Replace valvues when buying used?
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Cruising
Joined: Nov 2002
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From: A VA
Replace valvues when buying used?
The car that I'm considering buying has a '67 327 in it. The engine has had some work done in the past couple of years, but I'm wondering if it would be a good idea to have the timing belt and all valve seals replaced immediately after the purchase. This '74 will be a daily driver for me (why don't I just burn my money?) so that's something to consider. Also, any other recommendations would be greatly appreciated. Thank you all :hat
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From: Semper ubi, sub ubi
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Re: Replace valvues when buying used? (sweetsix_stingray)
No timing belt on a 327, timing chain and gears yes but no belt, it ain't no Honda! :jester First thing I would do is take it to a mechanic that can accurately diagnose what condition the engine is actually in. Doing a compression test and a leak down test will check your rings and valve guides for blowby and leakage. If the tests are good then there is no reason to pull the heads for a valve job. Now you might have a problem with leaking valve stem seals, that won't necessarily show up on these tests. It is diagnosed by the presences of a puff of blue smoke when first starting the engine after setting for a while.
Valve stem seals can be replaced without pulling the heads. A mechanic can hold the valves in place with air pressure and then pull the springs and replace the seals.
The timing chain and gears aren't as easy to diagnose sometimes if they are worn bad enough chain slap can be heard with a mechanics stethescope, but most often if the chain and gears are that worn the car will run poorly because the valve and ignition timing will wander. Unless there are signs of excessive wear replacing the timing set is probably not necessary, but if you decide to have it done, replace the stock unit with a Cloyes double roller set. With the Cloyes double roller you shouldn't have to worry about the timing set for at least 100,000 miles.
One of the areas of older cars that gets overlooked and causes a lot of performance problems is the distributor. I would recommend having the distributor completely checked out for wear. Distributors are easy to rebuild and the parts are cheap.
Good luck on your car!
Valve stem seals can be replaced without pulling the heads. A mechanic can hold the valves in place with air pressure and then pull the springs and replace the seals.
The timing chain and gears aren't as easy to diagnose sometimes if they are worn bad enough chain slap can be heard with a mechanics stethescope, but most often if the chain and gears are that worn the car will run poorly because the valve and ignition timing will wander. Unless there are signs of excessive wear replacing the timing set is probably not necessary, but if you decide to have it done, replace the stock unit with a Cloyes double roller set. With the Cloyes double roller you shouldn't have to worry about the timing set for at least 100,000 miles.
One of the areas of older cars that gets overlooked and causes a lot of performance problems is the distributor. I would recommend having the distributor completely checked out for wear. Distributors are easy to rebuild and the parts are cheap.
Good luck on your car!
