problems ahead?
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Ok
problems ahead?
Ok so you guys have lead me pretty straight so far...
Here is the deal.
I pulled the LT1 cam out and noticed my cam bearings look like the tin is flake'n off. also pulled the freeze plugs and there is some serious gunk in there after 23 years of Antifreeze setting....
Question is: Do I pull the crank, rods and pistons and start from scratch or should I try to rinse the block out since it was still wet and try to just knock in some cam bearings???
Open for options! Thanks for any helpfull advice!
This pic was taken with my BB. Not bad for a phone looking down a lifter bore.
I didnt want to mess with bottom end as it has 66k miles and looks fine, if I do crack apart what is best steps to take to get the bottom buttoned back up and not worry about chewing up bearings...?? Ideas?
Here is the deal.
I pulled the LT1 cam out and noticed my cam bearings look like the tin is flake'n off. also pulled the freeze plugs and there is some serious gunk in there after 23 years of Antifreeze setting....
Question is: Do I pull the crank, rods and pistons and start from scratch or should I try to rinse the block out since it was still wet and try to just knock in some cam bearings???
Open for options! Thanks for any helpfull advice!
This pic was taken with my BB. Not bad for a phone looking down a lifter bore.
I didnt want to mess with bottom end as it has 66k miles and looks fine, if I do crack apart what is best steps to take to get the bottom buttoned back up and not worry about chewing up bearings...?? Ideas?
Team Owner
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 38,923
Likes: 1,481
From: Southbound
Cruise-In II Veteran
What are you wanting to do? Are you rebuilding the engine? If so, disassemble it and have the block hot tanked. The folks doing the tanking can also install new cam bearings and freeze plugs.
Do not deck the block. You'll lose the stampings.
Do not deck the block. You'll lose the stampings.
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Ok
well was gonna leave bottom end alone, but due to all the little issues I think I will tear down completely and re-ring and bearing the motor and basicly start over.
Time for a bath and a nice make over.... Where does it end?
Time for a bath and a nice make over.... Where does it end?
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 971
Likes: 45
From: Middlesex NJ
All depends on what you are trying to accomplish here.
If you have the money spend it... your almost there anyway with the cam out and freeze out plugs. Get it hot tanked, bored over and replace the lower end bearings, slugs and rings.
It looks like you chipped up the bearing pulling the cam out with either a lobe or the distributor drive gear. It would probably run fine is you jammed that cam back in. I remember seeing an old machinist cut cam bearing in a 340 small block Chrysler with his pocket knife to remove the binding shinny areas when he inserted the cam. Dont know how common that practice was or how happy I'd be with it but he said thats what they had to do with the mopar cam bearings.
If you have the money spend it... your almost there anyway with the cam out and freeze out plugs. Get it hot tanked, bored over and replace the lower end bearings, slugs and rings.
It looks like you chipped up the bearing pulling the cam out with either a lobe or the distributor drive gear. It would probably run fine is you jammed that cam back in. I remember seeing an old machinist cut cam bearing in a 340 small block Chrysler with his pocket knife to remove the binding shinny areas when he inserted the cam. Dont know how common that practice was or how happy I'd be with it but he said thats what they had to do with the mopar cam bearings.
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Melting Slicks
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 2,220
Likes: 6
From: www.Z16.org North/West Pennsylvania
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Ok
Keeping stock slugs and bore.
Anyone give any pointers on which clevite bearings, rod and mains to get? I see several different material types.
Gonna be basicly a stock street cruiser and if I drive over 1k miles a year I would be surprised. Not building a drag car, but want good parts that are reasonable.
Thanks, Jason
Anyone give any pointers on which clevite bearings, rod and mains to get? I see several different material types.
Gonna be basicly a stock street cruiser and if I drive over 1k miles a year I would be surprised. Not building a drag car, but want good parts that are reasonable.
Thanks, Jason
Thread Starter
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 118
Likes: 0
From: Ok
Cleaned it all up today. Hit it with a dingle berry hone a few passes. Block looks good! Now to get some bearings, and rings and get ready to build it back. Had some stuck rings and were real fun to get out. Cleaned ring landings.
The rods bearings had numbers on them but were hard to make out, once again not sure if all stock. Need to find measurements, and take some measurements.
The rods bearings had numbers on them but were hard to make out, once again not sure if all stock. Need to find measurements, and take some measurements.
