Bill,
After sleeping on it, that's about what I decided. Pull the pistons, if
rings okay, clean up the tops and reuse. Thought it might even be better with
old rings as they are "seated". With all of the rain here, I must have mildew
on the brain! Unless the rings or valve guides are busted, there's no way the
pieces are going to get into the sump. So I'm probably good there. It was the
exhaust, not intake (more mildew on the brain), which explains no clearance.
Lifter probably okay. I have questions on the head. I can't think of why the
seat should come out unless the head is cracked. Those heads are somewhat known
for cracking. That was why he went to the Vortec heads in the first place, to
replace a cracked original. (He got a deal on the Vortec's.) By the time the
head is crack checked and a new seat installed I think the price will be about
the same as a replacement. I don't think I'd trust the old one anyway. Once is
sort of fun but twice would be a real pain in the ass! We'd really rather be
working on the race car.
Thanks for the input.
Tim
Bill Babcock wrote:
> Never fails.
>
> Of course now that it's apart you can cut some corners. The old-time engine
> repair guys would do this whole job with the engine in place. A good system
> flush, swap out those lifters, drop the pan and pull the rods for the
> damaged pistons, and clean up the cylinders with a bottle brush hone. Unless
> the pistons are damaged enough to pinch the ring lands shut you might even
> salvage those. The head could probably also be fixed. Just smooth our all
> the gouge edges so you don't get detonation. These engines aren't operating
> at the outer edges of performance. It's amazing what people used to fix that
> just gets trashed today.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-fot@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-fot@autox.team.net] On Behalf
> Of Timothy F. Murphy
> Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 3:55 PM
> To: 'FOT'
> Subject: Re: Small block Chevy question
>
> Thanks for the replies. He decided to "do the right thing" and pull the
> head, even though the truck is up for sale. Good thing. The seat for the
> intake on # 6 obviously came loose, got pounded to pieces and proceeded to
> pound the piston and head pretty good. Some pieces were sucked into #4 and
> did a dance on that piston and head also. Cylinder walls don't look too bad
> with just a cursory glance. Could maybe clean them up with a hone, put new
> pistons in and a new head and give it a go. Or, probably get a short block
> and "start over". These were "Vortec" heads that he put on when he did the
> rebuild. I don't think we're big fans of that development anymore!! I'm
> guessing that if pieces could get sucked into #4 some could also find their
> way down the push rods and get into the lifters. Maybe that's why we found
> the "tight" exhaust lifter on #6.
>
> Hope we've got the "bad luck" out of our system now and the race car
> engine will be solid. At least we now know what a busted up valve seat
> sounds like!! At least in a small block Chevy V-8. By the way, this was to
> be our tow vehicle when we get the car on the track. It could have happened
> in the middle of Chicago on the way to Michigan from Wisconsin. What a
> happy thought!!
>
> Thanks again,
> Tim
>
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