Gentlemen, The flathead V8 that came in the 1951 F1 project I bought is truly stuck. I removed the heads to better facilitate lube etc. The normal stuff like ATF, acetone, Marvin's Mystery Oil did not help a bit. I have also tried letting Evapo-Rust sit on top of the pistons, hoping it would work its way down to attack the rust between the rings, ring lands, and cylinder walls. Unfortunately, the Evapo-Rust just stays on top. (I rotate the block from time to time to get both banks.) Very interested in any other suggestions. I have attached two pictures, since we all like looing at pictures, but I realize that has nothing to do with getting this thing to turn over. What else should I try ?
Boy, from the pictures, that doesn't look too bad. I have seen ones that looked worse come free. I'm a big fan of Evapo-Rust, but have never seen it used this way. Maybe turn it over and pour it in the bottom of the cylinders? It only works on ferrous metals, so if the aluminum pistons are bonded to the cylinder walls, you might try something else. Also, the valve train can be stuck and it might be a good idea to remove as much of it as possible before resorting to excessive force. As a last resort, turn it right side up again, fill the valley with charcoal and light it. Cover it with a big piece of sheet metal after it gets going good and leave it burn overnight. Marshmallows and wienies are optional.
Everyone that I have run across that has been stuck I put Marvel Mystery Oil on top of the cylinders and take a flex bar and work the crank back and forth until it breaks free. Now I have seen this take a couple of months but everyone has come loose and some believe it or not were able to run and we’re good motors
It's not always the piston rings that are stuck, mostly, but not always. Any rotating or following item that is stuck can cause the whole engine to be. lifters, cam gear, etc. Any place you think of, put a couple of squirts of MMO, or PB Blaster , or favorite. Couple raps with hammer, or even hit areas with air impact hammer-dull bit, on low, can shake rust loose.
Going by the picture, the piston is toast. As other mentioned, keep spraying everything and take the intake off so you can get to the lifters. If it still wont move, DO NOT force it out. I would suggest drilling a big hole in the top of the piston to relieve some of the pressure before you remove it. Driving it out by force can wipe out the cylinder walls with it.
I'm a fan of this, although I have a slightly different method. First of all, a !!!!Public Service Announcement!!!! !!!DO THIS OUTDOORS!!! Roll the block so one bank of cylinders is vertical. Stick an old rag into each cylinder that isn't at or near TDC. The rag should be at or below the level of the deck. Pour your favorite accelerant into each cylinder so the rag is soaked. Light it off. It'll burn black and ugly, but the heat will help to break loose bonds between cylinder walls, rings and pistons. Roll the block over and do the other bank of cylinders. A couple heating and cooling cycles may well be the ticket to breaking the engine free. You can use any old combustible fluid like brake fluid, gasoline, diesel fuel, atf, engine oil, etc.
I swear by “Gibbs” spray lubricant. I’ve gotten some seriously stuck pre-war outboards used in saltwater loose with it… I used to buy it at antique engine shows, now it’s available online.
I'm assuming a rebore and new set of pistons will be needed anyway, so ask yourself how much time you want to spend fiddling with it before you machine the old pistons out of there instead.
Lots ot other things it could be anongst all the internal rotating and reciprocating parts. Dont risk any more damage. Strip it down.
Thanks for the many good suggestions, particularly about removing the intake. Turns out I have a great deal of rust in the #6 intake port. (Now this would have been the time for a picture!) I instinctively grabbed the shop vac to get out all the flaky rust and then I filled the port (both valves in closed position) with Evapo-rust. I am thinking I will let that sit for awhile. When it looks like that has cleaned the port up a bit I plan to remove the Evapo-rust and then I will fill the port with the Kroil penetrating oil, as suggested. (I recognize that the e-rust that I cannot get out may impede the Kroil a little, but I just felt that I had to get some of the rust out first.) Lots of rust where the valve goes through. Now I know where many of you are going. Why would I have all that rust in there ? I have read that the flatheads can have cracks between 6 and 7 and 3 and 4. I have not seen cracks with the naked eye but will investigate further. The intake gasket was fully intact. The heads had long been removed when I bought this truck, so I guess a head gasket failure could also allow coolant in the intake port. As to what I am trying to do - I know I can sell the engine for more if I can free it up. But with that said, I would also like to help someone keep a flathead on the road. (I am planning to re-use a 302 I have on hand for the 51 truck.) I will also look into the Gibbs oil. I don't plan to set the engine on fire, that will be for the next guy, who will probably have much more skills than I do ! Additional suggestions very welcome !
Extreme seizures such as this one: 1. Remove all manifolds, int. & both exh. 2. Lower engine into garbage can, flywheel end first. 3. Fill garbage can with 70/30 mixture of WD40 and cheap ATF. (WD40 also comes in gallon liquid) 4. Be patient: 3 to 4 days will loosen everything up that is rusty. This is a 'last resort' with me, as they usually free up with my favorite: P.B. Blaster. Seriously, this works.
Some good advice here. Patience is the key. That engine took a while to lock up, and it will take a while to free up. Sometimes it is a good idea to just walk away for a week or so, and let the various solvents and lubricants quietly creep in. It will come loose.
It was mentioned using an air chisel with a blunt bit. I had a L6 Dodge motor dead stuck. I soaked it every weekend with PB Blaster. No love. My Dad said “I’ve got an idea” and so I used a holesaw and cut a 3 inch slug, loosened the main bearing caps and took off the nuts for the rods that I could get to, then started rattling on the slug sitting on top of the piston. Now the 218 pistons are flat so that helped as well. But I got movement on all 6 of them in a hour or two. I think if tried directly on top of the pistons you’d probably knock holes in them. Which really doesn’t matter because those pistons won’t be used in that block anyways.
I usually take a 1" brass 'drift punch' and place it at the edge of the piston and smack it with a three pounder moving it around the radius. Doing this while there is what ever fluid you are using to try to free it with, assists with finding it's way between the piston and cylinder wall. I don't hesitate to take rod caps off either because you may find that you can move or remove all but the offending stuck one or ones....
Thanks for additional info. I may have jumped to the conclusion regarding any cracks. The previous owner disassembled the entire truck and let it all sit on his carport for who knows how long. After a further review, I think rain water was allowed to run through the carb and then worked its way to the front of the engine. (Not just intake #6 as I reported earlier.) I have attached pictures of the partially opened carb and the underside of the intake manifold. At any rate, I will ramp up the various unsticking methods and keep you guys posted on how it goes ! As always thanks for the suggestions.
I see a photo with fan /water pump belts still on. The water pumps have been known to lock up. Might want to remove the belt and recheck if you haven't since the photo was taken.
The missus uses Coke and ATF. Sometimes just Coke, and my shoulders. It works for her 90% of the time.
Cold war motors youtube is doing a V8 showdown getting old motors running. Good stuff. Also, one thing I have not seen but think about is to shock or jar the whole thing repeatedly to help the various fluids soak in. Something like a paint shaker (milder than the air chisel mentioned) solidly attached and run overnight. Heck, a reciprocating saw or anything that will induce vibration might help.
The Jalopy Journal
