HI I HAD A 39 112 COUPE FOR AROUND 30YEARS I REBUILT THE ENGINE AND THEN DROVE THE CAR FOR THE NEXT 25 YEARS ALL OVER THE COUNTRY I DID CHANGE THE REAR END TO A FORD SET UP KNOW ONE EVER KNEW AS IT ALL LOOKED THE SAME THE ENGINE WAS UP GRADED TO A 3X5 ENGINE ( TYHE 112 CAME WITH A 3X 4 1/8) OTHE THAN THAT NOTHING WAS CHANGES I PUT OVER 35,000 MILES ON IT AND WITH OUR ANY TROUBLES I DROVE THE CAR 65 MPH ALL THE TIME WE DROVE IT TO MILWAUKEE WI. TO HERSHEY MANY TIME FRONT ROAL,VA. CLEVELAND, OHIO. YORK , PA. ATLANTA, GA.AND OTHER PLACES I KNOW I'M FOR GETING ABOUT I HAD GUYS ASK ME WHAT I HAD DONE I TOLD THEM, I WOULD DO IT AGAIN IF I HAD A CAR LIKE YOU JUST BOUGHT GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR PROJECT

Thanks to everyone who replied! Lot to think about while the engine soaks. Once again thanks to all.

Your pistons and/or valves are stuck. To get the pistons loose, you need to take the rod caps off, and deal with them one at a time.. DON'T misplace the rod cap shims, and keep them with the rods they came out of. There will probably be a cylinder ridge so that will have to be reamed out if you take the pistons out the top. If they are stuck bad, It may be easier to drive them out the bottom using a wooden plug. (round off the corners of a 4x4) you should remove the crankshaft for clearance and you will want to check and/or adjust the mains anyway.

If the valves are stuck, which is less likely, they can be jacked out using the adjusters, adding various size wrenches for extra width as you run out of adjustment. I haven't had one I couldn't rebuild yet. I may be lucky, but I haven't had to grind a crankshaft or bore one yet..

Soaking the pistons right now. Notice that on a couple the oil (etc.) eventually gets passed the rings on a few of the others it just sits there. Have a pipe wrench and cheater bar on the end of the crank and get it a few tugs every so often. Doing the body work while it stews. Have loosened the main caps. Thanks for the moral boost!

Banner day today! Have removed all six pistons, crank turns smoothly. Now I have to get the guts to either rebuild it myself, or send it some place to be rebuilt. Think there is a place in Baytown Tx ( http://bamsonline.com/home)
does babbitt bearings. Really considering getting all new guts and just use the crank, cam head and block. What say you all!

Considering all the labor you are investing into this rebuild, I wouldn't be afraid to invest some money in good parts. You might want to get the crank turned (since you're having rods re-babbited, you can have them fitted precisely to the journals). Don't skimp at this point, or you may have to tear the engine apart and go back in,later! Study the clearances in the shop manuals and by asking (here at the forum), this is not a super-precise modern engine. One other thing: see if you can find an aluminum timing gear. Normally they used fiber gears and you can find those easily, but in later years they made an aluminum gear. These are harder to find, but they are worth sniffing around for. The fiber gears have the disgusting way of coming apart when you are driving late at night and far from home!

Regarding the re-babbiting place, see if you can get the names of people who have used them, and get some reviews of their work. If the babbit isn't done right, the bearing will fail

Well, I'm not 'you all 'cause I'm a Yankee Adirondacker, but I'd check the rod and main bearings. If they're nice and smooth, and the crank is nice and smooth, and they fit the crank within a couple of thousandths You're wasting your money grinding and re-babbiting.

You need about .001 clearance on both the mains and rods. Best checked with a strip 1/4 in x almost the bearing width, of aluminum foil. Standard is .0007 and heavy duty is .0014. Checked one at a time, if the bearing is free without the shim, and tight with the .0014 shim, you're there

Just make sure you check the mains, 'cause these splashers tend to tear em up sometimes..

Follow the manual. Either buy one from the HET store or look it up on the HET website.

lots to think about. Will have to read up and then make final decision. BTW I'm originally from NYC, been down south so long it kind of wore off on me.

Gordon,

I agree with Larry's recommendation. If the clearances are excellent, then you may end up with poorer clearances if you have everything poured, bored, etc.

Per

Should you decide to install an aluminum timing gear, be sure to get the matching crankshaft gear, as the aluminum gear tooth pitch is different from the original. There's also a simple modification needed to the two bolts that are behind the timing gear.