FYI FORD MustangSteve's Ford Mustang Forum / Crank Casualty

**Posted by Rudi** 7/25/2018 8:05 AM

Like my old shop teacher used to say "If you can't weld good - - - weld lots"!

**Posted by Greg B** 7/25/2018 12:49 PM

Since we are throwing out mig welding tips; if you need to weld up something fairly thick, say 1/4" and you only have a small mig welder, heat up the metal first with a blowtorch. I dont recommend this for everything, but if you are in a situation where you have to weld a thicker metal to a thinner metal, say like those big thick brackets on Craftsman mower decks that like to break, it also works really well to heat on the thicker piece first.

**Posted by TKOPerformance** 7/25/2018 1:53 PM

Yep, good call on the preheating. I always preheat aluminum to 350 degrees before welding if at all practical. I've found its welding characteristics change a lot with heat, which is why its much easier to weld via TIG where you can adjust the output with your foot. I've done it successfully with a MIG and a second person too though. I weld and tell them if I need them to cut down the amperage and/or increase the wire speed. I stitched a bellhousing on a 700R4 back together like that in my K5 years ago. I had the engine out and was sitting on the front axle while my wife was minding the machine. 16 years later its still holding up just fine.

**Posted by 6sally6** 7/25/2018 4:31 PM

rpm wrote:
I've done my share of bird crap beads Mike. I learned a trick with crappy welds, go over the ugly beads with a tig using only the torch, and two hands to steady it. Works on mig and tig. Cheater!

They call that "buzzing-the-weld" Sure flattens out the lumpy stuff.

**Posted by 6sally6** 7/25/2018 4:36 PM

"A picture-is-worth-a......."you get the picture!!!

**Posted by rpm** 7/25/2018 6:23 PM

Tough crowd eh? I hadn't tig welded in about 25 years when I welded this. I borrowed a brother's tig as I had sold my last one, and was shaking so bad I thought I had Parkinson's. I should've used a larger filler rod and was po'd at the outcome, but was convinced by others it was fine. Before I got old and lost some vision I used to be able to lay down a nice bead. Grinder...c'mon Sally.

**Posted by TKOPerformance** 7/26/2018 5:06 AM

I don't grind my welds to make them look pretty; I grind them to make them invisible.

I've applied the logic to another area though: if you change parts to diagnose a problem, you are a parts changer; not a mechanic.

**Posted by Rudi** 7/26/2018 9:17 AM

In today's world diagnostics are used so that the parts can be changed.
My 2016 edge recently had a module behind the radio replaced, don'y know of any mechanic that could have fixed it!

**Posted by rpm** 7/26/2018 12:42 PM

The ability of a mechanic to troubleshoot separated the men from the boys, not reading codes.

**Posted by TKOPerformance** 7/26/2018 2:25 PM

The codes are just another tool. Like any other diagnostic tool you must know what you're looking at and what the information it gives you means. Guys that change parts based on codes are still just parts changers. Case in point, my mom had a CEL in one of her Subarus. The dealership said it was set by two sensors. They said her current warranty didn't cover it, but it was about to expire, and if she purchased the extended warranty it would cover it. Their advice was to wait, buy the extended warranty, and have the sensors both replaced. Without so much as looking at the car my response was "The odds that two sensors both failed simultaneously is about a billion to one. My guess is the two circuits share a common ground and there's an issue with the ground." She followed the dealership's advice. Under extended warranty they replaced the sensors, which DID NOT fix the CEL. What did it turn out to be? Bad ground. In the end its the difference between understanding the way electrical systems work and reading letters and numbers off a scan tool. Working with electrical systems has always been a part of being a mechanic. In the old days the systems were simple, but still often misunderstood. Today understanding electrical is a prerequisite to working on anything built from the mid '80s onward. Those first EFI systems seemed intimidating; they're horse and buggy compared to the stuff that's in cars now. Anyone calling themself a mechanic needs to be well versed in electrical troubleshooting now more than ever, and its not going to be less important as time goes on that's for sure.

**Posted by rpm** 8/07/2018 11:54 PM

Installed a new "A+" OD servo, valve body and torque converter on the AOD. Had to make a tool to give some leverage to depress the servo, as I couldn't do it with my hands.

After clearancing some useless tabs on the case for clearance Clarence, and bending the left side headers outwards, I stuck the AOD in tonight.

Anybody see something missing? Where's Waldo? I mean where's the separator plate? Hot damn! One more time... tomorrow. I'm thinking I need a conservator to watch over me.
Gotta love those auto sideways photos.

Last edited by rpm (8/07/2018 11:56 PM)

**Posted by TKOPerformance** 8/08/2018 4:51 AM

The plate is still available from Ford. Here's a link:

http://www.mustangsunlimited.com/Mustang/Drivetrain/Bellhousings-Related/Bellhousing-Spacer-Plate-1984-1993-Mustang-AOD.axd

Inspection cover is down at the bottom as well. I would avoid the cheaper reproductions; you definitely get what you pay for with these.

