I can't speak for (WTF really) but if he does what I think he's going to do he's going to find that stuff out. I figure he is going to clean it as best he can. Most likely this will involve cleaning up the valves. He may pull all the valves. I probably would to make sure they are clean and hand lap the seats. Nothing major....just to make sure it seals and is viable. As has been suggested he can check clearances with a plasti-gauge and by looks and by feel. It turns over so the rings may be fine. He can tell by feel if the rings are stuck. I will not be smooth as he rotates the crank. Cleaned up, bearings checked, valves lapped just to clean them up. Guides if anything is obvious.....buttoned back up...compression test, if that all checks out she may be a runner. If WTF does his research.....gets into the old repair manuals....cleans it up to do a 1940s style overhaul I'm sure he will learn a lot. If the engine needs more, he will confirm that and cross that bridge when the time comes. I respect your opinion it has merit for sure enough restoration work. I just did not care for the delivery...... "Do yourself and everybody else a big favor" I found that kind of condescending. I myself have posted things that came out wrong or worse came out right, that I later regretted. To your credit 28 dreyer if you did not care, you would not post. He's just cleaning up an old flathead. Sometimes you can thrown the baby out with the bathwater. I believe what WTF is doing is simply checking that bathwater out very carefully.
Dissimilar metal electrolysis. There is something called an "Anodic Index" that has a value assigned to each type of metal. The greater difference between the numbers for each metal, the greater chance of damaging corrosion. Copper and aluminum are further apart on this index than copper and iron. Quite frankly, after checking out this index, I would be inclined to avoid copper gaskets for iron heads as well as aluminum.
It's worth a try; the last engine (a '51 Merc) I pulled out of 20 years storage started right up, had over 100 lbs compression on all eight, as well as good oil pressure. Granted, it was not as grungy as this one, but I carefully cleaned it up and checked the clearance on a couple of bearings and it was within specs. I have had it installed in my '51 Ford for almost two years. It runs smooth, strong, and cool.
Tubman that makes since on the copper gaskets now. Thanks for helping me understand that. F ONE I couldn't have said that better myself. Thank you. Where do y'all get your gaskets from? As in the best ones for the best price? I use felpro on all my o/t engines.
I have never had any problems with any name brand gasket sets I have purchased. (I did buy some "Big Bore" flathead gaskets once because they were incredibly cheap; it turned out they had no "fire rings" or other metal reinforcements and I ended up throwing them out.) I do prefer "Fel-Pro" especially for 8BA's, because the rear seal comes precisely pre-trimmed and I have not had any problems with leaks. I do not know if this is the case for the earlier flatheads. I also just love their one-piece SBC oil pan gaskets. They come with set of plastic "snap" studs that are very helpful in installing the pan. These are 5/16", so they can be used when installing a flathead pan as well. I use Rock Auto for this kind of stuff, too.
Chances are the oil pump and oil galleries are loaded with sludge. If you don't get that block cleaned really good, you are taking a big gamble - wasting your money rebuilding it. If there was just a little sludge , it would be a different story.
Looks like water in the oil. Nopw is the time to mark the rod caps and main bearing caps so you can put them back on correctly. Do not mix them up.
I'm cleaning the valley now and will flip her over and look for cracks there closer but so far so good.
"WTF" - Don't let them get you down. When I pulled the pan off my good '51 Merc and posted the pictures on "The Ford Barn", a bunch of guys saw a lot of bad stuff in it and told me I had to completely rebuild the engine. I pulled a couple of bearing caps and checked the clearances and when they all turned out to be well within spec, I cleaned it out, and buttoned it back up after replacing the gaskets. I mounted the engine on the test stand and it turned out to be one of the best engines I've had. Over 100 lbs compression in all eight, excellent oil pressure and it ran nice and cool. I've had it in my car now for almost two years with no problems whatsoever. How these guys could see things in some crappy internet pictures that I could not see in person with a magnifying glass still mystifies me.
Thanks Tubman I truly believe this one is going to be good as well. If not I've gained some good experience very cheap and lots of priceless information from some very cool people.
I once had an old timer machinist ask me why I didn't just drop it on an old tire and run it when I told him my flathead turned. I'm not recommending this, more telling you that you probably don't need to obsess over the crud or do a complete tear down just to run it. I'm with @tubman here. I regret tearing my flathead down now; I think I should have just inspected it, cleaned the top and bottom, replaced the oil pump, and fired it up (note, the oil galleys in the crank are probably gunked, this isn't a long term plan).
Going back to 9th grade chemistry over 50 years ago, copper and aluminum I believe have different valances, meaning one will rob electrons from the other, otherwise known as electrolysis. Saw this myself when I worked on a 2-year-old house where someone put copper flashing up against aluminum flashing and there was almost nothing left of the aluminum.. Impressive.
Oops, I replied using a "Kitchen Physics" application before I read your much more scientific one but we arrived at the same place. Next cocktail party I'll be throwing "Anodic Index" around like a drunken sailor. Anodes-outboard motors, water heaters, there's no escapin' 'em.
In my opinion it depends on condition. If you feel slack in the bushings, it's hard to turn, or the impellers are corroded, the casting corroded, I would replace. If it looks good I would try them. In the old manuals I do believe there is checking procedures for impeller clearance. I'll look and see if it's in any of my books. They are rebuildable but it takes special tools like a press. The pulleys can break really easy if the incorrect tool is used. Personally if they check out I would try them. If in doubt, I would replace or swap out with a re manufacturer/ core exchange.
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