Junkyard Vortec

[Opie Knievel]

I don't think you're correct in that the valve being adjusted to tight is the cause of the bent/bending pushrods. Get the valve spring off and remove the valve. Something else is up there IMO. With no preload on the lifter there should be no way the pushrod should bend. If you adjusted the valve to tight, then the valve should open once the lifter bottoms out.

X2 with the valve is stuck, or possibly bent. I couldn't see in the pic, but is that valve tuliped?

Post some pics of the valve please

I plan on doing a complete tear down when I get the engine home and get the garage cleaned out. I've already left the shop for tonight. The only pic I have right now is of the combustion chambers with the valves installed.

Cyl. 1 is the one with rust from water getting inside. Cyl. 7 is the one that's had pushrod problems.

 

[1evilregal]

could have been the shop that did the damage.... may have had some idiot that shouldn't even have a wrench in his hand, adjusting the valves while it was running(like on the older sbc's) and jammed the pushrods.... I've worked with PLENTY of idiots like that through the years.....

 

[Ribbedroof]

Years ago (circa 1984) I had a factory 4 speed Monte that had a pretty fresh rebuild on the original 350 (done by prev owner). One day, just pulling away from a stoplight, it began to miss. Got it home, pulled valve cover, stuck valve.

Pulled the head, took it to local machine shop. They unstuck the valve, knurled and reamed the guide, and I put it bac together. Drove it a couple of years before it found a new home.

Machine shop guy thought maybe just a stray piece of something that didn't get really cleaned well when rebuild was done.

 

[Bar50]

If, for the sake of conversation, the head gasket or the cylinder head were to leak water into the cylinder, fluid as we know it for the most part is incompressible, so the valve could not move open and the push rod failed.

You can run Blue LS2 valve springs #12625033 and Comp Cams #787-16 retainers and get away with .570 lift easily with stock seals and no machine work. I have done it on 062 and 906 heads. I measured the last eight heads we did, they were in the .580 range. The LT4 Hot Cam is .492 with stock rocker arms and .525 with 1.6 rockers.

I would look at the bearings, if they look good keep em. Hone the cylinders, grab a set of rings, check the end gap on the oil pump. Score an LT1 cam or the LT4 and a carb intake...24-2800 stall and let the good times roll in the Monte!

 

[SoFloG]

Unless you are going to do a complete rebuild, I think you can find a better shape vortec , that you can just drop in and drive. .. for way less than what it's going to take to go through that one. They're a dime a dozen down here for $300-500 in great shape.

 

[Opie Knievel]

Unless you are going to do a complete rebuild, I think you can find a better shape vortec , that you can just drop in and drive. .. for way less than what it's going to take to go through that one. They're a dime a dozen down here for $300-500 in great shape.

I'm gonna bring this one home and go through it. I'm only planning on replacing what NEEDS replaced. Than add a bigger cam, valve springs and an intake. I don't think it's gonna take that much to get this engine ready. Around here the only ready to run Vortec engines I can find are in the $900 range. They do come with a 90 day warranty but I'm sure the warranty would be void after changing the cam, springs and intake. It seems to me that as long as the issue on Cyl 7 doesn't turn out to be something wrong in the head and the valves look good, this is the cheapest I'm gonna get a Vortec 350 around here.

 

[Opie Knievel]

You can run Blue LS2 valve springs #12625033 and Comp Cams #787-16 retainers and get away with .570 lift easily with stock seals and no machine work. I have done it on 062 and 906 heads. I measured the last eight heads we did, they were in the .580 range. The LT4 Hot Cam is .492 with stock rocker arms and .525 with 1.6 rockers.

I would look at the bearings, if they look good keep em. Hone the cylinders, grab a set of rings, check the end gap on the oil pump. Score an LT1 cam or the LT4 and a carb intake...24-2800 stall and let the good times roll in the Monte!

This was basically my plan. I haven't decided on a cam yet but I had planned on using the LS or Beehive Valve springs to keep from having to do a lot of expensive machine work for valve springs.

 

[Pontiac455]

My bet is the engine was over revved. The push rod bend in the process, so much so that the hydraulic lifter couldn't pump up enough to keep the rod saddled in. The rod was spit out and went down the hole and hit mr crankshaft and got the twistys. lol. Than she became her new life as a 7 cyl. I would pull her all down, mic the crank, run the dial bore gauge down the cylinders. If everything checks out deglaze the cylinders slap a new set of flat tops pistons on those pm rods. Re ring, bearings gaskets and seals. Stab in a 480 comp cam with matching springs. Betcha she would surprise ya.

 

[Opie Knievel]

My bet is the engine was over revved. The push rod bend in the process, so much so that the hydraulic lifter couldn't pump up enough to keep the rod saddled in. The rod was spit out and went down the hole and hit mr crankshaft and got the twistys. lol. Than she became her new life as a 7 cyl. I would pull her all down, mic the crank, run the dial bore gauge down the cylinders. If everything checks out deglaze the cylinders slap a new set of flat tops pistons on those pm rods. Re ring, bearings gaskets and seals. Stab in a 480 comp cam with matching springs. Betcha she would surprise ya.

Over revving was actually the first thought I had on the pushrod.

 

[Opie Knievel]

What do you guys think about the crank? I know I still need to pull the bearing caps and check all of journals but what about the big dent in the counterweight?

My thought was to very lightly round off the sharp edges caused by contact and run it if it's otherwise good.