Nightmare Engine Rebuild

[J and M Machine]

I'm glad that I checked the valve seats,
Here I show a sunk seat after a little tapping,
a feeler gauge under a different seat, and the debris under the seat that I pulled out. Several of them have a gap under them on one side,
that isn't normal is it? The bottom of the one I pulled out appears to be quite a ways from being level in the bottom.

I mean to say,,,,, that thing was tight, really tight, started feeling like something could break before it came loose.
It's an SB1625-1

But if the engine was hot going down the highway, wouldn't it settle and then the valve wouldn't seat properly and eventually the valve head could break from the stress?
I have ground hundreds of valves but always had the guides or seats done
by someone else when needed. Never had a problem.

Would like to hear from all the great shop guys that do this stuff.

What next? take them all out I presume.

Sure gonna be pretty to get this baby running!

Yes: I would remove all the seats as what you have shown as example is poor work.
If they are loose enough to move when you hit them they aren't going to get tighter when it heats up as the seat will move and cause the engine to skip.
If the seat moves down there goes your valve adjustment as example.
I would suggest taking it to someone who can put oversize seats in it as i mentioned in a previous post you can have custom seats made that are a few thousands bigger rather than going to next oversize.

When the valve seats are installed they have to be flush and not offset as you've asked. They have to be firmly seated in the block.

Since you are questioning faulty work on valve seats how is the rest of the work done to the engine itself.?
What other work was done as I would scrutinize all work done now.
If they failed on this what about cylinders are they properly sized ,did they hone them with the right stone?

Did he even clean the block so there is no debris left behind since they failed to clean the valve seat area I would want to wonder about the insides of block.

 

[Benson]

In the Army we called this situation ..... FUBAR.

No doubt that FUBAR applies here!!

 

[30 Tudor]

The block was not rebored,, it was .040 over when I tore it down and I will run it with snyder's pistons.
I had the caps flattened nicely but they came back with .015 out of flat,
and the lifter towers got cut down.

I have cleaned the entire block with paint remover then with phos. acid and little stainless steel brushes, it will be clean before I put it together.

One of the photos is the old Babbitt,, one is the new.
They were quite different, is something wrong?

 

[Art Newland]

did he cut down the lifter bores to install adjustable ones?

 

[Kohnke Rebabbitting]

The block was not rebored,, it was .040 over when I tore it down and I will run it with snyder's pistons.
I had the caps flattened nicely but they came back with .015 out of flat,
and the lifter towers got cut down.

I have cleaned the entire block with paint remover then with phos. acid and little stainless steel brushes, it will be clean before I put it together.

One of the photos is the old Babbitt,, one is the new.
They were quite different, is something wrong?

The first picture is of Lead Babbitt, I can tell by the color, and the sides of the broken pieces are porous, not consistent with Tin base Babbitt. The Babbitt was not peened at all ,I am thinking, or could have just been a bad attempt, because the porous look, to be a round hole rather then being flattened, which is not natural to just pouring. The broken pieces you have in picture one also, show no signs of oil grooving, and that would never fly. It was also poured to cold.

Picture two would be Tin base as you know, if original. I would need to see more shots, but is not of any importance.

Herm.

 

[30 Tudor]

did he cut down the lifter bores to install adjustable ones?

Yes

 

[30 Tudor]

The first picture is of Lead Babbitt, I can tell by the color, and the sides of the broken pieces are porous, not consistent with Tin base Babbitt. The Babbitt was not peened at all ,I am thinking, or could have just been a bad attempt, because the porous look, to be a round hole rather then being flattened, which is not natural to just pouring. The broken pieces you have in picture one also, show no signs of oil grooving, and that would never fly. It was also poured to cold.

Picture two would be Tin base as you know, if original. I would need to see more shots, but is not of any importance.

Herm.

The babbitt WAS NOT peened at all, this is true.
There were oil grooves cut, but everything broke up so badly upon removal that most signs of them are now spread out across several parallel universes. They were extremely brittle with no malleability what so ever.
I was wondering about oxygen contamination while heating.
Is that a problem or a concern.
I did ask about peening, and the paticular babbitt composition but was met with,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Thanks for your input. Love to see your work.

 

[30 Tudor]

Yes: I would remove all the seats as what you have shown as example is poor work.

When the valve seats are installed they have to be flush and not offset as you've asked. They have to be firmly seated in the block.

I was absolutely certain of this, and thanks for the clarification,,
I thought I could see it,, just making sure. I can't comprehend it being done "this" way to begin with. It would have been so easy to do it right.

So close just isn't close enough.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Cape Codder]

30 Tudor - email sent

 

[Kohnke Rebabbitting]

I was wondering about oxygen contamination while heating.
Is that a problem or a concern. "END QUOTE"


If there would be, I would never know it.

The largest concern would be torching Babbitt Babbitt in a ladle, and not burning it, and getting it the right temperature to pour, jig also.

Herm.

 

[30 Tudor]

Wow! centering with the gears is brilliant!

Never saw that before, why have I never heard of that?

Mom always said I wasn't the brightest blub in the box!

 

[Dan McEachern]

The crumbling new babbitt indicates that 1) your fellow is remelting old babbitt that has been removed from other engines or 2) the babbitt has been severely overheated and poured way too hot or poured into a saddle that was preheated to a much higher temperature than necessary. The metal in a properly poured bearing should be very ductile and not brittle.