Well someone's been into it at least a little judging by the timing chain. What do the tops of the pistons look like?
And from the amount of rust in the water pump I'd want to have that block tanked and magged just to be sure it was sound.

 

And I can see that the rods are marked so it looks like it was rebuilt at some point.

 

Here are some pics i took of tops.

 

Yeah...hard to tell what's in there from those.
If it were me I'd do a full teardown and check of things before doing anything else.
That rear main cap looks like it needs to be replaced as well.

 

Is the rear main cap the piece where it is broken? If so, im glad its replaceable.

 

The cap is replaceable , However.....
The main bearings bores must be line-bored .

Some of the cylinders look to be pretty rusty too . Your best bet would be to take it to a machine shop to have it evaluated .
You might be better off building an engine that's in better condition .

 

For the last two days, I've used pb blaster, trans fluid and wd 40 on the cylinder walls to free the stuck pistons. I also loosened two to three rod bearings and the corresponding pistons started to slide after a lil bit of rubber mallet work. Before my engine guy left today, after inspecting the engine, we got it to manually turn over with a breaker bar and socket. Now it turns with slight resistance. I worry about the rust inside it and want to send it to a machine shop, he doesnt.

 

I definitely would.

 

You need a better engine guy! If you would have bought a better motor than what you bought for cheep you would have been $$$ ahead. That is a low compression engine i hope you didn't spend much. The pistons and rods need to come out to see how much damage there is to the crank.

 

Just 300 bucks. 68-72 block. I agree about pistons and rods coming out and being taken to machine shop.

 

All 455 cast iron blocks are the same! Don't buy it to the hi nickle content bs. Are you planning on using the rods and pistons? If the block needs a re-bore to a over size then you basically bought a block that needs a new rear main cap so you will have the cost of that and a align bore and you may need the crank turned also. I think the crank will get turned.JMO So actually you bought a block and a crank, Rods that would need to be reconditioned and i think you will need a over sized pistons.Plus you need a better guy to advise you when you are ready to put a combo together. Why didn't you pull the pan before you bought the motor knowing it had set for ten years.Then you could have passed and looked for a different engine or bargained for a lower price on this one.JMO Good luck

 

Thanks for the replies. I just put a motor together recently but drove it after having an oil leak and it locked up. In this case i needed a different shortblock. A guy on here had this for sale at 300 so i drove to houston and picked it up from him. I went there with intentions of manually turning it with the breaker bar and socket. Thats when i learned it sat for the ten years and was most likely seized from sitting. Last motor i had didnt go to machine shop so this time around, thats my intention. Ill continue to dissasemble it and take it there once im done. I do have the main cap from my other motor and i can have the shop do whats needed at that time. I went to houston from dallas alone and this was my decision so ill make the best of it.

 

Get it done right the first time. $300 is a great # for a good block. As I've said in previous threads, get recommendations for quality of work when you are looking into engine shops, not bargain work. A wise man once said "If you think it cost to much for a professional wait till you see what it cost for an amature." A professional rebuild will run between $2,500 - $4,000 depending on what you want done. Money well spent in the long run.

 

Removed timing assembly, cam, and freeze plugs on sides. I stripped two oil gallery bolts and will have to get assistance on removing them at this point.

 

Pics of crank,bearings, cylinders

 

Looks like it was probably a runner that wasn't fogged before they put it away.
Was it found in a humid environment or a leaky shop? It has Nice bones.

 

I picked it up at a shop off I45 in Houston that had their motors on pallets in a warehouse on shelves. Was told by the guy it was a runner. Im ready to take it to the shop but im writing down what i should be asking about. Ie. Hot tanked, magged, Honed /bored cylinders, crank polished/turned, align bored, main cap repaired /replaced, components balanced, pistons checked or replaced if necessary.

Also camshaft bearings, main and rod bearings as well. Should i pick these parts up prior to taking the motor to the machine shop or wait for results on the block.

 

So I think Houston certainly qualifies as a humid environment.

 

Freeze plugs,have rods resized,new water pump.I wouldn't buy any parts till block has been checked ,crank has been checked.align bored if you replace rear main cap. You might get away with having main cap repaired but still may need a align bore. No doubt about needing a hot tank,and magged. Then rods resized/replaced,pistons checked/replaced. Then buy all the parts rest of the parts for assembly. Good luck on your build.JMO

 

Well noted. Thanks everyone.

 

Those are low compression pistons.
If you plan to use the engine, do what has been said.
Get is done right and you will be happy.

what car is it going in?

Gene

 

its going in a 71 olds cutlass convertible

 

...back from Machine shop. Rear main cap repaired. New pistons installed. Cam, main, rod bearings. Aligned bored. Engine bored .060.

 

Looks nice except those cast low compression rebuilder pistons. Will be lucky to have 8-1 compression with those. Choose the cam wisely or will be a real dog.

 

Yesterday I removed locked up 455 from the car. Today i'll take my C heads to get checked. My car did run hot at one point due to a belt breaking on me coming off the highway weeks before it locked. So i want to be sure before i use them again. I havent found anything on top end that looks bent, outta place, or metal shavings. Tear down resumes today. Im making sure all bolts get cataloged and stored in zip lock bags with descriptions written on index cards inside. Im also taking pics. Im proud of myself cause so far ive worked on removal alone....minus my girl helping me remove my hood. She is a G. Thats the same as saying she is a trooper to you squares. Lol.

 

 

looks good hopefully you can keep at it and get it back together soon !

 

Looks like you were able to salvage another 455 . Looks good .
With a cracked main cap and badly rusted cylinders , I would have passed on this engine .
Kudos to you for making it work .

 

Thanks guys. I wanted a challenge and i definetly got it this time around. Tomorrow i'll strip and repaint valve covers and oil pan. The blue paint from in line looks really nice and i want it on everything..even my car lmao

 

Crazy luck. So the 455 i just removed stopped running mid 75 80 mph on highway where i had to bogard my way from far left to right with no pedal power. Electrical yes. No engine power whatsoever. I tried to turn it over. It just clicked. No turn over. Once i got it home i tried to turn with harmonic balancer bolt and it budged but stopped. Fast fwd to this replacememt motor. So i remove starter, disconnect motor and remove it. Take heads off. Intake also. I use breaker bar on harmonic balancer and it turns. Wth.

 

Not so lucky afterall.
I've learned engine seizure in terms of an old motor sitting and also engine seizure due to low oil and hot bearings that weld into the crank and stop the rods from rotating. The latter is what happened to me going 70-80 mph and the car shut off. Now I won't sleep on oil leaks and maintaining a proper oil level in the future.

 

Slowly but surely my block is coming together. In the meantime I painted my engine bay. I also have my other 455 for sale now. Crank has been ground and thrust repaired. Engine magged and block prepped. I have sold it at $350.

 

MAW engine bay painting

 

Nice job !
You'll be glad you spent the time . Nothing looks worse than a fresh , new - looking engine , in a crappy , dirty , engine bay .

 

Back on the move!


Made some adjustments to brackets to fit a/c and alternator. Gonna remove them, prime oil pump to see oil thru all push rods, install valve covers correctly, install spark plugs, then lower this bad boy into the car. $$$ has held me up since I started this crazy build. I'm selling my other motor this morning. Hopefully my guy comes by Monday to install it.