Probable Oil Leak/Flathead Six

I have a completely restored 1940 Royal Coupe, the engine has been
completely overhauled. I now have a tiny oil leak, it is not the rear
main, could it be the front timing cover seal or possibly the side
valve cover gasket. That one looks ok, but are there other areas that
could be possible suspects? I drive the car several times a week.
When parked on level ground, there will be a few drips, when parked on
a grade, nose up, nothing.

 

Have you thought about trying some UV dye?

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Probably will have to go that route. It is the 241c.i. six, runs
great. All the other flatheads that I have had all had some little
leak or another. Was this just "the way things were" in those days?
My 48 Plymouth and 49 Windsor both had little drips and it was hard to
find exactly where they were coming from. Finally found out that one
of them was coming from where the blow-by tube went into the block.

 

Don't know - that was before my time.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Well, my '49 Plymouth (217.5) is fairly drippy, but then it hasn't been
apart since 1964, either (got the receipts for that overhaul which were
in my grandfather's files). But I've also seen a number of them that
were REALLY tight and clean, so I don't think that's necessarily "the
way it was." Check the distributor base gasket, the oil fill tube
O-ring, etc. Sometimes its the little things that give the trouble.