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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

Well, even though you had to scratch your trip, at least it's not as bad as it could've been. Seems odd a keeper would break, I don't think I've ever heard of that happening but obviously it does.

I know of three guys that have had keepers fail, all dropped the valve and holed a piston. You were lucky, most of my experience is with motorcycles, but again I would say you were lucky. Little luck never hurt nothing - I will take all I can get.

Youre one LUCKY bolter!!! Im sure you know how bad that could have been. Even though you had to
cancel your trip,,thats a small price to pay for what could have been a major BUMMER.
Marty

I lost a valve keeper once and dropped the intake valve on #3 cylinder in a 216, lucky to be intake valve, it never dropped down far enough to do damage, only bounced off the piston and made a little noise. I put new keepers on it and continued to drive.

I have always wondered how these tiny litttle keepers manage to do perform such an important role without failing. It is truly amazing to me.

I was looking in my repair manual and it appears that I posted that the wrong part broke. It was the valve spring CAP that gave up, not the keepers. I retrieved the two small keepers and the cap pieces from the rocker arm area. It seems that nothing went any lower than that.

When I was along side the road, I didn't think I broke a piston because there was no blowby from the crankcase vent.

Sorry for the confusion.

Thruwurkin

Either way, Thruwurkin, the Man Upstairs was looking out for you. Glad it's turning out well for you.

The man upstairs was definitly looking out for me.

I never heard of a something like this happening and not trashing at least a piston.

I should get the head back from the machinist today and will start reassembly late this afternoon. He is cleaning up the seat and checking the rest of the head.

Thanks all for your posts. It is a big help to hear from others.

Thruwurkin