VCCA Home Forums GENERAL DISCUSSION New User Forum Hello - 1963 c10

Another dumb question...what is this device that I circled? It doesnt appear to have any electric connection yet has a high voltage mark on the label. It looks like it Ts off the heater line/coolant line and connects to the transmission bellhousing area

https://ibb.co/DRbhmFZ

Looks like it could be a tank heater for use in cold weather, for easier starting and faster warm up.

Got the starter working with a new battery and it turns the engine over great when I jump the solenoid. Going to try pressure test round two and also see if my local junkyard can hook me up with a intake/exhaust/carb replacement. Didnt hear any knocking or grinding :)

I was worried after replacing the battery I had absolutely no power to the starter. I took the positive and negative cables off, cut off the ends and drew clean wire, cleaned the ground on the block. After that my starter could turn by jumping the solenoid and tested other power features.. Horn works by jumping it. Radio works surprisingly, it has some 70s fm modulator dangling below it. Some Bulbs on the dash seem to work.

Headlights and turn signals are not working, its a real mess of bad wires and terrible household pigtails.

Be careful now that you have a battery connected. I recommend that you disconnect the negative to ground whenever you are not around the vehicle. There could be bare wires under the dash or hood that you have not seen yet.

Good point! I had it disconnected from the ground mainly because I didnt want random drain, I didnt even think it would prevent a fire.

If there is suspect wiring I would be avoiding that and putting in a temporary wiring that you know doesnt short out but still follow the disconnect when not present for peace of mind.
Tony

I pulled all the ignition wire connected to hot leads. It mainly just fell apart.

When I eventually rewire this, would the following seem accurate.
-positive battery connects directly to 12V positive solenoid post
-S labeled post connects to ignition switch
-8 Labeled post connects to positive side of ignition coil

The solenoid has a "8" where I think most are labeled "R". I havent quite figured out that discrepancy. I attached a picture of what it looked like before I disconnected it and cleaned it up. Look at that green wire, I cant figure out why someone would have wired it like that so carelessly.

https://ibb.co/w7LSVt7

Great that you are working your way through the many issues that older vehicles present to us.

With respect to the wiring, I strongly encourage you to consider buying a complete harness when that time comes. You will be much more satisfied with the end result.

Some Not so good news?
i ran the compression test, several times wet and dry, with a remote starter switch and here are the results:
(Back engine)
4- 30psi
2- 70psi
6- 80psi
3- 55psi
5-55psi
1- No readible psi, around 0 or slightly above 0
(Front of engine)

Any suggestions? The bad Psi from front to rear seems troubling and from what Ive read will need an engine tear down. Ive found a place that can machine the head but for that plus other parts, Ive found a rebuilt 250 with transmission and everything on it for $500 and I can probably knock it down further.

Im leaning on finding an engine that works and doing a swap, then tinker around with the one ive got either for parts or for spare.

Those compressions do indicate trouble with the valves at least especially #1.
If you want to get the truck on the road quick (I think I read you have other issues as well) the $500 engine will get you going quicker.
Tony

Not only that, the 250 is a good engine. It has 7 main bearings and a very balanced crankshaft. they run very smooth.

Well ran out of project money and cant afford to buy it and rent a trailer to haul it home. The owner said it needed a new fuel pump and has sat dormant for years but said it was last rebuilt by a racing guy. It looked really nice but I cant go negative in my budget.

Im going to go head and remove the intake/exhaust and pull the head. I will post pictures of the results. :)

I pulled the intake/exhaust manifold off. I also pulled the head off. The head bolts came off no problem...some pretty nasty corrosion where the coolant comes through the block and almost plugged towards the back. Some flushing will clean it out.

Question...I pulled the head off very easily but I didnt mess with removing the valve stems or other valvetrain parts. I cant imagine I damaged anything since I didnt put any weight on the pushrods as I lifted it out, but Im thinking i got ahead of myself there?

Head looks to have really nasty valves.



