My Straight 8 Adventure Begins

[Bryan G]

First, let me start with an introduction: I've been a lurker here on and off for years but my recent purchase caused me to join. I've always had at least one "old" car or truck to tinker with, ranging from a 60's Impala to a 70's IH pickup, a '49 Packard to a Warlock I inherited. Most of my daily drivers have been Dakotas, and I've always had a soft spot for Chrysler products. 

 

For about 10 years now I've owned a '51 Ford with the flathead 6. (They had to have had the Mopar engine in their sights when they designed it.) That Ford, like most of my projects, had sat for years and needed the typical fuel & brake overhaul but at least cranked when I found it. I've really enjoyed bringing each of them back to life. For over a year now I've had the itch to do another and have been kicking tires. My plan, last fall, was to bring home a local barn-find Lark but the title never developed so I decided to move on. For the price of a third-hand Kia I now own a '49 New Yorker Highlander sedan. The good stuff: solid body with just some surface rust and such; everything is there. Older repaint that is good enough for me. With the mechanics sorted out it will be just like all my favorite vehicles meaning a decent driver that I can take anywhere without fear of breaking down, or getting a door ding. The bad stuff? The engine is stuck. My only experience with this was an old flathead V8 Ford that was abandoned on our property years ago. At the time I had a drum of WD-40 so dumped some in the plug holes and in a week or two it cranked. My hope for this engine was high; apparently a previous owner had it to the point of cranking but "wouldn't fire" and diagnosed it has having stuck valves. The guy I bought it from said it was stuck when he found it, which mattered not to him as he planned on installing a diesel under the hood! Thankfully he had too many other projects and it never happened. Anyway, I brought it home earlier in the week and dumped in some Marvel's. As I usually do, I did a lot of research. Comments on here and elsewhere talked me into doing something I'd never dared tackle before. This afternoon I pulled the head. Blessedly, it was drama-free with all bolts responding to nothing more than my weak hands on the ratchet. Drama-free until I saw what it looked like underneath. Ugh. 

 

Okay, all that MMO I dumped down the cylinders make it look worse, mixed with the old carbon, but...I don't know. #1 especially took a real beating. It's still stuck at this point. I now need to decide what my next step should be; as I said, even pulling the head was a big deal. Part of me says, do a quick and dirty re-hone and rings, do what I can with the valves, and be happy with it. Another says try to find someone nearby to tackle a real rebuild (I've previously came up short at even finding someone willing to do a valve job on a flathead engine. I heard rumors of some Amish guys that are good with tractor engines.) Or, I wait for a good "pull" to show up somewhere, a victim of transplant-itis. Whatever I do, it will stay a Chrysler straight 8. (okay, okay, worst case a 6!)

 

So, folks, there's my story; what are your thoughts?

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Bryan G
spelling

[maddmaxx1949]

Welcome, Owning a Warlock is one of my lifetime goals so if you're ever selling..... in regards to the car, that, in my opinion, isn't the worst i've seen by any stretch. Not good, but I think that's wholly a workable amount of corrosion. having an 8 cylinder is pretty cool I haven't seen a ton of them myself and I think it is worth keeping as the powerplant. I'd be curious to see what some scotchbrite could do just to get some of the heavy stuff off the edges of the valves and inside cylinder one which looks to be the main culprit. If its in your budget, I'd say pull and rebuild. If it's not I say get unstuck through soaking and tapping with a wood block. Get cylinder one clean and check clearances. Redneck me says running it will knock the rust off but I'm going to differ that suggestion to the other members. Wouldn't want to screw something up for you through my own shortcuts. It's a good project and I wish you luck whichever path you take.

 

[knuckleharley]

37 minutes ago, Bryan G said:

First, let me start with an introduction: I've been a lurker here on and off for years but might recent purchase caused me to join. I've always had at least one "old" car or truck to tinker with, ranging from a 60's Impala to a 70's IH pickup, a '49 Packard to a Warlock I inherited. Most of my daily drivers have been Dakotas, and I've always had a soft spot for Chrysler products. 

