engine rebuild

[Bill Wilkins]

This winter I am probably going to rebuild my engine. Just about all the parts on my car are the original ones so I would hate to mess it up and since you really can't hide much extra horsepower I am putting it back like it was. When the machinists straigtens the block surface I think it will skim the numbers on the id pad and obscure them. I know if I restamp it to something different that's cheating but I just want to keep the original stuff there. When we do is there a way to save the number stampings on the id pad?

Bill

[Patrick H.]

Re: engine rebuild

Bill,

Easy answer. Don't let him deck the block.

You 'll never notice the few horsepower difference it would make, and you'll keep your car's value intact. If you're REALLY concerned that you need to have a flat deck, find a junkyard core to use as your block and store your original block for value purposes. Many of us have our engines rebuilt and never touch the top of the block, so therefore the numbers stay like Day #1. If your rebuilder tells you he "has to" and never gives a GOOD reason, it's time to find a new rebuilder.

Patrick

[Joe L.]

Re: engine rebuild

Bill-----

Yes, there is; don't have the block routinely surfaced. Check it with a precision straight edge to see if it actually needs machining. The chances are that it won't. If it does, have the MINIMUM cut necessary to true it up. This will remove some of the stamping but not all of it.

If it is necessary to cut the block deck by an amount greater than the depth of the pad stampings, then the stampings will be removed. There is no way to avoid that with the rotary milling machines used by virtually all machine shops.

[Dennis C.]

Re: engine rebuild

Please do not deck the surface of your block. If, as Joe mentions, it is way out of level, try talking to your rebuilder. You can mark and rotary mill the surface which is under the cylinder heads without destroying the stamp pad. I would not recommend the stamp pad "light cut" approach... Or, the other suggestion of placing your original block in storage, has some merit also. I'd be happy to store it at no charge if you don't deck it first... Dennis

[Duke W.]

Re: engine rebuild

Cast iron block and head mating surfaces rarely warp unless the engine is severely overheated. If you've never had a head gasket leak, the surfaces are likely flat, but most machine shops want to take "just a little cut" to make sure they are square. As stated, they can be measured for flatness and a modern compostion gasket will handle about .003" warp, but they are likely much less than that.

You have to find a machinist that understands engine RESTORATION as apposed to engine rebuilding, and has enough control in his shop to make sure that the work is done YOUR way. Make sure all special instructions are clearly written on the work order and that the machinist understands the value that may be lost if the block numbers are milled away.

Duke

[Mike M.]

Re: engine rebuild

bill: agreee with those who advise NOT to screw with the Pad. I talk to the machine shop OWNER and All of his employees before leaving a block. They understand that no material is to be removed from the pad, under no circimstances. I have a small piece of 20 guage sleel with the following stamped on its surface; "DO NOT TOUCH THIS AREA". i then attach the plate to the pad with 3M weathersrtip adhesive and ask when the block is to go into the hot tank and out again. I go back to the machine shop and reattach the plate once the block is out of the tank. Owner of shop once commented I treat the pad like it was the keys to my daughter's chastity belt. You will not believe how sorry you'll be if the pad is decked and you then have the car judged NCRS style.Good luck, mike

[Clem Z.]

be careful

if your block needs rebored and the shop uses a block mounted boring bar and you do not deck the block parallel to the crank centerline the new bores could end up not being perpendicular to the crank center line. find a shop that uses a fixture mounted boring bar that does not mount the boring bar to the deck surface. this type aligns the boring bar off of the main bearing saddles.

[Wayne K.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

Bill,

I purchased my car with only a partial stamp as a result of a previous owner having the block decked when rebuild was done. I've often thought about having it re-stamped but because there is enough of the stamp left and all the casting numbers and dates tell me that it is the original drive train ( and talking to previous owners) I decided to leave it as is. If I would have been involved in the rebuild process I would have made sure that the stamp would not have been touched. Do others here think I made the right decision to leave it as is ?

[Mike M.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

i would leave it as is in which case you're only gonna get docked 38 out of 4500+ points if its to be judged(ie you'llloose the broach mark points. but will still probably get the Vin derivative and machine assembly data points-- 50 points in their case) If you try to restamp the original stampings(deeper i'd suspect) you run the risk of looseing the 50 stamp points if it appears to have been messed with by using stamps with morphology different from that of the stamps that were used when the car left engine plant and st. louis. I have a similar vet that i sent to a speed shop in 69 and told them to race prep it( not knowing then about broach marks and stamping) and they cut about .003" off the deck. you can still read the vin and mach. ass. data but the factory broachmarks are history. Just one of the stupid things i have done in the past and lived to regret.The car is a 19000mile 65 fi that would probably bowtie today if NCRS had been around then. good luck, mike

[Rainer S.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

I, too, have a question regarding "decking" the motor. My engine was decked before and restamped, but the stamping was done poorly. I want to re-deck the surface, to take off the numbers and restamp the pad. How much stock can be removed from the bank face, not knowing, how much was milled-off before. Is there a minimum dimension from the crank dia. to hold ?

[Mike M.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

what year and hp vet we talking about. may be a better alternative to re-restamping your block unless you care to keep it for whatever.mike

[Rainer S.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

The car is a dec 21, 1962 build car, with a 360 HP engine. so., should be nov 62, to early dec 62 (dec 11, 62?) cast date. I tried to find a replacement block without sleeving the bores, but no luck so far. I am considering to rebuild the block that was in the car (NOM).

[Mike M.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

if you're in no hurry to replace the NOM engine that is currently in place. sugggest you look around for an over the counter 870 that wasn't pad stamped. they exist. that way you can stamp the virgin pad and that DUMMY that leads the 61-62 team will not have a clue. these blocks are rare , but they exist and you will not have troubles on the judging field, if that is your goal. good luck, mike

[Dennis C.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

The 61/62 TL DUMMY would prefer that you didn't advertise the fact that OTC blank pad '870 blocks are out there. It only serves to increase the price we pay to play...

[Rainer S.]

Re: engine rebuild, should I leave it as is ?

Thanks for your advise, everybody. I will rebuild my NOM and drive the Vette. But I really would like to find one of those elusive over-the-counter blocks. I want to bring the car to a numbers-matching status, not original. Mike, please contact me. My E-mail is: rschwager@peoplepc.com.