Spring Cleaning gone too far...
 

...Well finally decided to wait no longer for some normal spring weather and jumped in with both feet on my long overdue top end refreshing.

I've been dealing with some blow by that was very minor but progressively increasing.
Most noticeable during start up after car sat for a week or so and also during deceleration when running her though her paces.

As any of us I wasn't really wanting to tear her down but enough was enough.

First task was to have the carb gone though as it too was showing signs of needed service.
i.e. increasing seepage during periods of idleness and slight stumble on hard acceleration when called into to road duty.

With just a mild overhaul needed, since there were no real issues. Only made a few minor adjustments and there was a noticeable improvement in response
so back off it came and onto the next task, Top-end tear down.

Since I've had no major problems this should be a fairly uneventful process, more about cleaning her up and making a few more corrections to detail items.

I'll be sending the head over for a thorough inspection and addition of some Viton valve seals...

Can't tell you how much I hate the cold...
 

...Attempting to get this buttoned up before show season I've jumped right it,
well it took 2 seasons but you get it ;)

I really thought a multi wheel creeper was the answer but that POS went to the shed.
I love the feel of cold concrete in the morning! :D

Man I was really thinking I was having valve seal issues,
now realizing the amount of the exterior cascade of lovely honey brown burnt oil residue on the rear DS of the block,
it's clear that my cam house gasket was going-away.

I'll still be sending the head out just because...

Do I see a flat lobe in there?
:D

I know the feeling ! I went over the top on cleaning too....pictures tell the story

1: Tired Sprint motor to be re-built in next off season
2: Side by side old & new (by way of R.A.D. auto machine)
3: Ready to go in....
4: In, but lacking all those little things that make it work
5: All In ! & sounds great !

No Sir, she runs strong, It was the oil puff and drips that drove me to this.

Not bad if I think about it, it's been 16 years and lots of miles since my last go-through.
So it's just time for a Freshening up.

It's funny how one thing leads to another & another & another.
I just sorry I drug my feet so long to get it done.

I was amazed how much gasket related issues I've come upon.
Also forgot how GD heavy this head is!

This also allows me to address several detail items as well as a few minor electrical issues.
Also found the radiator needing a good cleaning and so on and so on...
:D

Digging Deeper and Deeper into the bay...
 

...Head is off to ABACUS Racing, they are the only local shop I would have do anything to the Cammer, They know their sh!t.

Lots of tedious masking/protecting and then into the grunt work of meticulously getting here cleaned up. After rolling her back and laying down a few sheets of heavy mill plastic I then proceeded to get her done, I think I now own every conceivable shape and size wire brush :D

I know some would think this far in I should have just pulled the engine but I didn't see this to my advantage.

I know what you mean, I pulled the engine after getting my hands on a TH350 & figuring it just made sense to pull the engine to make the trans. swap easier. Which led to replacing the radiator with a cold case, which led to cleaning and repainting the radiator support, which led to cleaning & repainting the front clip, & while were here lets get to the front end bushings and steering links. If I pull the exhaust it will be a lot easier to get the front end back together & engine/trans back in. Which led to doing a full "true" dual exhaust....and so on and so on.....
I'm beginning to sense a pattern here.........!?
Thank god I'm retired.....I don't have time for a job.........
Funny I don't remember being this sore after working on a car all day.........

It's the little things...
 

The second to last image posted prior was just after thorough cleaning and a wash/wipe down with lacquer thinner.
I could have left it, as most of the oil cleaned off nicely and the paint held up surprisingly well.
But since it was showing a bit of age I figured WTH re-paint everything.
Besides maybe the fumes will help overcome the back pain ;)

Not wanting to subject the cam/housing to a full disassembly as well as not even considering putting it in the sand box,
I went with paint stripper to remove all the paint layers for a fresh coat.
Taking no chances I mounted the housing on a solid board with a 1/4" rubber sheet as a gasket to prevent anything from getting into the underside.
Over cautious, yea a bit :)

Another minor detail was the filler tube my original rubber plug was rock hard so I decided it was time to remove and replace.
However a suitable replacement could not be had so I went with a chrome snap in plug and just gave it a once over in the sand box.

