Rear Main seal possible Crank removal?

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JeffreyLee

1965 Barracuda
Joined
Sep 20, 2017
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meridian Id
Hi guys, I have been fighting my 318 LA engine for my 65 Barracuda all morning trying to remove the lower section of the rear main seal. I have tried tapping it through with a screwdriver, no good. Finally loosened the crank bolts to try and give the seal some room to come out. Still no good. Am I stuck with having to remove the crank to get to that seal? If so, what is the process for doing that? I'm afraid of moving these parts around too much and causing myself bigger problems. Do I need to take off the timing cover, water pump, harmonic balancer etc? By the way....Here's a picture of my Barracuda all sub'limed out and ready to come home for the assembly stage. I'm super excited.

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When you say bottom are you talking about the part in the block which is acually the top?
If so loosen the main caps and pry up the back of the crank.
 
Yes, bottom is actually top of the motor. I have done that, pried up the back part of the crank and got some clearance...but the seal won't move. I've pushed on it with a screwdriver until it is no longer visible. I assume that it is just getting mashed out of shape.
 
Does it have a rope type of rear seal?

If so you need a cork screw or a wood screw that is long enough to screw into the seal and give you room to grab a hold of it with a pair of vice grips to pull up backup and out
 
if it's a rope seal, get a rope seal puller , it has a screw in the end, and thread it into seal and pull it out.
 
Or snug up the slack in the crank bolts and use a brass rod to get the seal moving out; the brass rod will bend around the crank as it goes in. But if the seal is distorted/mashed now, it may be too late for that.
 
Sounds like a rope seal if its backing up in there. Try a "Sneaky Pete" Lisle brand $5.84 on Amazon. Thread auger into rope seal and pull out, then you use the cable to drag another in, over the crank. Ive done a rigid crank seal with the motor in the car, actually it was a 340 in a 65 so I know space is limited. IIRC I loosened the mains and dropped the rear of the crank about 1/4 inch enough to get the rigid 2 piece part up in there and tap it around in place. Go about 90% around and leave yourself a little lip so the parting line is not right at the cap.

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Thanks guys.....Mission accomplished! It was a rope seal. I loosened the crank and pushed out the seal with a flexible piece of metal, formed to the contour of the shaft. Just enough to grab hold with a needle nosed vice grip. Crappy job, but necessary when the engine is still out of the car.
 
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