Sometimes things go right

[Lou Earle]

I had bought my taxi 48 4 d00r as a partial wreck and thought the engine was shot- then discovered the engine seems very good( except for something laying in the bottom of the oil pan? honest to god I think it is a screwdriver- can just feel it with my little finger) but it was leaking oil - 6to 8 ozs and hour- from the front seal? wrong. I replaced the starter and while there checked the bolts holding on the timing chain cover- You know it will really reduce the oil leak if you tighten the bolts!! Right now it appears the oil leak stopped. Now to getting whatever out of the oil pan!

So I removed the head from a junk car I bought - only twisted off one head bolt - yes bolt- that among other thing made me think I might have a rebuilt engine on my hands- well it is- pistons 40 over tight-- very smooth walls no top ring - just a little black soot getting ready to become a ring valves seem to work great no scoured walls or piston wobble.

I am 90 percent certain I have lucked into a newly rebuilt engine.

Sometimes even a blind hog finds a root !!!

The heat temp Gage bulb even came out in tact and works. So really a good week.

While I have the head off anyone got any suggestions on what else I can check visually or otherwise?

Lou

[RobertKB]

Sometimes the dogs of restoration smile upon you!

[windsor8]

Your story sounds like the luck I had with my 48 Dodge Coupe. I got it off eBay back in late Aug. In the photos there were a lot of missing parts such as trim, grill parts, headlights, parking lights, hub caps and some other small items. When I picked the car up in Iowa we couldn't get the trunk open. As Lady Luck would have it when I get the car home and get the trunk open all the parts were there and in good shape.

[PatS....]

Lou, sounds like today is the day you should be buying your lotto tickets!!!

Good to hear it's going your way on this one.

[randroid]

I once removed my pan ('48 SD 4-D) with the engine in the car and without dropping any of the steering linkage. You've got to hold your mouth just right but it isn't a difficult job.

-Randy

[Don Coatney]

So I removed the head from a junk car I bought - only twisted off one head bolt - yes bolt- that among other thing made me think I might have a rebuilt engine on my hands Lou

Lou;

Every P-15 engine I have disassembled had head bolts (not studs). I believe these bolts are factory as they are not a standard bolt. The head size is not standard for the shank size and the shank is undercut between the top of the threads to an area just below the bolt head prevent seizing. Why would having bolts hold the head on your spare engine make you think it was a rebuild?

[BobT-47P15]

Looked in the Parts Manual for head bolts.....they call them "screws".

Item identifier number is 9-03-15. Number 17 in the exploded view.

Says 21 "screws" are needed. #9-03-15

[martybose]

(snip)I am 90 percent certain I have lucked into a newly rebuilt engine.

Sometimes even a blind hog finds a root !!!

I'm envious. I bought the engine out of a 50 Dodge that had been sitting in an old wrecking yard for over 30 years, but when I opened it up it was already .060" over, and so loose that the pistons rattled! We wound up getting a set of metric rings from a Toyota that worked out as .072" over, then had a set of pistons made for them.

Marty