So now I'm a DPO. I was going to post some pics of these really bad parts I had but can't find them. We cleaned out the garage recently and may have scrapped them!!
Anyway, one of my wall of shame items was a piston. '80LE was brought to me to install an Overdrive. When I started it to put it in the middle bay, it felt like it was "running rough" and sounded like it was on it's last leg but there was no mention of that when it was dropped off.
I'll typically start with the carb and work my way down. I started with the air cleaner. It was aftermarket Weber downdraft with one of those rectangular chrome covers. When I removed the cover, there were small bolts in the carb opening and were there so long, they actually wore out the metal. For the life of me I could not figure it out and then it dawned on me....The small bolts holding the air cleaner on were mismatched. WOW. someone let the bolts fall into the carb and didn't realize it.
Since it was running rough, and the engine was coming out anyway, I decided to pull the head. One of the pistons looks like it was attacked with an ice pick!! Some how a bolt got sucked into the piston chamber, bounced around and must have made it past a valve and into the exhaust. Never found it. I decided to reuse the bolt I found in the Carb to put the air cleaner back on when I was done with the project. Thought it was fitting to do so!