The other filler related detail is the correct AC push on breather cap.
The OE caps were black and no one I am aware of offers a black cap short of a once in a blue moon NOS at 100$, NO THANKS!
There is a chrome reproduction cap that will work just fine, so taped, blasted and I'll finish it off in a high temp semi black to mimic the original.

Lots of little things to keep me busy while I wait for the head to return along with some warmer weather, I HOPE!

Very nice work as always Jeff..........


I don't want to hijack your thread, just borrow it to say I took the opportunity to install a new thermostat in my OHC yesterday. I grabbed a bucket, wiped it clean, drained the antifreeze into the bucket and went to the parts store to get a new thermostat and gasket. I swapped it out and go to add the antifreeze back in to the radiator and my bucket is empty.
At my age of 66 I had a moment of pause to ask myself, did I already pour it back in?:knock:

And then I see this tiny crack in the bottom of the bucket and then I look under the car and the cardboard I had placed under the engine for drips, is now soaked in antifreeze.

Ahhhhhhhhh I laughed at myself :pand the whole incident. I thought when it ain't broke don't fix it came to mind. So be careful.......Murphy's law is lurking when you least expect it. :(

Well off to get new antifreeze. I guess it was time to change it out ...anyway, as I console myself.

Now back to Jeff's regularly scheduled program.................:D

My wife's car indicated it was low on coolant....no obvious leaks. I kept putting coolant in, then I found where it was going.........into the passenger side carpet.

Had to disassemble the whole cabin to clean out the mess and replace the heater core.

George

Loving the pictures! 16 years of service is pretty good. Those cylinders look beautiful. That head is 73lbs without all the valves and springs!

Life is good huh George............;):D

Yeah, as long as Mama's happy.

Cam Housing
 

One last final cleaning before re-paint.
As mentioned I went with chemical spray stripper over blasting.

I chose Rust-Oleum Aircraft Remover as it was recommended and safe on Aluminum.
Used well over half a 18oz can but the housing cleaned up fantastic.

Not looking forward to re-doing the fin and lettering detail painting.
I had a hell of a time 16 years ago,
so I'm sure its going to be even more fun this time around.

Now to go find some Mr Magoo detailing googles :D

Way back when I had my cammer, I painted the cover with black wrinkle and removed the paint from the fins. That took a bit of work too. Looking back, don't remember WHY I did that...thought it was cool, I guess.

George

Yeah I went the lazy route, painted the ribs/logos red, the rest Pontiac blue, then sanded off the ribs to bare metal.

That's how I did it and it isn't the lazy way, it's the SMART WAY!!!:clap2::clap2::idea::thumbup::whoo::hooray:

To Paint or not to Paint...
 

Not so much lazy as much as just a PITA
If it wasn't such a part of the 1966 I would likely not bother, it's a tedious task with my nearsightedness and not so steady hands anymore.

My first OHC engines always received the full paint, below is one of the first intakes on the bench. Over time I implemented a little creative freedom and stated to paint my intakes with Cast-Iron coating. I was considering going full blue again, but thought about it and said no.

The detailing went away with 67, 68 & 69 (last 3 pics) So ill stay with it.

BREATH little OHC BREATH
 

Since little to no information on our sixes really exist, I find that factory/GM promotional shots and ads are a great source.
This early hood-less 1966 Sprint engine images is one I've always admired and somewhat used as a guide to detailing.
If you examine this photo you will notice lots of neat little details the black AC breather is one;
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/872/4...d5f08b68_o.jpg


While freshening up the bay I will on occasion look around the web for detail info and items.
Before I blasted the shininess off this re-pop cap I considered looking for a possible NOS and
had mentioned how sometimes the prices exceed reality well this one takes my thoughts on this to a new level...
https://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-AC-FB-8...19.m1438.l2649

I'll stick with my faux recreation ;)