 

For about 10 years now I've owned a '51 Ford with the flathead 6. (They had to have had the Mopar engine in their sights when they designed it.) That Ford, like most of my projects, had sat for years and needed the typical fuel & brake overhaul but at least cranked when I found it. I've really enjoyed bringing each of them back to life. For over a year now I've had the itch to do another and have been kicking tires. My plan, last fall, was to bring home a local barn-find Lark but the title never developed so I decided to move on. For the price of a third-hand Kia I now own a '49 New Yorker Highlander sedan. The good stuff: solid body with just some surface rust and such; everything is there. Older repaint that is good enough for me. With the mechanics sorted out it will be just like all my favorite vehicles meaning a decent driver that I can take anywhere without fear of breaking down, or getting a door ding. The bad stuff? The engine is stuck. My only experience with this was an old flathead V8 Ford that was abandoned on our property years ago. At the time I had a drum of WD-40 so dumped some in the plug holes and in a week or two it cranked. My hope for this engine was high; apparently a previous owner had it to the point of cranking but "wouldn't fire" and diagnosed it has having stuck valves. The guy I bought it from said it was stuck when he found it, which mattered not to him as he planned on installing a diesel under the hood! Thankfully he had too many other projects and it never happened. Anyway, I brought it home earlier in the week and dumped in some Marvel's. As I usually do, I did a lot of research. Comments on here and elsewhere talked me into doing something I'd never dared tackle before. This afternoon I pulled the head. Blessedly, it was drama-free with all bolts responding to nothing more than my weak hands on the ratchet. Drama-free until I saw what it looked like underneath. Ugh. 

 

Okay, all that MMO I dumped down the cylinders make it look worse, mixed with the old carbon, but...I don't know. #1 especially took a real beating. It's still stuck at this point. I now need to decide what my next step should be; as I said, even pulling the head was a big deal. Part of me says, do a quick and dirty re-hone and rings, do what I can with the valves, and be happy with it. Another says try to find someone nearby to tackle a real rebuild (I've previously came up short at even finding someone willing to do a valve job on a flathead engine. I heard rumors of some Amish guys that are good with tractor engines.) Or, I wait for a good "pull" to show up somewhere, a victim of transplant-itis. Whatever I do, it will stay a Chrysler straight 8. (okay, okay, worst case a 6!)

 

So, folks, there's my story; what are your thoughts?

 

Well,youb could always clean out every cylinder to the best of your ability,make sure all the valves are closed,and then pour them all full of Marvel Mystery Oil before putting the head back on and pumping as much air into each cylinder as your compressor can pump. You can make the air plug you need from an old spark plub. Just knock the porcelein part out and then tap the top for a air hose fitting.

 

Hook your hose to the front cylinder,turn on your compressor,and just let it eat. This ain't a contest. The idea is to free the rings gently,not quickly. It may take a day or two,but sooner or later the Marvel Mystery Oil wil lube up the rights thanks to the air pressure. You can hear it when it happens. 

 

Then move on to the next cylinder in the line,and repeat until they are all free.

 

Once they are free,leave ALL the plugs out and try spinning the engine with the starter. Just try "bumping" t at first,and keep "bumping it" until the engine spins over.

 

Once this happens drain all the oil out of the engine and refill it with fresh 30 wt non-detergent oil,and spin it again with the starter until you see oil pressure on the gauge. Once you see the gauge registering oil pressure,THEN you can put the plugs back in and try to start it.

 

BTW,it might be a good idea to work on freeing up those valves first.  Fill the cylinders with paper towels dampened with oil to catch the trash,and get the wire wheel working on the top of the block. Once you get that cleaned up,remove the side plate and see what you can see.  You MIGHT be able to take a big plastic hammer and tap the open valves closed after lubing the stems and removing the keepers.

 

Once you have done that,see about cleaning the inside of the cylinder walls and filling them with oil.

 

I like to drop the oil pan after freeing an engine to clean all the crud out of that,too. Chances are it will leak and the gaskets will need to be replaced anyhow,once you have it running,so why start it with all that crud still caked up on the oil pan?

Edited April 11, 2021 by knuckleharley

[sidevalvepete]

I agree with Knuckle. All sensible stuff and is fun to do. After all that's why we get hooked on old cars in the first place. Looks a real nice car to play around with. Those eights are something special. Not many made it down here. If you haven't already,  take a look at some of the Cold War Motors you tube vids. Those guys get all sorts of old Detroit grunters fired up again after years of neglect. Keep us posted about your progress. I think we all hunger for these projects and keeping tabs on someone else's sweat is just great. Welcome from New Zealand and good luck!?

[keithb7]

You shouldn't give up due to the lack of a local person to perform a valve grind. You can do it yourself, in engine in frame, by hand, and get good results. I've done it.

