Good point 2OLD2FAST. I could have just said thread chasers instead of " cleaning them all with proper taps" but I've learned that a lot of guys don't know what Thread Chasers are.
I have to admit that I'm one of the guys that have never had any dealings with thread chasers. I went to trade school to be a machinist and worked at a plastic injection factory as a mold maker, and still never saw anyone use one to clean up a tapped hole. It wasn't until I saw a recent episode of Engine Power that they explained how using a thread chaser to fix threads is a lot better that I found out. It does make a lot more sense that you want to smooth out any irregularities in the threads instead of cutting out the bad spot.
Some early hemis have oil pan bolts that are drilled into the water jackets...I use to use real short allen head screws to block the holes then screw in the bolts so when you removed the bolts the water wouldn't drain out....
Those valve cover studs were overlooked on my 241 rebuild. I had filled up cooling system with water and it sat for a couple days. When I pulled valve covers off to pressure the oil system, there was already rust around the valves under those damn studs! Seal them good!
That's what I've been up to the last couple days. Been going back and cleaning up every hole that goes in to the water jacket. This Loc***e 545 looks like it's going to do a lot better job than what I started with. Do all the bolt holes go in to the water jacket and crankcase on these early hemi's because it was easier at the factory to tap a through hole instead of a blind hole? Just curious.
Been meaning to do an update on the engine. I cleaned up and resealed all the studs and bolts that go into the water jacket using the Loc***e 545 this time. Retorqued the heads and put everything back together. After reading some posts on another thread I ran 10W-30 break in oil this time instead of the 15W-50 I did the first time since the oil pressure was so high with the motor being fresh. Started it up and did the full 20 minute break in no problem. No coolant in the oil and no leaks anywhere. I also hooked up a M/E Wagner adjustable PCV valve this run and it seemed to work very well. Thank again to everybody for all the suggestions for getting it back right. I'm very glad I started here first instead of blindly tearing the engine back down and it turn out to just be the valve cover studs the whole time. I've been tuning on it the last few days and it starts up and has been running great. Can't wait to get it in my truck.
@Moedog07 Hmmm . . . Do I see a resemblance between the wolf in your avatar and the wolf in mine? Maybe distant relatives . . . ?
I can definitely get a video of it running. I thought about doing a build thread on my truck but wasn't really sure if it was HAMB friendly. I don't consider it a "rat" myself but I am leaving the paint the way it is.
You may get flack for patina. Just forget to mention what the (absence of) plans are for paint. It is such a rare sight!
He did start a thread. And he does some NICE head work. https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/1958-dodge-sweptside.1253981/
Thanks loudbang and thanks for linking the build thread! I put a short video of the engine running on the build thread for the truck.
I used Loc***e 567 on both of my engines as recommended by the machine shop. worked great on the first Hemi. I just got the second one back so I have not started it yet
Do a pressure test of the block. My hemi had two soft casting spots and leaked. Tried to replace with a sleeved block and that leaked. Third one was a charm although a very expensive one.
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