The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Update on the rebuild gone wrong

My grandpa, the original owner of the '65, came and picked it up today and took it to Statesboro, GA. He took it to the guy who restored it before my dad got the truck. He told the guy (Freddy) that he didnt think we put the right rings on, because there was no "lip" on the tops of the cylinder walls, and Freddy said, " I know they didn't put the right rings in because I remember boring this thing out when i restored it." The answer to all of my problems i should think. Still, it was my fault for not miking the bore... but lesson learned...

I hope that is the only thing wrong so that you can get back to driving that truck!

Is Freddy going to overhaul your engine?

Grandpa said hes gonna mik the crank, change camshaft bearings, etc. is that an overhaul?

Yes, that sounds like an overhaul. I assume he is also going to rering it also. Sounds as though he is going to go through it pretty good. I think you will have a nice truck when it is finished.

Just got more info. It was bored out .006" so thats exactly why it was smoking like hell!

Better go back to math class! Try .060", NOT .006"! BTW, that's as far as that engine can be bored safely, so the next time it needs a ring job, you can make it into a boat anchor. Start saving your pennies for a 292.
Jerry

but my grandpa said thousandths. maybe he said sixty thousandths.

There's no such thing as a 6 thousandths overbore. The first oversize that's commonly done is a 30 thousandths (.030"), and the second overbore is usually 40 or sometimes 60. 250's are very bad about getting major wear on the #1 cylinder due to oddball coolant flow, so it's not uncommon to have to rebore to a big oversize, or to have to put a sleeve in the #1 cylinder to get it back to an acceptable size. If you put standard diameter rings in 60 over cylinders, they would almost fall in without using a piston ring compressor, and there would be no way to keep the engine from smoking. Sound familiar?
Jerry

I faintly remember a tad bit of smoking...

Jerry, it could be just worn .006" from to much honing, that could happened. I am betting, like you, that it has standard rings in .060" bore. I bet it turned over easy...... Joe

Well, the guy who built it up the last time thinks they got the wrong rings.

"I know they didn't put the right rings in because I remember boring this thing out when I restored it."

Now that it's back under his supervision, I'll bet it comes out right this time! One of my mechanics did something very similar on a re-ring job on a Fiat 124 sports car, but only the oil rings were involved. The ring set he put in had the correct size comprsssion rings, .75 MM oversize, and standard oil rings! He didn't check the end gap on all the rings, which would have shown up the error. The engine used oil from day one, and by the time I got it back into the shop and tore it down, the guy had quit. No way to dock his pay for doing a half-arsed job!
Jerry