Los_Control

Are you sure it was not just steam burning condensation as the engine was warming up? I have seen this on other engines to start when heat gets into the block, then last for 30-40 minutes until all condensation is burned off. I'm no mechanic, I always thought blue smoke is oil, black smoke is fuel, white smoke is water or condensation. Are you certain it ever had compression on #1? .... These flatheads are notorious for having stuck valves. They sit with the valve open for years and sludge and gummy oil makes the valve stem sticky and the weak valve springs just wont pull them closed. Usually the engines will not start from low or no compression .... often if they do start and run them through a few heat cycles the warm oil will get things working again all on their own. When I first started my truck up I had enough compression to run, 115 60 75 85 75 90 all cylinders are now between 100-110 just by running it. I really can not describe all the ugliness that came out of the tail pipe the first few times running it. Another issue besides stuck valves is stuck rings. These old Dodges the rings like to stick to the pistons. Which means they will not expand to the cylinder wall or rotate as needed. It is 2 different metals fuzzing themselves together .... A few heat cycles and let the engine run and sometimes they free themselves up. Of course it is always good to open the head up and get a good look at what is really going on. Just suggesting I would let the engine run enough to prove to myself it will not clear up without tearing into it.

I'm wondering if you have the engine running yet? I'm just guessing you are trying to do some preventive maintenance before starting it up? .... Not actually trying to fix a existing overheat problem. When I first started mine up, it sat in a field for 20+ years, it had major cooling issues and I'm certain today this is why it was finally parked out in the field. I had to go through every part of the cooling system including pull the water pump and rod out the waster tube behind it, replace radiator, T-stat, pull the core plugs and clean the casting sand out of the block .... the heater control valve on the head for the heater hose was frozen closed. All cheap and easy things to do at home. If you have a valve on the head I would pull it off. These are standard NPT threads and can get a nipple from Ace hardware and just bypass the valve. Same time, if it is clogged there, is not going to make the engine overheat .... your heater will not get coolant and not heat. It is normal to close the valve and run this way ... why the valve is there. IMHO, you may be getting caught up on small things that do not matter. ..... Maybe they could not close the valve to turn the heat off. Being cheap they pulled the valve and blocked it ... instead of spending $$ to replace it. Either way, if no air coming out the end of the hose you need to remove the hose and then whatever is there connecting the hose to the head, then check again. I'm guessing your issue is between the head and the hose.

In my photo above, you can see in my heater hose going to the heater core I have a flush port installed. Means I can connect a garden hose there and remove the radiator cap. Then while running in the driveway flush the cooling system out. A serious clog would need to be removed by other means though .... Eitherway, flushing with water would be more effective then testing with air imho.

All the way down in Texas here .... if you get lost and wander this far let me know ..... enjoy your trip.

Wax on ...... wax off .... All I got to say about that

In my daily drivers, I try when I remember ..... I use seafoam in the tank as a preventive cleaner .... I have seen others have good results with it. Also a firm believer that with moderate water in gas tank, 1 bottle of HEET will allow it to mix with fuel and burn through .... no instant gratification, next tank of clean fuel you notice it worked. Only thing I would add to the oil is ATF, do a oil change and add 1 quart ATF and top off with regular oil ..... ATF is a excellent cleaner, it will clean your engine over time .... it is too thin to be used regularly,but a good cleaner. Only thing that comes to mind, my 1951 F-2 ... 3/4 ton Ford that when approaching 55 the king pins would cause the death wobble and literally had to pull over to the side of road and start again ... It liked 50mph not 55. Other then that, I hated 55 in my other cars, never did get a speeding ticket though.

IMHO, I believe there is a direction it should flow through the core .... basically hot water going into the top and exiting out the bottom ..... just easier then putting water in the bottom and exiting from the top. Realistically probably makes no difference ...... I have never seen instructions on which hose goes where on a heater core. I would remove both hoses from heater core and test it individually ..... pushing water through it would be best to actually clean and flush it. I would do same thing with the radiator .... disconnect hoses and run water through it to flush it. Then do your first start with a known working temp gauge and monitor it while the engine is running. When you get this far and have issues .... there are more things to do .... not for first start though.

Ok now I'm confused .... what are you checking ..... engine block or heater core? All the water pump is ..... like a childs pinwheel it directs air .... it does not actually pump water, it directs it in the proper direction .... Because it is powered by the fan belt it may be able to achieve some pressure like 1 or 2 psi .... it just directs the flow of the water and keeps it moving. A pressurized system comes from the heat and the radiator cap .... heat builds pressure. The whole system should be clear for air to travel through though.

I'm thinking the coolant would drain by gravity from there .... if the coolant was low beyond that height .... top of engine, the pump would not pump it up and out. absolutely, usually there is a valve there. The purpose of the valve is to close off the water flow to the heater core in the summer when you do not want heat in the cab. If that valve is closed or clogged you would not get flow. Poor photo, you can see I replaced mine with a modern ball valve just to get things running, it works and will replace later with something more correct.

