School Me! Rope Style Oil Seal

eekvonzipper said

Well, 1st Attempt Failed... I snugged down the Rear Cap and the Crank wouldn't turn...

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That's typical when you don't mash the seal down enough before hand and you don't cut enough off the ends. I always used a razor blade and cut flush with the block and the cap. I also smooth on a light layer of motor oil on both the block side and cap side of the seal and put a dab of RTV on the cut ends to assure a good seal.

Rope seals work, but they can be a pita and they can leak easier than a rubber seal, because they are finniky to get right. The rubber seals are light years ahead and much easier to install. Until fairly recently though, the rope seals were all you could get for some GM V8 engines, like Pontiac, for example.