The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Blue oil smoke from the valve cover breather

About 6 months ago I purchased a 1959 Chevy 3100. According to the previous owner, he drove it to work for a couple years, and then bought another truck so it had been sitting in his field for the last two years. I've done some research on the casting numbers, and it looks like the block is a 54, and the head is an 848 head, so 57-62. After new plugs, wires, oil, petronix ignition, a carter YF, and setting the timing to the ball it runs pretty well.

I have a few questions:

The manual says it should idle around 450 rpms. It idles REALLY poorly at that speed, it almost sounds like a diesel. I can't get it to idle smoothly unless I raise the idle to 700ish. At 700 rpm I get a steady 21" mercury on a vacuum gauge hooked up to the intake.

It has some piston slap and puffs a lot of blue smoke out of the valve cover breather when cold. The amount of smoke seems to level off when the engine is warm, but it always seems to have a little. The exhaust smoke is clear, and I haven't seen any smoke out of the road draft tube. I didn't think it was smoking that much, but when driving home from work yesterday the oil pressure was starting to drop and it wouldn't idle well. I checked the oil, and it was a quart low. I've never seen any oil drips under the truck, so either it's burning oil, or puffing a quart out of the breather tube in about 150 miles.

Why would my motor be sending oil smoke out of the breather, and is that related to the piston slap/idlinq problems?

One last question, I found a rebuilt 62 235 on Craigslist for about 1200. Assuming a rebuild is in my future, would I come out ahead at 1200 versus sending trying to rebuild myself?

Thanks, Vince

If it is a for sure professionally rebuilt engine I would get it.

I gotta agree. U are going to have that much in a rebuild. This way u will have an extra motor. Just make sure there are legitimate receipts for the rebuilt motor.

Those symtoms don't sound good. A rebuild isn't far away and u would want to do it b-4 it "blows" and causes more damage. A lot cheaper to do 'em earlier than later!!!!

It sounds like your old motor is pretty worn. Those symptoms aren't unusual. That is a popular head that you have on it.

Well, looks like I'm going to talk to the rebuilder. I know I should ask for receipts, is there anything else I should look for with the rebuilt motor? Does it matter how much it was bored over, etc? Anything on the outside I should look for to make sure the rebuild was done correctly?

One more question, I'm not sure if the motor is from a car or truck. Since I have a 235 in my truck now, should I have any problems putting the 1962 in? I think I've read they're all the same after 54, but I want to make sure.

Thanks again for all the help!