[Chrysler300] Stuck Engine Advice

["Thomas Miller" <tfm@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Howdy Folks.

I'm currently disassembilng for rebuild a 392 cu.in. FirePower engine that has one stuck piston.  Upon removing the heads of this engine, I found 7 cylinders full of oily, sludgy goop.  One cylinder was dry and corroded and stuck.  This engine has been sitting for quite some time with a large dose of water in its crankcase.  I surmise that along the way as this car sat for many years, someone just took the garden hose, stuck it in the oil filler and filled it up (the transmission was also full of clear water along with ATF....).    Upon, pulling the oilpan drainplug, I got about a gallon of straight clear water, then a healthy dose of the same oily, sludgy goop that sort of just glugged its way out of the pan.  I'm certain that the water I mention here is NOT from a leak or crack between the oiling and cooling systems of the block, since the cooling system was quite dry when I got this car, and the radiator was quite full of rusty scale etc. as you would expect from a cooling system that had sat open for a quite a long time.  My conjecture here is that the water pumped into the oilpan, settled to the bottom, the oil that was in the pan rose to the top, and eventually made it's way up through the oiling passages of the motor.  This motor (with the exception of the one stuck piston) is chocked full of this oily goop.  It's a mess, but I'm finding that underneath of it all, is a motor that appears to have been rebuilt not long before it was left to sit for many years.  

Anyway, with the events leading up to now, I'm wondering if the minds gathered here would share any successful receipies for unticking the lone stuck piston here.  I've removed the rod bearing cap for the stuck piston, and the rest of the rotating assembly turns just fine.  I'm just "stuck" with this one stuck piston.  I'm trying to be careful how I go about this as the other 7 cylinders exhibit practically NO ridge at the tops of the cylinder walls.  If I can get away with not having to bore this block and replace the pistons, I'd like too.  I've been constantly soaking the stuck cylinder with penetrating oil, but can't get a whole lot of it on top of the piston as it's stuck right at top dead center of it's stroke.  I've been after it for a couple of days now, alternating a good soaking of penetrant and then giving it a good WHACK with a mallet via a pice of scrap 2 x 4 on it's top.

So, with all that said, what's worked well for unsticking stuck pistons?!

Thanks in advance.

Sign me, "Stuck in Columbus"  (sorry, I couldn't resist....)

Best Regards,

Thomas F. Miller
tfm@xxxxxxxxxxxx 
'57 300C, '57 New Yorker T&C Wagon(s)



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