tire size Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 i have noticed there are a lot of mechanical minded people on this site i have a question from someone who is not. i own a 1972 chevy monte carlo with a 454(not original motor) ran like a beast, no knocks, no miss,idle smooth. noticed an oil leak from the head gasket area. when i took it in the mechanic told me it was leaking from the head gasket, i could see it on the lift.when he pulled the heads off he found a glob of silicone to hide the leak (not found on my original inspection) also was told heads need to be machined to make the seal even. today i get a call telling me some rocker arms needed to be replaced valves needed to be done and some push rods were bent. my question is how would the car run so good with all this wrong? the shop is highly recommended this just does not make sense to me. any help would be appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cny first gen 71 Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 It's hard to say, a motor can seem to run just fine and when you tear into it you find problems that seem strange such as slightly bent or worn parts. They have been running just fine the way they are but are showing signs of wear. Some precision parts can wear a little and run just fine but upon tear down will need to be replaced. Some parts, seals and gaskets need to be replaced with ANY amount of wear. I hope I explained it right. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tire size Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 12 minutes ago, cny first gen 71 said: It's hard to say, a motor can seem to run just fine and when you tear into it you find problems that seem strange such as slightly bent or worn parts. They have been running just fine the way they are but are showing signs of wear. Some precision parts can wear a little and run just fine but upon tear down will need to be replaced. Some parts, seals and gaskets need to be replaced with ANY amount of wear. I hope I explained it right. thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve G Posted January 5, 2023 Share Posted January 5, 2023 My situation was similar. I bought a low mileage 402 that was about as stock and untouched as it gets. I went for a ride in the car before it was removed and it ran strong and smooth. While it was on my engine stand I pulled the valve covers to clean everything up and found bent pushrods, a ruined guide plate and rocker.. so I did a leakdown test to find that it had bigger issues. Pulled the heads, bent valves and even mashed pistons from the valves hitting. One piston having darn near a valve relief forged into it from a valve hitting. From there I just tore it all down, but I regret it as the bottom end was flawless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tire size Posted January 5, 2023 Author Share Posted January 5, 2023 3 hours ago, Steve G said: My situation was similar. I bought a low mileage 402 that was about as stock and untouched as it gets. I went for a ride in the car before it was removed and it ran strong and smooth. While it was on my engine stand I pulled the valve covers to clean everything up and found bent pushrods, a ruined guide plate and rocker.. so I did a leakdown test to find that it had bigger issues. Pulled the heads, bent valves and even mashed pistons from the valves hitting. One piston having darn near a valve relief forged into it from a valve hitting. From there I just tore it all down, but I regret it as the bottom end was flawless. thank you, i went in to the shop today they showed me all the damaged parts i guess it is possible bottom of mine is flawless as well, at least its done and done right they explained to me how lucky i was to catch it now instead of blowing the motor 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cbolt Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 my stock 350 ran perfectly smooth. Nice idle, no noise, etc. and when I broke it down I found a cracked head and a hole in the #1 piston. Moral of the story is you never know what is inside until you take the top off of it... (think Forrest Gump) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve G Posted January 6, 2023 Share Posted January 6, 2023 2 hours ago, cbolt said: my stock 350 ran perfectly smooth. Nice idle, no noise, etc. and when I broke it down I found a cracked head and a hole in the #1 piston. Moral of the story is you never know what is inside until you take the top off of it... (think Forrest Gump) Hannibal lecter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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