black head?

[ryansmachone]

So as some of you may know I just became the proud owner of a Mach 1 351c 4v. Which has been sitting for 26 years. Today I pulled off the valve covers and the drivers side rocker arms and push rods and such,were burnt black with no oil what so ever. The passanger side was normal looking bronzish goldish color eith very little oil. And not burnt black. What would cause thia and is this a bad sign..

[Steven Harris]

It is odd that there is such a variation between the two sides.

The "burnt black" sounds to me like a dirty motor that has been let to sit for 26 years. Some of those oils back in the day would do that even if maintained regularly.

Why the difference? I have no idea.

Post some pictures if you can and it would help the diagnosis.

[Mustangmike]

It can be a whole handful of different things causing the burnt discoloration on one side and could be as simple as a carburetor adjustment/tune up. But it will be difficult to diagnose if the engine is not running.

Have you had any luck in determining if the motor turns freely by hand or your you able to prime the motor? As Steve mentioned 26 years is a long time for a motor to be sitting. Motors are happy when they are running....that's what they look to do. Even the old tired ones with lots of miles on them. If you can upload some pictures maybe we can take a closer look at what you are dealing with.

[ryansmachone]

Here's a couple of pictures...I have an aluminum intake manifold id like to put on also would you suggested waiting an try getting it running first and tuned or just swap them out now.let me know what you guys think of the picures if you need any pictires of anything else let me know. Thanks a lot guys

[Mustangmike]

Actually the motor is a lot cleaner than I thought it would be. I would not get caught up with the discoloration and would hold off on changing intake manifold at this point. You don't want to put the cart too far in front of the horse or you will have good money chasing bad.

Did you try to turn the motor by hand to see if it spins. If it does, as Steve recommended, you need to prime the motor to see if oil is getting up to the rockers, especially that head you are concerned with. Then you will need spark (points/coil) and gas (carb/fuel pump) to get it running. Bypass the fuel tank and run a hose from a gas can to the fuel pump to prevent contamination. Also, remember to change the fluids (oil, anti freeze) and check hoses before trying to start. Once, and if, the motor starts you will be able to determine what needs to be fixed or if it makes sense to consider a rebuild.

Stay on course and keep us posted.

[JTS71 Mach1]

I agree with Mike as what I'm seeing in the pics looks very good. Other then the fact you can tell it's been a very long time since there has been any oil up there. All looks good. Prime the oil system as Steven described to you in great detail. As long as you get oil at the rockers and she turns freely. You should be able to fire that bad boy up. JTS 71 Mach1

[jrpav]

After you find a good carb. you'll also need to set up some kind of makeshift fuel tank. Be careful with this, you don't want to make a YouTube video! Before you try to start the engine you should do some things to give it a good chance of running:

First, drain ALL of the fluids, disconnect the fuel line from the fuel pump inlet and then take all of the spark plugs out carefully. They may have a lot of carbon build-up on the threads so don't just rip them out because you could ruin the threads in the heads. Turn about 1/2 ~ 3/4 turn and spray some PB-Blaster or WD-40 around the plug seats so that it can work its way into the threads. Let this sit for at least an hour then try to work them in and out (tighten, loosen, tighten, loosen a bit more...).

While you're waiting for the oil to penetrate the spark plug threads, pour some fresh oil in the crankcase and put some coolant in the radiator. You may want to leave the valve covers off so that you can see if oil reaches the valve gear when you crank the motor over. Now return to the plugs. Once all of the plugs are out pour a little Marvel Mystery oil into each cylinder through the plug holes. Crank the motor through a few times by hand. Let this sit for about an hour or more then turn it some more. This will help the pistons, rings and cylinders survive the initial fire-up.

If you make it this far you can try to crank the motor with the starter now (don't put the plugs in yet). If you see oil on the rockers you're in good shape. If you want to do a compression test, now's a good time but don't be too concerned if it's a bit low. The rings are probably not very happy at this point.

Now connect the fuel line to the pump, put the valve covers back on, make sure the distributor + points are set properly (double-check static timing while the plugs are out) and then put the plugs in and crank it up. Listen for any terrible noises and make sure that you have oil pressure (if you don't have a gauge in the car you can get one at the local auto parts store).

Chances are this engine will run. The oil pressure gauge will tell you if you need to drop the pan and look at the bearings. Clevelands have a fairly decent bottom end so you might be OK. Good luck - let us know what happens.