Technical Rebuilt 302 has no get up! Help.

Piston ... ring land busted. Cracked..

 

If those are 2.02 intakes the valve reliefs in those stock pistons don't look big enough. Usually not depth issue but cir***ference issue.

 

Way to much guessing going on here

It would take about 30 seconds to remove the valve keeps and spin the valves to see if there bent . gas does not run through them so I doubt its got zero compression from a bent valve . a flat plate with a hole and some rubber over the cylinder will let him put air to the cylinder and check ring seal the fact he has ZERO compression tells me its not rings . add some oil if unsure . A shop can test the valve seal also with a va***e set up and a plate with a rubber seal .

He stated the lifters were collapsed when he took it apart that screams he over tightened the rocker or wrong push rods and a valve was not closing because rhe lifter when pumped up would not permit this . I dont see any areas of contact on the pistons or the valves so I doubt there hitting or bent. If the lifer had collasped / failed after initial adjustment he would have had a huge clearance issue and this engine he did not know was running on 7 0r less cylinders would have had major valve train noise after the lifter went down. If not then it was overtightened from the start or the push rod is to long or both.

Hind site is 20-20 but it should have got a leak down test to figure out were he was loosing compression before yanking it apart . a rubber tip air gun at about 20 pounds would have told a lot and with more air and the engine held from spinning even more so . a actual leak down to know the percentage would be good to know as well and I think even HF sells a tester now like that

I don't know if its got headers but if so a heat gun on each tube would have told one or more was not running . Spit also works . temp gun on cast manifolds will work on start up right at the exhaust port also . but a header is super easy to fnd a dead cylinder .

The valve reliefs look small but if there not hitting then run it.

before going back together he needs to verify the rings hold / seal and that TDC and his mark are correct . he should set the heads on the old gasket and verify actual valve clearance with a set of light test springs and a dial indicator and a lifter that is not pushed clear down this should have been checked on initial ***embly. he could also use clay and check if he has not stuff to measure with. this is basic engine building stuff if you're to a HP cam .

OP this is great time to learn and gain knowledge.

If it ever does get running right then get some gears to go with the OD trans

 

Too much guessing is an issue with any "problem" like this.
Not the first guy who found out that that big ground shaking cam that makes coffee cups jiggle on the tables when you p*** the local cafe isn't all that great when you don't have every correct piece of the total combination that goes with it including carb, intake, heads, pistons, exhaust, trans gear ratio and rear gears and rear tire diameter. Get a couple of those wrong for the combo and the combo doesn't work.

 

I hate when that happens.

 

@Brandon141 did you have any luck determining loss of compression?
Dan

 

@Brandon141 any luck with your engine
Dan

 

Btt