flyinv55

Calling all welders...what am I doing wrong? 110 volt flux core, .030 wire, slowest speed and lowest voltage and I get this?

as a first time engine rebuilder the valves felt a bit sloppy as I pulled them through the guides, I'm hoping when I take the block to the shop for its bath they can probably give me a better idea whether or not it needs guides. Today I got around to cleaning off the main bearings and there is a stamp U .010, the pistons are stamped .030, the water distribution tube came out easily and intact and there is absolutely no ridge on the cylinder walls. It's clear to me I am not the first to have this engine apart and I kind of wished I had just started it up before I took it apart but I guess you dont know for sure what you have until you get it all apart. I sure appreciate the knowledge in this forum.

so after cleaning some carbon off the tops of the pistons they are indeed stamped .030. I am thinking I can get away with just having the block washed, new valve guides and maybe just a new gasket set & put this thing back together. I am not building a show car, just a cruiser. so I take it the cubes are a bit more than 218 with a .030 bore?

the odo shows 96,5000 but who knows how many times thats rolled over. I thought maybe there might be a stamping on a bearing cap or something that might indicate a previous rebuild. I dont know much about the previous owner and the history of the car other than it has spent the last 15 years in pieces inside a barn in S. Dakota.

I also got lucky today in removing my water distibution tube, it all came out in one piece after a couple yanks with a slide hammer and a 16d nail bent at the tip....

I have disassembled my 218 about as far as I can go, leaving the valve guides in for the machine shop to replace for me. The deeper I get into this block the more I have to wonder if this isnt the first time this motor has been rebuilt. There is no ridge on the cylinder walls, the water distribution tube is all in one piece (which totally surprised me), all bearings and surfaces look great so how can I tell if this motor has ever been rebuilt? Thanks in advance to those who have been in my spot before.

I am rebuilding my first 218 flathead 6 and wondering how do I get these valve guides out? are they replaceable? should I just send the block to the hot tank with them left in place?