Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it in???

[Possumz]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

Doing this right now myself. Just pulled my 350 from my Elcamino. Please dont forget to change your freeze plugs. Dont care how many miles are on it, for your peace of mind change them. Engine has more grime on it than my motor from my 73 elky. 🙂

 

[Veltboy618]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

Doing this right now myself. Just pulled my 350 from my Elcamino. Please dont forget to change your freeze plugs. Dont care how many miles are on it, for your peace of mind change them. Engine has more grime on it than my motor from my 73 elky. 🙂

I am going to do the freeze plugs for sure. Which ones are best? Brass or steel?

 

[DRIVEN]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

If it were mine these are the things I'd do:
-Bolt some valve covers on it and tape up (or plug) all holes.
-Get a few cans of brake/parts cleaner and a scrub brush and get to work.
-Roll it over and inspect #1 rod bearing and #1 Main bearing. SBCs oil from back to front. (You can inspect them all if you want to take the time)
-Inspect the timing chain and replace if necessary.
-Replace all the gaskets except for the head gaskets. You can if you want, I'm just lazy. VC gaskets rarely leak oil and it'll save a valve adjustment.
-Replace all the freeze plugs. I prefer brass. No need to replace the one at the rear of the cam. They don't rust.
-Hook a manual oil pressure gauge up (right behind the distributor hole) and use a priming tool to check for descent oil pressure. Cold, fresh oil should be at least 40psi.
-Give it a shiny coat of paint. (I like black 'cuz it hides oil seepage that will eventually develop :lol: .)

Obviously this won't rule out any oil consumption issues or noises that may be present. That's just the gamble you take when you don't hear 'em run before you pay up. FWIW, I had a 350 in my El Camino with those S/R heads. It had a Performer cam, intake and Q-jet and ran great. I got 16-18mpg and it was extremely reliable. Good luck and let us know how it works out.

 

[83hurst-olds]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

You never have to worry about the brass freeze plugs rusting out...

 

[kingcolbert83]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

Just curious. How are yall doing compression test with the motor out of the vehicle?

 

[Veltboy618]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

Just curious. How are yall doing compression test with the motor out of the vehicle?

This is what i read on another site...

Just need a starter and gauge........ You can do it right there on the floor. Pull all the plugs, that rag in the intake and spin her up. You could also hook up an oil pressure gauge.

 

[Veltboy618]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

I was out in the garage yesterday messing around & decided to drain the oil, pull the pan off, & visually inspect things. I know that just looking at things doesn't mean anything but everything looks good from what I could see. The oil didn't have any metal shavings in it & the cylinders look good from what I could see. I rotated the crank so I could get a better look at each cylinder & I didn't notice any scratches or marks. It started storming & I threw everything back in the garage & locked it up. I didn't pull the main cap or check the front rod bearing yet... What should I do first... Should I pull it off the stand, put the pan back on, fill it with oil & do the compression test... or should I go ahead & check the bearings & replace those if they are worn any & throw a new rear seal on it then do the compression test?

 

[RegalBegal]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, But I don't think that engine was rebuilt. Usually, when an engine is gone through, rods and their caps are number stamped to keep a pair together and in the same cylinder. I'm not seeing any stampings on those rods. Or main caps for that matter. I could be wrong, but I'd be suspicious.

 

[Veltboy618]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

I don't mean to sound pessimistic, But I don't think that engine was rebuilt. Usually, when an engine is gone through, rods and their caps are number stamped to keep a pair together and in the same cylinder. I'm not seeing any stampings on those rods. Or main caps for that matter. I could be wrong, but I'd be suspicious.

the very bottom of the caps do have numbers stamped on them. You cant see them very good in the pics but it's numbers there. These iphone pics are not the greatest...

 

[DRIVEN]

Re: Used engine... What should I do to it before I drop it i

Looks pretty clean inside.