Cylinder taper and wear are something to consider. How's the ridge at the top? New piston rings are generally a little larger than needed. Which is why we often have to file the ends down to get the proper ring gap. Not by coincidence, this allows us to use new cylinder rings in worn cylinders. My understanding is rings can fit to work in cylinders worn to .009 over the machining spec when the engine was rebuilt.  Cutting 0.010 out of the bore  at the next rebuild means the next official up-sized 0.010 over, rings. If you have a cylinder top ridge, I believe you have to ream it off. Measure your cylinder and go from there. A cylinder hone and new rings could do very well for a typical fair weather, Sunday, local cruiser vintage car. 

 

I guess before going that far pull the engine, roll it over, and pasti-gauge the mains and rods. Mic all the crank journals. If they look ok with some wear, could a person put .001 or 0.002 over sized bearings in there and leave the crank alone? A little taper, and not too scored up...Not perfect, but good?  New valves, new guides, new timing chain and gears. All new gaskets and seals. She might just be darn fine.,

 

Depends how it all measured up, how bad its all worn? How you want to use the car when done?  Driving long distances at and hi-way speeds? Probably not ideal.  Local cruising and the odd 200 mile trip? You might net many years from a refreshed engine. As opposed to full machining and thorough professional type engine rebuild.

There are options. You may not need to spend $7K dropping the engine off at a machine shop and ordering the super sized full meal deal. As mentioned, depends on what you want from the car.

 

These old engines take a lot of abuse. Get 'er free'd up. She may run. Plan on lots of elbow grease. Good cleaning. Seal things up. I bet she'd go.

 

I bought a frozen 218 (Canadian 25") for very cheap. I tried tranny oil and soaking for weeks. I gave up. I flipped it over pulled the pan off and rod caps. I pounded the cylinders out with a 1x1 piece of wood and a 5 lb sledge. They finally broke free.  Took a lot more effort than I expected.

 

Here you can see what I was fighting.

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by keithb7

[chrysler1941]

I agree with all the above.

ATF mixed with acetone will loosen everything. Don't take my word, look it up. Worked on all my engines.

 

Depending what route you want to go. If it was me, I'll have a complete engine rebuild. But before this huge task, I want to hear it and drive, so wire wheel all rust from cylinder top and head. When it spins, melt wax into valve guides. turn engine engine and tap valves.

When all parts move, Put it together and start. an 8 cylinder will start even with crappy compression some valves not closing?

Carb, ignition parts all need cleaning too but you probably already knew that.

[Bryan G]

I really want to thank each of you; this is EXACTLY the type of encouragement I was seeking, and it speaks well to this group. My thought at this stage, after reviewing the comments and spending some time with the engine, is to work towards making it run and seek perfection at a later date. Today I cleaned out cylinder 1 to see what it really looked like dry and free of gunk. Better, but those walls sure aren't smooth. I also pulled the valve covers (another first for me) and was much happier at what I saw down there-no signs of sludge, etc. I need to grab a valve spring compressor and then start tackling them. Previous discussions on here have already steered me in the right direction. So far it looks like this car will do a great job of teaching me and stretching the limits of my ability. 

 

I believe this engine had a 30 over rebuild at some point; a previous owner obviously cared about it judging by that and some other work I see, but it's sat for a long time since those days.

[keithb7]

Whoa boy! Those valves are clean! Might not have run long after it was last rebuilt? FYI some valves there appear to be stuck open.

Edited April 12, 2021 by keithb7

[Bryan G]

10 minutes ago, keithb7 said:

Whoa boy! Those valves are clean! Might not have run long after it was last rebuilt? FYI some valves there appear to be stuck open.

That was my thought; maybe attempts at running on old gas & stuck valves caused the ugliness up top. I should also point out that my shop vac sucked up a lot of nuts and other debris from under the exhaust valves up top. Hmm...the entire exhaust system looks intact. Did rodents really go to the trouble of traveling that full length to build a nest in the manifold? Makes me wonder if a clogged exhaust contributed to what I'm seeing.

