I'm in the process of tearing down a 71 455 which has sat for many years.
This is an AZ car, so the rust is minimal. The main caps were slow to remove but I got them off with some persuasion and a lot of liquid wrench. Freeing the pistons from the bores is now taking a while. Any tips or sage advice to offer?

 

Sounds like you'll need to bore the block anyway. Just put the wood end of a hammer against the rod bearing and give it a few good whacks. It'll break/damage the rings, might hurt the piston. Make sure the catch it so the rod doesn't get hurt.
If it's a heck of a ridge then might need to get a ridge reamer from your local auto store and cut it down JUST ENOUGH to get the piston out. Too much and your machinist may not be able to bore properly.

 

No ridge in the bores, but the rotating assembly seems tight. I found some surface rust in the main caps, and some carbon build up on the piston tops. I want to proceed carefully and not do any more damage than necessary.

 

Are you saying the pistons are frozen on the bores? Maybe some Deep Creep? And no ridge at the top of the cylinder? Must not have a ton of miles.

 

I once went through this with a Mopar 440 sb I was trying to save. It sounds like yours is probably in better shape than that one. Be patient, soak the top and bottom side of the rings with PB Blaster every day for a week or so. Take the rods loose that you can get to and like Oddball said tap on the rod end. It doesn't take much of a ridge to stop a piston from coming out the top so if it moves to the top of the bore and stops do not force it. If the rings are stuck you will have to use more force than a tap to get them free. It is what it is.

 

I already have two pistons out and there's slight movement on the others. I don't want to over-persuade them from the bores. From the looks of it, this was a low-mile engine that threw the timing chain, and was swapped out with a '70 455. I'll try a can of Deep Creep or PB blaster, and keep working on it.

 

Let us know how it turned out.

 

If this thing turns, your engine should be easy


I have had good luck with EVAPORUST- it got a rusted steel check ball out of a carb that looked otherwise impossible.

Can you sacrifice the pistons?
If you have to hit very hard, DO NOT hit against the rod- get a long Aluminum pc an inch or so round or square and use that as a punch on the piston.

Evidently the starter motor is pretty effective in some cases [see above]

 

I've tried a long wooden dowel rod against the backside of the piston, but that's what I call inspiration!

 

Are the bores rusty?

Is the crankshaft out? If not put a bar on it with a socket and tap on the bar. Try to get oil on the wrist pins also, tap on the pistons in both directions and walk away. Repeat this until they move.

If you are planning on reusing the pistons remove/ream the ridge before removing the piston. When the rings hit the ridge on the way out it can break the ring lands on the pistons.

 

The cylinder bores look clean, but there was slight surface rust on the crank journals. I have the middle two pistons out of the block but can't get a good shot at the rest of the rod caps.

 

Oh, it *will* come apart
I have done a lot worse than what you have I assure you
I have had to cut a rod or three to extract a good crank.

This

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Snap-On-FU18...2a550a&vxp=mtr

Will get you access to most of the hard to reach rod nuts.

 

Years ago I used to tear down core engines for an engine reconditioning business.
The engines might have sat for years in a junkyard, it was no time for finesse, to remove stubborn pistons I used a long metal drift against the bottom of the pistons and belted them with a 10lb hammer.
I didn't hit the rods, mostly I could shift enough pistons to get the rod caps off stubborn pistons. If the pistons move even slightly you have won - it will come out. Sometimes knocking the piston back down the bore, applying more penetrating oil and having another go helps.
A few times I ended up smashing the crown off the piston, however the bores stood up to this treatment remarkably well, but iron is tougher than alumin(i)um.


Roger.

 

i'm a big fan of liquidwrench and time, whack it back and forth. Did you get that thing from c-list?

 

No, not on Craigs list... I found it sitting and dusty in a Phoenix carport. The owner called me after I left notes on the windshield for a couple of years. It was originally sold at Biddulph Olds in Glendale, and I'm the 3rd owner.

 

Well I finally got the block torn down, and found it to be in decent shape. Looks like it just jumped the timing chain, got swapped for another engine and then sat for ?? years. The rotating assembly and cylinder bores look good, with just some slight surface rust here and there. Might get by with an overhaul kit, and no major components. It's certainly rewarding, and I'm looking forward having a fresh engine when I'm done.

 

are you gonna soop it up in all?

 

It'll be a stock rebuild for cruising, and a better quality timing set than came from the factory.