Thanks for the 'sortof' kind words, Oly. :p
The block was run through a rotary steam chamber. The block was bored .060", honed, brngs and freeze plugs installed. Then he test-fit the crank and #1 and 6 rods to check deck height. He says the motor didn't need decking cuz the slugs were .005" down in the holes. I got him to tap the #1 main for the timing cover, tap the crank snout, install the new crank gear and pilot bushing, balance the pistons & rods etc.
He also checked the head, lapped the valves and installed new valve stem seals.
But he didn't clean the block and head well enough. I looked in the water jackets this weekend and found a bunch of scale and rust in the jacket, especially around #5 and 6. So I filled the water jacket with Castrol SuperClean and let it soak for an hour. Then I used the neighbor's pressure washer to blast the snot out of the block. 12 tons of rust and fonk came out of the water jacket. Turned my yard reddish-black. There is some rust and scale left, but it looks MUCH better than it was.
I also ran rifle brushes through all passages and cleaned the block with paint thinner, engine degreaser, Acetone, SuperClean, Gasoline followed up by the pressure washer. I used everything but Eye of Newt.
Then I sandpapered the lifter bores and the cylinder walls to knock out the surface rust that formed while I was cleaning it. I really don't know that bringing it back to him would have cleaned it that well.
Question- Can water jacket rust be severe enough to cause thin cylinder walls? The block was magged, but not sonic-checked. Would the presence of block-sealer be easy to notice?
As far as the rods, I paid 25 bucks a piece for them, from a totally different engine parts company. They look like they have been rewelded and remachined, then media-blasted. Should rod position matter if these rods aren't even out of my engine? My old rods were shots-ville.
What else can I do? I have been polite, but firm and told the machinist exactly how I wanted it done.
I don't know if a steam vat will clean this kind of funk off. I know it sticks to me rather well.
I don't know if they actually balanced the bottom end, as I can't find any machining marks on the rods or pistons.
I don't know if the block deck was actually measured. But I can tell the crank and 2 pistons have been test-fitted by the oil and slight scuffing on the mains and two rod bearings. I can check this one on assembly, as I have a magnetic base and dial indicator. We'll see about the .005" myself.
Chip
