CALLING ENGINE GUYS/GALS

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Not worried about leakdown. Not impressed with the overhaul that I can see, and I have done many budget builds.
 
If you fired it up it will probably run for awhile. It is a big POS that needs to be completely rebuilt.

You asked and I'm not trying to make any friends.
 
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Way too many ifs and what nots, if you already decided for a complete tear down you have made the right choice.
 
Measure it...
With dial bore gauge.


It will leak some un run.

Next motor you guys build... leak down test it before you run it...then test it again after.

It all looks old is mainly what I see.

Remember ...a refresh isn't new...it's a form of tune up.
 
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Has allready been pointed out, it looks to be a typical quick hack job. It all looks like ****, do it once, and do it right!
 
I'm thinking the OP had some serious suspicions about the whole deal to partially tear down a refreshed engine on the basis of a bad leak down. The air coming out of the intake would have concerned me if I knew for definite that the valves were closed. It's usually not a bad idea to double check a refresh if it's been in storage a while anyway. Especially with the replacement cost of a 340 block if it gets a window put in it from a rod coming out.
 
It needs to run, break in to know what kind of leak down or seal it has.

The work shown is typical for a 'only do what's needed' deal.
They touched the 45 angle, no 60..still has the factory 75 or 90 cut under the 45.
Valves aren't sunk.
Is it neat new n pretty, no, but is it doing what its supposed to.

Someone elses good'nuff isn't always viewed the same by anothers.
 
Sorry, but all of the work you have shown here is very poor to say the least. I would not think of installing it without a complete and proper rebuild with quality machine work. IMO.
 
It looks to me like neither the valves, or the seats were ground, you can still see pits in them. Looks like they just lapped them. Your leaking valve job isn't going to magically fix itself. The bores look terrible, and it is quite comical to expect a engine with that much leak down to seal up once the rings "seat" PLUS it's a numbers matching 340 we are talking about, not some 2 barrel 318 in your old farm truck.
 
Today we wanna see new motors only here, so come back $1800 in machine work/$1200 parts later and we can talk.:eek:

You get what you pay for...and that rough hone is GONNA leak till it's broke in...but if the bores like funnels.. I'd measure it just to know what I have.

:D
 
Looks like a basic backyard rering and quick valve job. Done this many times when I was young and dirt poor. Some times it worked out good sometimes not so good. Ran the crap out of some of them for years with no problems. This is how me and my buddies did it back then. Not saying it's right just a fact.
 
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He's not building a race motor or a drag motor. If it's a simple street car he could run it the way it is and save tons of money. Every one saying that it needs a complete overhaul are probably not willing to pay for the machine shop bills??? I would lap the valves and run to see what it does.
 
Guys...its the numbers matching original motor to his 71 demon... it deserves a proper rebuild, not the just-get-by-for-a-while re ring job.
 
CFD244 said:
Seller is long gone.......I am planning on tearing it down before installing it. Correct, the engine has never been run so you are right they are not seated. I was wondering if the "unseated" condition would account for the crappy leakdown readings.
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I'm not hung up on the leakdown results, as I agree with others here about the fact that it hasn't been run directly contributes to that poor result. What I'm more concerned with is how crappy looking the "work" that was done looks. I think you will be in for some more surprises when you do a complete teardown. I would be surprised if it actually has new rings, bearings, etc.
 
If the OP is afraid of it take the heads to a machine shop and have them touched up. Then pull the pan and pop a couple rod and main caps and check them out. If it makes him feel better plastigauge them while he has the caps off.

Yeah, yeah........I know plastigauge isn't the preferred method and I haven't used it in years, but I built a bunch of engines years ago and used it. All of them held together fine.

I get a kick out of guys turning up their noses at backyard rebuilds. One of the best running stock 383's I ever saw my cousin and I rebuilt on his Mom and Dads front porch. My Dad did the valve job, we cut the ring ridge out, dingleberry honed the cylinders and cleaned up the best we could. Heck we didn't even replace the cam bearings, factory cam or timing chain. It did get new main, rod bearings and gaskets. The ragged out 69 Road Runner it was in embarrassed a bunch of cars and was still running strong when he sold it a few years later.

Good luck to the OP. :thumbsup:
 
Man, I'm taking a beating here.......The engine was pulled about 8 years ago by the owner. A running engine with 75k on it. The plan was to throw it back in after the bodywork was done, but they decided to do a "little" on it before they put it back in......The cyls were de-glazed, the valves were lapped, the rings were changed, and the oil pump was replaced. He made no claims that the engine was "re-built". They eventually gave up on the project with tons of metal and body work left, which is what I have now.

I bought a leak-down tester, and thought I'd play with it. When I found the results, I simply asked if "break in" would change the crappy results that I got.......Now I've got guys telling me that I have a "piece of ****" etc.

Of coarse, I am eventually going to do the engine up completely, but after spending thousands on the rest of the car, I was hoping to drive it for a year or two then go balls deep over the winter with the engine.

