So here is my dilemma... I have a 360FE engine in an old truck I
"inherited". The truck's actually in reasonably good shape for being 33
years old so I want to get the engine back to running order with minimal fuss.
It would seem the right head gasket blew, so I'm in the process of removing
the heads. However I noticed that since coolant mixed with oil (though not
nearly as bad as I thought it did) moisture got into places it
shouldn't. For example the valve springs are rusted and will need to be
replaced.
I'm noticing as I pull the heads off, that there is corrosion and gunk
inside the coolant passages, and I want it out. I have not drained the
block yet (I assume just pulling the water pump should accomplish that in
short order, ya?), but I'm wondering ... is it possible to clean all that
gunk outta there without pulling the engine and hot tanking it?
I only have one head off so far, but other than a small (1/4" wide, not
deep just visibly present) groove on one of the cylinders the bores
actually look pretty good, with no noticable oil blow-by. If I pull the
engine and completely strip the block it will be a lot more $$ involved
than just a head gasket, but I fear it may be necessary to get a good
running engine out of it that won't cause problems later on (other than
leaking oil from time to time, which all Fords do).
What are my options here? Do you all think it would be better at this
point to just yank the block and have it tanked, and maybe have the
cylinders rebored and honed since it's out, machine the head surfaces,
etc? I don't want to bolt it back together with the crud in the engine so
if I have to pull it to clean that out, so be it. It's just a big pain...
I guess it's a testament to this engine though, that with bad compression
(and some oil-coated plugs), a shot distributor, seriously messed up carb,
vacuum lines with holes in them (PCV was stuck too), oiled-down coolant,
carbon and gunk a half inch thick in the heads, exhaust manifolds not
sealed against the heads, and gas a year old in the tank, the thing still
ran. Not well, but it ran. That makes me optimistic that with a little
money and patience I should get a strong runner out of it.
Thanks for any input.
- Ralph
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