**Posted by Bolted to Floor** 8/08/2018 9:42 AM

Look out for those conversator. The one that used to watch me work would polurposely wait till I hand something bolted up to tell me I left a part out!! He didn’t want to hear me say “I’m about to do that” like others did when he pointed things out.

We need an eye roll emoji.

**Posted by rpm** 8/08/2018 11:16 AM

No kidding John, thanks.

It's not that I don't have the plate, it's here ready to go in. Not having the plate would almost be excusable for missing it.

**Posted by TKOPerformance** 8/08/2018 11:26 AM

Bolted to Floor wrote:
Look out for those conversator. The one that used to watch me work would polurposely wait till I hand something bolted up to tell me I left a part out!! He didn’t want to hear me say “I’m about to do that” like others did when he pointed things out.

We need an eye roll emoji.

I was literally just talking about a guy like that today! What a jerk! Why would you purposefully sit there and watch someone do something wrong only to correct them later? I'm convinced its some kind of aberrant psychology that feeds into a narcissistic personality disorder. They swoop in looking soooo smart in the end. Gee thanks @$$, way to feed your ego off my ignorance.

**Posted by 50vert** 8/08/2018 3:39 PM

My 390/C6 doesn't have a plate either. Probably for the same reason. The PO did put the inspection cover on though.

**Posted by 6sally6** 8/08/2018 7:46 PM

Yep!!!........that plates impotent.....gives you something to bend when you go over a speed bump too fast. grrrr!
You orta-be burn'in rubber soon, huh?!
6s6

**Posted by rpm** 8/09/2018 7:58 PM

Hmm...I do believe I found the culprit in my thrust damage issue. Well, I'm actually the culprit, but I found the reason I had thrust damage to the crank, bearings and tranny pump. The new aftermarket, SFI rated, better than Ford flexplate, that I installed circa 2001, stands off the rear block mating area .175" more than the oem Ford unit. I talked to the yahoo who built the motor, and he doesn't remember nuttin. Btw, I was that yahoo. Education is not free. Just how much did that new flexplate cost anyway? I'm still counting. Seemed like a good idea at the time. Who said autos were the easy way out?

**Posted by rpm** 12/08/2024 12:48 PM

Lt Dan linked this thread on a text message chain with me and my brother after I mentioned I wasn't familiar with the word stock while we were discussing front suspensions. I enjoyed reading this thread again and I saw that I didn't close it out with the cause of the carnage, so I thought I'd do it now.

When bolting up the torque converter to the flex plate, around a 1/16 to 3/16 inch gap is needed for when the TC expands when hot. I did not know this, and with no gap when it was bolted up, the expanding TC made its own gap by clearancing the crank.

When building my motor back circa Y2K, I really had not much knowledge of stuff, and less of automatic transmissions. There was nothing wrong with my flex plate, but figured an SFI approved FP was better. I also figured a replacement FP for my 351w would be the same measurements as my stock FP. Wrong. The new FP had a 3/16" bigger measurement than the OE flex plate from where it mounts to the crank end to where the torque converter mounts to the FP.

Oh, as a man once said, education is not free.

Last edited by rpm (12/08/2024 8:25 PM)

**Posted by RV6** 12/08/2024 5:06 PM

Closure after 6 years!

**Posted by rpm** 12/08/2024 5:32 PM

Closure since I put the top loader in it.

**Posted by Raymond_B** 12/08/2024 8:23 PM

Coming in late, butt*** This is the gospel I've always followed when checking converter clearance. My last vehicle I had to get spacers made because there was excessive gap.

https://www.circledspecialties.com/pages/installation-tips?srsltid=AfmBOooIpOxNZsPuxGqrAN1SRtum6362XuHFcbe7o8VREq-wmfBZHG6y

Really good illustration.

**Posted by rpm** 12/08/2024 8:27 PM

Raymond_B wrote:
Coming in late, butt*** This is the gospel I've always followed when checking converter clearance. My last vehicle I had to get spacers made because there was excessive gap.

https://www.circledspecialties.com/pages/installation-tips?srsltid=AfmBOooIpOxNZsPuxGqrAN1SRtum6362XuHFcbe7o8VREq-wmfBZHG6y

Really good illustration.

Ya, I used to have an image like that with the gap measurement on it. I was guessing on mine.

**Posted by Nos681** 12/09/2024 5:45 AM

Bullet Bob wrote:
rpm wrote:
This Mach 1 came from San Jose with an auto, and I want to keep it bone stock
Really? You mean with that "bone stock" 393 stroker? And the "Bone Stock" beautiful home-brew front suspension? And uh, that that "bone stock" roll cage? Okay, I get it, Bob. Bone stock like I did the Heap...it came with an auto-box also.

BB

It was Bullet’s quote that I remembered.

Wasn’t sure who said it though, so I looked for “bone stock.”

What did I have for dinner last night? 🤔🤷🏻‍♂️😂