POTD- PROJECT OF THE DAY: What Did You Make In Your Shop Today?

[projectnut]

Pistons just don't look cool, unless you put some valve relief pockets in them...

When we were college kids back in1968 my brother had a 1965 chevy with a 283. We decided to take it to Daytona Beach for spring break. Around Atlanta there was a big bang from the engine compartment, and it started missing on 1 cylinder. We pulled over to see what happened. There was no physical evidence as to what happened. It was just not firing on 1 cylinder. We continued on our way and when we got to Daytona the first stop was a Chevy dealership. They couldn't look at it right away, so we left it and went to our hotel.

By the middle of the week, we got a call back with the damage assessment. A valve had broken and lodged the head in a piston. The head was junk, and it also needed a new piston and rod. When we went to pick it up, we were amazed that the valve had more or less made its own relief in the piston. The rod had an extra bend in it and the head had a hole in big enough to stick your thumb through. All that damage and it still held oil pressure and kept on running.

The equally shocking part was the total bill to repair it was around $225.00. That included a used head, a piston, a rod, rod bearing, gaskets, oil, antifreeze, and labor. My brother kept the piston with the valve stuck in it, and the bent rod as a spring break souvenir for many years. It sat on a shelf in their family room for nearly 40 years. Somehow it got lost in the shuffle when they built their current house. The car was handed down to another brother that put another 225,000 miles on it before the frame finally rusted out over one of the rear wheels.

 

[dkemppai]

Look up Cliffords 6=8 on the web...

Yeah, I've seen that stuff.

I need to find another donor engine. I'd really like to try tig welding two LS heads together to make a cross flow head for this. That's a REALLY long term project, tho. A few guys have done that now. Little machine work to make the head bolt spacing work. There was a guy in the 60's or 70's who brazed two, I think 351 heads, together and was making ~600hp NA for a drag car.

The idea of a LS headed, Ford 300, in a '37 Dodge, with a Jeep Rear end, a 5 speed ZF gear box, and Crown Vic front end sound just Frankenstein enough to be fun. It should PI$$ EVERYBODY off! LOL.

 

[4WHLDRFTN]

So I put the boots to this bone with some heavy cuts. the added screws to the saddle stopped it from flexing 3”

View attachment IMG_4351.mov

 

[4WHLDRFTN]

I know it’s a short cut. It seems to be on track.

View attachment IMG_4354.mov

 

[Red96]

A valve had broken and lodged the head in a piston.

Piston from a 580HP LS-1 ASA engine. Ring landing broke off, and the top ring shards got pounded into the top of the piston and the combustion chamber of the aluminum head a few hundred times. Strainer in the scavenge for the dry sump was packed full of chips. Fubar'd the entire engine. Only part I reused was the ARE pan. Couldn't find a pic of the head. Head was repairable, but cost of repairs plus new valve seats were more than a new set of CNC ported heads from Texas Speed. Ended up getting a new short block from Schwenke. Sold the car, and the new owner popped that brand new motor first time on track. Sigh...

 

[rwdenney]

When we were college kids back in1968 my brother had a 1965 chevy with a 283. We decided to take it to Daytona Beach for spring break. Around Atlanta there was a big bang from the engine compartment, and it started missing on 1 cylinder. We pulled over to see what happened. There was no physical evidence as to what happened. It was just not firing on 1 cylinder. We continued on our way and when we got to Daytona the first stop was a Chevy dealership. They couldn't look at it right away, so we left it and went to our hotel.

By the middle of the week, we got a call back with the damage assessment. A valve had broken and lodged the head in a piston. The head was junk, and it also needed a new piston and rod. When we went to pick it up, we were amazed that the valve had more or less made its own relief in the piston. The rod had an extra bend in it and the head had a hole in big enough to stick your thumb through. All that damage and it still held oil pressure and kept on running.

The equally shocking part was the total bill to repair it was around $225.00. That included a used head, a piston, a rod, rod bearing, gaskets, oil, antifreeze, and labor. My brother kept the piston with the valve stuck in it, and the bent rod as a spring break souvenir for many years. It sat on a shelf in their family room for nearly 40 years. Somehow it got lost in the shuffle when they built their current house. The car was handed down to another brother that put another 225,000 miles on it before the frame finally rusted out over one of the rear wheels.

My 2013 Expedition (small-block Ford V8) dropped a valve at 117K miles. The only noticeable effect was a slight vibration (and the engine light). I had purchased the extended warranty. “Mr. Denney, we have good news and bad news.” “What’s the bad news?” “Your engine dropped a valve and the engine will need to be replaced.” “So, what’s the good news?” “The new engine is covered under your extended warranty, and will only cost you the $200 deductible.”

“Excuse me, I think I misheard. You said there was bad news?”

(The repair price without the warranty was $10,700. Times have changed. But it was a new engine they installed.)

Rick “that was 50,000 miles ago” Denney

 

[ChazzC]

My 2013 Expedition (small-block Ford V8) dropped a valve at 117K miles. The only noticeable effect was a slight vibration (and the engine light). I had purchased the extended warranty. “Mr. Denney, we have good news and bad news.” “What’s the bad news?” “Your engine dropped a valve and the engine will need to be replaced.” “So, what’s the good news?” “The new engine is covered under your extended warranty, and will only cost you the $200 deductible.”

“Excuse me, I think I misheard. You said there was bad news?”

(The repair price without the warranty was $10,700. Times have changed. But it was a new engine they installed.)

Rick “that was 50,000 miles ago” Denney

I bcame a fan of the extended warranty after Cadillac/GM paid out $15K for various issues on my '97 Catera, including a new transmission from France (the Catera was a rebranded variant of the Opal Omega B made in Germany; loved the car, but never buy a first model year!). As a bonus, the Dealer refunded what I paid for the warranty after GM offered me an extra $2,000 over trade-in if I bought a new model – I passed.

 

[verbotenwhisky]

Yeah, I've seen that stuff.

I need to find another donor engine. I'd really like to try tig welding two LS heads together to make a cross flow head for this. That's a REALLY long term project, tho. A few guys have done that now. Little machine work to make the head bolt spacing work. There was a guy in the 60's or 70's who brazed two, I think 351 heads, together and was making ~600hp NA for a drag car.

The idea of a LS headed, Ford 300, in a '37 Dodge, with a Jeep Rear end, a 5 speed ZF gear box, and Crown Vic front end sound just Frankenstein enough to be fun. It should PI$$ EVERYBODY off! LOL.

I hear Johnny Cash singing in the back ground about that "Psycho Billy Cadillac" he got one piece at a time.... LOL...

 

[NCjeeper]

It was way more work than it should have been, but the gutter is done.

 

[mattthemuppet2]

Busy day yesterday. Replaced the alternator in our pilot, looks like the one the repair shop put in three years ago after a front end accident was junk.

Then helped my friend Bob pull the chipping rotor out of the lathe and into the mill. Got the balance wrong first try and it broke the tip off his mt5 live center, but once were fixed that it was smooth sailing. He’ll machine new tooth pockets at one end, then I’ll go back and help him turn it around so he can do the same the other end. Not enough travel on his mill - it has 40” travel but the body of the rotor is 50” long!