I am planning, however, to tear it down before running it to make sure that nothing done will compromise the future of this engine. A set of gaskets and some plastigauge will be cheap insurance.

Thanks for everyone who responded to the question. Lots of great replies, some, not so much.
 
Takes 2 hours of balls to the walls flying to seat the rings in a lycoming. Prior to that you'd never get anything on a compression test leak down. If I leave any airplane all winter without touching the prop(read turning the engine), there will be one cylinder that only reads 45 to 55 / 80 on a leak down due to the minor rust the open valves on that cylinder get over the Winter. Either stake the valve (read hit with a hammer) or run the engine and leak down will be 75 to 78/80 again. Can't see this situation being any different with an un-run car engine. Those rings don't seat themselves sitting in there...
 
CFD244 said:
Man, I'm taking a beating here.......The engine was pulled about 8 years ago by the owner. A running engine with 75k on it. The plan was to throw it back in after the bodywork was done, but they decided to do a "little" on it before they put it back in......The cyls were de-glazed, the valves were lapped, the rings were changed, and the oil pump was replaced. He made no claims that the engine was "re-built". They eventually gave up on the project with tons of metal and body work left, which is what I have now.

I bought a leak-down tester, and thought I'd play with it. When I found the results, I simply asked if "break in" would change the crappy results that I got.......Now I've got guys telling me that I have a "piece of ****" etc.

Of coarse, I am eventually going to do the engine up completely, but after spending thousands on the rest of the car, I was hoping to drive it for a year or two then go balls deep over the winter with the engine.

I am planning, however, to tear it down before running it to make sure that nothing done will compromise the future of this engine. A set of gaskets and some plastigauge will be cheap insurance.

Thanks for everyone who responded to the question. Lots of great replies, some, not so much.
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Well, get to it! I guess you were looking for the answer you wanted, which was "it looks great, totally good to go" instead of the general consensus that its sketchy at best. Check it out, throw it together and get it in the car allready!
 
CFD244 said:
Man, I'm taking a beating here.......The engine was pulled about 8 years ago by the owner. A running engine with 75k on it. The plan was to throw it back in after the bodywork was done, but they decided to do a "little" on it before they put it back in......The cyls were de-glazed, the valves were lapped, the rings were changed, and the oil pump was replaced. He made no claims that the engine was "re-built". They eventually gave up on the project with tons of metal and body work left, which is what I have now.

I bought a leak-down tester, and thought I'd play with it. When I found the results, I simply asked if "break in" would change the crappy results that I got.......Now I've got guys telling me that I have a "piece of ****" etc.

Of coarse, I am eventually going to do the engine up completely, but after spending thousands on the rest of the car, I was hoping to drive it for a year or two then go balls deep over the winter with the engine.

I am planning, however, to tear it down before running it to make sure that nothing done will compromise the future of this engine. A set of gaskets and some plastigauge will be cheap insurance.

Thanks for everyone who responded to the question. Lots of great replies, some, not so much.
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As I said, run it...then test again, probably fine.
That's a rough cross hatch and itll take some run time is all.
It wouldn't be a bad idea to have the heads gone through though.
 
MOPAROFFICIAL said:
Today we wanna see new motors only here, so come back $1800 in machine work/$1200 parts later and we can talk.:eek:

You get what you pay for...and that rough hone is GONNA leak till it's broke in...but if the bores like funnels.. I'd measure it just to know what I have.

:D
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It's all to easy to spend somebody else's $$$, agreed, but the OP already yanked it apart. Should They waste money on the head & intake gaskets etc. to just button it up & roll the dice? Funny 'bout the "funnel" comment. A friend of Mine got new (std.)pistons, rings etc., for a rebuild of the 302 in His Furd tk. Kept touchin' base to see how it was goin', one day He was honing the cyls., 3 days later,....He was honin' the cyls.?!! I said, "let Me bring the bore gauge!", after telling Him He had the holes tapered .021" He got another block & did it right. Lol!
 
justinp61 said:
If the OP is afraid of it take the heads to a machine shop and have them touched up. Then pull the pan and pop a couple rod and main caps and check them out. If it makes him feel better plastigauge them while he has the caps off.

Yeah, yeah........I know plastigauge isn't the preferred method and I haven't used it in years, but I built a bunch of engines years ago and used it. All of them held together fine.

I get a kick out of guys turning up their noses at backyard rebuilds. One of the best running stock 383's I ever saw my cousin and I rebuilt on his Mom and Dads front porch. My Dad did the valve job, we cut the ring ridge out, dingleberry honed the cylinders and cleaned up the best we could. Heck we didn't even replace the cam bearings, factory cam or timing chain. It did get new main, rod bearings and gaskets. The ragged out 69 Road Runner it was in embarrassed a bunch of cars and was still running strong when he sold it a few years later.

Good luck to the OP. :thumbsup:
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For the record, I did plenty of low-buck builds, had no choice. For others too, all ran great, not one had holes that looked like that. Like I said, Choice #1,.....lol! Good luck indeed, hope the rings break-in before they wear out!
 
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