VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1912-1928 Rebuilding 30's engines

I have four old chevy engines from the late 20's to 30's. They are 6 cyl. Are worth anything when rebuilt? I don't want to invest alot of money and be stuck with an engine I can't use.
Jim

The used engines are worth from $ 0 to several hundred dollars depending on condition. Does the crank rotate, are there any cracks? Are the rod and main bearings useable or do they need to be replaced? Pistons and bore ok or need work? Head cracked, valves need replaced or just resurfaced? Rocker arms, shafts ok or need work? Camshaft ok?

It can cost up to $ 3000 to rebuild one depending on what is required. The major problem in determining the cost/value is knowing what is required to get it in first class running condition and/or how much of what was required was actually done and was it done correctly! Rebuilt to one person may be vastly different to another.

Adding to what Chipper Dipper said, old engines such as you have, are usually boat anchors until somebody needs one so you could be sitting on the engines for years. Also, you are better off selling the engines "as is" and let the buyer rebuild the engine for the reasons Dippy Chippy mentioned above.

I was thinking of a complete rebuild. Rod & main bearings pistons, rings, valve job with hardened seats. new or rebuilt oil and water pump, generator etc. Looking at it, the biggest headache would be the distributor but I'm sure I would find lots of headaches. I can get a good deal at an excellent machine shop so I thought it may be worth it.

Jim

The key to getting your money's worth is knowledge of what to do and what not to do. You can spend a bunch of money and end up with junk.

An example is magnifluxing heads for cracks. That should be the second in a stepwise evaluation of a head. First is visual inspection for cracks, breaks, corrosion, stripped bolt holes, determining any warp, etc. If all looks good the magniflux will find the cracks in areas that can be seen. And finally a pressure check to find cracks in areas that can not be seen (like exhaust passages). I have spend good money on a head rebuild only to find it was cracked in a non-visible area. Didn't even make a good boat anchor. Could salvage the valves and other parts prior to deep sixing it.

I have also had rods rebabbitted by someone who claimed to know what he was doing. Worked on many Model As and Ts and a few Chevrolets "without any problems". Job looked really good until some of the new babbitt came loose from the rod and cap. Still have the rods if someone wants babbitt shells (at least that is how they seem. Can install and remove bearing material on rod.)

Now that I have scared a bunch of you, let me say that I have learned how to properly rebuild an engine. We have done 3 '31 engines in the past two years. They are all still running just fine. Had done a bunch of 50s and 60s engines successfully in the past so thought I knew what I was doing. Has only a bit more to learn guided by the Garage Gremlins.

Thanks,
I have built small block Chevy V-8's before but never these antiques, I did realize magnaflux and pressure tests were necessary but like I mentioned, I can get a good deal on the work. My brother was a GM mechanic for many years and is always a valuable source of info but he doesn't know the real old stuff either. Was hoping common sense would get me by. (Famous last words eh?)

Most of the work is just basic engine rebuilding. The babbitt bearings (yes modern bearings have a thin layer of babbitt too) are a bit different because they are not precision (already sized) and need to be line bored or sized. The other major difference is these engines are designed and manufactured (balanced or lack there of) for much slower speeds. The rest is basically the same.

Thank you
I will have to research those babbit bearings. Your right, I haven't had any experience with those. If a machine shop can balance it better will the bearings hold up to higher rpm's?

Balancing the engines will permit higher rpms but not enough to justify more than relatively basic balancing. With only three main bearings the crankshafts are not stable enough to achieve much higher speeds. Besides the suspension, brakes, steering, tires and other parts are not designed for high speeds either. So a little better balancing for comfort is all that is justified.

I highly suggest you get a repair manual from the era of the engines. I will have a reasonably good description of the steps in engine rebuilding. Just remember it was written 70+ years ago so some of the terms and tools were different.

Jim,
I don't think you would be spending your money wisely to rebuild the engines only to offer them for sale. Shipping of a heavy item becomes an issue when your potential customer is 1000 miles away.
You sell the refurbished engine, something goes wrong, the buyer thinks it's your fault, you don't know if he remembered to put in oil and water before start-up.
I'm all for capitalism, but it looks like the potential return is small for the investment and possible problems.
Just my two cents worth.

Mike