IML: 18 year anniversary

[Kenyon Wills <imperialist1960@xxxxxxxxx>]

That's how long it's been since my last engine
rebuild.

Remember that spun bearing on the 1962 that I was
going to try a get-me-by on?  

nope.

Well the crank was really fried.  I used a mens belt
with sandpaper and polished it, but it looked like
marbled meat with all the grooves and pits in it.  

My $100 repair is now sitting at $600 and I've lapped
the valves, gotten a replacement crank (free!!!), 2
new con-rods, new bearings all around, and gasket
sets. 

I wasn't aware that there are freeze plugs in the
heads.  One was weeping.  I did those too.

The engine is now sitting in the garage all painted up
and new-looking.  I also did new rings and honed the
cylinders, so that's looking up too.

Problem is that two of the con rods, when tightened
bind the crank up so much that it won't spin.  I'll be
taking them out and having them reconditioned - I
presume that they are not the correct diameter
anymore.

Otherwise, things are going well.  What a bunch of
work though!!  I've got 3 8-hour days in and presume
that there are 2 more before I'm driving the car. 
It's nice not to be paying $3000 for an engine rebuild
and all the money to remove/reinstall, but I'm not so
certain that I'll be doing this on the 1973 and the
1970, both of which will "want" a rebuild in the
coming years.

I think that I'll maybe look at having a spare 440
that I can have redone and ready to plop in, rather
than having the car down for the week.

Kenyon Wills
 
 






















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