[Guest]

I recently bought a '73 351w and Im planning to put in my 68 coupe. The engine is dirty from sitting for 6months. I took the valve covers off and the rocker orams are dirty. What do you guys recomend I do to the engine before I install it? What shoudl I use to clean it or should I just take it to a machiene shop?

 

[aslan]

I use OvenOff for the grease. I would talk with your machinist to see what he would do versus what you could do to cut costs.
Stan

 

[bodyputty]

Its out of the car, so don't scrimp. Take the engine apart,have the block dipped or treated anyway you prefer. Get the heads redone at a local machine shop. Decide if you need to replace crank/pistons, etc. You are looking at $200-400 to do the heads. $1600 to have someone put you engine back together. $700 if you do it. I wish I had a dollar for every person that I have known who stuck an old motor into their car,and then had it come apart. Get off the buck and do it correctly.

 

[camachinist]

What do you guys recommend I do to the engine before I install it?

Depends...was it running when it came into your hands? If so, tell us about that...anything specific you may have noted...
If not, have a competent mechanic or machinist examine it...a professional can spot telltale signs of problems which might escape the casual observer.

Unless someone was dumping sand down the breather holes, I'd just leave things be and let the engine oil suspend the stuff and trap it. I've seen some god-awful glick in high mileage engines and they continue to run just fine.

I've found, in my years of doing hydraulic work, that I can actually make the stuff dirtier when trying to clean it. I just trade one type of debris for another. As was mentioned, the only way to really clean everything is to disassemble and clean in a pressure tank with a clean-water rinse and then bag until assembly.

Have fun!