As funny as it sounds, I was maybe 17 years old and working at a Union 76 gas station at night .... think we closed 10 or 11 pm .... I had full use of the garage during the evenings, I could bring my cars in and play with them while working ... while keeping the gasoline customers happy. I had a full garage with lift and tools at my hands .... The owner actually encouraged this activity, there were 2 bays and if customers needed help like a new fan belt or such he wanted people there that could handle the job .... I think he considered it on the job training. Just showing a photo because we all like pics. So I bought a car, not this one for $50. It was baby blue with a white vinyl top, hub caps and a 6 cylinder. Grandma's version. Everything was perfect on that car, interior, body ... car was 10 years old .... They ran Quakerstate oil in it, when I pulled the valve cover it looked almost like the photo above. Since I worked at a gas station, we had a barrel out front .... We would take the cardboard containers and insert the spout and pour oil in customers cars. When finished we would take the can and insert the spout in the barrel and let it finish dripping there .... We could use this oil anytime we wanted, it cost $$ to get rid of it. Just saying I mechanically removed all the sludge I could .... Then kept running fresh oil and ATF through it .... I would remove the valve cover and monitor it. Think it was 2 months and sold that $50 car for $500 .... It really ran well and cleaned up nice .... nobody complained.

Thats a good point .... I noticed that on my first project I never could finish. There was only 1 cylinder that had compression and low. When I pulled the head, the valves were stuck open ... I was shocked at how easy it was to push the valves down by hand. Literally took zero effort, the springs just were weak and would not pull them down because of the gum on the valve stems going through the valve guides. While I could use my little finger and easily push them down. Since I was using a bar on the stomp starter to roll the engine over, I just used a small rubber hammer and roll the engine over then tap them down . I really felt like I was playing the kids game whack a mole .... Within 1/2 hour all valves were functioning correctly. A compression check on all cylinders would give a good idea on whats going on.

Agree with @soth122003 a engine flush is good .... I actually like to do a oil change and add 1 quart ATF then fill with normal oil .... ATF is a good cleaner and will clean sludge. You had your valve covers off and you would see there how much sludge your engine has. Here is a engine that has been properly sludged up .... I would expect issues if your engine looked 1/2 this bad .... I just installed a used engine had 135K miles on it in a modern OT car .... it had a little sludge in it .... basically evidence of it, tiny amount in the corner on top of a rocker arm. I just feel it is common to see some sludge inside a engine, the older the engine the more sludge you will see .... is just common. The engine above most likely used non detergent oil ..... even later oils like Quaker state and Pennzoil had a additive I believe was paraffin ... Had a buddy at work that had a new crate engine in his 67 Ranchero, ran nothing but Pennzoil in it ... pull a valve cover and looked like this. Long story short, if your seeing some serious sludge inside your valve covers, you should pull the pan also .... if not bad, never hurts to run a flush.

That Chevelle had a million miles on it already but did run ok. I ended up giving the car to my sister. It was her only car and she drove it to work for a couple years yet. It was very dependable and just needed normal maintenance to keep it going. .... Brakes, alternator .... the motor hung in there. Still ran but was getting pretty tired and sis was in a better position and bought her dream car 72 Nova. I'm sure you are correct it will hang in there the way it is. .... If only we had push rod extensions 🤔

Sad to hear, sounds legit though. Not really something we hear about on our flatheads. I remember it used to be a common thing on early SBC, especially the lobe that ran the fuel pump. I had a 68 chevelle with a worn out 327 .... cam was flat and could not pump enough gas at high speeds .... install a electric pump and it got enough gas at high speeds to tell you the rest of the cam was flat also. Just saying it happens, sad it happened here

Why? You are converting 100% to a totally different system .... why would you want to use any of the old charging wires that were put in place to work opposite of what you currently have. No expert here, but not my choice. You will be fine, you actually want to cut into the charging system after the amp gauge .... 78 amps going through your amp gauge could start a fire. Pretty sure your F& A wires cut in before the amp gauge ...... no idea but I think you better spend more time thinking about it. I'm replacing all my wiring and the power wire off the alt goes after the amp gauge .... then a volt meter is more functional and included in my wiring diagram. I'm just saying, the typical 48 cloth covered wiring needs to be replaced .... if your wiring has already been replaced that is fine ..... just creates issues if you are switching grounds and such from positive to negative ..... you sure do not want to run a positive wire into a ground wire.

Really depends on your goals for the car in the future. If you want a daily driver I would replace it with a alternator. 12V neg ground If you want it totally stock, I would disassemble the generator to clean it, install new brushes if needed, deal with bushings or bearings .... then run it. Me I just tossed mine out and installed a Chevrolet 12V alternator I can purchase from any local auto parts store ..... I have to install new wiring anyways .... just makes sense to me to install something I want and not beat my head against a wall installing something I do not want. If you want original, the wall is all yours.

