It's time, engine rebuild

So, I finally drove my Scout to a mechanic to get the upper end tapping checked out. Granted I've been driving it this way for years, Ziggy and Randy were both present when I bought it. I was prepared for the worst, but wanted to see if I could squeeze a little more life out of it or just fold the cards. Right off the bat he did a bore scope and found that the valves on #4 were closed and saw that a push rod had snapped and was sitting in the valley , he didn't check the other side but suspected something similar there since it's louder on that side. So, I've probably been running on 6 or 7 cylinders for quite a while . Now, I have another 304 that's been on a stand for a couple years and I think I'm ready to start the rebuild process. So, my question is, does anyone in HCB have rebuild experience? I want to do most of the work myself but when I get to the point of putting stuff back together I'd like to have another set of eyes to make sure I don't Fu@k something up. Also could use some advice before I start, like you should do "this" before you even consider taking on this project, or you'll definitely want to do "this" while you're in there. My plan so far is to drag it out into my driveway and de-grease the hell out of it before taking a pressure washer to it. Then dis-assemble and mark parts/take pics. I want to take the heads to A-line and have them decked, lapped and new valve seals (Chevy style umbrella?) I'd assume it would be a good idea to get new springs and rockers at that point. While they have the heads I can work on the bottom half, assuming the cylinder walls are in spec I'll probably just hone to get a good cross-hatch and do new rings and bearings. Also plan on re-doing all the freeze plugs too.

Anyway, I'm planning to still drive the scout the way it is to the bash, lets see if she makes it!!

 

Take the block, crank and rods to your machine shop also. Have it cleaned and checked. You will spend much more on measuring devices to check everything then they will charge you to do it. If you can still see cross hatches in the cylinders and no major ridge at the top of the bores, you may get away with rings and bearings. Otherwise, see above. You should be able to get some push rods before the bash. You never know...

 

Thanks for the advice Randy. I'm going to take it to the A-line Auto on Rutland Dr. I just spoke to them, I'm going to take heads, block and crank to them. They can boil the block, rebuild the heads and measure the bores and crank. I'm thinking I should probably remove all the freeze plugs so it gets really cleaned out when they boil it.

 

All 10 freeze plugs take 10 minutes to take out. And $20 to. Replace its worth it.

 

Not a bad days work. Is that hole in the valley normal? I looked at a few other torn down motor pics and it looked like they had a similar hole, but mine has really jagged edges. Didn't see any metal chunks in the oil pan, so I assume it's normal.

 

Yes, very normal drain hole on an IH. Is that the back up or did you pull it out?

 

Thanks Randy, that's the backup, finally doing something with it!

 

Engine looks to be in pretty good shape Rob! id be interested to see what it looks like with the plugs removed, if there is a lot of build-up.
great project, keep us updated!!

-Z

 

Hey Ziggy, the plugs were dry but all pretty fouled with carbon, some slight build-up in the exhaust ports and pistons. Overall it looks pretty good, I did have some minor rust in 2 cylinders, probably from sitting. I sprayed them down with WD-40 and manually cranked it over a few times, supposedly it was a running engine that was pulled. Plan to remove main seals, freeze plugs and crank next weekend. Then hopefully soon I'll be able to take everything to the machine shop.

 

Also found a lot of flaky rust in the water pump and t-stat housing. The t-stat was a crumbly mess. I may take some pics to see if it's salvageable or if I need to find something better.

 

T-stat and water pump are cheap insurance - trash it.

 

I get that, I guess I'm more concerned with the rust in the cast housing. I'll take some pics to see if those parts may be salvaged.

 

Get them sand blasted and they will be fine.

 

Hey Rob,
Binder Planet IH Knowledge Base is a Treasure Trove of information from those that have blazed the trail before us. Also, John Fleck (Back Country Binders) has some helpful videos on youtube (BCB4X4LLC) and needs support from the IH community to continue. I remember seeing that knockout in the valley for the first time, along with 5 bent push rods and the rush of terror that came over me. From what I understand, the oil galleys couldn't return ample oil back to pan to keep the engine "happy" so they found a thin spot and POW!

 

I have had good results with "Evapo-Rust". Reusable liquid parts soak. It does evapo it.

 

Thanks all, I took some more pics on my build thread here http://www.binderplanet.com/forums/index.php?threads/project-baby-blue.115682/page-4 I've also been reading up on a bunch of Mayben articles which have made me a bit nervous about putting this all back together correctly. I'm in no rush, so I get to take my time, do research and actually use my manual.

 

Michael Mayben's articles were really helpful when I rebuilt mine. Especially the one for re-build of the rocker assemblies.

 

Yeah, I went down that rabbit hole last night, there was a link from another thread about how to properly install the cam bearings. I was thinking of having the machine shop rebuild the heads, but I'm thinking it might be better for me to go through the rocker assembly. Also sounds like I need to find some metal head gaskets as the composite ones are thicker which could cause issues. Learning........

 

Got the block and all the parts to the machine shop. They looked at my cam and noticed some rounded over lobes and suggested I get a new cam. I see the Isky ones at IHPA, is that the way to go?

 

If Jeff sells them, they must be proven. Can't give you any info on performance differnces. Might give them a call and see how the grind compares to stock - lopey idle, more low end power, etc.