Jump to content

I broke my Monte


AL M

Recommended Posts

it's all Breese's fault...all that talk about 574 hp!!! Now Al's gotta have it too.... grin....it's soft metal Al, I'd be kind of surprised if it did anything to the block, maybe a little head work but it probably needed a valve job anyway...right??? I go through this a lot at the track...I have a standing rule...if I can't find something the car doesn't move until I do...so far I've always found it.... wink

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 58
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Been there, done that.

I dropped one of the tiny carb screws down the throat when I was removing the top from my carb. In the process I changed carbs, so I kinda forgot about the screw. This was on a little chevy II motor..a 153 ci 4cyl I had in a jeep.

It wasn't until I was out trying to climb a steep hill that the screw found its way into the #4 cyl and make a terrible racket...it only ran for an instant and I shut it off and had it towed home.

 

When I tore it down to inspect, it had left indentations on the underside of the head, but they were minor. the cylinder was fine..the bulk of the damage was to the piston.

The screw had laid flat on the top of the piston, and it got into the area of quench, and it obviously wasn't going to compress...so the piston did. The piston top stopped, but the wrist pin had continued to go up as the crank came around, and it broke the piston and crushed all the ring lands tight against the rings. That piston was toast.

Really it didn't look that bad when I first looked down at the piston top. The screw was gone, and aside from the series of minor dents in the piston and head, it looked as if it could be put back together as-is. Boy was I glad I decided to pull the piston out for inspection! It was a broken/cracked mess with a decent-looking top. As I recall, it had swollen tight against the cylinder walls and it was a bugger to get out.

 

There isn't much room for error in there. When things go bad they go bad fast.

 

I remember a time at the dragstrip when I dropped a jesus clip down the carb. I had no tools and I could see it sitting in the manifold, but couldn't get to it.

I used my dipstick and magnetized the end by placing it against the magnet of my rear shelf speaker in the trunk...It worked like a charm to lift that clip out.

This time I wasn't so lucky.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wow Al sorry to here about your misfortune. Don't feel bad as crazy stuff like that happens all the time. Hope that the damage is minimal and you get that engine back together soon and running great just like before!!!

 

David

Link to comment
Share on other sites

About 10 years ago I bought my son a 72 chevelle when he was 15 1/2, it was a malibu dressed up like an ss car. it had a 350 with a 4 barrel intake and an adapter to a 2 barrel carb. as soon as we got home he wanted me to swap out the 2 brl for a 4 brl holly i had laying around, needless to say when i took off the adapter i unknowingly dropped a nut down the intake and..... well you know what happened next. I'm sure you will get rebuilt and running better than before.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's terrible.

 

You are not alone.

 

My Dad had a similar issue a couple years ago. On the way home from a road trip he was pulling into a gas station when the engine made a noise and abruptly shut off. He did not know what it was until he pulled the head. Part of the aluminum head broke and allowed water to fill the cylinder. At this point, he still did not know what caused it. A close inspection of what was beleived to be a peice of the head was actually a squashed nut. He doesn't remember losing one but he must have accidently dropped one down the carb.

 

The funny thing is that he had just put a ton of miles on the car without messing with the engine. He even did some slalom racing while at a Corvette convention 900 miles from home. It must have been sitting in the intake for some time then eventually made it in the cylinder. We thought that it was very lucky that it broke the head only 20 minutes from home.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used my dipstick and magnetized the end by placing it against the magnet of my rear shelf speaker in the trunk...It worked like a charm to lift that clip out.

Nice thinking Mcgyver!! Ive used some creative methods to get home or fix things on the road, but thats a great one cool

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I tore it down today. pieces of the washer were sitting inside the intake. the bottom of the head and top of the piston have tons of scratches and nicks. The piston was all the way up in the hole and there was so much antifreeze on the floor I couldnt get under it to turn the flywheel, it was getting late as well. I cleaned everything up and i'll get under there tomorrow and give the wheel a turn and see if there is any damage in the hole....going canoeing this weekend so hopefully i can rally the troops and pull her the following weekend and drop it off.....i'll be back before you know it. thanks for your feedback and support fellas. Al

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Al that really stinks. Had almost the same problem many years ago. I had a 68 Chevelle 396. Just sitting there one night as the car was running, i started to hear some really crazy noises from the engine. I drove it home (only about 5 blocks). Took a look, and it seams for no reason at all the stud that holds the air cleaner on broke in half, vibrated loose from the wing nut and got sucked down into the #8. Good news was after i tore it down, the stud was imbeded in the piston. No damage to the wall at all. So i had the heads done and a new piston, and i was on my way.

Hope you have the same luck as i did.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well guys, it looks like the only damage is nicks and scratches to the #7 piston and under the head, the cyl wall looks like all the others. I really dont think it went past the piston. The top of the piston and the bottom side of the head have those nicks and scratches which tells me it was just bouncing around the combustion chamber. Weirdly enough the washer fragments worked their way back up, I found them sitting in the intake when i pulled it off. The fragments didnt go to other cyl's either. I think I could really get away w/ just putting her back together, but I'm so deep in disassembly and you guys know how it goes..... I'm getting excited to go faster. I'm gonna try to reuse as much as possible and go w/ a new block, go roller, more cubes and get into the 11's. W/that lil 355 i pulled a 3500lb monte into the 12's, so I can see reaching my goal this time around, I'll keep ya's posted. I got a throne to take back anyway!!!!!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm gonna try to reuse as much as possible and go w/ a new block, go roller, more cubes and get into the 11's. W/that lil 355 i pulled a 3500lb monte into the 12's, so I can see reaching my goal this time around, I'll keep ya's posted. I got a throne to take back anyway!!!!!!!!

 

Good luck, don't forget to bring your checkbook. Learn from my mistakes, I could have bought a whole other car for what I've spent the last 2 years....

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Wednesday night we're having a "Pull the engine party" at Al's.... I've been so good not ribbing Al but I'm about to explode.....lol... Why am I laughing...I'm the guy who's got to help Al pull the engine wink

 

But bring it on Al!!!!! I need a little competition... (not including Scott... smile )

 

Steve

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Quote:
I have no problem with pulling an engine...it's removing the hood that's the hard part.



I haven't pulled a hood in years. It scares all my buddies but I swear by those plates you bolt to the intake. I'm slowly converting all my buddies one at a time. Just converted another one last month. grin I watch the Powerblock shows and they use them all the time, big blocks, aluminum intakes and all.


Nygel
Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife helped me remove and re-install the hood on my Monte Carlo. Ain't no big thing. (just 6 feet of steel) Big TO DO first is to mark where the hinges are, prior to removal, so you can line it up quickly when you re-install it. I've seen the use of two studs screwed into the hood so the hood didn't slip. Add the two bolts, tighten then remove the studs and add the last two bolts.

Don't do it in the wind either!

Bruce

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...