<VV> Frustrating weekend, continued

[Cliff]

John, I don't know if it's one in a million, but I managed to bust a
crankshaft in half on my dad's 61 Rampy.  I was driving it home sometime in
the early 70's, can't remember exact year when the truck, all of a sudden
started to vibrate.  This truck had been to hell and back and still ran
great up until that night.  Fortunately, I did not shut it off.  I could
manage about 40 or 45 MPH and got it to limp home, about 10 miles.  The next
morning I pulled the top cover and sure enough the crank had broken in half,
just as you describe it, right across the web. 

The next Monday while talking to the electrician next door, I discovered
that he had just replaced the engine in his 62 Greenbriar with a car engine.
I never asked what car engine but assumed it was a more powerful engine than
the old 80 HP.  He gave me his old engine and I swapped them out the
following weekend and drove that truck for a couple of more years before we
sold it to a friend. 

Cliff Tibbitts
Lexington, KY

-----Original Message-----
From: virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org
[mailto:virtualvairs-bounces at corvair.org] On Behalf Of John Kepler
Sent: Saturday, June 28, 2008 4:54 PM
To: 'Chris'; virtualvairs at corvair.org
Subject: Re: <VV> Frustrating weekend, continued


Unfortunately, nothing has changed.    

I've stayed out of this.....hoping that the problem would resolve itself.
Since it hasn't, I toss this out as a random number....based on a similar
situation a very good friend encountered in a customer car, and what I still
consider a "1 in a Million" event.  

Jim Sass who some of you from northwest Ohio and SE Michigan may know, had a
140 come in that he could not turn over with the starter.  The engine was
free if turned by hand, and would roll over with the plugs out (sound at all
familiar?).  The owner mentioned that the engine had developed a
"ticking-clunking noise" about an hour before he got it home....where it
refused to restart.  The owner replaced a ton of stuff before he had the car
towed to Jim's.  Verdict:  A busted crank shaft, right through one of the
webs!  The torque from the starter cocked the short-portion of the broken
crank under load, jamming things up enough to keep the starter from rolling
it.

Like I said.....it's a one-in-a-million, but maybe lightning has struck
twice?  BTW....I bought the engine and still have the improbably busted
crank!

John

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