I agree the reproduction knobs do not look like the original. Used choke cables are out there, few and far in between though .... seems they get used a lot and replaced over the years. I can only say what I'm going to do. I have not actively searched for the choke cable .... bigger things to worry about first. I did have a chance to pick one up for a 50's Chebby truck .... not correct but it is period correct and looks better then the cable from the 90's that is in it now. In my defense, summit was having a clearance sale and I went there mainly for a set of Flowtech chrome headers for a flathead Ford V8 Flowtech discontinued them, I image they sold for $250-$300 .... I got them for $40 Same time they had pages and pages of great deals. I picked up license plate/tail light brackets, brake hardware & springs, wiring pig tails .... all kinds of random crap .... I think the choke cable was $4. I got a huge package delivered with all kinds of goodies in it for about $75 including headers. So thats my post, use a get me buy until you find the one you want .... possibly make one that is unique.

I like that a lot.

I'm sure you realize this .... the brushes are there but the end of the shaft fits into the back of the case riding on a bushing .... thats what you are oiling. I'm not certain what I would do in this case, I would ask for advice .... my point is the open hole is allowing dirt & grit get into the bushing. I would feel better if I flushed it out some way .... my first thought is WD40, because it is a decent cleaner and cheap enough to use to flush it out. Then I wonder if brake clean would be better because it evaporates so quickly. ...... I would want others opinion on what to do. I'm leaning towards brake clean because would not want to get WD40 on the brushes. Brake clean evaporates. Either way, even if I had to whittle a plug out of a tree branch from the ground ... I would want to plug it til permanent fix is made. Probably been like that for years and who knows if any damage has occurred .... Knowing it was like that I would spend 5 minute on it and plug it.

You can see the hole in your photo, here is my generator and can see the grease cap in it.

It is just a Dodge Caravan SE model ..... basic low level trim and hood ornament is stock. Was bought new from a school teacher and used to haul around students to after school events. Nothing custom or modified about it .... just special because wife mother was the 2nd owner on it and father kept it up good .... now it is the daughters car.

Thanks for being a good neighbor and looking after him ..... I remember he was not in the best of health a couple years ago. He did take time out to appoint a guardian of his estate and a will ..... He was a good guy and looking ahead ..... I will miss him.

Merle is correct as always. ..... like all brakes they need to be moving freely and with 75 year old cars this is more of a issue then with newer cars. My personal advice on these brakes, you need to be involved with them and willing to work on them yourself. There is nobody out there that will care for and have as much interest in these brakes as you the owner. It was the best braking system available in it's day ..... today they are obsolete. ..... There are only a few of us around that know these brakes and work on them. You are not going to find a 30 year old mechanic that gives 2 hoots about this old obsolete braking system .... I almost guarantee you will be his only customer .... not worth their time to learn it properly. A custom shop that only works on old vehicles, will be expensive and try to talk you into a modern disk brake conversion and is the most practical way to go. If you are willing to be the mechanic and work on the brakes yourself ..... then it is feasible to keep them ..... They are not self adjusting, the best working brakes need a routine maintenance check every year or as needed, if you drive it year around. .... Only you can do this. With the amount of love and care @keithb7puts into his brakes. The help and information is here and available. If you are not willing or capable, I recommend you save yourself headaches and update the brakes. Rustyhope sells a front disk brake conversion kit that you will need a mechanic to install .... sadly the rear end needs to be updated to get modern rear brakes. ..... A jeep cherokee or Ford Explores will fit and use same wheel bolt pattern. You can get modern brakes for not a lot of $$, easy to work on, easy to get parts .... any mechanic can work on them .... will work for years with no maintenance ..... Again the modern yoke on the rear end will not fit your obsolete u-joints ..... you need to change the yoke on transmission as well and get a drive line built for it. So there is a little investment up front, The car looks totally stock at car shows, you have modern u-joints, choice of rear end gearing, modern brakes .... The car runs and drives as original .... you just eliminated a bunch of future headaches. ..... trouble free miles without having to worry about brakes, u-joints, rear end leaks. Later update the distributor with the slant 6 electronic distributor conversion and add a alternator ..... You will have a trouble free car you can drive anywhere any time with no major headaches as we get older. It will run and drive just like it does now, it will show just like it does now .... it will simply be more dependable and trouble free ...... set goals. You either learn to work on it and we will help and you work on it yourself .... or you need to upgrade a few things ..... IMHO

I was thinking to toss a idea out there myself, if not in any hurry ... with the shoes on the work bench you could clean them .... a day or so later clean them again. Just keep it up for a week or so .... will it work? .... Is it worth it? ..... our shoes are easy enough to get, to me just not worth it. If they were some rare shoes hard to get .... soaking them in gasoline might be a viable option. Just my opinion, fire could cause more damage then good. Gasoline will evaporate .... so if the shoes were soaked for a day or so, long enough to thin down and remove the oil .... then let the shoes dry a few days .... it will just evaporate naturally.

It is a 93, I just installed a 94 engine in it a few weeks ago. .... not perfect but is a good work horse and we enjoy driving it.