Any old timers recognize this tool?

[j-c-c-62]

So, is asbestos still used?

 

[artr8]

Modern rope seals aren't made of asbestos and don't survive as well as the originals did... In the past you could find NOS rope seals still in the Mopar package on Ebay... If I were building an engine that would be my preferred route..

Found this out the real hard way in 2009. Replaced a leaking seal on a 351C. (I know, it’s not a mopar.).
Replaced the original seal when refreshing the engine and doing a clutch upgrade. At first good but oil leakage went to 2 quarts per thousand miles in short order.
When I dropped the pan, in the truck btw, and pulled the seal again, the seal looked like a half filled sock. Scrounged up a vintage seal and installed. 15 years later, no weep or oil loss.
Time may march on but newer materials and technology does not always mean better.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Found this out the real hard way in 2009. Replaced a leaking seal on a 351C. (I know, it’s not a mopar.).
Replaced the original seal when refreshing the engine and doing a clutch upgrade. At first good but oil leakage went to 2 quarts per thousand miles in short order.
When I dropped the pan, in the truck btw, and pulled the seal again, the seal looked like a half filled sock. Scrounged up a vintage seal and installed. 15 years later, no weep or oil loss.
Time may march on but newer materials and technology does not always mean better.

But Asbestos causes cancer.... Excuse me? Last I checked once in place no one is handling a rear main seal.. Just wear latex gloves while installing it & remember not to eat the ends that get cut off during the install & you'll be fine...

When I first started working on cars the old timers were still pulling brake drums & blowing the brake dust off into a big cloud that would hang in the shop for hours... eventually setting to the floor where it might get swept up but probably was gonna get blown out the stall door with compressed air...

I get trying to be safe but there are times when the old materials are so far superior it makes sense to continue to use that material but to learn proper handling techniques...

 

[j-c-c-62]

The biggest concern is breathing airborne asbestos fibers. Sounds to me like in this situation the highest risk is handling or cutting the material and being in that area, overhead or downwind. Handling/contacting it is not the direct issue. However, any released asbestos fibers by any means (handling) can also settle and become likely airborne anytime in the future. Asbestos does not ever decompose, one of its useful attributes.

 

[Krooser]

We used to set those seals with a beer bottle... after it was empty of course!

And I was one of those old timers (age 14) blowing asbestos dust from here to kingdom come!

And we washed our hands in carbon techtrachloride before lunch and again at quitting time.

Both proven cancer causers... but, yet, here we are!

 

[moparedtn]

No....smooth surfaces are needed or the packing will be destroyed. We used several rings of packing with a lantern ring somewhere in the center to allow coolant/lubrication to enter the packing gland. In many cases, the product that the pump was pumping usually had a line from the discharge to the gland for this. The packing needed to be adjusted from time to time as needed. If it was leaking too much, the gland needed to be snugged up until very little leaked. When there was no more adjustment, the old packing would have to be replaced. That could be done in place with the pump shut down and suction and discharge valves closed.

Yep, fire pumps are the same way. Around 4-5 "rounds" of packing on each side of flanges, front and rear of impeller.
Packing looked like @1 Wild R/T 's picture - pressed in place with packing glands.

 

[toolmanmike]

Yep, fire pumps are the same way. Around 4-5 "rounds" of packing on each side of flanges, front and rear of impeller.
Packing looked like @1 Wild R/T 's picture - pressed in place with packing glands.

Yep. If you loose a lip seal you have a major leak. A rope seal will seep for years before it fails.

 

[moparedtn]

Yep. If you loose a lip seal you have a major leak. A rope seal will seep for years before it fails.

In fire pumps, you want a slight trickle leak - it's the sign you have the packing adjusted properly.
When running, water is what keeps the packing from burning up on them.

 

[Cranky]

So, is asbestos still used?

This is from Groogal.....

While most new uses of asbestos are banned in the U.S., especially after the EPA's March 2024 ban, the mineral is still found in some imported products and older materials, particularly in automotive parts like brake linings, construction materials, and in the chlor-alkali industry for diaphragms used in chlorine production.

 

[Krooser]

This is from Groogal.....

While most new uses of asbestos are banned in the U.S., especially after the EPA's March 2024 ban, the mineral is still found in some imported products and older materials, particularly in automotive parts like brake linings, construction materials, and in the chlor-alkali industry for diaphragms used in chlorine production.

My ex GF used a diaphram... I wonder if I should worry?

 

[Cranky]

arent the rope seals designed for a knurled surface?

The knurled pattern you see on some crank shafts are to help direct the oil into the engine.

I know I said that rope seals want a smooth surface but the knurled surface on the crankshafts is not enough to mess up the original rope seals obviously....heck, can barely hook a fingernail on them. Anyways, whenever I made a new pump shaft at work, the finish cut where a rope seal was to be was about .004" per revolution then hit it with 240 grit emery to help smooth out the machine tool marks. We used 17-4 stainless for all of our shafts.

 

[Cranky]

My ex GF used a diaphram... I wonder if I should worry?

If she used one that was designed for the production of chlorine I would say probably!