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I have bee driving my 1958 Viking 6500 daily since the beginning of May. The 283 runs excellent. Idles at 21 inches of vacuum. Plugs look good, grey to light brown. Engine still pulls even at 65 miles an hour at 3400 rpm. The only issue is that the engine bellows a cloud of light grey smoke during deceleration. After getting back in the throttle the smoke clears up and all is good. This truck runs so well I am hoping its not the rings. Any suggestions?

Happy fourth of July
Rich

There's an old saying about "Wish in one hand- - - - - -etc." Yes, you've got ring problems, and it's not likely to get any better anytime soon. Unless you've got some tree hugger eco-cop waiting to write you a smoke ticket, just drive on and keep an eye on the oil level on the dipstick. Adding a quart of oil occasionally is going to be a lot less expensive than a ring job. If the engine is a recent resurrection from a long sleep, it's possible things might improve with a little more driving, especially if you do a few runs at highway speed with the engine fully warmed up.
Jerry

Rich;

HRL is right on if the rings are gone watching the oil level is cheaper than a rebuild. If the engine has a lot of blow by and uses oil then it is probably the rings.

I would also take a look at the valve guide seals. The early SBC had rubber umbrellas for valve guide seals and with time and heat they may have split or worn. If the engine has been running recently and you don't suspect stuck/worn rings then the light brown plugs give me the thought that it might be valve guides and/or seals. During deceleration the high vacuum present will suck oil down the guides if they are worn and/or the seals are flaky. The oil is burned and produces the smoke cloud but when the engine returns to a load the combustion process cleans up the plugs somewhat and the cloud goes away because there is less oil present during combustion with the lower vacuum levels.

Another thing to check is the PCV system. I think in 1958 it was still a road draft tube but if someone has retrofitted a PCV system, it may be sucking oil on deceleration somehow.

Either way, whether rings or guides, keep an eye on the oil level.


SimS

First of all, I didn't actually see this happen. Second of all, I don't know anything about this stuff. And third of all the fellow who told me about this is normally a straight shooter. He had the same problem with smoking and told me he ran a product called "SeaFoam" in his gas tank for 4 or 5 tanks of gas (I think...could have been more or less). He said after doing that it stopped. Wasn't a 283, but the engine had been sitting unused for a long while. Just a thought. It might work for you also.

And there was a man who used to work for me who believed Marvel Mystery Oil could do the same thing. But I don't know how he used it...whether he added it to gas or what he did.

And it all could be hooey, but you could try it.

Good luck!
Jon

The engine was a sleep for some time when I purchased it. I have put approximately one thousand miles on it. It is out of a 1966 Chevelle, so it is equipped with a PCV system. I did replace the PCV valve when I put the four barrel intake and carb on it. Replacing the valve seals is the least expensive option. It doesn't use a lot of oil, maybe one quart every three hundred miles. What bothers me the most is the embarrassing smoke cloud. Everyone loves my old truck. I cant stop for gas without having to answer questions. Which is totally cool.
What will people think? My hot rod two ton Viking has a flaw!?

Thanks for the input. We will pop some new seals in and see what happens.

Rich

Before you do the valve seal job (which is a good idea anyway) try a trick I've used several times with a good success rate. Overfill the crankcase by about 3 or 4 quarts with Diesel fuel so the crankshaft whips down into the oil/Diesel mix. Run the engine slightly above idle speed for 15-20 minutes with no load (definitely don't drive it), then drain the crankcase quickly while the engine is still hot. The splashing action in the crankcase will do a better job of scrubbing the inside of the engine and freeing up any gunked-up piston rings than you could ever do with a brush. At worst, you'll have a very clean engine to work on when you do the ring job, and it just might re-seat the rings!
Jerry

Jerry, thanks for posting that “old time real mechanic’s “ trick again. It certainly doesn’t hurt to remind us every so often.🛠

About 8 ounces of Sea Foam in the crankcase, not the fuel tank, will also help free up stuck oil rings if they're contributing to the smoke screen. You can drive the truck while the additive does its job without risking damaging rod and main bearings or the crankshaft, which is why it's a bad idea to put any load on the engine with the Diesel onboard.
Jerry