Broken Dipstip Tube - This Sucks

Man I think this sucks. I hope someone has a tip that will save my summer.

I just pulled the exhaust logs off my '68 to have them (and my new Performer intake) powder coated. The dipstick tube was hanging slightly outboard as it will when the tube bracket has been unbolted. That evening I lowered the motor box from the other side of the boat, lowered it onto the dipstip tube and broke it off flush with the pan.

I see no other fix other than pullng the engine.

Anyone got any ideas?

Nice to see you again jbear. All I can say is I was distracted....

I see a whole lot of new names on the board.

I am going to visit a few marine repair shops tomorrow. I think I am just going to have the engine pulled and have the dipstick tube brazed in. It will be a good time to pull my trans and repair the mother of all tranny leaks.

I wish I hadn't have already bought the trans rebuild kit - with my work load what it is I think I would like to ship my trans of to Eric the Tranny guy. He seems to know what he is doing.

Brand new to this site. As I did repair on a Mustang years ago for a customer, the same thing had happened to his dipstick tube. You will actually have to pull the oil pan as you will run the risk of passby gasoline in the pan. The welders I found at the time would only braze the tube on a detatched, cleaned oil pan.

What exactly does this thing look like? The one in my mustang is probably not original but it is mounted on a riveted on metal plate with a extruded hole that the dipstick tube just presses into. With your legendary transmission leak it might not be a bad time to pull that motor anyway but to pull it over a dipstick seems pretty intense. I would probably make something up with a rubber stopper and a cut down dipstick to get me through till I wanted to pull it.

Jim,
a last ditch try... bend the tip of a coat hanger and leave the bend wide and shove down the tube and hopefully it will expand and hook the bottem of the tube and try pulling or loop the hanger and pry. this worked for me once on a chevy motor, i also used some heat in the area
eric

UPS takes them at 98 lbs.....use a 4 gallon milk crate with a box around, ill give you the special treatment and latest and greatest parts

ffi transmission
2455 pearl road
medina ohio 44256
877-369-6693

that epa is a real pita.....had my run ins in the past

Jim_In_Houston wrote: Anyone know where to get milk crates? .....

From the milkman?

I am sure eric will do you an awesome job but hope you can wait for delivery. I am not sure how often the horse and buggy in Brunstucky picks up.

john

we still use the pony express, it could be a couple of months,
i actually went into Medina the other day (Ryans area) and a fricken amish buggy was pulling out of home depot.
Jim, the special treatment is the price

I always give em the "money back guarentee".
Once i have your money, i guarentee i'm not givin it back!

Hey Eric, what a story!   Brunswick--do they make bowling balls there?

JiminH--I'd still like to chase you down on chocolate sometime. I'm not a weirdo...just would enjoy meeting you. I won't take much of your time. I'm headed to San Bernard for first time tomorrow. I'd like to meet Bob sometime down there too. I really hope you get that tranny and dipstick thing taken care of soon, and well!

eric: Loved the story. No matter how many new people move out there or how many new shopping plazas they put up or how many fancy new houses they build....it'll still always be Brunstucky.


john

eric; Heck yeah, if you are coming down here in July you better plan on stopping here.

The only other, more famous MM I know about has been dead for a number of years. How you gonna see her? I would opt for a visit to MM and Blondie, you won't be disappointed.

john

Rudderman, I just don't have access to an a-fame or a lift that will do the job... I considered building a quick a-frame but for some reason my work load (Ugh) picked up during the middle of last year and I just can't sqeeze in time. I towed the 68 to Alvin Marine. The guy there is supposed to lift the engine and pull the pan for me this week. But tomorrow is Friday and I haven't heard from him...

Dude, I don;t think you're weird.. I just travel in my work and I haven't been home much since last summer. I will be gone almost all of May and June... I can't turn down the crazy money people are throwing at me.

Maybe I'l have the 68 running and wet by July and we can throw back a few cool ones. That would be great. I am planning on taking all of August off.

I designed some front seat frames and bought some 1/4" x 2" Marine grade aluminum flat bar out of Florida and I had it shipped to a fab shop in Texas. As soon as I get the frames fabbed I will send them to a local upolstorer for the new front seats. Just couldn;t find seats for an old Mustang so I am making my own. I hope to get the tranny, oil pan repair, and front seats all back in a few weeks.

I'll post a new thread and put up a pick to the seat frames. I hope they work out.

BTW, my new Edlebrock Performer and my exhaust logs are at the powder coater right now.

So, you can envision the state of the 68 right now. It looks bad.

Mark: Of course he meant Mickey. That went right over my senior head. Now maybe Marilyn is more famous than our MM, but not some mouse!

john

Jim,

I built an A Frame of sorts to pull the motor, and to lift the boat off the trailer.
I used old scrap wood, so it doesn't look too nice, but it works well. I would caution you - the first time I did not have the diagonal bracing on the horizontal beam. With a ten foot span, I snapped the beam under the weight of the motor (4 X 8). BKH