At 09:10 PM 3/9/96 -0600, John Eric Lifsey wrote:
>Hey gang here is the deal. I have two engines sitting at home. The body
>will be ready for one of them come then end of March. I don't know much
>about engine work. The engine that came out of the car seem to work fine
>before I took it out. The other worked great when I took it out of my
>wrecked 73 B 9 years ago. The latest engine is out of a 74 B. What kind
>of things should I do while I have it out of the car? I mean replace
>gaskets, or anything that should be done when the engine is out of the
>car. I can work my way around a car, but have never done any serious
>engine tear downs. Any suggestions? I have been reading this group for
>a while now and have really enjoyed the threads.
>Eric Lifsey
>mat1000@frank.mtsu.edu
>Brentwood, Tn.
>
>
Take the 'better' engine, make sure it is stored properly, and place it in a
corner of the garage. Now you have a failsafe.
Dive into the other one. I don't know your intentions for the car or the
condition of the 'poorer' engine, but I would suggest the following for your
first engine rebuild:
Replace rings - bearings - gaskets. Don't overbore or replace pistons.
Knurl the original pistons if needed. Lightly hone the cylinders. Don't
forget to remove the ridge. Don't cut the crank unless it really needs it -
learn how to use plastigage. Do a valve job the old fashioned way (lapping
compound) if the valves and seats are ok. Use the same cam, lifters and
pushrods. You can probaly get away with the original cam bearings. Don't
bother boiling out the block - use plenty of solvent, compressed air, an
assortment of brushes, and common sense. Replace the freeze-out plugs.
Keep track of where everything came from and put it back in the same place
-- use a punch as needed on disassembly. If you really want to go crazy,
replace the timing chain. Replace the oil pump if the original looks worn,
otherwise keep the original. Obviously, replace all gaskets and seals (get
an engine kit).
This advice is likely to draw flames from those who espouse a thoroughly
anal approach. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But we are
dealing with a very straightforward engine, and these steps will give you
tons of firsthand experience at very little expense. Any tool you don't
have can be purchased, borrowed or rented. And, quite frankly, the above
repair steps were state-of-the-art in the fifties and sixties, before deck
plates, line-boring machines and the other accoutrements (sp?) of advancing
technology became common.
The first engines I rebuilt were done this way, and one of them has survived
for twenty years and 150,000 miles since its 'crude' rebuild.
Make some mistakes and don't worry - not too many people have the luxury of
a spare. Take what you learn and put that into the other engine at some
point in the future when you start your 'real' restoration.
If you are leary of jumping in and possibly screwing up, go down to the
sleaziest junkyard around and haggle for a take-out engine out of ----
anything. Fifty dollars should get a greasy lump delivered to your
driveway. Clean it up, take it apart, see how it hangs together, look at
how things wear, and bolt it back together. Then sell it back to the junkie
for fifteen dollars! Really, don't worry: it is all simple logic.
Understand some simple fundamentals (like how metal behaves), read every
manual you can (on any engine), and get your hands dirty.
Regards,
John
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