beat2Hell
Member
I've got a 225 Slant 6, 1965, bone-stock. 99,472 miles. Its in a '65 Valiant with working AM radio, wipers, dashlights and heater. I believe this to be the actual mileage. The timing chain is tight, and the oil pressure never drops below 40 even idling on a hot day after getting off the freeway. However, it was driven for 2 years with about 2 gallons of oil (I'm serious) and no real cooling system, while running on 5 cylinders. The timing was at about 30 degrees advanced at idle to make it run with a failing coil and fouled plugs and it died when you put it in gear. Thats how it came to me. It now has 5 quarts of oil, a functioning cooling system and new ignition setup. The carb was warped from being overheated and was causing a vacuum leak so I got one from a '60. Anyway, I think that the conditions it drove under may have aged the engine very fast. It spews oil smoke out of the breather (no pcv valve in 1960, no nipple on carb) and drips oil onto the valve cover. Yet theres no smoke in the exhaust ever? So what could I be looking at here? It still does run a little warm, 190 usually. 200 on a hot day. Maybe a small crack in the head gasket? Or rings just beat to hell? There's a mysterious clack from the head, thats not rod knock,or valve lash, but more metallic than a ticking lifter. Piston slap?
