Hey everybody. So a little update on the engine and restoration of this Comet.. Ive got the engine and transmission out of the car and the engine is stripped down to the lower half (Cylinder heads, Water Pump, Timing Cover, Intake Manifold, etc. all off) And now i have several Questions for someone with more experience:

1) There is a slightly large rust issue in the water jackets and corridors throughout the block. Relatively bad rust... So my question is, can i submerge the engine block with the crank, cam, and pistons still in the engine? I was planning on using electrolysis to get rid of some of the rust issues, but was curious if i absolutely had to take out the pistons, crank, and cam.

2) Also, pertaining to the upper question, can i pressure wash the engine with a hot water pressure washer with the pistons, crank, and cam in it?

Sorry if these are stupid questions but to me it seems like a pretty simple and straight forward answer, but there could be things i suppose im not thinking of.

 

1) You should take it to a shop and have them boil it. They know what they are doing. You dont want to rebuilt it to find out you didnt get all the crud out.

2) You can, but I wouldnt. You will get surface rust and you dont want that in the cylinder walls.

I do think you should strip the whole motor for a complete rebuild. Just my 2 cents.

 

I would love to do that honestly. It's just lame because I'm kind of on a time crunch. I want to do it right, but it seems like theres really no way of knowing how long the engine will be at the shop for and I'm not sure how long i have before the house my car is at forecloses. So I'm just really trying to do the best i can with what I've got. How much would a shop charge and how long would it usually take?

Maybe i can send it to a shop and work on other things until it's back?
I've never sent an engine to the shop before, so once it came back what would i have to do? Buy a piston set and rings?

 

Hey bummer man.

You would have to call the shop and tell them your situation.

You could just spray wd-40 on the cylinder walls and all over the crank, rods, and pistons, then wash it, dry it right away then spray those areas again. This will help displace water and keep it lubed.

 

Well, looks like I'm just going to call a machine shop and see what i should do. Do you guys have any suggestions? Bored .030 over? What should i tell them to do to it?

 

I'd get a shop to do it.

 

If time is that limited, buy a longblock from a local shop for chaep and throw yours ob a shelf at a different house. Put the car together and go.

Ps depending on what your goals are. You may find jt cheaper to buy a crate engine.

 

you have to get your pistons before he bores it. but let the machine shop tell ya what ya need for pistons and bearings no sense buying .30 over pistons and finding out you need to go .40 . i just had mine bored .30 over bearings .10 over cam bearings pressed in and the block fluxed and boiled and had him assemble the bottom half and it was 800$ for the machining. as far as pressure washing it ya but as said rust will start fast so before it was even dry i would be spraying it with wd40