She’s out!!!  Myself, my Brother-in-Law- and a friend (both mechanics masquerading as dealership management) pulled my motor this morning.  I was a little hesitant to go to these lengths, but when I pulled the spark plugs (>500 miles) I knew it had to be done.  I spent the last week removing all of the accessories and such, so this morning we were able to pull the motor and break it down to a short block in about an hour. 

 

I have been burning and leaking roughly a half a quart of oil for every 100 or so miles.  The car did not smoke much around town, but at highway speeds I was laying down a smoke screen.  We installed new valve seals & plugs in the summer but the new plugs nearly fouled out, so the most likely culprit was collapsed oil rings. 

 

When the timing cover came off, we found that several teeth had broken off of the cam sprocket & the chain came off without pulling the sprocket.  The cam had several worn lobes, with the intake of number 1 worn down over considerably.  The cylinders showed no scowling or gouges, but they were worn mirror smooth.  And I found out that the left side exhaust manifold was broken at the flange and a bolt was used to hold it to the exhaust pipe.  Also, the clutch was nearly gone & the clutch springs were barely hitting the flywheel bolts.  The radiator core support showed no rust at all.

 

The motor will go to a local machine shop soon.  The block and the heads She will be put back together fairly stock (I want to add a little bottom end torque).  I will have hardened valve seats installed so that I no longer need to add lead additive.  The tranny is coming out also, and it will be sent out for a check-up and new case gaskets, clutch & pressure plate.

 

While the engine is out, I want to clean the entire engine compartment, replace all hoses (heater, vacuum, P/S, etc.) and give the A/C system an overhaul in preparation for an R134 conversion.  All engine brackets will be cleaned & repainted or powder coated.

 

I’m starting to think that pulling the motor will be the easy part compared to the work that I have ahead of me.

 

I’ll keep you posted as I decide what engine components that I choose.

You've opened up a can-o-worms, now!!!! Just try to stay focused, and don't let it turn into a 10 year project!!

Hope she turns out nice for ya! Keep us posted on the autopsy!

The hard part is choosing what you want to put back.  How much do you want to add or change.  Once you figure that out, the rest is not to difficult.

Interesting.........."installing hardened valve seats so that you no longer need to add lead additives"......I'll be watching this post!!

looks like you and I are on the same pace.

keep us posted .good luck

Mick.....In the leaded fuel cars like ours, the lead in the gas acted as a lubricant.  Engines designed for unleaded fuel have hardened valve seats which do not require lead to lubricate the seats.  Installing hardened valve seats in older heads is a pretty common upgrade.

 

VetterBob.......Yeah.......We're both in for a long winter!!!  I'll be sending the block & heads out to the machine shop soon, as for new components, my choices are nearly made, I'll keep you posted.

Good luck,

Anthony

Anthony, between Tom & your brother-in-law not only are you saving a few bucks, the rebuild will be done correctly. After it's all said and done, you'll have a strong and reliable toy. I have a complete AC vacuum hose kit unopened, if it matches your set up you can have them. They are the correct hose's for C-3's. Are you going to reseal your firewall ? Now would be the perfect time. If you need someone to annoy you while you work on your project, give me a call, I'll come by.  

[QUOTE=Ten15]

Mick.....In the leaded fuel cars like ours, the lead in the gas acted as a lubricant. Engines designed for unleaded fuel have hardened valve seats which do not require lead to lubricate the seats. Installing hardened valve seats in older heads is a pretty common upgrade.

I'm learning new stuff every day!!! The people in C3VR are so outstanding with sharing their knowledge, since of humor and just too much to list!! A million thanks!! Haven't run into engine problems yet, but I know it's down the road.
Gotta a clutch problem now. Had a hard time trying to find pedal bushings & break bumper to restore the pedal assemblies to go with the new clutch. I'm printing all the updates to this forum!!

Update #1

 

I dropped off the motor & heads at the machine shop today.  This is going to be a basic rebuild, and the stock crank, connecting rods, intake and exhaust manifolds, and Q-Jet will be inspected, rebuilt and installed. 

 

I ordered a new High Energy Cam Kit from Comp Cams (K12-205-2) with .425 lift and an advertised duration of 252.  It has an effective operating range of  800-4800 RPM and it should provide some nice low end torque.  Besides, this is realistically the range that I drive in, as I rarely push it past 4000 RPM.

 

He'll probably go .30 over, and I’m keeping the compression at 10.25 - 1 which shouldn’t be a problem since I  keep the timing @ 4 degrees advanced and use 94 octane gas.  I have a stock distributor with the Pertronix II and Flamethrower Coil, Accell 8mm black wires and U-groove plugs.  I already have the top and vertical ignition shielding, and I plan on getting all 4 heat shields and side shielding pieces.

 

The tranny is getting an inspection and a new gasket kit, along with either a Hayes or Centerforce clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing.  I’m rebuilding the leaky steering box, and the power steering pump, cylinder, and control valve will be exchanged for rebuilt units along with the 4 new hoses. 

 

Finally, the radiator & A/C condenser will be tanked and tested and the A/C valve will be changed out for a R-134 unit.  I’m sure that the A/C compressor will also have the rebuilt, along with a new drier bottle, and while I’m at it, I’m throwing in a new heater core and all new heater, A/C, and radiator hoses.

 

On top of all this I have to clean the engine compartment, paint the radiator core, shine up the headlight actuators, clean and paint all accessory brackets and pulleys, and install a new vacuum hose kit, yada, yada, yada.................

 

Man that garage floor is cold!!!

 

Anthony

Sounds like a full weeks worth of work,Anthony!

Good luck on the project.
If you don't have a creeper to lay on under the car, get a piece of scrap carpet. It won't be so cold!