So I have a 1948 Kaiser special that I am trying to work on.It's in decent shape cosmetically but not running.I am still a newb when it comes to cars, especially ones that are over 3X my age. I am planning to take the head off of the Continental 226 flathead 6 to see what I have to work with,and also to put oil around the rings to unseize it because the previous owner had it stored in a garage for around 40 years .I also may or may not have dropped a pebble into an open spark plug hole by accident when I was a teen.I have a few questions. 1.I was wondering if I have to remove the distributor before removing the head, or if I can unbolt the head without messing with the distributor?Looking at pictures of flatheads online it doesn't seem like I have to touch the distributor but I want to make sure so I don't mess it up. 2.Is there anything special I should do to prevent head bolts from breaking?Should I re-use the original bolts when I put the head back on or should I not risk it and buy some new ones? The engine was stored dry,but the oil pan has a decent amount of sludge looking through the drain plug. 3.When I have the pan off to clean it should I try to attempt to spray oil over the bottom of the engine to lubricate it some before putting the pan back on?(I realize this would be very messy)
you want to remove the distributor first. Do you have a shop manual for the car? If not, it would be a good idea to get one, of some sort, before taking stuff apart. It's normal policy to re use head bolts on old engines, they are not like head bolts on modern engines. They are designed to be re used. Of course if they are rusted away or break when you remove them, you will need to find replacements. Good used original bolts are what you want, not modern hardware store bolts. The stuff you can get at by spraying oil on it mostly doesn't need to be lubricated, except for the camshaft. The bearings get oil from the oil pump, which you can turn with a drill and a long shaft, after you remove the distributor. If the engine is stuck, you'll probably be taking it apart a ways...perhaps only removing the pistons, perhaps more. Once you get the head off, you can see how much rust damage there is. welcome to old cars! they're a big pain in the ***, but it's really rewarding when you finally get it going again.
Like squirrel said, get a manual and be patient. The old engines are very simple you just have to understand them. Lippy
I don't understand why you would take out the distributor. Just label the plug wires so that you put them back on the correct plugs. You are a newby, don't overcomplicate things. Check out cold war motors on youtube. Scott has a Kaiser daily driver.
Doesn’t the distributor mount on top the head on this engine? Requiring removal to remove the head? Or am I confusing it with another engine?
If you can get your hands on one of those view-scope doohickeys, you should be able to see down the plug hole and retrieve whatever you threw in there. You can also check on the condition of the bore, if it has any rust. If it looks clean, maybe start with a squirt of oil in each cylinder, let them soak for a while, and then try moving the crankshaft. You may find that the mill is OK, just needs new oil, a clean and tune up. Ancient Chinese proverb " Don't fix what ain't broken"
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