Ray Brandes
Member
Offline
We cranked the engine and only two cylinders had any compression at all, less then 40psi!
Because it was sitting for some time I suspected dirty or rusty valve seats.
I pulled the cam towers, and then the head.
No burnt valves but dirty as were the exposed cylinder walls.
I cleaned the cylinders with steel wool, and then ran a hone lightly to clean them a little more.
While not new, there is no pitting which I was afraid I would find.
The valves show wear and will need grinding. The adjusting buttons have a wear spot where they contacted the valves.
This engine does have some time on it.
Our plan:
I am going to lap the valves and put the head back together and then on the engine with no cam towers.
With a one-way valve in the spark plug hole do another compression test to see if the rings/cylinders are OK.
If OK, the head goes to the shop for a valve job. Then the engine back together for a test run.
My questions:
The cam towers had a .010" gasket between them and the head.
This means the buttons will need to be reduced by that amount when going to the 515 sealant.
Also, grinding the valves and seats will require further reduction in the buttons.
I am wondering where to start for adjusting the valve lash.
I have a surface grinder for modifying the buttons.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Additionally, I could use torque specs for the head bolts, cam tower bolts and cam covers.
Thanks in advance!
Regards, Ray
Panama City Beach, Florida

Because it was sitting for some time I suspected dirty or rusty valve seats.
I pulled the cam towers, and then the head.
No burnt valves but dirty as were the exposed cylinder walls.
I cleaned the cylinders with steel wool, and then ran a hone lightly to clean them a little more.
While not new, there is no pitting which I was afraid I would find.
The valves show wear and will need grinding. The adjusting buttons have a wear spot where they contacted the valves.
This engine does have some time on it.
Our plan:
I am going to lap the valves and put the head back together and then on the engine with no cam towers.
With a one-way valve in the spark plug hole do another compression test to see if the rings/cylinders are OK.
If OK, the head goes to the shop for a valve job. Then the engine back together for a test run.
My questions:
The cam towers had a .010" gasket between them and the head.
This means the buttons will need to be reduced by that amount when going to the 515 sealant.
Also, grinding the valves and seats will require further reduction in the buttons.
I am wondering where to start for adjusting the valve lash.
I have a surface grinder for modifying the buttons.
Any suggestions are appreciated!
Additionally, I could use torque specs for the head bolts, cam tower bolts and cam covers.
Thanks in advance!
Regards, Ray
Panama City Beach, Florida
