430MEL Dipstick Replacement ~ Kevin Staton ~ shopguy

As many of you Squarebird owners with 430 engines already know, they do not make a replacement dipstick tube for the 430 MEL engine. Unfortunately, the dipstick in the 430 MEL 1960 Thunderbird which I am currently working on, was broken off at the base where it enters the timing chain cover. The owner had tried to mend it with JB Weld, but it simply wasn’t a robust repair and it ultimately failed.


I initially pulled the cover off and attempted to pull the tube out, but it wasn’t budging so I resorted to removing it with a drill. I began with a ¼” bit and worked my way up 1/16” increments until it finally came loose. See Figure 1.


I purchased a 3/8” hard fuel line and a universal Ford dipstick assembly. I was hoping to reuse the bracket that was on the original tube, but I have no way to weld it on and decided that the one in the kit was a better choice since it slides on and allows you to rotate it while fitting it to the water pump bolt. I then used my tubing cutter to cut one end off to remove the flare and the two fittings and also cleaned out the inside burr left behind from the cut. See Figure 2 & 3.

Created: January 1, 2021

Last Modified: January 1,2021

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