I am helping another club member work on his car. I have replaced a pin in the crankshaft to hole the fan belt pulley. This pin is where the crank will turn over the motor. The pin was held in place by a clip. The clip came out on the first run of the motor. Is a cotter pin necessary and can it be installed without taking off the radiator? Thanks for any information.

Cotter pin is used and sorry, yes you need to remove the radiator.

Nick:

I think the "stock" pin was held by a cotter pin but there were popular accessory pin that had a spring clip around it that snapped over the curvature of the pulley inner surface. While it probably is easiest to have the radiator out of the way - on early cars without an apron under the radiator it is possible to see what you are doing and you can install the pin and cotter by looking under the radiator and rotating the engine via a rear wheel to line up the pin to a place above the pan where you can insert the pin through the outer part of the pulley and through the crank shaft and then cotter it. Certainly it is a job to do when you have the radiator off but doable with radiator on.

Yes, I suppose you might do this job without removing the radiator, but I wouldn't want to try it. But from your description I don't think you're asking about the crank pulley pin (#3040). The aftermarket pin with the clip on it is the ratchet pin (#3095). You found out why I recommend the stock version which takes a cotter pin. I had one of those clip things break and fall off. Luckily I was near a hardware store and got a bolt to put in temporarily.

I have trouble putting the split pin in even with the radiator off. Not the easiest design to deal with. What I want to know is how they did it at the factory with those parts whizzing by non-stop!

Nick,

For the belt pulley to crankshaft match, those aftermarket ones with the 270 degree donut are really not meant for the long haul...at least that is my experience. The spring steel rusts like crazy and it looks like it is there, until you touch it and then it winds up on the floor! I had one that apparently behaved like the one you mentioned...the simple act of snapping it down causes a split at the pin hole of the spring.

I have been known to use a bolt with washers and nylon nut in a pinch...and also known to never find the time to change it from there . In fact, I think the Hack at the Largo house is done that way. We'll be down for Easter starting Thursday and Easter break the full week after if you want me to take a picture, or stop by and see it, let me know. If I recall correctly, I have done this IN the car without pulling the radiator...take the hood completely off and straddle.....

Steve J. is correct I had a senior moment and got the 2 pins confused but I am NOT confused on having just changed the crank shaft pulley pin on my '23 touring car a short time ago and I did not pull the radiator to do that. My '23 is early and has the short radiator without any apron on the bottom of it in front.

Thanks for all the information. I will try the cotter pin installation the next time we work on the car. It looked possible but would rather learn form the knowledge of others. Really appreciate the forms collective thoughts.

I'm still not sure we're all on the same page here.


This is the accessory pin. It's for the ratchet. It's a bad idea for the reasons Charlie described.


This is a crank pulley pin. Obviously, there's no way a pin with a clip on it would fit into the pulley.

I think I am at fault for creating the confusion. I had my head on crooked when I was thinking about the pin with the clip on it and of course it is for holding the ratchet to the hand crank. The pin I replaced on my '23 was the pin in the lower picture which is held with a cotter pin and in turn holds the pulley to the crankshaft and engages with the hand crank to start the motor up. With the cotter pin removed that pin will exit through a hole in the outer surface of the pulley that lines up with the pin at all times.

John R et al, I have seen an old motor with a piece of spring steel (maybe from an old phonograph spring?) put inside the belt pulley. With the slight crown of the pulley, it seemed to have stayed there for a very long time, blocking both holes in the pulley so that the pin could not escape. I thought that was what you were talking about.

I guess I am weird,but I upgraded the pulleys on both my T's without removing the radiator.I never knew it needed to come off just for that job.