[Andydodge]

Neat to see a straight 8 on this forum.............that engine is remarkedly clean in the valve covers adding weight to the recent rebuild statement............I've never worked on a straight 8 but I've seen reports on this forum of some expensive parts, like the exhaust manifolds which apparently have a tendancy to crack so I'd be very careful with it.............looking at how clean the valve train appears would make me try to gently get things free there, also maybe drop the sump and check there......as was mentioned a wire cup brush on the top of the block, pistons & valves will help as a start to clean............welcome aboard from oz also................andyd   

[Bryan G]

A little update, lest anyone think I dropped off the earth: cylinders continue to soak in combinations of MMO, ATF/Acetone & Seafoam. 4 & 5 are at the bottom of the stroke and are draining well; 3 & 6 are at the top of their travel so I can't really soak them but have been shooting penetrating oil around the edge each night (along with some pounding with a hammer & wood block.) I tapped down the valves where possible. To my surprise I found an old valve keeper tool in my stash but not a spring compressor. Rather than pay $55 to the local NAPA to order one I grabbed one off eBay, due in any day. Maybe pulling the valves will make a difference-at least that will give me more to do. I ran the cup brush over the business end of the head earlier in the week and have it cleaned up pretty decent, while also hitting the area of the valves at #1. 

 

I'm holding off pulling the pan for the moment but it doesn't look like too dreadful a job. So many other things on this engine, though...the design team must have been charged "don't make this thing one single inch longer than it has to be!". I don't think there's enough clearance to fit my hand between the damper and core support. I can't really put a wrench on anything up front without pulling the radiator, which in itself will be some work. Not as basic as my old Ford! 

 

Question: am I correct that the only way to access the flywheel on this car would be to pull the starter? I wanted to use a crowbar on the teeth but even there I don't know how much leverage I could get. 

 

While I continue to wait for movement up front I'm preparing to drop the tank. I put a wrench to the drain plug but it would take a breaker bar to do anything, if that, and I don't trust the integrity of the tank to take all that. I don't think it has much in it, anyway. With my last 2 cars of this vintage I installed an electric pump near the tank with a switch under the dash. A long ago owner did exactly how I would have, aside from the fact they put the filter after the pump instead of before. Haven't tested it yet but easy enough to swap out. I won't go playing with that until I have fresh gas to move. Hopefully the tank cleans out good; last time I did this I used POR-15 Marine Clean (name has now been changed) and the stuff was amazing, so I have that on order. 

 

I'm trying to stay encouraged. I'll admit I was a bit down about it earlier today, kind of in that stage where I'm kicking myself for taking on such a project. (That point where someone could talk me out of it for break-even money; hurry, before my mood improves!) I really don't have a good line on someone to do the engine for me and I'm not equipped to pull it myself. 

[Worden18]

Don't be discouraged, just take your time and do one thing at a time.  There's no hurry, and there's plenty of smart guys here to help you out and answer questions.  Every little thing you do is a mini victory.  That's the way I look at things, because if I didn't I would have given up long ago.  

[knuckleharley]

Quote

A little update, lest anyone think I dropped off the earth: cylinders continue to soak in combinations of MMO, ATF/Acetone & Seafoam. 

That's not a problem. This ain't a speed competition. It takes whatever time it takes is the mindset you need. I have no idea how hard it is to find parts for a straight 8,or how expensive they will be if you need them,but I am reasonably certain they won't be cheap.

 

Take whatever time it takes to do it right. You can never go wrong doing that.

[keithb7]

These sorts of new projects are great for learning new things. Push yourself beyond of your comfort level.  Then you’ll develop yourself. When you succeed you’ll feel very proud. 
 

When you pry on the flywheel ring gear you’ll get great mechanical advantage. This can be helpful. I’ve never worked on a straight 8.  On my 6, there is a lower pan that you can remove to expose a good lower portion of the ring gear. 
 

Anything that moves with the engine might be contributing to the seizure. Stuck valves. Stuck tappets. Cam bushings possibly frozen to the cam. Timing chain. Piston rings. Rusted main and rod bearings too, in extreme corrosion examples. Likely just the rings, but it all adds up. 
 

I tried for a couple weeks, using your soaking method. Then I gave up and dug in, tearing it down. Others have had success, so keep trying. You’ll know when you’ve had enough. 
 

Is the rad still in the car? The engine too it sounds like? Is there room to get a large socket and breaker bar on the crank front pulley nut? ¾” drive would be nice. Then a decent sized piece of pipe to really get some torque  on that crank to spin it. 
 

I look at it like this. People spend money to get an education in auto repairs. People also spend money on hobbies that make them happy. People pay mechanics to fix their old cars. Whatever you learn from all this straight 8 work, will be valuable to you. Spending some money, investing in yourself to gain experience and build confidence. 

