So I'm ressurecting my old hs car, its been in mothballs for 15 years so I have my old engine rehab routine but its hit a snag.

My sister used to steal the car all the time and a drug dealer came after it thinking it was hers, but it didn't have a battery in it so they ravaged the column in a desperate attempt to hot wire it, punched a door lock (it wasn't locked) and cracked the dash before trying to pull it away. (I had literally JUST mothballed it that week)

We found it a few blocks away w shoes dragging behind it (?) behind a broken tow strap.

I drained the oil and it was gritty, full of rocks.

Sure enough the oil filler neck has dirt inside it stuck to the sides.

SO!

It hasn't turned over period ever since. So I'm planning to try to fix this, any ideas? Will pulling the pan, spraying the dirt down from the top and some general cleaning be enough?

What are some other possible **** storm booby traps to look out for? I'm pretty sure the tank was locked so that one should be ruled out lol

 

Well if the tank was locked at least you dont have to worry about sugar in the gas tank. Unfortunately some people have no boundaries and messing with somebodies car falls in that category. Be prepared for the worst, hope for the best. Also, if it was stolen by a drug dealer, make sure there are no "surprises" under the seat that would be hard to explain to a cop

 

Ehh the guy grew weed and that's legal now lol but she also liked acid....

 

The brake lines hold pressure and I've flushed out the old brake fluid, the rear end has oil in it, the tranny pan is gonna get dropped even though I doubt its messed with

 

You'd be amazed at where those tiny pieces of paper can turn up...

Honestly, since you don't know exactly what was done to it, I would advise pulling the engine (if you're thinking of dropping the pan, it's almost easier to do with the engine out, anyway), and taking a close look.

If there's no grit at all in the oil pump, then your galleries and bearings should be good, and a very thorough rinse should do it, along with a fast oil and filter change the first time you start it.

It would not be wrong to disassemble and clean the whole engine, though.

I would also carefully check the transmission pan and fill tube, the radiator, the P/S pump, and the master cylinder.

- Eric

 

Oh yeah the power steering pump! Good one.

It has literally not even rocked over. When I put the new heads on I'll check for grit but 100% that oil hasn't had a single chance to circulate.

I'd like to avoid pulling the engine, space is at a premium (eg I'm doing this outdoors lol) and I'm about a grand short of what I need to rebuild. I'd like to baseline before I put in forged everything and shoot for the moon too. Plus, I'd like to go stick shift too since the 330 crank can take it.

The goal is to get it clean, get it running, get it tabbed.

 

Do u really think disassembly is warranted? If I had tried to start it I'd totally agree.

 

so how many nuts and bolts went down through the carb and are just sitting waiting for those valves to open, yes disassembly is totally warranted.

 

X2 tear it down!

 

You don't necessarily have to take it completely apart, but the intake has to come off, as does the oil pan and oil pump, and the bearing caps.
Once the intake is off, it will be easy to see whether the head gasket is something cheap and easy to get, like a FelPro, and if so, then you should really pull the heads to get a look inside the chambers. If it has more expensive or difficult to find head gaskets, you can weigh the value of looking vs not looking, provided that everything else looks perfect.

I know you're working outdoors right now, but if you can either get the car to a better work space, or make the outdoor part of the job as painless as possible (say, by waiting until Spring, perhaps), the actual work of disassembly and reassembly is only about a day, along with about $150 worth of gaskets, and will be well worth it in the event that you find anything in there.

- Eric

 

Yeah its getting some big valve unported 6 heads. Can u reuse steel shim gaskets? I'd doubt it but they ARE more expensive. Given that the block isn't getting machined I'll probably just live w the felpros and NOT gain any compression.

Steel gaskets are only good for fresh builds right?

Eventually im putting it together w probe srp flattops, and a mondello jm-1820 cam. If I port the 7's that are on it they stay flat. If I reuse the 6 heads I'm thinking about getting the pistons dished 3 cc. Kinda waiting for a 330 crank to come into my possession.

But that's not happnin today!!

 

So you'd say pulling the caps is non negotiable? If the engine internals haven't as much as budged shouldn't it be impossible for any grit to be anywhere but where it landed in the pan?

 

Oil runs through the filler neck, is deflected, and then drops into the pan. I would pull the engine, then take the timing cover and the oil pan off - you'd quickly see whether or not a complete disassembly is required or not. The others are right, though - pull the intake as well to make sure the carb wasn't force-fed some gravel as well.

 

A lot of things should be. It's only two bolts per cap - at least pull the mains, that way you'll be sure.

- Eric

 

OK so carb and intake gotta come off anyway to put the new heads on, and if were gonna pull the pan the timing cover is no big extra.

Kinda scared about the caps haven't messed w those before. U can just unbolt em and reinstall and that is OK?

