I pulled the engine and started to tear it down. The head was fine. Number 4 piston looked "rusted" in place. I lubed it and kept trying to get the crank to rotate for a week or two but no luck. I pulled the pan off and started disconnecting the rods. I was able to push all the pistons out through the top of the block ( little taps and a block of wood / graphite rod) The number 4 piston was "rusted" in place but it came out with a little more persuasion. HOWEVER, The problem is the number 3 piston, you can see from the pictures that the top piston ring was broken and even doubled up on itself in the groove / lands? Needless to say the piston is toast. The cylinders in the block look good to my eye but I will have to take it to the shop and get it spec,ed so I know for sure what to do next. This is a 228 engine, 1949 GMC, last titled in 1999 and it was a farm truck. It looks all original with no sign of a prior rebuild,etc. I would like to rebuild it and keep it "stock" with a leaning towards improving it if possible. Any thoughts and suggestions are greatly appreciated. v/r john m.
Great photos! Thanks for sharing them with us, as well as your progress report. Sorry I can't be of much help with engine recommendations. I'm still in the process of building my own engine (Chevy 235). I'm sure Nate, Evan, Russ, and the rest of the gang here will chime in soon with advice. Looking forward to following along with you. Damon
To bad it was not able to just soak and start like so many do. That should make a great running engine for you for many years, good to hear you are rebuilding it back stock. Charles
Block cylinders wear ! Most likely the wear is in top of each cylinder at the excact point where the piston retuns downwords! A machine workshop can easely remanufacture this block as the piston skirts show very litle wear. Amazing after 50 years. Thanks for sharing Martinius.
I don't see much scoring in the 3rd cylinder so it may be able to be saved. I agree with Blueflame, take it in and they should be able to either hone the cylinders or bore them.
GMC Quality This is interesting as the piston skirts show little sign of scuffing or wear . The ring failed , fluttered and ruined that one piston , it prolly ran unevenly @ idle and maybe smoked a fair bit , now you know why it was retired . I'd replace all 6 pistons even though they're $pendy . Bang out all the freeze (Welch) plugs and have the block hot tanked . Have all the connecting rods re sized , very important this , I'd also have them balanced as this makes the engine run much smoother and smoothness = power I hope you've kept the cam followers (lifters) in their *exact*/U] sequence ? if so and they're not pitted / scuffed , you can re use them but , once mixed , they must be scrapped for new , even if the cam's lobes look fine . Some crocus cloth and light oil should get the crankshaft bearing journals cleaned up easily ~ these cranks rarely need machine work , be wary of any shop that automatically wants to turn it . Is the camshaft drive gear aluminum ? . Few 50 year old engines will ever come apart with nice looking bores like yours did ~ that's what you paid extra for when you bought a G.M.C. TRUCK back then .
The crank and cam along with the lifters are still in the block. I have to borrow a puller to remove the pulley,etc. I may leave these parts for the machine shop but maybe I should pull them to ensure the lifters remain in order. I labeled and photographed the valve train parts during dis-assembly so I can put everything back where it belongs. I will start looking for a machine shop to handle the block and head for me. I am in the Colorado springs area so hopefully there is someone around who can deal with this old engine. Thanks to all for the kind words and advice. v/r john m.
Great input Nate. A thourough input thank you. [ QUOTE=vwnate1;83094]This is interesting as the piston skirts show little sign of scuffing or wear . The ring failed , fluttered and ruined that one piston , it prolly ran unevenly @ idle and maybe smoked a fair bit , now you know why it was retired . I'd replace all 6 pistons even though they're $pendy . Bang out all the freeze (Welch) plugs and have the block hot tanked . Have all the connecting rods re sized , very important this , I'd also have them balanced as this makes the engine run much smoother and smoothness = power I hope you've kept the cam followers (lifters) in their *exact*/U] sequence ? if so and they're not pitted / scuffed , you can re use them but , once mixed , they must be scrapped for new , even if the cam's lobes look fine . Some crocus cloth and light oil should get the crankshaft bearing journals cleaned up easily ~ these cranks rarely need machine work , be wary of any shop that automatically wants to turn it . Is the camshaft drive gear aluminum ? . Few 50 year old engines will ever come apart with nice looking bores like yours did ~ that's what you paid extra for when you bought a G.M.C. TRUCK back then .[/QUOTE]
Cylinder Bores This engine keeps on my mind as I don't trust anyone else to do the job right ~ If you get some Phosphoric or Citric Acid and dilute it , use a wetted cloth , you'll be able to fairly easily clean the surface rust out of that cylinder . It is entirely possible the bores are O.K. or will clean up easily in your home shop . If , of course , the rust removal reveals pitting , then it'll need at least a good going over with a well oiled ball hone , maybe boring . I dislike reboring because to do it right , takes a long time and every Machinist I've evert met , sets the boring bar on it's fastest travel &the biggest cut it'll do and ignores the fact that this eggs out the ajacent cylinders . Look closely at all the lobes on the camshaft , if there's any grooves worn in the lobes or if even one lobe looks " different " from the rest , it's toast . Feel free to ignore this old man's whining here , I'm sort of thinking out loud ~ I hate sloppy works because I actually use my machines be they old or new and I use them hard so how they're done , is very important to me . I'm grumpy as I have the 34 year old Becker Electronic radio from my favorite old Mercedes in tiny bits on my desktop right now , trying to coax it back to life . (it's full of Diesel smoot) . .
