Old Engine Preparation for Future Rebuild?

[DeanG]

This weekend I picked up a new old engine for our 7. It is an ancient 1172cc side valve (flat head) Ford. It is very complete having everything except the starter; including that curious mix of grease and rust that seems to attach itself to English machines. It seems to have been sitting in a shed of some kind so there are only some leaves, stick... in the various passages.

 

My question is what to do to the engine now that it is in my hands. It will not go to an engine builder until I have a rebuilt transmission in hand and have saved up some money. This is at least a year away.

 

I think that I should hose it down with penetrating oil, remove the generator, manifolds and spark plugs then clean up what I can get to with a wire brush and rag. Much will be replaced with performance parts e.g., head, side cover probably the pistons and rods. What should I mess with and what should I leave alone?

 

Additionally, I am looking for a starter, a manifold to fit some S.U. H1 carberators and a header for this engine.

[escondidoron]

Having several old engines around the shop for spares I do the following upon acquiring another:

1) Remove the spark plugs

2) Fit the appropriate size wrench to the gland nut on the crankshaft damper and see if the engine is free to rotate....Taking care not to force the issue in case the rings are stuck, so as not to break a ring or piston. I do not rotate the crankshaft more than a few degrees. This check is just to see whether or not the engine is stuck.

3) Squirt a significant amount of Marvel Mystery Oil into each cylinder.

4) Reinstall the spark plugs.

5) Store the engine in a dry place.

 

This process has served me very well over the years. It is based on the assumption that whatever damage has been done to the engine is already present. The goal is to preserve it in the as-is state, or better, until such time as you are ready to put it to use. The Marvel Mystery Oil can help to unstick cylinders that are already varnished due to fuel or oil or even very light corrosion of the cylinder walls.

[RossD]

I'd have the block at least checked by an engine/machine shop. They can magniflux it to verify its condition and clean up all the passage ways by hot tanking it. At that point you might as well let them machine anything that needs to be done, but thats it. Then you pick up the engine and you build it. It makes sense to me, why get all new parts when the block you're sticking them in could be crap? It will probably make better use of the go fast parts as well.

 

Just my opinion, YMMV

[Off Road SHO]

I use the exact same procedure as Ron, only I use a lot more MMO or ATF when I'm out of Marvel. If the outside is really crusty with old dried up oil and grease and dirt, I pour the ATF or MMO on it also. Both are great at loosening up crud.

 

MMO and ATF mixed 50/50 with acetone also makes a great penetrating oil. Works even better than PB Blaster.

 

Tom

[escondidoron]

 

MMO and ATF mixed 50/50 with acetone also makes a great penetrating oil. Works even better than PB Blaster.

 

Tom

 

That's a great tip.

[WestTexasS2K]

I agree with the Marvel Mystery Oil. Pull the plugs and apply liberal amount in the cylinder. Let it sit for a few days then get on the crank bolt and move it slowly back and forth.

 

If it is frozen before removing the head and beating on a piston. I remove the crank and make an adapter with and old spark plug and put a grease fitting on it. Then use a grease gun to fill the cylinder with grease and pump up the cylinder to apply pressure to the piston which will pop the pistons loose. I have done this a few times on old tractors that have been sitting for years to get them engine free. One of those air hydraulic guns makes life much easier for this.

 

Compressed air will work also but you have to be careful that you dont shoot the piston across the garage when it lets go. The grease is a little safer route but is a bit messy.

[DeanG]

Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming.

 

What is MMO?

 

This engine is weird (i.e., older than any that I have experience) having poured bearings and no valve adjustment. I believe the design is early pre-war.

[Sean]

MMO = Marvel Mystery Oil

[danilo]

As a teenager I had an Hillman "drophead' A convertible with Landau arms :-)

It had one of those engines. It could do a MAXIMUM top speed of 55 mph God Knows I tried :-)

Dunno WHY? yer enamoured with it.

Cast Iron Crap is the Only adequate/honest descriptor.

But Hey! IF you follow through with copious time and money..you will soon know this first hand.. just giving you a 'heads up :-)

Even the worlds' cheapest man 'Colin Chapman' had to fit bespoke 'aquaplane' heads (British equivalent to Edelbrock head, except for a wee 4 cyl flathead) to the excreable things to make them get out of their own way.

[DeanG]

I'm going to the dark side and trying to turn it into a concours car.

[slomove]

I have a good used Zetec ZX1 in the shed just in case mine gives up (knock on wood). When I got it from the junk yard I took it completely apart to the last bolt and washer, blasted the outside crap and rust off, power washed and dried as good as possible, covered everything generously with thick oil and packaged in neatly labeled Ziploc bags, or for the bigger parts in heavy duty trash bags. Was a good weekend's work, though.

 

If I ever need it I can pick the required parts or rebuild an entire engine from it.

[DeanG]

Thanks everyone. I dived into the engine today. Thankfully I have a nice air compressor and impact driver, stud remover and with some very thin wrenches in odd sizes.

 

Today I drained the old oil, removed the clutch, distributer, intake, exhaust, side cover, plugs & head. I am soaking the pistons with Marvel mystery oil (I buy it in quarts). Soaking the removable bits with penetrating oil certainly helped.

 

It looks like the engine is rebuild-able, even the distributer is salvageable. It has had at least some prior work in the modern magic sealer era. I expected a flat head engine would have had some work in its past. One boar looks good, two are rusty and one is a mess. I suspect that there was a leak from the cooling passages into #1 cylinder and the engine was stored tipped to the right for a long time.

 

I will clean up what I can then reassemble it using lots of never seize and grease before putting it away for a future rebuild.