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  • Engine: Champ 259

    Before I finish the cosmetics on the Champ and reinstall the front clip, it seems smart to do a top side and freshen up the valves and valve seals and take a look inside.

    My question is to the lower half and can I replace the leaky seals without a total tear down. Or is this a "while I'm there" issue.

  • #2
    To mmagic,------ Well, as You know, it will never be easier to access and R&R that engine than it is right now.

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    • #3
      Yes, it's a 'while you are at it" thing. With the front clip off, its' easy to pull the heads and freshen the valves and their seals.

      It's almost as easy to pull the engine, put it on an stand, and do everything you want to to it. You can then roll it over, pull the pan and hopefully fix all the bottom seals. I say "Hopefully", 'cause you won't know they are fixed until it's back in the truck and running.

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      • #4
        ..and you absolutely, positively must be sure you've pulled the freeze plugs and flushed out the block ! ! !...unless you don't like 160 degree readings on your dash gage all summer long with little possibility of vapor lock.......

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        • #5
          Thanks.... that's kind of what I expected to hear. How much of the project is machine shop and how much is just get your hands greasy?

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          • #6
            Sharpening the valves may be a shop job, depending on how bad they are and how skilled you are. The rest, sealing the pan and cleaning out the coolant passages is relatively skill free, just follow instructions.

            But the valves are the same either in the engine room or on the engine stand.

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            • #7
              Yes, back in the bad old days, I did several CASO head jobs - cleaning by hand, touching up the seats with grinding compound, new seals; they ran OK.

              No, I wouldn't ever do that again. Today, bake the head in an oven to remove all carbon, shotblast it to remove all rust, new guides, hard exhaust seats, mill the head surface, new valves, positive valve stem seals, new R1 springs. Runs much, much better, uses less oil.

              Maybe, your money, your truck, your decision.

              jack vines
              PackardV8

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              • #8
                Listened to all your advice and dove in. Pulled the engine and tranny.... OMG the gunk that builds up over 50 years!
                * Needle scaled everything before I popped it open.
                * Wire brushed it on a grinder, degreased and repeated several times.
                * Cleaned the carbon from the heads with the needle scaler.
                * Pulled the heads and ground the valves myself .... electric drill and lapping compound.
                * Changed rear main seals and rear tranny seal.
                * replaced the Trany fluids
                * Re-wired OD circuits
                * Used electrolysis to remove rust on castings and pan... worked slick !!
                * Painted and dressed it up.

                Dropped the engine back in last Sunday and this morning woke up to the fact that there is a TDS on both the compression and exhaust strokes... rotated the distributor 180 degrees and started like a new one.

                One, hopefully last problem.... All gears are forward... no reverse. Trany sat on bell housing end for several months could gravity have settled something in a wrong position... If so would driving it loosen it up. I changed no linkage lengths but did change the rubber engine mounts. Could either of these instigate a problem?
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                • #9
                  I would check your linkage adjustment. With new mounts it is probably off a bit & check the rubber bushings on the shift linkage on the steering column too. Age will cause them to get real loose or disappear altogether. If all that checks out I would disconnect the linkage from the trans & shift it into reverse on the trans, then start it & see if it works. I can't see storing it on the bell housing could have done anything internally. As a side point, whenever I have changed tranny fluid I have replaced the drain & access plugs with ones that have a magnet on them to catch any debris (metal bits from missed shifts, ect).
                  59 Lark wagon, now V-8, H.D. auto!
                  60 Lark convertible V-8 auto
                  61 Champ 1/2 ton 4 speed
                  62 Champ 3/4 ton 5 speed o/drive
                  62 Champ 3/4 ton auto
                  62 Daytona convertible V-8 4 speed & 62 Cruiser, auto.
                  63 G.T. Hawk R-2,4 speed
                  63 Avanti (2) R-1 auto
                  64 Zip Van
                  66 Daytona Sport Sedan(327)V-8 4 speed
                  66 Cruiser V-8 auto

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                  • #10
                    I might be pulling this one out of my arse but I thought I remember reading somewhere that if overdrive was engaged one could not select reverse. Is this possibly the problem?

                    Hey Warren, thanks for the door handle.

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                    • #11
                      "Today, bake the head in an oven to remove all carbon"
                      Jack,
                      I found a place in Indianapolis that will "bake" just about anything! including heads, blockes etc. Once they bake a block, they throw it in the "derusting" tank. I've not had one done (yet) <G> but, that should clean out the rust from the water jackets and get all the "crud out.

                      Jim
                      "We can't all be Heroes, Some us just need to stand on the curb and clap as they go by" Will Rogers

                      We will provide the curb for you to stand on and clap!


                      Indy Honor Flight www.IndyHonorFlight.org

                      As of Veterans Day 2017, IHF has flown 2,450 WWII, Korean, and Vietnam Veterans to Washington DC at NO charge! to see
                      their Memorials!

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                      • #12
                        Skybolt .. I'll explore that. This morning it seems to be froze in 1st or second although with linkages disconnected both trans levers seem to be in a neutral position.

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                        • #13
                          My bad !!! Had the linkages reversed and it through everything enough out of align that nothing worked.

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