Hey grumpy, this website might help you with your radio. http://www.mercedesradiorepair.com/ Now, back to the engine. Would kerosene and crocus cloth shine up the cylinder wall good enough to inspect it for pits or would that be too abravise? Ken
Bore Cleaning Prolly so , what I was after was a completely non abrasive cleansing of the rust to begin with .
cleaning the cylinders Gentlemen, Thank you as always for the advice. I will definitely try and clean up the cylinders and will try and take the block down to the auto shop on post where I can try and get some measurements on it. The post has a really nice capability with these capabilities. The AutoCraftCenter offers a place to work on automobiles with the guidance of experienced instructors. The AutoCraftCenter has over 30,000 square feet of “top of the line” equipment and facility to include: 5 Lube Bays 5 Engine Overhaul Bays 4 Auto Body Repair Bays 3 Tire Bays 2 Paint Booths 2 Muffler Bays Paint Mixing Station 1 Parts Cleaning Bays 9 General Repair Bays 2 Motorcycle Lifts Machine Shop Central Tool Issuing Room I am not sure what their machinists can do but I am taking the slow but steady approach. My next question will be what suggestions do you have for pistons after I know what sizes I will need. I am kinda bummed that the number 3 piston is scrap now as the others look really good. On the other hand I figure as long as I have it all opened I want to do as good a job as I can. I have to start saving my "allowance". Thanks again for all the advice. P.S. As long as I have everything opened up does anyone need any pictures of original components and how it fits,etc. It is a 228 GMC (1949) v/r john m.
Pistons ect. Hey John Have your block and top cleaned and X rayed to find any hidden cracks inside!!! Get the standard block/top measures before you hone or bore anything!!! As Nate says these walls can get very thin but infact they are replaceble aswell. Read the details on top of the pistons, measure each piston near the skirt and on top and bottem and compare , after 50 years usage there are signs of wear for shore even if your pistons are made of steel ! Depends on the wear of the cylinders if you need ovesized or not ? Let them measure with a digital micrometer after cleaning out the rust and you`ll get the answer. Measuring should be done in top and bottem of your block cylinders. New pistons includes complete piston arm bearings aswell and main engine bearings, tightnings ect. Measure at the same time the horisontal level on top of your block and cylinder top aswell and considder weither it needs an overhaul ? Let them guys have a look at the motor crank , maybe it needs balanced or polished ? Steel pistons are better and more durable then aluminum pistons in these engines. When replacing the valves buy the hardened valves , seats ect. Your ready to drive with lead fri high octane gasolin the rest of its lifetime. The cam needs an inspection aswell compare the nockers and look for wear ! inspect the drivetrain wheel and chain in front . Ask the GMC guys here at the forum where to buy the parts or Patrick`s in Casa Grande or Tom langdons Stovebolt. . Is `nt life a tressure with all these questions ?
cleaning the block I will try and get the block cleaned up this weekend and see what I have going on. I will take some more pictures so everyone can let me know what you think. v/r john m.
For replacement parts if you have to go to an aftermarket supplier compare prices at Terrill Machine in DeLeon, Texas to Egge Machine in CA. Terrill is usually 30% or more lower and parts are USA made.
Evan, I'm glad you weighed in on this. I've heard the name Kanter forever. Had their catalogues forever. Never have used them. Are they reputable? Do they sell a reputable product? They seem to have an engine rebuild kit for everything in existance! What is your "take" on them?
The Kanter brothers are reliable and have a large selection. Their prices are towards the high end but considering their huge inventory they have many dollars sitting on shelves for the relatively few dollars coming in each day. I buy from them when my regular sources don't have what I need.
