I hope the power of the HAMB can help me. I have a 322 Buick nailhead that I would like to rebuild for use in a project. it is a complete engine that used to run. it was in my dad's model A in the early to mid 70's before the car went into a 30 year hibernation. I want to resurrect it for mine. the engine sat in the car indoors (insulated but not heated garage) in southern Ontario Canada. It is seized pretty solid, the starter did not move it & I could not budge it with a breaker bar. I have heard of several different ways to free it up but I would like some opinions from you guys on how to do it on a vintage engine & not wreck any more parts than necessary. I realize that at bare minimum I have new pistons in my future but if I screw up a cylinder wall it will likely doom this project. I have not disassembled this engine yet, I want to be armed with more information & tips before I dive in & break something. Any tips are welcomed. Thanks.
You might want to look through this thread http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=420933
i had a Ford Y block once that sat outside befire i got it without a carb on it (it was in a 56 Fairlane ) and while searching local wrecking yards for another engine (i thought for sure it was too bad to repair) one of the wrecking yard owners told me to pour a quart or 2 of swamp cooler descaler down the intake and he said it would free it up by the next day . i got some poured it in and within 2 hours i could turn it with a breaker bar . after I removed the heads I found number 4 cylinder was the only 1 rusted and it was only about an inch down . it cleaned up with a hone and i even was able to use the same piston , i put another 95 thousand miles on that engine after that
I had an engine that sat outside in the elements for about a year and a half. I live in southern ontario too. It was stuck when I when to put it in my truck. I just used a bunch of penetraiting oil. Get the best you can afford because there are some really good ones out there. I have also used transmission fluid in the past and somebody told me diesel fuel works good too. None of these will hurt you motor even in combination. I would also suggest maybe getting a bock heater and filling the block with water to heat the cylinders to help free them up. Good luck.
Iodine dissolves rust, but if you've put anything else in the cylinders it won't work very good. Fill the engine with very hot water, that might pop something loose. One good trick is to back off the valve adjusters so the valves on the rusted cylinder are closed, then stick a car wash wand tightly against the plug hole and let 'er rip. 1000 pounds or so water pressure will loosen just about anything! I've even built an adapter and hooked up tractor hydraulic hoses to a plug hole.
Marvel Mystery Oil. A TON in each cylindar using the spark plug hole and then wait 3 days and keep it oiled well. Then use a rachett on the crank and work it back and forth slowly for a bit and then let it sit some more. May take you a week or two but it will work and safe your stuff.
If all that fails, I have a friend who has a rebuilt nail head for sale pretty cheap. A guy had dropped it off at his shop to be done a few decades ago with a down payment and has never come back.
I had dealt with a few stuck motors, get you a few cans of PB Buster it should be on penetrant shelf at most any auto parts store, pull the plugs and fill each cylinder. give it a day or two and use a Breaker bar on the Harmonic balancer. work it back and forth it will break free and usually with out ring damage. PB Buster is the best I have found for this and rusty bolts and nuts.
Why not just do it right and lube the cylinders with your petroleum based weapon of choice, and then promptly disassemble the engine, hone the cylinders, replace the gaskets, bearings, rings, rod bolts, main bolts and head bolts? Sure, it's spendier, but fucking up a motor with personal family history because you were too lazy to find out that the oil pickup tube is stuffed full of trash or the rings are seized and galling the cylinder walls will end up costing you more in the long run...trust me, I've got a 400 Poncho that ran sweet after getting it unstuck...until the main bearings seized from all the sand and rocks some stupid kids dumped into the oil filler cap when it was sitting at the previous owner's place before I bought it...do it once and you'll rarely have to do it over...
An old trick if it's stuck so bad the cylinder walls are definately gonna need a hone and you're not trying to save the pistons is Clorox bleach. It will slowly disolve the aluminum though so it should only be used when your goal is just to save the block and other steel & iron parts. It should also only be done with the heads removed. Chlorine & oil mixed together can be explosive.
I unseized a solid 348 with diesel. I went in with the intention of replacing pistons etc., so "gentle" was not the design. removed the heads and kept drizzling the diesel on top of the pistons. Once a week or whenever the mood moved me, I'd take a block of wood and a heavy ball pein and tap on the pistons until they moved. The engine is now rebuilt and ready to go in my 58 Impala. Good luck.
