I have a ’51 Chev ½ ton, ’58 235 w/848 head, solid lifters, Fenton headers, and Offy intake manifold w/two Carter/Webers and 3.55 gears.
I pull a 1940 Teardrop Camp Trailer. TD and all camping stuff is less than 1000 lbs.
I cruise at 60 mph and the engine is running at 2550 rpm.
Yesterday I left Kennewick, WA and drove 150 miles.
OK…Here’s what happened then. I felt the engine “drop a cylinder” and it sounded like it was pinging off and on. I immediately turned around and headed back to a small little town with a dumpy gas station with a lot of OLD cars and trucks.
I pulled the valve cover in his parking lot and found the #6 exhaust valve spring keeper had broken and the valve was about 1 ½” down into the head.
Friends came the 150 miles with two rigs. One to tow the ’51 and one to tow the TD home. When I pulled the head off today, I found that the valve stem seal was what saved a major catastrophe. The valve is good (never touched the piston) and the pushrod is straight.
I should get the head back on Monday afternoon.
WHEEEEW!!!
Thruwurkin
