Starting my engine build

[Mrturner1]

Pulled a rookie move, I'm makin a mad dash to hardware store for engine stand bolts

[Mrturner1]

More pics

[Mrturner1]

What a mess

[swamp rat]

LOL! Glad ya got it out, double or triple up on the flat washers for the engine stand bolts,

[Mrturner1]

That was all so stressful that I started to wish I hadn't gone this far, and I lost track of the fun part, but now looking at the engine on the stand I wouldn't do it any other way. Fun factor is back! And it's obvious now that building the engine, getting torque ratings correct, sanding and painting, all look so much easier this way.

Thank you guys who gave me a nudge in the right direction, and for checking in constantly and answering questions. Definitely would not have gone for such a big bite, and certainly wouldn't have been able to chew it if I had without you guys' help

Thanks Matt

[Mrturner1]

Engine out

[Mrturner1]

Is there a way to clean inside where the crank and rods are?

[GRX]

Why, is it dirty in there? No sense spreading it around if you are not going to totally disassemble. Treat that thing like an open wound. When not working on it, bag up immediately.

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by GRX

Why, is it dirty in there? No sense spreading it around if you are not going to totally disassemble. Treat that thing like an open wound. When not working on it, bag up immediately.

I used a case of carb cleaner after wire brushing the outside of the block, and razor blades only on the head and gasket surfaces.

Watch that thing when you put the heads on it will want to roll over from the extra weight. Clean Oily rags in the piston holes when not working on it.

Your shop space looks well organized that plays a key role in a successful rebuild.

[Grumpy old man]

Glad you didn't get squished taking it out . It will be worth all the work in the end . Now you'll hate to hear it but many of us old guys pull them in an hour and a half . But look how much info and experience your getting from all the guys in here .Have fun be safe and we'll all be watching ...

[swamp rat]

Last time i rebuilt my engine i rented the cherry picker for 4 hours, had the picker back to them within 1 hour 20 minutes, 30 minutes was travel time and i had the engine fluids drained and wiring unhooked prior to getting the picker. I cannot move that fast anymore.

Man just be careful with that 3 wheeler..

[Mrturner1]

What do you guys make of this? Looks like a big weld bead?

[geezer#99]

Someone was welding up a nice crack in the block!!

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by geezer#99

Someone was welding up a nice crack in the block!!

This makes me nervous, am I wasting my time

[Captainfab]

Is there coolant leaking past or around the weld? When your truck was running did you need to add coolant every so often? If not, then I wouldn't worry about it.

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

This makes me nervous, am I wasting my time

[geezer#99]

Maybe, maybe not!!
Depends how it was fixed.
A simple gouge out of the crack and a quick weld can cause warping problems.
Proper method would have been to heat the block up before any welding was done and then a slow cooling off.

If it was done wrong then any higher horsepower mods you make to the motor could stress it enough to come apart.
Could be a flip of the coin.
Some may say different but I'd look for a replacement.
You're torn down enough now to make a block swap easy.

Let's wait and see what others chime in to do.

[Mrturner1]

Wrong gasket....

[Grumpy old man]

Well....... By the looks of it from what I see in that picture that engine hasn't been apart in a long time and has already had a hard life . Post up a 1/2 dozen pictures of everything on that block inside and out pictures of the cylinders and the oil pump,crank, rods also a picture of the inside of the oil pan .

We can get a much better idea of whats going on with the whole thing ! it looks like your thinking of starting to bolt it back together without cleaning and painting it ?

Here's a little 250 6 I just dropped into a short bed frame for my stockish farm truck build ,Yours should be looking this good OR better before you even consider dropping it back in .


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Even if you have to get a new short block your not going to lose money doing it the right way ,Lift your foot up off that imaginary gas pedal your stomping on wanting it done and save time and money doing it the right way. or bolt the greasy thing back together and possibly have wasted all your time and money for all the parts you just bought when you stand on it the first time and a rod finds it way thru your crack welded greasy block ? Why ?

[Redline novdog]

I'd say that block was out in the freezing weather with out antifreeze. If my memory serves me right that is where they crack with frozen water in them.
Looks to be a good repair. That would make an excellent first motor freshen up job! If goes badly you can learn from it and not worry about trashing an expensive block!!

[GRX]

Big "ouch" on the weld. That is a common freeze crack. As said, if it does not leak you are probably good. Have seen many engines run for years that way. Even so it will always be in the back of your mind.

[toolboxchev]

Originally Posted by Mrturner1

What do you guys make of this? Looks like a big weld bead?

That is the reason why you have pulled the block. I like to know what it is exactly "What I Have."

Regardless of what you decide to do at this point you will know:

A. How hard it has been pushed in the past

B. How hard you can push it in the future.

Realizing its a little heart breaking you can now plan you build more accordingly. Blocks are fairly inexpensive.

[Mrturner1]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

Well....... By the looks of it from what I see in that picture that engine hasn't been apart in a long time and has already had a hard life . Post up a 1/2 dozen pictures of everything on that block inside and out pictures of the cylinders and the oil pump,crank, rods also a picture of the inside of the oil pan .

We can get a much better idea of whats going on with the whole thing ! it looks like your thinking of starting to bolt it back together without cleaning and painting it ?

Here's a little 250 6 I just dropped into a short bed frame for my stockish farm truck build ,Yours should be looking this good OR better before you even consider dropping it back in .


http://


Even if you have to get a new short block your not going to lose money doing it the right way ,Lift your foot up off that imaginary gas pedal your stomping on wanting it done and save time and money doing it the right way. or bolt the greasy thing back together and possibly have wasted all your time and money for all the parts you just bought when you stand on it the first time and a rod finds it way thru your crack welded greasy block ? Why ?

Nope definitely not done cleaning yet, I'm with ya on doin it right. I have had that imaginary gas pedal hammered for a while now and it's time to slow it down a bit. My thinking was, clean the mating surfaces of the block and oil pan and get that sealed up, that way I could really lay on the sanding and scraping and not worry about paint and metal debris working its way into the rotating assembly.

[davepl]

That bead spooks me, but it probably shouldn't, given that it probably wasn't done last week, so it's lasted this long... it'll probably last a lot longer. If it was a recent repair, I'd be more concerned.

Given it's down in the water jacket I wonder if it froze? Almost like they drained the coolant, let it freeze, but didn't pull the drain plugs. Doesn't matter in the end I guess!

[Mrturner1]

I think since it has held this long I'll take my chances. IF it does have an issue when I drive it, what parts could be ruined by the welds failure

[Mrturner1]

I have a wire wheel for my drill, and some razors and scrapers. Is there anything else to use that can take the old paint off the block? My drill is battery powered so it's not as fast but it is helpful