Hi, while working on replacing three bent push rods on my recently acquired non runner 58 Buick 364 nailhead, I noticed a couple of pieces of metal laying in one of the ports, resting on the valve head (see pic) looks like a couple of small pieces from the bottom of the valve guide have broken off. My question is, can I still fire up the engine and drive it, or will I need to have the quide replaced? The majority of the guide is still intact.
Without a total accounting of all,, 100% of the loose metal,,, I would not run any engine that I wanted a nice future with. I'm not an engine builder,,, but have killed ( broken ) a few.
The pushrods most likely bent because the valve seized in the guide. A valve job is what I would do. These engines like slightly more clearance in the guide- .0025" for the intakes, .0035 for the exhaust. Bronze liners are a no-no for them. BBC steel guides will work and only use seals on the intake side. Oversize SS valves can be purchased if the seats need to be opened up slightly and are usually in good shape because of the high nickel content that Buick used. Trying to install valve seats will result in a ruined head. The 364 is a good motor. The early ones had steel rocker arms.
I've decided on taking a gamble! fitted the new push rods & lifters, removed the plugs and turned her over by hand, all seemed good, puked some ATF from the cylinders. Put her back together and fired her up, first time in 10 yrs . Wish I could post a video.
Yes, couldn't use the old ones. I checked the cam lobes for any issues, no excessive wear, it shouldn't be a problem. I'll tear into it proper over the winter, just wanted to get her running for now.
The Jalopy Journal
