Oil and Coolant are trading places...….. Here's the battle I have been through (this story hurts to talk about it after all the hell I have been through)…. A fully rebuilt engine from a very good builder in Richmond, Va. I installed it and the bracket slipped down on the side of the distributor when I installed it and much to my dismay, it was too late when I discovered this. The oil pressure gauge was barely moving and it was original in the 50 truck so I ASSumed it was broken when it moved ever so slightly, Nope I ruined all the bearing when the metal debris started flowing. I bought and installed the 55 engine and sent the 59 back to the builder. After all new bearings and a few other parts, I got it back and tried it out again. !200 miles later, the oil and coolant were in the wrong spots. I found the head gasket on upside down, scolded the engine builder, and thought I was ok. Then 1200 miles again and the same thing with coolant and oil. I removed the head, had it checked and nothing was wrong..... my builder said he had a similar trouble once with a race engine and suggested using a very slight bit of grey silicon around the water reservoir ports on both sides of the head gasket. I did it a little differently and placed the sealant on both sides of the head gasket at the oil pressure location thinking that perhaps the hi pressure oil was pushing out into the coolant at the head gasket. The other thing that I did was no copper gasket spray all over the copper head gasket upon assembly. I drove 20 miles, got some coolant out of the crank case, maybe a cup. The coolant was about a quart low. I was hoping it was the remaining coolant getting out of the crank case. then I went on another 25mile trip. . The coolant level dropped slightly, I crack the oil drain plug again and get water out of it again. I pulled the valve cover, full of muck and plenty of moisture all over the rocker assembly..... this is a real heart break but I must take the blame because if it is a cracked block it likely happened when I just about seized up the motor from lack of oil when I first I installed it ! I don't know how I could have driven 2400 miles with a cracked block. All I know is this truck has tested my patience and I have been tempted to turn it into a big barn fire. Only it looks so nice that I want to drive it again.... open to suggestions, just don't say small block chevy !
