1958 Atomic4 Overhaul .5

[Mo]

....was taking wheels off the boat trailer, one came off easy enough...on the other one had to use SeaFoam, Kroil and heat it up rusted lug nuts with propane....nothing was working until I decided to turn one of them backwards to "work it"....turned out that this side of the axle had right handed bolts!!!....so one side right handed, another left handed thread..... never hear about anything like that

That's something else. It's not too often you see Lt hand threads on things anymore. The only thing I know of that is common Lt hand threads are gas appliances / propane tanks etc....must be a pretty old trailer.

[2dogsnight]

Yes Mo, left handed and the other wheel right handed!!??...don't understand this at all....never less very happy that both wheels are off the trailer......I think trailer was made in 1950's .....looks like n axle is from car/truck front suspension off something from that time period.....
......poking around the boat, I have found more brass

[ndutton]

Left hand lug nuts on the left side of the car were commonplace at least in GM products, Pontiacs that I know of personally, into the early 60's. There was an 'L' stamped on the end of the stud.

[2dogsnight]

Who knew?? Not me
this is a very special boat and the trailer.....everyday I am reminded how lucky I am to have it

[romantic comedy]

My dad had dodges and valiants when i was a kid. I remember that some, or all of them had left hand threaded lugs, on one side. Some, but not all, had an L stamped on the end of the stud.

I remmeber seeing many cars with one lug snapped off, in the 60s and 70s. I am not sure what brand they were, but assume they had left hand threads that got turned the wrong way.

That has stayed with me. I always think that a lug might be a left hand thread, even though I have not seen one in many years.

[2dogsnight]

asked about left axle threads guys at work, and not many people knew about that!!
......finally got the motor out of the boat.....$$$$ and fun work...that's all it took....2ea of 4x4x8 and 1ea 4x4x10....4ea metal brackets....few 2x4x8....1T chain hoist
Drove trailer under the hoist...use tie downs to wrap around the motor.....hoist it up....drive trailer from under the hoist...barely high enough to clear the boat....pumped the oil with factory hand pump...worked really well

[ndutton]

asked about left axle threads guys at work, and not many people knew about that!!

Yeah, well they're not Afourians are they?? Truth is, some of us are old as dirt and have been wrenching nearly our entire lives. You run across stuff over the long haul. Now, if we could just remember half of it . . . .

[2dogsnight]

Hahahahaha....remembering - so true

[ILikeRust]

A word of caution - next time you hoist the engine, I most definitely would NOT use those little red ratchet straps. They are NOT at all meant to be used as lifting straps, and you might be surprised by how easy it is to "part" one. Feel free to ask me how I know this - I have more than one story to tell.

In fact, even the much bigger, heavier, yellow ratchet straps can be parted - again, ask me how I know this.

Use either a proper lifting strap or maybe some stout chain. In any event, make sure no part of your body or appendages is beneath that thing when it's hanging suspended.

[ndutton]

We had a completed Downeast 38 drop from the hoist in exactly that fashion and those straps were huge. It caused an injury, I was the one whose task it was to call the emergency services.

We had a practiced routine for emergencies so efforts were neither overlooked nor duplicated. My office made the call, others were stationed at the street corner, our vehicle entrance and down our drive to direct emergency vehicles, some were assigned the outside fire sprinkler main valve, the main electrical switch, etc. We drilled it regularly and it functioned like a machine. That was Islander Yachts (Downeast Yachts leased space from us).

We also had a practiced routine when immigration made a raid but I can't talk about that.

[lat 64]

Yeah, well they're not Afourians are they?? Truth is, some of us are old as dirt and have been wrenching nearly our entire lives. You run across stuff over the long haul. Now, if we could just remember half of it . . . .

It's so cool being an old fart isn't it?
I bought a 55 Olds holiday 88 tudor in 1978. Was putting used snow tires on it when I learned about left-handed threads—just in time I might add!

The funny thing was, only half of the studs on that side were left-handed. The rest were right-handed! It was a game every time I got a flat, and that was often.
Awesome 324 V-8 though, and a four-speed hydromatic!
Style baby, style!

[ndutton]

1960 Pontiac Catalina, 389 with a 6 pack aka tri-power aka three deuces, 4 speed hydramatic. Can't say the 6 pack was original to the engine, may have been grafted from a later model GTO but not by me. That Pontiac had the left hand wheel studs on the left side - all of them!

I was 16, way too much car for a 16 year old but those were different times. Your car defined you.

Looks like my affection (affliction??) for Catalina's started way back.

[2dogsnight]

Thanks Bill...I was staying away from the motor fearing exactly that - but had to get it out of the boat tonight.....will be getting the right stuff for the next time....
Found straps capacity 1T / 2000 lbs......
Would like to mount the motor on motor stand - wandering if I can use flywheel side....there are 1/4-20 threaded holes in the flywheel casting I want to use....anyone tried that ????.....

Never mind...Ken was very clear today that Atomic is not an engine stand friendly motor :-)

[ILikeRust]

Would like to mount the motor on motor stand - wandering if I can use flywheel side....there are 1/4-20 threaded holes in the flywheel casting I want to use....anyone tried that ????.....

Never mind...Ken was very clear today that Atomic is not an engine stand friendly motor :-)

It's not, but it can be done.





I had it on the stand for a day or two, but shortly after that decided it was just as well to just have it sit on the bench and flop it over manually as needed.

[sastanley]

2dogs...i've rebuilt a motor on a stand..(Honda civic motor), and it was nice.

For the A-4, from everything I've read here, the best plan is to put the motor on some wooden rails..then you can put the rails at the height that works for you.

My $0.02.

P.S. > Look how far you've come..really nice work with removing the motor from the boat...weren't we just talking about a crane on the back of a pickup a couple months ago??!!??!