Long story made short: The motor has a cracked block and a bad case of
piston slap. I bought the engine used from a TR guy in upstate new york 3
years
ago. The engine was really built nice. Thye owner wrecked the car with less
than 10,000 miles on it. I drove the car about 2,000 miles and it began to
knock a little and I smelled antifreeze every time a stopped the car, but could
find no leaks. I found some condensation under the valve cover, so I pulled
the
head. 2 of the cylinders had water in them. I assumed I blew the head
gasket and the knock was coming from this. I did a valve job while I had the
head
off, put the head back on, and the problem was still there. I took off the
oil pan, the bearings look like new. While under the car a found a dribble of
antifreeze between the 3d, and 4th piston on the header side. I assume that
the knock is comming from some distortion in the cylinder wall, and I'm getting
piston slap. What I found out subsequently was the car sat in a field in
upstate NY over the winter with no antifreeze in it. I guess this is what
cracked
the block. The engine runs like a champ. It just knocks like hell when it's
cold. When it warms up it sounds pretty good.
Joe Davis
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