Opinions please

Thats a nice looking sedan you have there, seems to be a solid body on it .

It looks like the next cylinder has a sleeve in it as well . So maybe it has been sleeved to standard thats why there are no oversize markings. Thats a plus IMO

John Cochran
 
I may be mistaken, but when you had the engine hot tanked didn't that boil out the babbitt? So are you going to rebabbitt the journals or go for inserted bearings?
 
Hedbanger said:
Bonus pics while I wait. The car in April 2010 when it arrived from Placerville CA.

2010-04-16122927.jpg

2010-04-16122841.jpg
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I encourage you not to replace that radiator shell. Good originals like that are hard to find, and the repros take some fiddling to get 'em right, especially for a '29.
 
Yes. I will have new babbits. The ones in the engine were cracked and needed to be redone anyway.

There are sleeves on all 4 cylinders. They appear to be 1/8 sleeves. I have no markings on the 3 of the 4 pistons I have cleaned.

He told me the sleeves looked ok, but a small ledge was on one so we might go with .20 over. If that is the case, I will get all new pistons that are +20.

The body has some issues. No rust, but it was in a rear end collision that was poorly repaired.
 
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700rpm said:
I encourage you not to replace that radiator shell. Good originals like that are hard to find, and the repros take some fiddling to get 'em right, especially for a '29.
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I plan or keeping the radiator shell and just have it rechromed although it is nickle - a small tear at the motor crank hole needs repair.

My car was assembled at a time when it could be either or chrome or nickle plated.
 
That #5 valve seat appears to have a crack about 1/4 the way around facing the cyl.Maybe if an insert was large enough,it would eliminate the crack.The sleeve looks fairly thick so it is likely STD bore. If the cyls & pistons are in good shape then you could rering it.Many engines are totally rebuilt when its not needed.
 
columbiA said:
That #5 valve seat appears to have a crack about 1/4 the way around facing the cyl.Maybe if an insert was large enough,it would eliminate the crack.The sleeve looks fairly thick so it is likely STD bore. If the cyls & pistons are in good shape then you could rering it.Many engines are totally rebuilt when its not needed.
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I think what you are seeing is the area I suspect to have been an early weld that has been dressed down.
 
So far I have not found a marking of the size on the pistons. I guess that could mean it is standard. The guy helping me said we will get new seats and go to .20 over on the cylinders. So I will get those next week. I am just glad I do not have to find a new block. Now I will have it shot peened and painted.
 
don't assume the head is flat. After so long, with signs of over heating ( repaired cracks) and water leakage ( the pitting), odds are it is not. Proper determination is done with a machinists straight edge and a feeler gauge. It does not take more than a few thousandths warp to cause a leak of combustion gases or water. If the gases leak into the water jacket, you will have overheating issues. I prefer to at least skim an old head before installing with a new gasket. As long as you will have the block torn down, a decking would be a good idea too. Both surfaces should be finished with a good roughness average, that is, not be smooth, to grip the gasket. If there is not enough clearance between the piston top and the head from frequent re surfacing, the fly cut can be made deeper, but stock Model A heads have plenty of clearance and are inexpensive.
 
pat in Santa Cruz said:
don't assume the head is flat. After so long, with signs of over heating ( repaired cracks) and water leakage ( the pitting), odds are it is not. Proper determination is done with a machinists straight edge and a feeler gauge. It does not take more than a few thousandths warp to cause a leak of combustion gases or water. If the gases leak into the water jacket, you will have overheating issues. I prefer to at least skim an old head before installing with a new gasket. As long as you will have the block torn down, a decking would be a good idea too. Both surfaces should be finished with a good roughness average, that is, not be smooth, to grip the gasket. If there is not enough clearance between the piston top and the head from frequent re surfacing, the fly cut can be made deeper, but stock Model A heads are plentiful very inexpensively.
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Good advice. When we rebuild it, I plan on having it surfaced if needed. I only meant that, at least visually, it looked good.
 
Do yourself a favor and have new valve seats installed, bore the cylinders to the next oversize and have your machinist hone each piston to fit, and deck the block and surface the head (or buy a new H/C head from Snyders) and then have the babbit poured for the mains. In other words, a complete short block rebuild....money well spent if you plan to restore the entire car.
 
Good advice too. That is the plan.

As of right now, it looks to be standard pistons. The whole thing (and head) will be shot peened to clear out the water passages and other build up. Then paint. Re bore to +.20. I am buying all new seats, pistons, rings, rods, valves, springs, keepers, guides and new babbits. I will have a new crankshaft and camshaft. Deck the head and block if needed. It will be a brand new engine even though it was first built Oct. 17, 1929.
 
Hedbanger said:
Good advice too. That is the plan.

As of right now, it looks to be standard pistons. The whole thing (and head) will be shot peened to clear out the water passages and other build up. Then paint. Re bore to +.20. I am buying all new seats, pistons, rings, rods, valves, springs, keepers, guides and new babbits. I will have a new crankshaft and camshaft. Deck the head and block if needed. It will be a brand new engine even though it was first built Oct. 17, 1929.
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good decision. Its easy to spend the same amount band aiding an engine together, but far more rewarding to rebuild it properly. If you are willing to spend the money, Bill Stipe's cams will make a huge difference in performance, especially if in conjunction with a mildly high compression head. The engine in my sedan was rebuilt with balanced crank, Police head, larger intake valves and a re ground cam by a noted cam grinder, but when I replaced that cam with Stipes 330, the power curve really improved. It was well worth the cost.
 
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