How to remove broken brass fitting at oil pressure switch using bathroom sponge!

[DamianC]

Hi guys.

So I snapped the brass fitting below the oil pressure idiot light switch on my 440. It broke cleanly level with the block. So looking at it I wasn't too concerned as it's made of brass and pretty soft, so should be fairly easy to remove. What worried me the most was any removal process would probably create metal debris that could fall down into the oil passage and of course nobody wants that. So what I did was get a clean dish pan sponge and cut about a 5x3/4" piece off of it. I then coated it in grease, as well as put some grease down inside the oil passage with the grease gun. I then pushed the long foam piece down into the oil passage until the top most part of the foam was just below the bottom of the brass fitting still left in the block. The foam expands to fill the oil passage once inside if you cut it to the right diameter.  Now, I had intended to use a fluted extractor to remove the brass thread, but as I had to wait another day for Amazon to deliver it, impatience and curiosity got the better of me, and I had at it with a small sharp chisel and managed to twist it out with a large flat screwdriver. I also had my shop vac with a piece of very small washer jet hose duct taped to it, so I could suck up any shards of brass as I worked. Anyway, long story short once I had removed the broken fitting, I was then able to pull the foam back out with a small pick. It had the added advantage of cleaning the oil passage as I pulled it out. I cleaned further with my shop vac, and long cotton swabs, but no metal particles got into the engine as far as I can see. I just thought I would pass this tip on, as it worked great in my case. See the images attached, and link to a small video. https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipNJ93yrENSW1kXcBQk8kJMmbcThgImMy_XmiRF0jaQXRLny6eOKJ3MpY5Th2XkSOg/photo/AF1QipOWH9JNasn9EbI37OmrTgmlViFrT0_IydSPsdr0?key=dXdvV0g3MFlqRy1lYTFuT3JVNU4zOGZkT2d2R3hR   

[cuda hunter]

Thanks for the tip!  That really worked well.  I'll have to try that some time.

Loved the pictures. Bravo sir!  Looks great!

Is the fender tag riveted to the body? 

[DamianC]

Thanks for the tip!  That really worked well.  I'll have to try that some time.

Loved the pictures. Bravo sir!  Looks great!

Is the fender tag riveted to the body?

Thanks, I hope it helps others out of a sticky spot.

Why do you ask, re the fender tag?

[cuda hunter]

I'm just a numbers guy. love decoding. 

I think only C bodies got rivets on the tag.  And of those I think it's only one plant that did C bodies with rivets. 
Just curious is all. 

[redgum78]

That's a great idea thanks for sharing.

To add to this- if you were still concerned of contamination you could pull the distributor and drive the oil pump with a drill to flush out the passage before re-fitting the sender. Messy but it would clear any debris.