The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop 292 Teardown / questions

Started pulling the 292 apart tonight. Pulled the water pump off and looked at the machining on the front of the #1 cylinder jacket. Supposed to be a nice even 3/8" skim off the front of the cast surface for pump impeller clearance to indicate zero core shift during casting. Well, I saw a nice 3/4" round machined patch on the top and another matching patch on the bottom with nothing in the middle. THIS WASN'T IN THE BOOK!

Anyways, couple of bent push rods, head came off easy enough and all the exhaust valves were caked with crud/carbon. I could spin the motor very easily with one hand by turning the front shaft sans harmonic balancer! This baby was probably a good bug fogger when it last ran as lots of carbon on the plugs. I'll post pictures later if anybody is interested.

Questions . . .

Do I save the head bolts? Squeaked and chattered a lot coming out. What about the pushrods? Should they be saved too?

If I am sending it out to a machine shop to get it worked on, should I just leave the crank in the block to keep it from getting beat up?

What else should I do to it to check it before packing it off to the machine shop?

The problem with head bolts is that unless you checked the torque before the bolts were removed, you don't know their condition. If they have been over-torqued, they have lost their elasticity from being over-torqued and stretched. Not many people spring for new bolts when they rebuild an engine, but after reading the tech sheets on the ARP website link here I became a believer in using new bolts.

Pushrods, with some bent, replace them all. As for the casting shift, I don't know. I would ask the shop. Crank: if you are hauling it, I would go ahead and remove it. You can position it so it won't get beat around. (I hauled my disassembled 235 in the trunk of my Bonneville to and from the shop. Put 2x4 blocks around the crank.)
Biggest thing I learned as a mechanic was that when you send something out for machine work, clean it up first. Some shops charge extra for cleaning beyond the tank, especially for carboned heads. Before I remove the valves, I chuck an orange cup brush in the drill and clean up the domes. Keeps you from scratching the valve seats and cleans the valve end at the same time.

What all are you doing to this 292?

You think you can get an accurate torque reading from removing headbolts that possibly sat there for 50 years?

It will be close enough for this. Check the torque by tightening, not loosening, it will tell you if they have been overtorqued severely. The bolts will have loosened some, but if you're getting readings that are over 10% high, you definitely need to replace the bolts. This is one of those places where if it is questionable, replace. You're spending how much on the engine, and won't spend a few more dollars on bolts? I would put in new head, rod and main bolts. You don't want these parts to fail.

And think twice before you get carried away and use ARP studs everywhere - "If new bolts are good, then new studs are even better!". Moreso with a V8, but you don't want to find out you have to pull the engine to get the head off.

[ 01-15-2002: Message edited by: chuckthetruck ]

Fred, I can't tell you what I am going to do with this engine. Its a secret!

Hey Ken

You didn't tell me it was a secret........I'd remember the blood and swearing.........

Now you tell me!

You know with ALL these meds it's no easy to keep my mouth shut!!

I'll try Buddy!

I know, too, but I'll keep the secret, cause I want to do it next. This way I can let Ken make all the mistakes.

Chris