What to do with the motor out?

Bought my first cl***ic car a couple of weeks ago...a 62' Studebaker Lark. Was thinking about pulling the straight six and give it a clean and a run on the gaskets. What else should I do while I have it out? I dont wanna do a rebuild nor take it anywhere if I can do it myself.

Some things that cross my mind...
-Gaskets/Seals
-Clean it, could I remove the plugs and clean out where the coolant goes?
-Maybe take the head and get it rebuilt?
-Would the crank bearings be an easy replacement?
-Timing chain?
-Paint it, since the rest of the car is all original and must have been stored inside most of its life I thought a good paintjob on the block would be worth it.

Dont wanna spend tooo much money but if I take it out I might as well do what I can.

oh....its a 170 L6

 

Welcome to the Hamb. Be sure to do an introduction, some of the guys get testy about the rules.

As to the Lark, does the engine need to come out for any other reason than to paint it?
If it is just a bit grungy then find a steam cleaner and do a proper scrubbing. If the compression is up to par then why screw with it? If there is reason to suspect that a valve job is in order then just pull the head. If it smokes like a coal fired locomotive then.....

If you are truly so bored that you need to make work for yourself then consider a volunteer position at one of your local charities.

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If you are pulling it apart to change some gaskets I would definitely put in a timing chain (***uming they have one), and I also think changing the core/frost plugs is a great idea too. Others might suggest the oil pump as well (doesn't get any easier than when the engine is out and the pan is off during the pan gasket change).

Good luck

 

Thanks for the info! I did a compression test today and it was not so good...so Im gonna go ahead and take the head off and get it rebuilt....maybe and good 3-angle valve job and port-n-polish.

do you think there is a way to paint the motor while its still in the car?

 

Replace it with a SBC. It's a perfect fit since they used them a couple years later.

 

Ummmm, are you sure the heads are the only cause of your low compression? I'd be thinking it might be time for a set or rings too (whiile the engine apart). Depending on the condition of your cylinders, you might get away with just a honing and new rings. I have heard that freshening up just the heads is a no no. The great seal of the fresh heads ends up putting too much pressure on the worn rings, with the end result being a poor running engine (quite possibly worse running than you began with). If you do end up doing the rings, might as well drop in some new rod and main bearings as well. I think this is called the "snowball effect".

Best of luck

 

How does it run now? Does it smoke on start up or when running? Does it leak oil? Is it missing or running rough?

 

Sounds like a case of new owner disease. Don't take anything out unless you have a good reason. If it is running good don't mess with it. The wisdom of this advice will become obvious if you ever tear apart a good running car.

First thing to do is clean the car thoroughly inside and out. Do not throw away any odd bits of metal or rubber, even if they don't look like they came off your car. They will turn out to be some irreplacable part it takes 2 years to find.

Next go over the car and see what it needs to be in top shape. Oil change? Tuneup? Brakes? Front end alignment? Shock absorbers? Almost all cars need these things for a start.

When it is clean and in good working order, drive it around. Go to shows, drive it to work, whatever, just get used to driving it. This may turn up some other things that need attention.

Before you go tearing up a good car take it easy, think about what you can do to have the most fun for the least h***le and expense. You may tone down your ideas to cleaning, painting and minor repairs. Don't overmatch yourself in your first bout lol.

 

Replace the freeze plugs if they're not already br***. Usually there's one or two in the back of the engine that aren't accessible without pulling the engine.

 

drill for dowel pins before you seperate the engine and the transmission

 

Check with Kanter,com out of Boonton NJ .they sell complete rebuild kits,quality parts and decent prices..If it gets to the point of a rebuild.

 

I don't think so.