Speedi-Sleeve, Flathead front seal

[Mark Lowery]

I hope that someone has tried this and has some recollection of how it turned out.  The front pulley on my 37 LaSalle shows some wear, so I was thinking about using a Speedi-Sleeve instead of turning it down and using a different than original seal in the front cover.  From their catalogue, it looks like the #99185 would be the proper sleeve for nominal diameter 1.859".  Unfortunately, the sleeve is only about 1/2 long, so it would have to stay put once installed as the portion of the shaft (front pulley sealing surface) that is turned down to that diameter is about 15/16" deep.

While we're on that topic (front pulley), does anyone know of an outfit that sells replacement sheaves or has a service for straightening them?  Some ham fisted idiot must have bent them when removing (wait, that was me!).  Now, 35 years later, the chickens have come home to roost.  Hate to put it together with these pieces not running true.

Mark Lowery, CLC #25216

[35-709]

Used a Speedi-Sleeve on a '66 429, worked just fine.
Geoff N.

[Brad Ipsen CLC #737]

Unless the 37 is different from the 38 to 48 engines the running seal surface is not on the OD of the pulley but on the inside face of the timing cover.  I convert this to a lip seal and move the running seal surface to the OD of the pulley.  Machine the pulley to 1.813" and bore the cover to 2.279".  This timing cover hole has to be indexed to the crankshaft center line so as a practical matter it has to be done when you are rebuilding the engine.  Because the original seal does not require it to be indexed to the center line of the crank I have never trusted that the existing hole is in fact centered on the crank.  Use seal part number CR 18025.  This works perfectly and is totally leak free.

[Otto Skorzeny]

  Because the original seal does not require it to be indexed to the center line of the crank I have never trusted that the existing hole is in fact centered on the crank. 

Interesting. That would explain wear and leakage.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

I have used Speedi-sleeves on many occasions, and have never experienced any problems.

And, they don't have to be too long as they are only designed to act as a Seal-repair and not a total face repair, as the seals aren't that wide.

Bruce.

[Mark Lowery]

Unless the 37 is different from the 38 to 48 engines the running seal surface is not on the OD of the pulley but on the inside face of the timing cover.  I convert this to a lip seal and move the running seal surface to the OD of the pulley.  Machine the pulley to 1.813" and bore the cover to 2.279".  This timing cover hole has to be indexed to the crankshaft center line so as a practical matter it has to be done when you are rebuilding the engine.  Because the original seal does not require it to be indexed to the center line of the crank I have never trusted that the existing hole is in fact centered on the crank.  Use seal part number CR 18025.  This works perfectly and is totally leak free.

Brad,
I think the 37 engine is the same in that respect as the later engines so I'm going to go the route you suggested.  I did look at my spare block (evidently a 39)  this morning, and I clearly see alignment dowels in the front cover mounting surface.  So the manufacturer clearly wanted this thing located fairly precisely every time it was mounted.  I'm wondering how one would check for concentricity.  All I can think of is with the crank in place and the front cover on, you could slip drill shanks in until you came up w/ a light interference fit and then see if the same held true all around the circumference.  I can't figure out how to rig my dial gauge to read in this confined area, but maybe a jig could be fabricated that would provide for this.

If the hole in the front cover was not concentric, that would seem to be a real challenge to address while boring the existing hole out to the 2.279" diameter.

Thanks again for the explanation and detailed "fix".

Mark Lowery, CLC#25216