A thought to consider when it comes to restarting a disused engine is how
well it was running when it was abandoned. If it was running badly then,
the passage of time won't help. If the rings were bad, or the head gaskets
were shot and allowed water to get into the oil, then you are looking at
huge, huge problems, with internal rust, etc. If the engine was running
well when they stopped using it then the chances are that it will not be
locked up and it will return to active duty with appropriate TLC.
First series hemis have a reputation, and I am a lucky beneficiary of this,
for being very tolerant of neglect. They can take a lot of punishment and
survive OK. I am on the edge of my seat on this subject because I have just
heard the engine and transmission have been removed from "my" 58. I get to
go see it early next week. I want to see cylinder number eight so badly, as
that is where I think I have had the biggest problems. That is where the
head cracked. When I stripped the top end of the engine down, this cylinder
had water atop the piston. Oily water but it led to rust none the less and
this may be what ruined the rings, well that and all the other abuse that
comes with running out of coolant on the freeway. Cylinder eight is also
where the vacuum for the brake booster comes from, if I understand
correctly. It is certainly where the plumbing goes.
The car is in good hands and I was invited to go see it in its disassembled
state. I'll be told what the damage is and how they wish to fix it. The
transmission was acting up, too, with fluid disappearing at an alarming
rate. The rear main seal was poor, but I don't know enough to be able to
say if this alone was the culprit. I can say that with it replaced and the
addition of a spin on oil filter, I think 95% of the oil leakage will be
addressed.
I'm probably the luckiest guy on the list as this work is being donated to
the museum that owns the car. The company owner is very much aware that
everyone considers it to be my car and that it lives at my house. It is on
the front cover of our museum brochure, however. He doesn't ask for tax
breaks on the work he does for us, which is relatively funny because I do!
But that's a different story and one that hacked off a person or two on the
list so I'd better say no more.
Hugh
Back to the Home of the Forward Look Network