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I generally pull the rockers and pushrods before attempting to lift the head as the chance of bending the push rods is then removed. You have a mess in there as you suspected in the 1st place.
Vacuum testing the valves will determine the condition of valves and seats, if they rest to be reasonable you may well need to look at the condition of the rings. The only way to look at that level is to drop the oil pan and undo the conrods to lift the pistons out. If you go that far I would be doing a full rebuild and considering you have mentioned your "play money" was severely restricted so you may not want to go that far.
Tony

Today I cleaned the crapola out of the head. I found a bolt was broken off on the exhaust side. Enough if the bolt head was exposed so i used my dremel and cut a wide slot. I used a very large screwdriver with some pliers on the end and threaded it out easily.

Everything else looks pretty good. The valves are so built up with carbon, it will take some elbow grease to get those cleaned.

My next step will be to remove the valve springs and replace the o rings and clean up the valve stems. After cleaning everything up im going to try checking the pressure again and see if that helps. The valves are really caked on with carbon so it will take some time to do it right and then use some grinding compound to ensure a clean seat.

https://ibb.co/NyrrNL3
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Got a valve stem off finally, the valve stems are crudded badly and the seals have completely deteriorated. Took some elbow grease to convince them to get off the springs.

Finally making some progress again. I cant imagine this engine ran in 30 years from the look of it and probably got garaged for compression issues. The carbon deposits are crazy. I will take some pics when I get a chance

Made it a bit further today. The head is fully disassembled and ready to get cleaned along with the valves etc. I also removed the engine wiring harnesses, pullys, alternator, radiator, and other wiring. Engine is almost ready to get pulled out, I just need to find an engine hoist.

I plan on removing the cylinders and redoing the rings and bearings. The lip at the top of the cylinder wall isnt too bad, shouldnt need anything major. As long as the crankshaft looks good I don't plan on replacing any major components.

So, noticed as I pulled out the harmonic balancer there were no bolts holding it in place. This cant be right! Right? There is a hole in the center and three bolt boles surrounding it. With no bolts, I just tapped it off no problem...

My next few weeks will be spent scrubbing and cleaning...

In other news, I passed on pulling the trigger on a 69 Chevelle. I really want a car as well but one at a time!

Where are you located in Missouri? I'm in Columbia.

Mike

The harmonic balancer is a interference fit, the 3 bolts holes you mentioned I suspect are where you fit a puller for removing the balancer, so if you tapped it of with a hammer you may have damaged the balancer though it may well have been a bit loose to start with.
Tony

Yeah I was definitely careful getting it out with a rubber mallet, but it came off without a lot of convincing. I was worried a bolt snapped off in the block but that verified this is normal.

Also it appears in the center there is some sort of gasket material on the balancer as if the center part is pressed into the pulley? Odd. Stuff on this is so straigjtforward, its been pleasant working on it so far compared to working on my 02' Silverado or even my old Saturn

I will give another update once the engine block is out and fully disassembled.

And Im in the Columbia area as well!

3Bear

Call me at 573 592 1991 (work hours)
or 573 864 6539 (mobile)

Lets get acquainted. Maybe I can help you in some way.

Mike

The outer ring on the harmonic balancer is bonded to the hub through a rubber ring. The rubber allows the outer ring to move back and forth when everything is rotating. That oscillation absorbs some of the unwanted vibrations from the rotating components of the engine.

It is not unusual for that rubber bond to fail with time and miles. The ring typically just rotates around the hub as it wants.

The first time I saw this failure was on my ”˜72 Corvette. I was trying to set the timing. It drove me crazy until I realized that the ring with the timing marks was going wherever it wanted.

Appreciate it! I think I could use some tips once I get to the point of getting the engine back together. I will catch up with you for sure.

I removed the bed wood and bolts and it is ready to get pulled. The frame looks a little wonky and the ghetto trailer hitch has some serious bends in one crossmember. Im not sure how crucial the crossmember is or if it can be replaced.

The trailing arms have bolts rusted through so the suspension is not evenly distributing weight to begin, but seeing that bend in the crossmember is not a good sign for now.

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There is a salvage yard at Chamois, MO called Schollmeyers. They specialize in older model vehicles. It is about a 1hour drive from us. I have their phone number at work.

Mike

Havent had much going on but havent forgot. I built a chicken coop and am also rehabbing a 90's kawasaki mule.

Just picked this circa 70 something chevy 250. It "Should" be a running engine but we will see, I didnt pay a whole lot for it. Its definitely in way better shape then my other 230 block.

https://ibb.co/8KmPwxx