Woo-Hoo! Today I started and ran the "junkbox" OHV six that I assembled to use in my '60 Lark in Arizona. The only new parts in this build are a few gaskets, including the head and manifold gaskets, and a few frost plugs. Used pistons and rings, best used bearing shells I could find, used valves. I was able to get all the main bearings to .002 or better clearance, and all the rod shells to .0025 or better. Crank endplay is .003 inch. Honed the cylinders, cleaned the ring grooves and the oil drain holes in the pistons, and "honed" the rings with a drum sander on a Dremel tool.
Took a lot of time, since all the parts needed cleaned and painted. Yesterday, I got it setting in the chassis I use as a test stand; today I completed the assembly, and hooked up a rad, carb, distributor, etc. First time I cranked it up, got a few pops, but it wouldn't run. Turned out the spark plug wires were set incorrectly. Got #1 on TDC, and connected its wire correctly, then went around the firing order and sorted it out. Zoom-zoom! It started right up, and quit as the carb ran dry. Sorted that out, and it started again, and revved up to about 4000 rpm, and the fan sucked the radiator into itself, and took a huge bite out of the radiator. Fan got bent too. Memo to self: rad hoses don't offer enough support. So I hung a rad support on the frame, installed another rad, which turned out to have a hole in it, and got it going again. Ran pretty well for a couple of minutes at a fast idle. Ran long enough to get warmed up. No knocks, oil pressure held steady at about 40 psi at maybe 1000 rpm, and it seemed to be hitting on all cylinders, but with a bit of a ragged exhaust note. I think the PCV valve is causing a major vacuum leak, for one.
I will probably run it a little more, do a compression check, and make sure the timing is right on, and call it good to go. My "test stand" is a '61 V8 Lark frame, and I'd have to spend a lot of time to get a tranny and clutch linkage set up so I could actually drive it around the yard. Anyway, I am pleased with the fact that it runs, and it isn't blowing vast clouds of blue smoke, either. I can put this engine into the car, and be able to drive it, which I cannot do on the seized engine that is in there now. And I spent more money on oil and filter than on new parts.
Took a lot of time, since all the parts needed cleaned and painted. Yesterday, I got it setting in the chassis I use as a test stand; today I completed the assembly, and hooked up a rad, carb, distributor, etc. First time I cranked it up, got a few pops, but it wouldn't run. Turned out the spark plug wires were set incorrectly. Got #1 on TDC, and connected its wire correctly, then went around the firing order and sorted it out. Zoom-zoom! It started right up, and quit as the carb ran dry. Sorted that out, and it started again, and revved up to about 4000 rpm, and the fan sucked the radiator into itself, and took a huge bite out of the radiator. Fan got bent too. Memo to self: rad hoses don't offer enough support. So I hung a rad support on the frame, installed another rad, which turned out to have a hole in it, and got it going again. Ran pretty well for a couple of minutes at a fast idle. Ran long enough to get warmed up. No knocks, oil pressure held steady at about 40 psi at maybe 1000 rpm, and it seemed to be hitting on all cylinders, but with a bit of a ragged exhaust note. I think the PCV valve is causing a major vacuum leak, for one.
I will probably run it a little more, do a compression check, and make sure the timing is right on, and call it good to go. My "test stand" is a '61 V8 Lark frame, and I'd have to spend a lot of time to get a tranny and clutch linkage set up so I could actually drive it around the yard. Anyway, I am pleased with the fact that it runs, and it isn't blowing vast clouds of blue smoke, either. I can put this engine into the car, and be able to drive it, which I cannot do on the seized engine that is in there now. And I spent more money on oil and filter than on new parts.
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