Edited April 17, 2021 by keithb7

[RobertKB]

No need to get discouraged. Some great advice has been given to you. I will only add that yes it is a big job but you need to remember the old saying, “You can eat an elephant..........one bite at a time.” 
 

Be patient, ask lots of questions on this forum, and use this as a learning experience. 
 

PS - I would try to avoid using a crowbar on the flywheel teeth. I would use the front crankshaft nut instead as mentioned above when trying to turn the engine. 

[Bryan G]

Continued thanks! A good day today: in between honey-do's I managed to wrestle the radiator out. I was impressed with the appearance of the coolant, essentially as good as new. (The hoses, meanwhile, look like they were bought by Moses.) Tomorrow I'll grab a socket for the crankshaft bolt. Now, on another off-topic car I'd read of folks snapping the bolt off but I'm guessing that isn't an issue with these engines? The other encouragement came when a friend stopped by to visit. He has a large stash of NOS Mopar parts and I wanted to talk to him before I bought anything. He wanted to eyeball the car to have an idea what to look for; I think most of his real engine experience is with Model A's but he took a look at mine and told me that rough cylinder should be acceptable with a good honing (at least good enough.) He looked at the cylinders and commented that they had no ridge, just some carbon build-up to clean. 

 

I'll try not to come around too often with a droopy face, asking for someone to tell me it's all going to be okay Much great advice on here and...we're going to do this thing!

[James_Douglas]

I have done a lot of work on the sixes and I have done work on my friends 1946 Town & Country L8.

 

In fact I was the one who climbed into the engine bay and got the head off and then spent a couple of hours with a hand grinder with a wire wheel on it cleaning all the carbon off of the valves, the deck and the pistons.

 

I would take my time and pull the oil pan. Then I would pop off the rod caps and with a block of wood, assuming you have cleaned the cylinders as good as you can from the top and after removing the ridge with a ridge reamer...pop the pistons out. With the rust showing, I would suspect that the rings may be rusted and will not move in and out of the piston slots as they should.  If the ridge was not too great, then I would go hunting on ebay and see if you can find some of the Chrysler special ring sets for "worn" engines.  It is in the mater parts book. I have used these in the past and they do work. They are special sets with special wave springs that go behind the rings to make up for tapper and wear.

 

You can clean the valves on a wire wheel and use some good old valve past with the wood tool with suction cups to re-seat them.  Assuming you take your time and clean up the cylinder walls, the pistons with new rings and the valves you could come out with basically a solid engine that will run strong for years. The key it to take your time and do not me in a hurry. So what if it takes a couple of months or more.

 

One thing I would different than some is when it is time to fire it up get something thin like 10W to start the engine with.  It will flow into spaces that may be partially plugged. I would also put in a pint of kerosene in with it. That will help get the crud out of the oil galleries. Do not drive it or load the engine in gear during this part. Run the engine for like and hour at about 1000 RPM. Then dump that oil and do it again for another hour.  Then dump that and out in some straight 30 weight.  Then try driving it.

 

I assume you will flush the fuel lines, check all the other fluids, and the like.

 

I think you have a great car and if you watch the details and take your time, you will be quite happy with it. I drive a long wheelbase Desoto every day. Man how I wish they would have given Desoto the L8 for that car!  When I drive my friends T&C I can sure feel the difference.

 

Best, James.

 

[Dartgame]

For your fuel tank - see if the sending unit is accessed through the trunk floor, most of the 40's and at least early 50's Plymouths have this feature. Pull up the rubber matt and look for a circular metal or rubber plug about 3-4 inches diameter. If it is remove it and you will see the sending unit which is held in with screws - remove it and you can look directly into the tank without removing the tank. 

[Bryan G]

9 hours ago, Dartgame said:

For your fuel tank - see if the sending unit is accessed through the trunk floor, most of the 40's and at least early 50's Plymouths have this feature. Pull up the rubber matt and look for a circular metal or rubber plug about 3-4 inches diameter. If it is remove it and you will see the sending unit which is held in with screws - remove it and you can look directly into the tank without removing the tank. 

Thanks-I pulled the access panel. It's going to take some work to get that sender out of there, just cruddy enough that it doesn't want to readily turn. I'll give it a soak with some penetrating oil while I'm working elsewhere on the car. Sunday afternoon I pulled the generator so I can clean it up and give it a fresh coat of paint (and check the brushes, etc.) It will never be as easy to pull as now. Today my K-D 700 valve spring compressor arrived so I went about tackling the #1 exhaust valve. The tool worked great; as for the valve, I didn't know they could get stuck that bad! I'd been squirting various potions down there but it still took quite a bit of prying & spinning. It did clean up nicely. I need to grab some smaller brushes so I can clean up the guides. At this point I'm really looking forward to working through all the valves; yep, in a better mood now!