I'm with you - if it is important enough to want to keep in the family and rebuild, why take a chance screwing it up. Taking an engine apart has a minimum cost of a gasket set -- if anything else needs to be fixed . . . well, it needs to be fixed. Any engine that has sat for years usually (at a minimum) has rust on the valves/seats that are open. All you may need to do is touch-up the valves, hone the cylinders and throw rings in it . . . at least you'll have a good solid engine that you KNOW about and are not wondering IF there are issues you can't see. Also, it gives you a chance to lubricate all the places that could use some assembly lube for the initial fire-up, have fresh gaskets that don't leak oil, etc. . . Do the right thing if you can.
I'd steer clear of PB Blaster. That stuff turns to glue if you soak something and let it set for a while. If he can't get the thing unstuck, then PB Blaster would make it worse down the road. Kroil, while expensive, is used a lot by the Stude crowd. (And the Stude guys are so cheap they make a H.A.M.B. guy look like Donald Trump.) Shoot, Stude guys even mix ATF and acetone rather than buy Kroil. (Used ATF is even better) Worst case? Pull one head and use a 2x4 (used, of course) to hit the two pistons that are halfway up/down in the cylinder to 'rock it'... BTDT Jeff
Fill cylinders with tranny fluid,let sit a day or so, works for me.Something about the tranny fluid that gets in just about anywhere.
i have the same problem water was leaking in between my hood molding on the 47 and straight into the intake my two rear cylinders are stuck is mineral spirits considered acetone and is power steering the same as atf as i have 5 quarts of p/s fluid sitting on the shelf
Concentrated Liquid Wrench...not the spray kind......mix with ATF...Let sit , put more on everyday for about two weeks....Worked for me....Locked up Buick 455
Toner..I've used KROIL and it has always been successful. Soak it and let it sit for days....Don't be in a hurry
Toner, I've always used the product KROIL. You can get it in spray or in a can that has a nipple on the end like old 3 in oil cans. Soak it---Let it sit for a few days and see if you have any movement .It has always worked well for me.It doesn't mean you won't score up the walls getting pistons out but you'll most likely get them out.
I used powdered Citric Acid to derust an engine block . It had a permanent marker writing on it and all the rust was gone but the mark remained.........showing how mild it is. Mix some up and maybe even warm it before pouring in each spark plug hole and let it sit for several days. If it doesn't move, just wait a few more days. I don't think it will hurt your pistons or rings and it definitely won't hurt your block. After you get the engine apart, get a plastic 55 gallon drum with a removable top or cut the top off one. Lower your pressure washed (to remove grease and oil) block into the drum and fill it with citric acid and water and let it sit for a couple weeks. It should remove all rust from inside the blocks water passages as well as its cylinders. Makes a good starting point for a rebuild. Citric Acid is available from Amazon.
As others have stated before me, Marvel Mystery oil works well, Kroil is likely better but pretty expensive. I like BobillacAl’s idea of filling the block with water and using a block heater to get the engine warmed up, heat always helps. I’ve also heard of people using vinegar and water, not sure about the ratio but I would say mostly vinegar. It is acidic and would probably do wonders on the corrosion. If you’re taking it out for a rebuild then I’m in agreement with several others on this thread that the best approach to take is to fill the cylinders with marvel mystery oil or your choice of penetrant and then go straight to disassembly after a few days. Less chance for damage that way.
Seeing as this tread was started in 2009 I would assume this problem has most likely been resolved and engine freed up or scrapped. At any rate removing the heads accomplishes two things: 1. Removes the friction from from valve train where there might be stuck valves or rocker arms seized to the rocker shaft preventing engine from turning. 2. Pulling heads also gives you the opportunity to see where the problem might be. It might be only one or two cylinders have a problem. It also allows you to make sure you get the penetrating oil where it is needed which is hard to do through a spark plug hole when you can’t see. Also allows you to oil down lifters and lifter bores. Pulling heads takes a bit longer but at least you know what you’re dealing with and also probably limits damage to parts you might want to save. My opinion your mileage may vary!
When I was working with zephyr V12 engines marvel oil or transmission fluid then use a high torque 12 volts starter to help loosen the engine it work many times I wasn't so successful when they had aluminum pistons.
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