Seems like the kind of thing that if I wasn't like "yep, I'm assembling a rebuilt motor right now" I would leave to...well...someone who'd done it before, at least!

 

I sure hope that nobody pee'd down the throat of the carb because that can eat the top off a piston and eat the cylinder wall.

 

Carbs have very small passages, only a small bolt or nut can get thru. Tried that once on a Fiat.

Just look for evidence of sand/ dirt in the places suggested- PS, radiator, carb inlet.

If ALL you find is dirt in the oil fill tube... drain the oil. Note what comes out. Pour a gallon or two of kerosene in the oil fill tube while the drain plug is out and flush it more. If no more dirt comes out, put fresh oil in and a filter and be happy.

Any dirt that does reside in there would go thru the OP right to the filter and stop there.

If you are changing heads and all that now or soon anyhow, sure, pull the motor and do a thorough inspection.

 

Lmao

This is why ppl are lucky the internet didn't get into full swing until after I was done being 13

 

I'm not following your thoughts here. Both the 6 and 7 heads should have the same size combustion chambers so the compression ratio should be the same with either of them.

 

I was told the 330 heads were 2 cc smaller, but that feel pros would negate that from the added installed height.

 

Well, let's start with the fact that a standard 4.250" FelPro head gasket, at about 0.042" thick, adds about 6cc to your combustion chamber compared to a 0.016" factory shim gasket, and not 2, and will reduce a small block's compression ratio by about half a point.

How well have you researched this?

- Eric

 

Yeah, this scared the crap outta' me too but it's not as hard as it sounds. The hardest part is getting the caps out. The tolerances in there are very tight. If memory serves, I used two 3/8" by 10" pieces of steel rod placed in the bolt holes and rocked them out. I flushed them and the bearings good with clean engine oil before reassembly.
Might as well plastgauge them while you're in there.

Maybe this would help with the investigation.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5m-6-LED-Wat...item418c917839

 

For one, there should be 1,2,3 or 4 heads on a 330 from the factory. Smitty at M+J Proformance sells shim head gaskets.

 

Yup, Smitty's a good guy. Easy to deal with. I used his shims on my 350.

 

Crap maybe they are #4? Sorry I have literally had them for years

All of this has been off the top of my head from research say 10 years ago

 

Booby traps?
pictures if you catch any!!

 

With 80k miles on the motor (assuming all is well) what should I probably do when the pan is off? I plan on LIGHTLY taking it down the strip a few times in its current form but I don't beat on ****.

 

I really think I gave some ppl that steal cars for drug money too Much credit. Looks like the worst of it is cosmetic and on the interior. I'll post pics when I get it vacuumed out (here after I saw into the trooper to change out the fuel pump)

 

Change the timing chain and gears. Use good quality replacements.

- Eric

 

That's it? Cool.

 

Next question is have you taken all this out of your sister's *** yet?

Sorry. When it comes to druggies destroying or contributing to destruction of someone's property I have no patience or remorse even when it's family. They get what they ask for.

 

remove the valve seal pieces and whatnot from the oil pump inlet screen

look for anything obviously wrong. Particles? - find out what from.

 

+1.

The AA types call it "enabling" when you cut them slack.
I don't care what you call it - if someone acts like a total jerk, they need a swift kick.

- Eric

 

Haha no karma took care of that over time, this WAS 2001. In 2002 she stole one too many family cars and our dad handed me the keys to the 91 camaro project we were putting together for her.

That led to an efi tuning adventure that continues today (with the selection of a trooper based partly on that we can run it from my netbook) and without all this I might have gone ricer.

In the end that car wasn't the fastest 1/4 mile, (14.9) but it outran s2k's wrxes rx7's, bmws and supras on the freeway while nailing down 25 mpg@125 cruise. At 50 I could do 32 mpg w a rv cammed 355 swap. Man, torque + lightness is something else. If only the cars weren't NIGHTMARES to work on.

I mean, I owe the gearhead I am today to this chain of events

 

Ha ha. That's actually kind of funny.

- Eric

 

Plus I'm having my first kid in a couple of weeks, and I'm getting to wrench on my favorite old car out at the parent's farm. Baby gets grandparent time, i get car time, thats win win!

As a kid I was in LOVE with my great granddad's 69 442 (400, auto) and I hope I can pass that on right from the start.

Oh my mom had a 68 when i was like 3. My dad swapped in a 330 he built for **fuel economy** in 1981. First car I even remember, PERIOD.

So many a body memories....

 

Next work day will be Monday, so I'll have some before pics to put up... Til then fellas

 

Congratulations!

But don't let the Ol' lady hear you saying you're having a kid! Tragedy could ensue.

- Eric

 

Oh she's loving it too.

 

When Mary got pregnant, I gained more weight than she did! I might have been a little stressed