Projects Can't catch a break with this old engines!

I recently had a pushrod bend in my 61 econolines 200 inline...with your guys help,I'm trying to get it fixed,good thing is that everything is accessible.

I also have a 55 ford vanette that has a SBC swapped into it..
I drove the donor van 100 miles one way and drove it around town for a month before that. everything seemed good.
I got it running back recently and I moved it around the side of the house so I could work on it..
I started cleaning the greasy engine today and when I popped the p*** valve cover,there as a pushrod barely popping out of the head..
Fml,pulled it out and it had sheared inside of it..
I can't pull the engine so my best bet would be to pull the head out or fish the other piece out and pray.

 

Why pull the head? [I can't see how a pushrod can get inside a cylinder]

Just pull the intake and have a look. If the piece has gone further down, then pull the pan

 

Can't see the piece ..gonna have to pull the intake

 

From what I remember, there’s no tappet side cover on the small Ford six, and there’s no access with the head in place. The 240/300 has a side cover, so the head can stay in place.

 

This is a small block Chevy….

 

Jeez, some people can bend pushrods in anything!

 

Try a cheat method first.

Get a small diameter magnetic bolt ,or screw preferably. [screw magnets]
And screw it into the end of some flexible curtain wire !


push it down the pushrod hole and "twist it" [spin it] and see where it goes.
I've recovered [saved] lots of situations using curtain wire.

A cheap inspection camera [preferably borrowed from a friend] can also save some grief

 

Broke a push rod on my Yblock and drove it home. Removed the rocker shaft and fished it out with a magnet.

 

Seth, you need to get yourself a flathead v8. No more push rod problems! Just saying.

 

Not sure how you could get a piece of pushrod out of the lifter valley by trying to fish it through the hole in the head? Even using a bore scope down another pushrod hole, and watching as you try to get it with a magnet will likely be frustrating, and time consuming. And if the lash got loose enough to allow the pushrod to pop out of the lifter or rocker, it really needs the intake pulled so you can see if the lifter is in place, and also pull the lifter to examine it and the cam lobe for damage.
There is no good shortcut to this, and it really needs to be addressed properly.

 

^^^^ That’s what I was thinking. Something caused that pushrod to bend, and it needs to be looked into.

 

Yeah I don't think the poor flathead can move that big *** van!

 

337 out of a Lincoln or big truck. Or maybe a Cadillac?

 

I vote for a Cadillac flathead. If it was good for a tank, it should be good for most everything else.

 

I wish!

Not really budget friendly tho

 

Not much good stuff out there that’s still budget friendly anymore. SBC is good but it’s a bit boring. My Y-block can be fun but it’s bent some push rods in the past and has had a carb fire as well.

 

Just a note about one possible cause of bent push rods.

I had an old tractor that bent a couple of pushrods. Checked for interference, didn't see anything. Everything mechanical seemed fine. I cleaned everything and put it back together with straight pushrods and it happened again. I think I finally determined that running the engine with old gas and varnish was putting deposits on the valve stems, causing them to stick and bend the push rods.

I replaced the old gas with new.
But it happened again.

I could see that there was still quite a lot of varnish in the fuel tank. It seemed to me that maybe the new gas was dissolving the varnish and STILL leaving deposits on the valve stems.

I cleaned the hell out of the fuel tank until I couldn't see any varnish.

No more bent push rods.

Not saying the bad gas and varnish was the reason. But just something to consider for some of you who can't figure out why the hell you keep bending pushrods. LOL

 

When I fuel up my petrol Grey Fergie tractor I add a litre of diesel or kero to 20 litres of fuel. Keeps the tank clean. They were very low compression engines so it still runs well.

 

Thanks for all input.
I fished the other piece today took 5 seconds with an autozone magnet stick and a flashlight..broke right in half....
Valve was stuck open and there's a varnish in the old pushrod...whats the next move?
Loosen rocker arm insert pushrod,tighten till firm??
How can I clean the varnish off the valvetrain??
I've never done anything like this as you can tell

 

No wonder you want a flatty.
No push rods. LOL

You said varnish on the push rods. You mean varnish on the valve stems?

To do a good job of cleaning the valve stems and guides would probably require removing the head and pulling the valves.
But I think you can probably get things moving again with some carb cleaner and WD-40. Maybe a few taps on the stuck valves with a hammer.

 

I have a flat 6 and a flat 8 but they're for "later projects"

 

What does it mean when the VALVE dropped and the spring is compressed on the side that the pushrod broke???
The other valves on the p***enger side head look normal(decompressed) and the valve where the pushrod is down...did the valve smack the piston????.

 

That is a distinct possibility.

 

Weird.
I popped the pushrod into its place last night,the valve was dropped and walked away thinking the worst.
I walk out there this morning and the spring decompressed by itself????
It's running real good now...

 

Supper sticky?

 

Hella sticky.

 

Sticky icky icky

 

Is that even legal in Texas?

 

Not only legal ,but suggested.

 

Engines been running good..I think it needs a new carb.
Took the van to a local car show and drove it around town for a couple of days..
It's pretty nimble for a big *** van