JMD

+1, I have heard of this too, it seems unlikely that all of the cylinders would give up so fast after very little running time though...

Is it possible that there was an air lock in the cooling system and you had a bad overheat? If the water was not moving, the guage would not show an overheat, nor would you necessarily have a huge boil over issue because the water in the rad and hoses would be cool....

silverblue66

temp did rise a lot when i first started it and the intake got very hot. but the guage did not go to the max. and it cooled off very quickly. I left the top hose loose to burp the system.the tings have 126000 miles on them.

JapanGT

I would never put a cam in an engine without degreeing it. Then I would never fire the engine up without
spinning it by hand/wrench and checking the valve actuation sequence. I think there is a possibility the
timing it out. My suggestion is to check the cam timing and valve actuation starting with TDC on cylinder 1.
Work you way through the cylinders and make sure each is operating in the correct sequence. While
doing this you can also readjust the valves. Are the lifters solid or hydraulic?

Jav

JMD

Well theres your problem!! (in my best Captain Ron voice)

While this does not really completly explain the rapid and dramatic compression loss, but it might if you oiled the cylinders while the heads were off....

126,000 miles is a ton of miles for a carburated engine! That was usually about where engines of this era really showed their age, if they made it that far.

While it is not unusual for engines to go way past 200,000 miles with little evidence of cylinder wear these days, it was almost unheard of for V-8 engines of the 60s and 70s.

Problem was that raw gas acumulated on the cylinder walls and washed the oil off, the result was ring and cylinder wear. This combined with the fact that todays rings are better andseal well with less pressure exerted against the cylinder walls,,, well you see where I am going...

IMO if you have 126,000 miles on your engine, it is probably past time for a rebuild....

And as 67mustang302 said the new found pressure generated by the new headsmight have been just too much for the old rings.

67mustang302

Yeah, pull the bottom end out and rebuild it. I'll bet it has a mean ring ridge.

silverblue66

thanks guys. I took the car to my mechanic. i had the car towed on a flatbed there. the guy was very professional mind you. he put down skates on my driveway. asked to touch anything on the car including rolling down the window. asked me if each step of the tie down process was satisfactory. its the mechanics problem now. he will be able to figure this out no doubt. but i did hand crank the engine and verify timing is correct. tough i did not technically degree the cam. i think it may be the bottom end. well see. i am expecting a call today. ill keep you guys informed.

silverblue66

so my mechanic called me. he did a leakdown on 5 of the cylinders and air was blowing by the rings every one. so i am rebuilding the engine and having him install it. he also thinks i should have the tranny rebuilt too to ensure reliability. do you think this is a good idea. im sort on time and cash but i dont want to have to do this again. plus the tranny is already out so the rebuild will cost only 600.

JMD

If you can afford it I say get it done. Assuming that the tranny has as many miles on it as the engine, a rebuild is due.

However, if you can't afford it now, or even if it would bea financial burden, then justhave the mechanic put it back.It willonly take a tranny shop about 15 minuites to dropyour tranny, and another 15 minuites to put it backlater...so the savings you might gain because the tranny is "already out" is minimal....

Anyreal advantage to going with a rebuilt tranny nowmight be that when our mechanic puts that nice clean engine in your car,,,, if it is hooked to a nice clean tranny instead of a nasty dirty 100,000+ mile tranny, he might be more inclined to clean upother things a little better, straighten up a few wires here and there, and to just be a little more tidy in general.

Of course he might not do any of this stuff regardless! But as for me, when I am going up with some nice clean components, I have to clean up stuff around it....

silverblue66

the whole car is a financial burden. but a clean new tranny with the same miles on it as my engine make me sleep a little better. besides 600 is a good deal for a rebuild.

TexasAxMan

JMD, there you go with that "might as well" thinking that puts us so much closer to the poor house.