Oh $#@%!!!

[rainstromrider]

Due to a lack of sleep and really good coffee, I'm making a ton of progress on bones.
Then I start taking heads off the donor engine and this is what I find!


The silicone tells me someone's been here before, but why, then I notice the piston has an extra dent?

Time jumped? At this point I'm thinking... full rebuild, new guides, seals, possibly a valve or two and lap. Then I pull the cams...


Hard to see in the pic but the rockers are severely scarred! And the cam wear is so excessive you can actually see it! Cleaning everything isn't a problem, but with the excessive wear, I'm thinking it may not be worth the effort? Anybody else hearing taps in the background?

[hmratbam]

Looks like some one ran dirty oil or no oil,even the casting are probably junk 'cause the cams run directly in the aluminum. If the piston isn't too bad and comes up as far as the rest,you might be able to use the short block,but you definitely need some heads! (Sympathy)

[skydog]

Thats just ugly

[Placerville]

Very sorry to see this. Maybe a replacement is in order.

[moonshiner]

my lord ....

[JBz]

scrap pile for the cams and lifters. Are the cam journals in the head shot. Id say some replacements heads would be best.JB

[Whiskerfish]

I would have to jump on the bandwagon with the rest and use those heads for boat anchors. If you try to salvage the short block make sure to blend that valve strike damage carefully.

[gregforesi]

I'm curious as to what parts you were counting on from the donor (is this for "Bones"?).

The cam lobe I can see has wear on it's back (low) side. The adjustment must have been way tight. That can happen as the seat wore and nobody ever adjusted the valve lash. That's the amount of cam wear I had on my 78 with 60k miles and those cams also showed wear on the back sides of the lobes. (It's one of the reasons I swapped them out for much fresher 77's.) The cams in your donor certainly aren't fresh and are missing about .015 or .020 of lift. They won't perform like new but they will perform. Tight valve lash can also cause excessive wear on the rocker tubes and the cam bearing surfaces of the head. They should both be checked for roundness since that type of wear can make them oval.

The rocker arms should have a slight radius when viewed from the side. Unless they show flat spots at the cam contact points they can be carefully dressed to get rid of at least some of the scoring. Won't be easy (since they are hard) but it can be done with a stone.

Did you check for bent valves? With their hard coating I understand that the valves don't wear very much. The steel seats do wear. When you pull the valves I think you'll find that the seats are beyond lapping and will been to be ground. Valve guides are another issue.

The amount of corrosion at the valve seats would seem to indicate water in the combustion chamber. Did the block sit outside in the rain without protection (or maybe was run with a blown head gasket for a long time and water got in there)?

The extra smile in the piston...I don't have a clue how that could happen even if a timing belt broke. (Dropped a valve?) If the very edge of the piston (near the smilies) isn't deformed then it's likely OK to run. If it is deformed I would be concerned about the top ring and contact with the bore. As Whisker says - you can carefully blend any burrs on the smilies. High points can cause pre-ignition.

All-in-all I'd call those heads fair to middlin' ugly and a lot of work. If your hoping for a rompin' stompin' hot rod you're going to want newer cams (at the very least).

[rainstromrider]

I would have to jump on the bandwagon with the rest and use those heads for boat anchors. If you try to salvage the short block make sure to blend that valve strike damage carefully.

This shortblock is locked, but that could have been primarily from the valves? It's going on a shelf for now!

I'm curious as to what parts you were counting on from the donor (is this for "Bones"?).
All-in-all I'd call those heads fair to middlin' ugly and a lot of work. If your hoping for a rompin' stompin' hot rod you're going to want newer cams (at the very least).

Yes this is for "Bones". I was planning on using, cam belt tensioners, heads, carbs and cooling tubes. I have two other complete motors, one with a hole in the case and one thats basically a runner. I'm going to pull the heads off the holed motor, and see if the catastrophic failure caused any head damage. Wish me luck!

[Rat]

Heads are cheap ?

Gord

[rainstromrider]

Heads are cheap ?

Gord

No need Pulled the right side head off this motor half expecting to find mangled valves but instead I find a borderline perfect head.

Carboned up pretty badly, but solid.


Digital calipers showed intake lobes at 36.90 and 36.89, Exhaust lobes at 36.74 and 36.75. Rockers are pristine! I'll double check with my mic tomorrow just to be sure. Whew

[moonshiner]

much better , use that head , just check it for bent valves .

[Hoosier Daddy]

So not that it matters much, but which engine is which Nate? Was Bones (Battleaxe) original engine the first one with all the red silicone and rust or the one with the hole in the block? The PO told it was seized but DAMN either one is toast! I was thinking the engine block you have been working on all this time was the original from "Bomber" that I was able to free up & threw in the trade but now I am so confused.
Either way I am glad you can make a silk purse out of that mess... and it sounds like you still have a runner you haven't touched.

[rainstromrider]

Hoosier, the original motor from bomber is the shortblock I'm using. The heads that are toast are off the motor that was in "battle axe", now "bones". I have two other parts bikes now, and one of those is the holed motor.

[gregforesi]

I think Old Fogey made a post regarding the alignment of the oil holes in the rocker arm shafts. They have to be aligned(clocked) correctly to spit oil in the proper direction. (Just something else I didn't know.)