Does anyone know what a healthy compression is for a '57 235? I just did a compression test on a '57 235 with 10K miles on the clock... This is what I got: 1 - 176 psi 2 - 170 psi 3 - 180 psi 4 - 180 psi 5 - 175 psi 6 - 180 psi The pressure gauge instructions said anything within 10% of each cylinder is ok so I can ***ume these numbers are good. Also, I'm removing the engine to clean up the engine bay which will require loosening (2) head bolts for the engine hoist. I figure if I have the engine out, I might as well replace the head gasket. Any recommendations for a good quality head-gasket? 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[/FONT] Lastly, rear main seal recommendations? 2-piece rubber? Asbestos rope-seal? Non-asbestos rope-seal? Everybody seems to recommend something different... Any information is truly appreciated. Thank you...
That compression figures is very high for any 235 I've ever seen ,135-150 is more normal. Maybe someone milled a bunch off the head. I would not pull the head and if the rear main seal isn't leaking leave it alone. If it is 2 piece rubber is the easiest to install without pulling the crank. To get a good job with a rope type ya realy need to have the crank out to do it right.
You should not need to pull head bolts to remove the engine, I usually use the rear manifold bolt, and the p*** side water outlet bolt High compression....hmmm.....
I'll use the rear manifold and p***enger-side water bolts as suggested... good lookin' Squirrel. As for the compression, the motor was "worked" by a legit machine shop prior to my acquisition of the car, so that would explain the higher than "usual" compression. Thanks for the info!!!
when running the rope wick seal replace the bottom with a new rope and there is a special shim driver for the top and ram a couple spacers in and shove more rope in ends and drive in with a punch, takes a little getting used to to deal with these old units, use old methods , they worked seince 1950 or way before
I'm going with this mod on my upcoming builds: http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/1766/old_iron_sealing_stovebolt_chevy_engines.aspx
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