Springs, Ca. For The New Type Of Seal Material Developed By Best Gasket Co. And Yes You Will Really Need To Pull The Engine. It Really Is Faster And Easeier. The 400-430-455 Also Have New Style Rubber Seals Front And Rear From Ta Performance On Az.

I agree that it's faster & easier to pull the engine,but I had bad luck with the best gasket seal if you are refering to the "graphtite" product.That was the seal that started my leak problem :clonk: :angry: after I had it installed by an engine builder .Part of the gasket ended up in my oilpan & it appeared to have deteriorated.Maybe I just got a bad oil seal,but I won't be using that type again.
iddie

I wonder if any of Tom T.'s (Telriv's) successful Neoprene seal installations (see Iddie's original post) were on 322's, or if he's done them only on the 364 and up?

At least we all agree on the effectiveness of the duct tape method. :)

Alan, is the seal you're talking about he "graphtite" thing that Iddie's talking about?

D-

Daryl, I pm'd Tom and he said he has used the neoprene seal in the 264 and the 322 with no problems. I'm going to try it and see. How's your project going? Good I hope.:thumbsup: Bill:waving:

Hey Bill,

I'm going to wait for warmer weather - and - to see if the neoprene works for you... :D

Man, I'd love to do it without pulling the engine, but I don't want to do it 3 times either. I'm wondering about the slightly bent crank theory. What's the mileage on your car? Mine only has 42K and has never been apart, so I'd imagine mine should be fairly straight.

BTW, love to see a pic or two of your car.

Daryl

In most cases the surface area has to be completely clean, Immaculate in order to achieve proper results.