A Lesson Learned
- Thread starter Moseman
- Start date
mrfury68
Senior Member
Ouch! Hope it is at least salvageable & something you can work with.
What I consider a good core, most would consider a drop in...the last one needed a dip and new gaskets....
65sporty
Old Man with a Hat
Sorry to here about what your going through, when you pull it down I hope you find a good usable engine you can put back into service
Correct... running and driving with whatever miles= core
Just rebuilt and untested= junk... at least too often
Fully functional with test drive and compression results= drop in, and still a bit of a crap shoot
IMO, too many folks out there who are trying to hide mistakes or simply don't realize how much they've done wrong.
FWIW, after the fact... If you have troubles like that in the future, it couldn't hurt to ask for a local to help in open forum.
I do admit, I would be hesitant to take on a big job I wasn't certain I could perform in a timely manner. I also would be willing to donate a few hours if my schedule allowed it. I'm pretty sure there are other like minded folks here. I'm busy, I'm slow... but if nothing else, I might have been able to help you figure out shipping.
Future use... it would have probably been cheaper to fly round trip and use Fastenal to ship it. That may have been my solo mission plan.
Pure speculation, but since the seller did have a MH driveline for you... I'd guess they either switched the one that ran or left it outdoors. you might find it will turn some with plugs removed if it only recently got wet. We get a lot of rain, and it doesn't take much to hydrolock an uncovered engine. Pulling the heads is better, but will take a little more time.
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polara71
Old Man with a Hat
I've only transplanted two engines for my own use. One was a 340 from a 70 duster into my Polara, Jackpot.
The next, a 383 from a 69 Polara into my 71 Polara, bigger Jackpot as it turned out to be a 1972 400 - 4 HP engine. . I was younger and not as cautious . I have to agree a used engine today is always considered a core .
The next, a 383 from a 69 Polara into my 71 Polara, bigger Jackpot as it turned out to be a 1972 400 - 4 HP engine. . I was younger and not as cautious . I have to agree a used engine today is always considered a core .
Actually, your idea about fly round trip and pick up is a great idea. However, my logistics probably would not work in this case. PM me and I will explain in more detail. Thanks,
I finally got the heads off of this engine. Had several water pump bolts break off, and had to weld a bolt to the head of one of the intake manifold bolts to get the intake off. Still locked up. Some pictures of the cylinder bores. Gonna let it soak for a month or two. Yank the trans off, and then put it on an engine stand. Go from there!
I would try filling the bores up with some diesel, it has good penetrating ability and well help keep more rust from forming until you get around to trying to pull it apart. The bores show enough rust to have stuck the engine, but I think you should be able to rebore it. Might want to mic the top of the bores to see if it has been rebored before before putting a lot of work into this engine. Once you get it on the stand, pull the pan and see if any of the rods are fused to the crank as that also will cause the engine to seize up.
Dave
Dave
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Dave, thanks, Next time I am in the shop I will dump some diesel (I have a few 5 gallon cans of red dye!) I really do not see any stampiings on the pistons showing oversize, but you are correct, will have to see how it measures when I take it to the shop. Sometime in the future! So he said!
I am still not sure it it has been under water (in one of the hurricane floods in Fla.)
65sporty
Old Man with a Hat
I used the diesel trick on a motorcycle engine once that was froze up, got it loose and running again. Smoked a little, but was running good other wise. Oil control rings must have been stuck.
If they get water in a cylinder bore there will usually be discoloration of the piston and some heavy white oxide where it got wet. I mainly see lots of carbon on your piston tops, so I do not think it went for a swim.
Dave
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
That sucks, sorry for your troubles. I got a running 440 and trans from an RV. Yeah right, I got a stuck, core engine. I figured it was bad when loading it up, felt like a drug deal, or buying something stolen, real hurried and just odd. But I only got burned for $250 and a few gallons of gas. So my loss was just another cheap core engines worth of disappointment.
The asking prices of a 440, no matter the condition, is insane these days. They made plenty of them, and they aren't really exotic. Just boggles my mind why people think they are worth what they are asking. I saw a completely torn apart 440 needing a rebuild for $1250! I have seven blocks, bare, short and complete, that I couldn't sell for $300 apiece. Glad I didn't, as I have plenty to choose for a build. Hope you salvage most of the parts.
The asking prices of a 440, no matter the condition, is insane these days. They made plenty of them, and they aren't really exotic. Just boggles my mind why people think they are worth what they are asking. I saw a completely torn apart 440 needing a rebuild for $1250! I have seven blocks, bare, short and complete, that I couldn't sell for $300 apiece. Glad I didn't, as I have plenty to choose for a build. Hope you salvage most of the parts.
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