Crom Cruach Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 I took the radiator out to get re-cored, and while it was out I decided to go at the engine. I have a couple of questions for you guys, and who doesn’t like a few bullet points?: • is it safe to power wash the engine after I scrape away the heavy stuff? I mean I’m not going to blast away at the alternator, holes will be plugged, and the harmonic balancer has grease that should probably be left alone. any other less obvious no-go areas? • Pulleys - media blast and Powdercoat the best option here? All satin black? • should I pull away the A/C, power steering assy, alternator to get at the block, and is it possible / safe to move them out of the way but still attached? I’m not draining anything else. • are there any important torque setting I need to know about when bolting everything back on? Crankshaft pulley / water pump / etc. • harmonic balancer - it looks like it has a gasket, do I need to replace, or is it ok to clean it up? Does it need new grease in there? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 @Canuck I think I saw a post where you did something similar, would you have any pointers at this stage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 To do it right you kinda need to get down to a pretty bare engine. I’d pull the carb, alternator, distributor cap & wires. You can unbolt the a/c compressor and roll it out of the way. Do not unhook the hoses. The power steering pump can be unbolted and rolled of to the side, be careful because fluid will leak out of the lid. Crank pulley can be taken off, I think that’s semigloss. Any small parts that you don’t want Chevy engine orange pull or tape. The harmonic balancer has a seal in the timing cover there is no other seal or grease needed. If the timing cover seal is leaking now is the time to replace it. To get the balancer off you will need a special puller. Light degreaser, let it soak. Don’t direct hard stream you’ll just tear stuff up. Your engine looks clean now. If pressure washing isn’t necessary then don’t do it. All your necessary torque numbers are in your book. Good luck. Remember paint don’t stick to wet parts. Lol. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 Awesome, thanks Denis, now for lots and lots of cleaning! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 9, 2022 Share Posted July 9, 2022 Take a wire brush and get all the chunks off them frame rails while you have it apart and hit it with some black spray. It will add a nice look to the bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 9, 2022 Author Share Posted July 9, 2022 I’m gonna give it the POR15 treatment, I have the degreaser and metal prep, and 80% gloss acrylic enamel paint for the final coat. Would the pulleys survive rattle can painting, or is powdercoat the smart choice? Now that I think of it, Does the engine need primer before the VHT high temp paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 I’ve done the pulleys both ways and haven’t had any issues but you can prime the visible part, let dry and sand them down for a better look. Your choice. I wouldn’t prime the engine while it’s still in the car. Out of car possibly but probably not. Just paint it and give it a few coats with dry time in between. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Dennis has some great advice. Ive done this s few times in the car. I remove all accessories from the block which make it easier to clean and paint properly. I don’t use a pressure washer. Just a hose with a spray nozzle. I use various brushes and Simple Green to clean the engine. Try to remove any loose paint. For the pulleys, brackets, etc I primed and painted those before reinstalling. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 Ok no engine primer, that’s a relief. Do I need a clear coat on top of the engine enamel? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 1 hour ago, Crom Cruach said: Ok no engine primer, that’s a relief. Do I need a clear coat on top of the engine enamel? No. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 Can anyone tel me what this circle is? It seems to leak a little fuel when I push it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 That's a freeze plug, and it's not leaking fuel. It is antifreeze. Your cleaning job may have just became a 'snow ball'.... If that one is leaking, there's a good chance more of them are going bad as well. There are some under the motor mounts, plus a couple in the back of the engine block, behind the flex plate/flywheel. Only way to really replace them is to pull the engine. I've done an odd one or two in place before, after engines have come back from a machine shop that leaked, but all of yours are probably old. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 Christ on a bike. I’ll get my mechanic to do it. What parts would I need - anything exotic? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 16 minutes ago, Crom Cruach said: Christ on a bike. I’ll get my mechanic to do it. What parts would I need - anything exotic? He'll take care of everything I imagine. If the engine needs to come out, it may be a good time to freshen it up a bit too. Or...replace it with something LARGER, 😁 (Snowball turns to avalanche, lol) You could always just replace the bad one, but to me, that's a giant gamble & ticking time bomb. Not the way I would approach this situation, nor most of the people here would suggest either, I'm pretty sure. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
