Roadster pickup from leftovers.

Ah yes..... Nothing like planting a seed of doubt.
You are right Don. It's only a hobby. But for the machine shop that didn't put in the galley plug it was supposed to be a profession.[S
The only way you would ever be 100% about that engine is to do what you are doing.
Torchie.

You guys are right, it needed to be rechecked to be sure. When I pulled the one head off last night the engine didn't look the same as the engines I now get back from my current machinist. Just not as clean looking or freshly machined, if you know what I mean.

I am going to take a couple of day break and maybe later this week I will start tearing it apart. I just love flushing money down the toilet !

Don

Made the first step in getting this thing ready for the machine shop. Went to the shop tonight, pulled the heads off and got the engine out. I am off tomorrow and Saturday, so I plan on getting it all dismantled and the paint stripped off. Maybe next week I can drop it off for remachining.

I stopped at the Dollar Store and bought a bunch of baggies and containers to put all the removed parts in so that I won't be hunting all over for them when assembly time comes around.

Don

You're a better man then me Don. I would have fired it up and done at least one good burnout to see how it ran before tearing into it again! Lol [cl[P

Haha, don't think I wasn't tempted. I wrestled with this decision for a while, after all, people drag motors out of wrecks and drive cross country with them, so how bad could it be ?

But now that I am getting a look inside the motor I realize that not only did the machinist do a lousy job, but I did too when I assembled it back then. I have learned a lot about engine assembly in the past 9 years and would never build one the same way I assembled this one at that time. This time I will be checking all the clearances and setting things like ring gap to make sure it is done much better.

I am off today and am going to head over to the shop while it is somewhat cool to try to get it torn down all the way.

Don

Don, I'm wondering why you are stripping the paint. Wouldn't it come off in the dip tank or is that a step that will be skipped in this at the machine shop? Seems that everytime I've sent a block in to the machine shop, all the paint is gone after the tank...

No, not the Imron, it is some tough stuff. Last one I sent to the machine shop came back with most of the paint intact. Plus, the shops here really don't dunk an engine these days, they put them in a blast cabinet that shoots shot through the entire engine. It comes out like new, except for the paint, for some reason.

My plan is to start with a very stiff wire cup brush and get it scratched up, then I will put aircraft stripper on to do the rest. What little will remain will probably then come off at the machine shop. Some of the Imron is 9 years old and some is a month old, so it will take some work to get it off.

Don

Ah yes, forgot it was Imron. That is tuff stuff. I think some are still using hot tanks around here...maybe behind the times...

Well, you got me to thinking, so I called the machine shop and asked if they have any process that will remove it and the guy said "We have an oven." I told him I have brought engines in before and some of the paint stayed on and he said "We can get it all off."

Good, that will save me a lot of work and I hope it's true. I even considered having it sand blasted off, but all that sand in the engine probably would not be easy to remove.

Don

That's great! Should save you some aggrevation...

Good call to the shop Don.
Blast cabinet may have removed the paint as well. Not sure with the Imron
In my area some shops have a hot tank and others have the shot system. Some both.
Just seems to be a matter of expenditure on the shops part as to what they have.
I always tell my kids that you have to have to be completly comfortable with your Dr and your Auto Mechanic. Lets add machine shop to that list.
Torchie.

I really like the shop I am using now, Torchie. They have a lot of really good equipment and even a dyno. When I was in there the last time they were assembling a nailhead Buick, a Hemi, and a flathead, so they know odd motors in addition to the run of the mill engines.

I spoke to Tony at Ross Racing today and he has a cam I am going to buy from him. It is a step up from the stock one I bought from Egge Machine years ago but will still work with my stock rockers and all.

Don

Last night after work I went to the shop, mounted the Olds block on an engine stand, and tore it all the way down so it is now ready to drop off at the machine shop. When I pulled the pan, I was like "WOW" !!!!!! You should have seen the crap inside the pan.........there was a very black sludge in there and also a lot of grittiness that feels like sand !

I think from sitting around our shop for the past 9 years a lot of grinding dust and dirt has found it's way into the motor. The black sludge might be all of the cam break in lube and zinc additive I have been putting in there to store it, but the dirt was the really scarey part. Even if I would have gotten this motor running it wouldn't have lasted long before it chewed itself up. Even the brand new bearings have some score lines on them and I have only cranked it with a breaker bar and the starter !

Now all it will take is money ( a lot of money ) to make it right.

Don

That sux Don. When I store a engine for a long period of time, I put it in a garbage bag and tie it closed. I like to think that keeps stuff out of it.
Might take a little longer now, but the end result will be worth it.

Yep, I have the 351 Ford and 350 Chevy sprayed with CRC and bagged tight, but we moved this engine around so much in the past 9 years I thought the tape I had over the openings and the rags in the ports was enough. Guess not !

Don

That dang grinder dust gets every where. With a little luck maybe you
can get away with just polishing the crank and rehoning the cylinder walls.
Think positive and hope for the best.

That is exactly what it is, Pops, grinding dust. My Son Dan is constantly grinding something to smooth it out, the entire shop is covered with grinding dust.

I noticed all the bearings are standard size, so there is some room to turn the crank, and the engine has only been honed, not bored, so I will have to buy new pistons if they do bore it over size.

Wednesday is my next day off so I am going to drop off the block then. After they get that done I will have to recover a little financially, then I will take the heads over to be done. This is not going to be cheap because I will be buying all new pistons, rings, bearings, gasket set, timing set, and a new cam and lifter setup.

If this car wasn't built around this engine it would be getting the 350 Chevy I have sitting on a stand !

Don

Loaded the block into the trunk of my car last night and dropped it off at the machine shop today. He says he will check all the clearances and let me know next week what needs done to make it right. I suspect line boring, decking, cylinder boring, cleaning the block with shot, and the usual cam bearings, brass freeze plugs, etc, plus new oversize pistons.

Once he figures that out I will take the crank, rods, and heads to him to have those done too. Going to have them rebalance it all too. So, I am probably looking at the first of the month or later before I get it all back.

Don

This morning my machine shop guy called, they had a chance to check out my block. Basically, it needs completely remachined, the first guy did a lousy job. But I sort of was expecting that.

It is going to get expensive because the kits to do these engines aren't small block Chevy cheap. He said I am looking at about $1200-$1500 for the pistons, rings, bearings, gaskets, etc., and another $800 or so in machining.

That doesn't include the heads, those will be about another $500-$700. So I am looking at around $ 2500 to $3000. Considering I had about that much in it the first time, and that money is all down the drain, it doesn't make me real happy.

We've talked about this on here, how whenever you play with anything but a small block Chevy it can get REAL expensive. Hemis, Buicks, Olds, Flatheads, etc engines look cool, but we pay for that coolness.

Oh well, I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches anyway, and can afford to lose a few pounds, so maybe this won't be all bad !

Don

Unfortunate Don. But as you said it was pretty much what you expected.
I'm like you in that I prefer to use older engines when I can for lots of reasons but this also points to what you said about using a SBC.
On my project the first engine planned was a Nailhead. Got into it cheap enough so I wasn't expecting miracles but it turned out to be worse than anticipated.$$$$$ So it's sits under the bench waiting for future use.
Next engine is the flathead that I currently have on the stand. Appears to be crack free but won't know for sure until it is totaly stripped and block is mag'd and pressure tested. Complete kits for those are about the same price as you metioned.$$$$$ Plus I have to find someone I trust to do the machine work.
At about this point a good running small block is looking very enticing.......
Torchie.