I've had a lot of fun on this forum since last June when i joined up. But now, it's time to get serious. I've got a '50 chevy pu in various stages of completion and i've been studying old documentation, relied on my memory, absorbed EVERYTHING you guys have said for a long time. Hopefully, my threads and replies have helped a few learn more, put a smile on your faces, made you think, or whatever. For that, i'm grateful. But it's getting to the point where i need some sound advice, how-to and common sense to get my truck completed. I'm not doing this for me as much as i am for my dad, who will not see this project completed. From now until May, i'm going to ask some seemingly dumb questions, but give me your honest and candid opinion, knowledge and wisdom, because, i'm going to need it! My first query is: I've got a 216, completely rebuilt, absent the intake/exhaust manifold, which is sitting on a workbench in 57 years worth of use and rust. I plan to media blast and paint it, but here's my question. If I sandblast it, what about the heat riser? Should i remove it, leave it there, or what? Will sandblasting it mess it up? Can you remove it and clean it up by itself and reinstall it? Am i over reacting? Should I have the combo milled at a machine shop to ensure a proper fit, or am i over-reacting? Or should i break it down to a separate intake and separate exhaust before cleaning, etc, etc. Any and all advise will be appreciated. And, by the way, more questions will follow! Thank guys!
Bead Blasting You're going to Bead Blast the manifolds , correct ? DON'T do the engine ! . Jusr de-grease the manifold and then gently toss it in the cabinet and have at it ~ DO NOT touch the heat risor ! take the spring off before you Bead Balst but that's it ! it's delicate and important , I don't think they still make parts for it . Once it's all cleaned up , have a machine shop plane the mounting surfaces , I broke severalof the bolts holding the two parts to-gether on mine and it was a total frustrating cock up by the time I was done , you may want to try leaving it all assembled , if it devolps leaks later on , it's a simple thing to take it off again and try taking it all apart . Get some 216 alignment rings , they're very important ! . This is NOT a ' dumb ' question ! it makes aHUGE differance how well your engine runs . I don't think ANY question is ' stupid ' no matter how mundane . I ask oddball questions too . Keep up the good work and don't forget to tell dad you love him , often , now whilst you have the chance .
Enjoy the time youve got left with your dad, if the project is keeping you away from him, put it on the back burner, go fishing or whatever you can together, as i know from what happened christmas, time flies and dont look back and wish you had but be glad you did, if you catch my drift. ________ PORNSTARS OLD
Ken, You sound driven to get it done. I for one have looked forward to your Help & your Friendship over this forum. As Nate said no dumb questions I have always felt only dumb mistakes caused by not asking the questions. Get to work throw the group the questions,concerns when you need help. Ha Nate since I still need to get my engine done. What should we do with the engine block if you say no bead blasting ? Mine is painted blue over dirt,crud. I want to paint it the proper color while it is apart. What can we do to get it to a paintable surface ? Thanks, Steve
I may have mis-worded it earlier Unfortunately, my dad is no longer with us. I'm going to finish the truck in memory of him. It's been a tough year for me, but i AM driven to get this truck done. It was his special truck and I will git-r-done! Together, we rebuilt a lot of cool rides, but it looks like i'm finally gonna have to go "solo". Thanks for the good info, support and companionship. More questions will definitely follow!
I agree with the whole no sandblasting the engine. I have sandblasted a lot of things and getting all of it out of the part is impossible. That sand in a functioning engine will be a lethal blow and will totally ruin the engine. A lot of good degreaser will do just fine. Takes a little elbow grease but it will work. Get good degreaser. 3M is a great company so try to find something that they make.
Ditto that, Kevin! Use degreaser and a hot steam clean after, both you and the engine! A good rubdown with denatured alcohol after that and you should be able to give it a shot of paint.
1St. Let Me Say.... Ken ; I am very sorry you lost him but , you were lucky to have a father in your life , mine isn't and never has been . He's just unreachable , I keep trying but that's life . I treasure the times good & bad I made sure to spent with my son . Your dad will always be riding shotgun with you and looking over your shoulder when your working on the types of things you did to-gether.... -Nate
Engine Paint Prep Yep , scraper , wire brush , lots and lots of elbow grease . you can swirl the de-greaser around with the wire brush too ~ keep at it , you're supposed to make a gooey gummy mess as you work to get the crud loose , then when you rinse it , all the dried up de-greaser and dirt etc. will come off revealing the block . Old paint residue isn't a bad thing , you don;t need to go all the way to bare metal . If it's apart , just remember to dry it off as soon as you're finished rinsing ~ over spray on the deck and other sealing surfaces is O.K. ~ just clean it off with a hand held single edge razor blade within a few days before it cures.... Some folks like to wait untill the engine is re-assembled to re-paint .
Just another side note on engine tear down....... Another thing Ken are you gonna be rebuilding this engine for your truck or just pulling it apart to repaint. If you are rebuilding it don't forget to put assembly lube on every moving part. This will keep from damaging anything on that initial dry start up. Better wet if I have some left over from this engine rebuild I'm in the middle of at work I'll bring you a tube of it in may. It's a synthetic base and really is some awesome stuff. Not sure who the manufacturer is but I get it with the BMW logo on it. It's more for a high performance low clearance type engine, so it will definately work great for the older engines as well.
We use the shotgun approach to try and hit alot of targets. First soaking with diesel several days and pressure washing with really hot water. Next, oven cleaner, the buck a can stuff from a Dollar Store and wash again. Wear goggles and don't get this on any aluminum or pot metal surface cause it'll turn it black but it does take most the old paint off. Finally, for the carbonized stuff, some Berrymans carb and choke cleaner and wash again. This stuff is a bit pricey so save it for where it's really needed. With what's left on you can get one of those toothbrush sized wire brushes and get into most areas and with all the oil disolved out that bound the crud together it usually comes off fairly easy. I have a 302 Windsor scheduled for this treatment tomorrow so if you want to practice I won't even charge you anything! P.S. Be sure to seal any place that the chemicals or water could get inside, including the road draft tube.
