Hi, Bob!
If you spent a lot of $$$ for the engine, and you want to make sure all
is well, it may be worth the price of a gasket set to pull the pan and
heads off, and check to make sure there is no water or rust in it. A
friend of mine bought a car with a "fresh rebuilt engine", which had
been sitting out without adequate cover...and had a few inches of water
in the oil pan. Not good!
If you want to see if it will run without disassembly, the first thing
to do would be to see how it turns...if it turns freely, then you would
probably be ok to prelube it and start it. However, you should first
pull the drain plug and drain the oil, and check carefully for any signs
of water. Fill it up with new oil, and remove the distributor, and
prelube by turning the oil pump with a prelube tool (you can use a long,
big slot screwdriver blade chucked in a drill, or make one from an old
distributor shaft, and the lower half of the gear).
Despite what some tv commercials say, an engine will hold oil in the
bearings and rings for many years! I've taken engines apart that have
been sitting for years in my garage, and when I pull the bearing caps
off, oil runs out, and when I pull the pistons out, oil runs from the
rings.
Jim F
59s in az
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