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 Post subject: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 10:08 am 

Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:07 pm
Posts: 1192
Location: Leicester, MA.
I'm hoping someone here might be able to help me a bit. Recently we dug out a Continental Straight-6 crate motor of military origin from my late Grandfather's storage trailer. The thing was never used, but is seized after years of sitting (at one point, a bit of water did get into the motor. Don't ask me how, the thing has been in a trailer for decades.). Here's my problem; I don't know jack about Continental's crate motors. I know it's got two sets of numbers on it; one number reading 884800, and a serial number of 205. We don't know what model it is, but we know it's roughly 800 pounds and probably has a displacement of at least 400 cubic inches. So... Anyone know what I'm looking at here?

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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 12:46 pm 

Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2005 9:23 am
Posts: 189
Location: willow grove pa
http://blog.hemmings.com/index.php/2008 ... lete-list/

Above link has a picture of a continental 4

"After it donated Continental's engineering records to the Muskegon County Museum, Teledyne Continental Motors, still in existence today, sold off its last Muskegon factory in 1994. " The Museum may be able to help verify what you have.

The military crate says Jeep personal or gun carrier, possible a generator motor

Parts (Hemming's motors)are not that hard to come by, some places sell rebuild kits. These are VERY tough engines that are forgiving during the rebuild process.


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 1:23 pm 

Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am
Posts: 352
The bigger number looks like a casting number. Continental was good at putting tags on the left side of there engines, but not all. And anything military is up in the air. Can you post a picture? Is it overhead valve or flat head? Does the distributor come out the top of the head, side of the block, or off of the front cover. Does it have a mag or distributor. Picture would be best.


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 4:55 pm 

Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:07 pm
Posts: 1192
Location: Leicester, MA.
At this point the crate is long gone. However, if it pleases the court, I'd like to introduce exhibit A;


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 7:48 pm 

Joined: Fri Aug 20, 2010 8:25 pm
Posts: 485
Dylan;

"at one point, a bit of water did get into the motor. Don't ask me how, the thing has been in a trailer for decades."

Those old engines (before all the emission control stuff was mandated) where quite open to external air. Even if it was stored out of direct contact with rain water humid air can quite easily enter the crankcase and condense onto interior surfaces.

The crankshaft seals on many of those engines where a "serpentine" seal, a bunch of thin disks on the crankshaft would turn inside slots in the crankcase without anything touching. This does a good job of keeping the oil inside, but humid air can also get inside.

Also, without closed intake or exhaust manifolds you can be sure that some humid air got into a couple of the cylinders since the chances are good that one or more intake/exhaust valves have been open for all these years.

A good hot humid day lets the damp air in, the engine cools at night and the moisture condenses inside the engine, no rain required.

Only way to prevent this is to mist the inside with oil and then make all openings (even little ones like the oil filler tube) totally airtight.

Newer engines are quite air tight to keep unburnt gasoline and oil vapors from escaping the inside of the engine and causing air pollution.

But these things are quite a bit overbuilt, with some work I'd bet this can run again.

Cheers, Kevin


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Mon Aug 10, 2015 11:29 pm 

Joined: Sun Aug 22, 2004 7:19 am
Posts: 6394
Location: southeastern USA
I got a machine with a Continental 4 that was locked up some years ago - I emptied a spray can of PB into the cylinders through the plug holes, let it sit a few days, barred it in both directions sort of vigorously within reason, let it sit a bit more for a while, did it again, added a bit more PB, etc. After a week and a half, it started to want to move a bit more and more. The next day I had it turning with the starter motor. Compression tests were pretty good, got a lot of good use out of it. This won't cost more than a few dollars for some PB, and I think you might have equally good results. Best of luck with it.

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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:31 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2004 10:54 am
Posts: 1184
Location: Tucson, Arizona
There's a possibility that it might be a non turbocharged light aircraft motor. Sometimes you come across one without the gearing for the propeller drive. They're mighty fine motors for small airplanes.

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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 2:40 pm 

Joined: Sun Oct 24, 2010 6:22 pm
Posts: 275
What's on the tag? Continental made a very wide variety of engines, the data tag has a wealth of info.

CD


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 3:34 pm 

Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:07 pm
Posts: 1192
Location: Leicester, MA.
That's just it... Other than the 884800 and the Serial Number, there's nothing else on that tag. Which begs another question; could there be a tag on the other side? I'll be totally honest, while I can toss a furnace around with a bit of effort, flipping that motor over is way out of my weight class...

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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 6:26 pm 

Joined: Sat Sep 04, 2004 10:54 am
Posts: 1184
Location: Tucson, Arizona
A closeup of the tag would help.

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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Tue Aug 11, 2015 6:30 pm 

Joined: Thu Mar 24, 2011 12:07 pm
Posts: 1192
Location: Leicester, MA.
Hopefully this helps... Sorry that it quality picture in advance.


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 1:14 pm 

Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am
Posts: 352
By chance, it doesn't have "RED SEAL" cast into the side of the block. Looks about like the standard industrial 6 that was used in many forklifts and other equipment. I want to say they were in the F series of engines.


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Wed Aug 12, 2015 1:23 pm 

Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2014 9:14 am
Posts: 352
A little bit of cross searching shows that it is most likely a 4 1/4 bore, 4 7/8 stroke flathead six sold to Clark Equipment Co.


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 11:40 am 

Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2004 2:09 pm
Posts: 399
Location: Los Angeles
Pour automatic transmission fluid into each plug hole. Put plugs back in. Or mix acetone with the atf first then pour in. In the oft chance that the rod and mains have a loose coating of rust then that would have to be addressed before trying to spin it over. Or better yet, sell it on ebay.


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 Post subject: Re: Riddle me this; Continental Straight 6
PostPosted: Sat Aug 15, 2015 8:13 pm 

Joined: Thu Mar 05, 2015 7:45 pm
Posts: 190
Location: Boyertown, PA
Isn't Coca-Cola supposed to be good for that?

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