[knuckleharley]

4 hours ago, Bryan G said:

Thanks-I pulled the access panel. It's going to take some work to get that sender out of there, just cruddy enough that it doesn't want to readily turn. I'll give it a soak with some penetrating oil while I'm working elsewhere on the car. Sunday afternoon I pulled the generator so I can clean it up and give it a fresh coat of paint (and check the brushes, etc.) It will never be as easy to pull as now. Today my K-D 700 valve spring compressor arrived so I went about tackling the #1 exhaust valve. The tool worked great; as for the valve, I didn't know they could get stuck that bad! I'd been squirting various potions down there but it still took quite a bit of prying & spinning. It did clean up nicely. I need to grab some smaller brushes so I can clean up the guides. At this point I'm really looking forward to working through all the valves; yep, in a better mood now!

Look for brass rifle or pistol bore cleaning brushes. Sets come with a "palm grip" handle  you can use to push and pull it back and forth to clean up the guide. Hell,use the bore cleaning fluid that comes with the kit while you are at it.

[Bryan G]

Another good idea there, knuckle. Tonight I pulled most of the valves; the intakes are a piece of cake but the exhausts really are like pulling teeth. I don't know how any amount of soaking would have loosened them up. Just a couple intakes left and the final exhaust. I would have wrapped them up but I'd spent enough time crouched under there; at least there's plenty of room compared to some vehicles. 

[Sniper]

My core 230 had some stuck valves, I pulled the head, soaked the stems down and let them set, occasionally I'd roll the engine over and whack the stuck valves with a soft faced hammer then soak them again.  Took maybe a month and they were all free. 

[knuckleharley]

1 hour ago, Sniper said:

My core 230 had some stuck valves, I pulled the head, soaked the stems down and let them set, occasionally I'd roll the engine over and whack the stuck valves with a soft faced hammer then soak them again.  Took maybe a month and they were all free. 

Freeing stuck valves in DEFINITELY not a process you want to get in a hurry with.

 

Sometimes I think all young men need to work on old cars or trucks that have been sitting for decades because it would give them the lessons in patience they so desperately need. I honestly think that learning to be patient might be the most important value to learn early in life. It sure would cut back on a lot of the anger and frustration that afflicts the young.

Edited April 21, 2021 by knuckleharley

[Bryan G]

I had to be away for the weekend (a honey-do; did a lot of daydreaming about the Chrysler while away!) I was good, even cut the front lawn after work today before digging in. The engine still hadn't budged despite various cocktails of MMO/ATF/acetone, daily pounding, etc. I did what I knew I had to do, and pulled the pan. I was concerned I'd need the jack to hold it up and let it down gradually but when the last bolt came out it just sat there. Took a bit of gentle prying around the edges but then it came down gracefully. Not much in the bottom of the pan that scared me; the barest of light sludge at the very bottom, and some bits of what I guess are gasket material that crumble between my fingers. I've never pulled a pan before; I was surprised by the surface rust on the crank but maybe that's not unusual? Anything I should do with it?

 

Next I took my jack and a length of 2x2 and positioned it at the throw for #8 which was halfway up. After maybe 4 pumps the pistons let loose, thus ending doubt for me: this Spitfire WILL run again! I slowly turned it over by the crank bolt a full 360 degrees. There was some resistance which seemed to be from the corrosion, etc., on the cylinder walls. Of course, all the valves are still out at this time.

 

So, now it's time to get even more serious Part of me, of course, says clean it up, button it up, fire it up. But...no need to rush so the plan is to move onto the rings. 

[keithb7]

Poor girl has been sitting too long. Glad to see you are putting in the effort to bring her back. 
 

Dang that’s an oil pan! Good size. Might as well pull a rod cap. Note its mounting position and bearing mounting tabs too.  Put it back the exact same way.  Show some pics of the crank and bearing surfaces.  Its easy to pull, inspect and re-install 1 rod cap. Need a 3/8 torque wrench. That’s about it.

Pull just 1 for now. Plasti-gauge wouldn’t hurt either. Now’s the time!

Edited April 28, 2021 by keithb7