Slow Blowthru engine build.

[MNcarbturbo]

Well that's sure ugly.

Will the block bore out or is it cooked?

 

[GNVAIR]

I had that happen 25 years ago in my 78 Malibu doing 80 on the Atlantic City Expressway coming back from the Jersey Shore. It was a God awful grinding noise and then the wheels locked. Antifreeze went EVERYWHERE (dripping from the exhaust, overflowing out of the dipstick. Mine dropped and broke the piston which put the connecting rod through the cylinder wall causing the rod to jamb. It was an ugly mess.
The valve broke but that was sub damage. The real failure was the stock style stamped valve locks/keepers that were worn out and let go of the valve. I still have the connecting rod as a souvenir as it was probably one of the worst engine failures I have personally ever experienced!

 

[WarWagon]

Well that's sure ugly.

Will the block bore out or is it cooked?

Very Ugly, I'm not sure yet on the blocks fate yet. It was a very tired old .030 over bore block that really needed to go to .040 over back when I put it togther. Before I tore the engine down, after a day of sitting with the spark plugs out that hurt cylinder filled up with coolant. I'm really only wanting to salvage the head and it looks like it just needs a new intake valve seat, the valve guide still looks good and is not sloppy. I'll have it crack tested when I take the head to the machine shop.

 

[WarWagon]

I had that happen 25 years ago in my 78 Malibu doing 80 on the Atlantic City Expressway coming back from the Jersey Shore. It was a God awful grinding noise and then the wheels locked. Antifreeze went EVERYWHERE (dripping from the exhaust, overflowing out of the dipstick. Mine dropped and broke the piston which put the connecting rod through the cylinder wall causing the rod to jamb. It was an ugly mess.
The valve broke but that was sub damage. The real failure was the stock style stamped valve locks/keepers that were worn out and let go of the valve. I still have the connecting rod as a souvenir as it was probably one of the worst engine failures I have personally ever experienced!

This was my first valve dropping experience on any engine and it sounded bad with no warnings or clues that it was about to happen, dang it why did it have to be my Buick.

 

[GNVAIR]

This was my first valve dropping experience on any engine and it sounded bad with no warnings or clues that it was about to happen, dang it why did it have to be my Buick.

At least you have other cars to drive. I was 19 at the time and it was my only car. I walked and bummed ride until I got enough money together to buy another engine. But yeah it really sucks!

 

[WarWagon]

I finished tearing the head down and found all three intake valve guides are worn out then took it to my local head machine shop who did work on these heads before. They don't want to put a new intake seat in, said it's too close to the water jacket.

 

[GNVAIR]

I would ask in the engine forum to be sure that they are that close to the water. Ask Nick Micale.

 

[WarWagon]

Update: had the head magnafluxed and it is not cracked but I'm not going to be able to do any work to the head this year as it will consume all the time and $$ I need to play now. I definitely want to save the head though, seems worth it after all they are stage JR's and they have nice port work done. IMOP these are as good or just a touch under Champion CNC irons.
Plans are to pick one of the blocks I have and reuse most of the top end/valve train on it.

 

[ek02]

I forgot you had those heads. They are rare. The only other place I ever saw those heads was in the old Kenne Bell catalog. I hope you can get them repaired eventually.

 

[WarWagon]

^---I'll get then fixed, I could feel the gains of the heads alone.

Got the engine apart and bad piston out and this crack in #2 cylinder ends this blocks fate for now because

 

[WarWagon]

^-- I'll get them fixed. I felt the gains of the heads alone.
I got the engine apart more and this crack in cylinder two seals this blocks fate for now because I doubt I ever get it sleeved anytime soon.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/cWPaY7i4lsnWt1bA2

Now I must decide on building one good stock piston engine out of the two I have here or getting the other .030 over 109 block out and building it. Only issue with my spare +.030 109 is the deck is cut with o rings for a loc wire gasket that I know I'll never use.

 

[WarWagon]

Moving on with more on the way, this block has the all the fancy junk I have. Same stock crank and all 6 rods and 5 of the pistons right out of the block that just got trashed. The rest will also be from that trashed engine except the timing set and heads.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yyfvZboZKQBCyRSm2

 

[WarWagon]

I chose the heads with the best valve guides I had and just cleaned up the bowls, guide bosses then smoothed the rough out of the runners. Just real cheap and basic but reliable work here with oe style replacement valves that are stainless exhaust and high temp steel alloy intake. I found multiple problems with the old engine while it was apart. It was about to loose the timing chain at any moment I found all the pieces of it, four pistons had the top ring broken into pieces, turbine wheel was eaten up, no less than eight new cracks in the headers, two center main caps were moving around on that block. It was pushing my junk to 11.3@124mph like that

 

[WarWagon]

I'm working on the decks right now, won't be long until the RJC gaskets and heads are on.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/F7HCjnV87Ev2UR8i1

 

[WarWagon]

This is bye far the best block I've had that wasn't stock, someone in Ohio has credit for all the machine work and fitting the steel main caps.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/lFRSBrZX4Tp0WRbF3
This part of getting this block ready was not fun or quick
https://photos.app.goo.gl/Am8gafuVvEGleC5E2

 

[Nigel]

Keep up the good work, been reading your posts for years now!

 

[WarWagon]

Thanks, I have learned a lot, broken just a few parts and spent much less than I ever thought.
I'm going to re-prime the oil system one more time then install distributor. The engine is going back in the Regal today.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/U9jsfIxfOZnJOC193

 

[Nigel]

Thanks, I have learned a lot, broken just a few parts and spent much less than I ever thought.
I'm going to re-prime the oil system one more time then install distributor. The engine is going back in the Regal today.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/U9jsfIxfOZnJOC193

Cool, looking forward to the updates.

 

[WarWagon]

Tonight I will fire it up after I put coolant in, spark plugs, distributor/cap wires on.
I had to swap out the distributor gear it was 50% worn out and one tooth gone.
https://photos.app.goo.gl/UlaVrbpXcrSITBbo2

 

[WarWagon]

This engine lives, I had incredibly too much initial ignition timing at first and it would not idle. All is good now once I located the timing mark on the balancer and reeled it back in. Fastest spool ever had on this 62/65 turbo with all the header and crossover leaks gone.