How would you finnish the motor of a surviver car

Vanish

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I live a little east of Pittsburgh Pa.
Well guys i need your help here as some of you know i am new to your forum and i just bought an original paint 1960 Belevedere 2 Dr Ht.
As we speak my seats are out to the upholster and he is looking for the correct meteral to rehab front and rear seat's and package tray this has to be done i know.


Also i scored an rubber floor mat from one of the FL members ....... thanks !!!!!!!


My problem lies with under the hood, i have striped the 318 poly down to her short block looking for any problems and found only a bad Water pump, Timing chain and Valve seals in need of replacement.

how would you guys Finnish the motor if it were yours?



1st: ....... Just clean with soap and water keeping it all intact being very careful not to remove any existing paint.

2nd: ...... Aggressively clean all with steam jenny if i loose most of the paint too bad it was going to fall off anyway but looks a little better not great.

3rd: ...... Touch up everything under the hood not removing the motor do the best half *** job i can looks good at car show.
4th: ..... Quit acting like a baby pull the motor dissemble it hot tank it and get out the check book.



DSC_0469.jpg

DSC_0469.jpg
 
If you are NOT going to paint anything else on the car, then simply clean it up so that you clean the dirt and grease off, and leave the original factory paint and markings. That's what I'd do, anyway.
 
my seats are out to the upholster and he is looking for the correct meteral to rehab front and rear seat's and package tray this has to be done i know.

how would you guys Finnish the motor if it were yours?


Sounds like your going in the right direction Butch.

Original seat material can be obtained through SMS (
http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ ) or Original Auto interiors ( http://originalauto.com/ ).
I would try original first..... SMS might drag their heels about shipping.

Best way to detail the engine and bay is to remove the engine. No need to dissassemble it if not needed. Remove all accessories, tape up all the orfaces and power blast the heck out of it. The correct color is silver and the air filter housing is red.
Some purple power and a good power wash in the engine bay will be much easier that way also. (be careful of the original wiring harness when power washing best to take it loose or remove it).

I detailed my 69 300 under hood without removing the engine, It came out ok but was a lot of extra work.


69 engine detail progress (Large).jpg
 
Yah if you are going for the original unrestored look like the rest of the engine bay i think a spotless shiny new looking engine will look out of place, i think give it a wash and then make a decision from there, if it still looks crappy then you can take a step up to the next level and all you have lost is a bit of time.
 
Lets be honest, you are going to clean up that bay while the engine is torn down, correct? So do it right...

187134 2004  engine.jpg

Before..........................

and after.......................

187134 2013 engine 2.jpg

Engine is rebuilt and painted and the radiator is re cored and painted thats it... you'll be sorry any other way

187134 2004  engine.jpg


187134 2013 engine 2.jpg
 
I'd go with 4 too and in fact that's what I'm doing with my driver .. well I'm not going into the short block but rebuilding/painting or replacing all mechanical systems. Susp, Fuel, steering, trans, rear, heads, exhaust, etc.
 
Don't do the timing chain without doing both new gearz too. And pay close attention to how you seal that timing cover to the block AND to the pan. Those 318s are a PITA to seal and do it wrong and you've got leakz and more headachez then you can believe. And you'll become an expert on removing and replacing that front end in less then ah couple weekz, trust me. Oh yeah...X3 on the red hosez, Jer
 
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Have a look at Baker53's ( Bill ) before and after picks of his Desoto. He's turned a dirty grubby engine and engine bay into something I'd be happy with without getting all anal and doing a painstakingly long refurbishment pulling out the engine etc. If it's easier to work on the engine by pulling it by all means do it but Bill's car is an example of how it can be made to look OK without getting the engine out and on the ground.

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.......
 
My experience with those wide blocks would point to Option #4. Around 100K miles they seem to need going through to deal with blowby from worn rings, not sure why. I would at least consider doing the head gaskets since ones that old are probably not in the best condition, depending on the quality of maintenance of the antifreeze over time. These engines are heavy and a bit of a pain since they are pretty large, too, but in the end you will be much more satisfied I believe. If you are going the distance to redo the seats in the correct pattern, then go the same route with the rest of the car.
 
I went in between 3 & 4.

image.jpg


image.jpg
 
Well last night my wife and i decided to turnover the motor by hand after we soaked the cylinders with transmission fluid for a week and primed the oil pump making sure that we had oil going to all the bearings and important places ....... She turned almost all the way around damm stuck valve the number eight intake valve must have been in the open position for 33 years gathering moisture and rust.
So we rotated the number eight cylinder to the top and filled her with transmission fluid so the valve would be completely immersed i think i will give her 24 hours before i work on her anymore.
 
Thanks guys for all the great advice and pic's ...... well here at home a few buddy's came over to check out the car and i ask them the same question and i am getting a little diffrent responce from them.
They all are saying somewere in the one and two cagotory and are all crying she is only original once also the body has a few dents and dings that i am not going to repair so why change the patina under the hood and now they got the wife leaning that way also hummm .............. she is standing right behind me now.
well i have around a week to make up my mind what to do.

thanks Butch
 
I'm not convinced....... A full detail of the engine and compartment is not going effect the survivor status to speak of. And its a guarantee you'll be happy every time you raise the hood. Besides it's a good reason to replace anything that may be an issue while in use.

I do agree to leave the exterior as is with just a good fluff & buff ..... And do what needs to be done on the interior to bring it back to OEM. But a mechanical do over and detail will be a huge improvement.

Do you plan on entering the car in judging events as a survivor ....? If thats important to you, then it will still do well with just underhood detailed as original.

If your like most of us you like things to be nice ...... A washed off 52 year old motor is not going to look .... nice. I would'nt worry about the survivor aspect under the hood and do what you think is best for you.
 
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