My t-bird has always marked it's territory, and this incontinence was easy to live with given her 56 years of service, but coming home last week the leaking was to the point that I left a trail up my driveway and into the garage. I took a look and it appears to be spitting out the inspection hole in the Ford-O (another of it's leaky spots) so I am assuming that the constant drip, drip, drip means that the rear seal has let go.



I've read that the new rope seals suck without the availability of asbestos so if anyone has any help in that area as well it would be appreciated. The car has just a hair over 50k miles so I doubt any grooving of the crank is too substantial. I did a search and read through the posts, even with the vast knowledge on the subject I just don't have the time right now to tackle it myself.



Is there anyone in this area, Torrance, Lomita South Bay, that is good with the Y-Block that I can contact to get this taken care of? It would be nice if they were familiar with the Ford-O-Matic so I can get that to stop leaking as well.





Thanks

I had a bad leak in my 57 Tbird (312 with Fordomatic) I got a kit from Prestige Thunderbird That has a neoprene Seal an endcap and some other stuff as well. This kit has stopped the leak. My mechanic first tried with a generic neoprene seal. It still leaked. Then he tried a rope seal That was worse. Then I read about this kit, had it installed and has worked great for the past 5 years. Its about $199.00 Part number 6335-c They are in Santa Fe Springs California.

M S                                                                                                                                                                                                      Nat

If I read your post right you have TWO leaks. One from the engine rear main seal AND A LEAKING FOM, is that correct?

When the mechanic installs a new rear main seal with the engine still in the car he will not have easy access to the FOM which WILL HAVE TO COME OUT to really be resealed.

Use some florescent dye in the engine oil to confirm the source of your leak. It could be either the engine or the FOM or could be both. Find out FIRST. Pete

best makes a great rear neoprene seal kit. dont think its that expensive, john mummert sells them i believe. as to the fom leak, easiest way to replace that front seal,if thats the problem, is to pull engine and trans. together. sounds like alot of work, but,and maybe hoosier can chime in on this,(thinking when he was younger he tortured himself in this respect)it still is alot easier to do,also a great time to clean up everything

Yes, the FOM was rebuilt when my grandparents had it and has had a persistent weep ever since. It's not horrible and lessens when the car is driven regularly. I replaced the timing set and was going to do the pan/oil pump (to get a solid pan gasket on it again) eventually. I have the gasket set so all I need would be the rear seal. I have the link on how to do it, but just don't have the time right now. I'm knee deep in my '32 (which I swore would be done this year) along with kids company and honey-do's there is not enough time to get to it. I usually do all the work on our cars, so I have no ideas on good or bad shops in the area.

Further on the Best Seals..they also make a new Kevlar rope seal for the 312. Apparently some 312 block castings don't support the Neoprene rubber seal well & sometimes aren't successful. So for the cost difference, I'd suggest you order both seals. They're also available from Gasket City in Hamilton Ontario @ www.gasketcity.com or (905) 679-6597. They specialize in vintage gaskets & seals & advertise in Hemmings.

Paul

I was planning on having both seals handy, but no leads on a repair shop that is trustworthy. After lots of reading last night, it seems like the neoprene might be the best bet simply due to being able to get it in there with the engine/trans connected and in the car. If I have to remove them, then it will snowball into a major project. I'll go through both of them and I already have a 283 and flathead waiting at the front of the line.



Unfortunately, she'll have to sit until I have the time.

I recently used the ‘black’ neoprene 312 seal that’s offered by Ford Craft (Don Hyde) with very good results.  Over 100 dyno pulls on a stroker 312 Y with 312 mains and the back of the engine is still clean and dry.  This gives another option for the 312 seal.  I’ll add that I do like to coat the block side or outside diameter of the seal with white grease before installing it.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)

Over the past few years i have installed best gasket 312 rear main seals three times in my 56 Ford.Twice with the engine out and the other time with the engine still in the car.Every time after very few miles they would start leaking again. Last year i tryed Don Hydes seal ( he machines a Chrysler seal to fit the 312) I drove the car probably 3000 miles last year and so far the seal is not leaking.The Don Hyde seal was installed the same way(same procedure) as the best gasket.One thing i noticed on the Hyde seal the lip is located farther back than the best gasket so probably has more support.

Carl