420ponies Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 I've always used the brass style freeze plugs.never had a problem with them. If you've only got 1 leaking, I'd bet others are just around corner from leaking. I say to pull engine, replace those freeze plugs and then got can really get after that engine and make that Monte look like new under the hood. The rear freeze plugs are the ones that go bad 1st. That one by the fuel pump is about on the same plane of the rear ones. There's going to be alot of gunk behind those. That's how they decay and start to leak. This way if you have anything else leaking, new gaskets are in order. Can't wait to see some progress pictures. It's been 50 yrs for that stuff to go bad,do this now and you'll be glad you did it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jft69z Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 57 minutes ago, 420ponies said: I've always used the brass style freeze plugs.never had a problem with them. I actually have had trouble with the brass ones Jim, if you recall from my build thread. They were installed by me in the late 80's, engine was pulled (and drained of coolant) in the mid 90's and sat in a unheated garage for about 25 years. When I put it in the current 72, it started weeping out one of the plugs on the driver side. Engine had to come back out, and most of the plugs were compromised from the back side. Brittle/cracked/green corrosion, etc. I did replace them with another set of brass ones from Summit I think. As a side note, I also put the same brass plugs in the Z/28's LS6 around the same time way back then. Only difference is that one has had coolant in it the entire time. I'm hoping they don't fail down the road. I doubt they'll be a problem, mainly because the circumstances of the empty engine, etc.. With my luck, that'll bite me in the butt though, mainly because the engine has been out for the last number of months & that would have been a good time to do them. They appeared good though (as did the other ones, lol), but always submerged in coolant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Paul, are you sure it’s leaking and not just something else pooling there? If it is leaking then I agree with above comments. I had one leaking on my 71. I did just replace the one to fix the issue but I knew the engine was coming out anyway to be rebuilt, so at that time I wasn’t worried about it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 1 hour ago, jft69z said: He'll take care of everything I imagine. If the engine needs to come out, it may be a good time to freshen it up a bit too. Or...replace it with something LARGER, 😁 (Snowball turns to avalanche, lol) You could always just replace the bad one, but to me, that's a giant gamble & ticking time bomb. Not the way I would approach this situation, nor most of the people here would suggest either, I'm pretty sure. Antifreeze can’t stop the snowball! I might just replace the ones I can get at, paint what I can, and reassemble. I have to drive the car to my mechanic and I’m not sure he does engine painting. Maybe I can paint the back of the block when he has it out? @Dtret definitely leaking I’m sorry to report as for bigger engine - I’m thinking about a larger cam, talking to Cliff Ruggles about this. I might start another post for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott S. Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 One step forward... Two steps back..... Solved the leaking rad cap issue and now the gremlins are coming out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 The weak spot will always show up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 10, 2022 Share Posted July 10, 2022 Trust me. If your mechanic is pulling the engine and rebuilding it he can dang sure paint it. He wouldn’t put a dirty engine he just rebuilt in his own car. If he would find a better mechanic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 10, 2022 Author Share Posted July 10, 2022 30 minutes ago, Dtret said: Trust me. If your mechanic is pulling the engine and rebuilding it he can dang sure paint it. He wouldn’t put a dirty engine he just rebuilt in his own car. If he would find a better mechanic. Yeah you might be right, gonna call him tomorrow and make a plan. Would you consider a new head gasket a rebuild? What else should he do while she’s on the operating table? he’s replacing all the suspension / steering mounts too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott S. Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 No.... A re build would mean taking everything apart, cleaning, replacing worn parts (bearings,seals,gaskets,maybe lifters and rods,etc), maybe some upgrades, (cam, timing gear) And painting the finished product..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crom Cruach Posted July 11, 2022 Author Share Posted July 11, 2022 2 hours ago, Scott S. said: No.... A re build would mean taking everything apart, cleaning, replacing worn parts (bearings,seals,gaskets,maybe lifters and rods,etc), maybe some upgrades, (cam, timing gear) And painting the finished product..... ok guys here’s what I’m thinking - put me straight here if it sounds wrong… I’ve spent enough this year, planning an engine rebuild next year including a bigger cam, 3/4” wide Morse timing set, good flat top pistons and Clevite bearings. Keep the stock 487 heads. keep the quench under .040” So for now, replace the leaking freeze plug, clean & paint what I can get at, new v-belts, new pump, re-cored rad, some new hoses, put her back together and drive her to my mechanic to get the suspension done. Enjoy actually driving the car for the rest of summer! In short, do you think the time frame is acceptable, leaving the other freeze plugs for 6 months or so? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dtret Posted July 11, 2022 Share Posted July 11, 2022 It’s a gamble. If it leaks down the road you know what you have to do. In all honesty, with the plan you have, myself personally, I would take the gamble and drive it. But always know it may come and bite you in the assets. Hopefully it won’t happen when you’re on a road trip. Probably not the best advice but you only have to limp it along a few months. Keep a very close eye on the coolant level and temperature gauge and always look for leaks. Most everyone here will probably tell you no. And they aren’t necessarily wrong. Your choice. Your car. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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