'69 1600 Loss of Power

[Amskeptic]

Search around for good/rebuilt ones. I have been finding pretty good deals and they seem to be working out okay.

I will thanks. (New SPs are NLA anyway.) I've had good luck with them too, actually unless I get a big vacuum leak.

Follow through with the forensics here. Pull that valve and look at its seating surface. If you do not determine exactly how the engine screwed up on you, then you will be beset with guessing and paranoia and generalized anxiety.

It very well could be that a soft (at time of manufacture) seat made that clearance close up, which made it not close all the way which leaned out the mixture and gave you an effectively-only-a-three cylinder engine only at speed in the beginning phase when valve was hot and stretched, which then delivered you to a piston-seizure marks, etc.

Let me know your exhaust valve seat width. Below is Squareback January 2008

Initial Presentation:



Normal Seat Width #4E


Abnormal Seat Width #3E

[Hippie]

I'll take a look at the seat, but with all the carbon burned off the dome and pistons, me thinks hot from vacuum leak.
I haven't done squat with it for a few days. Too busy and depressed.

[Amskeptic]

I'll take a look at the seat, but with all the carbon burned off the dome and pistons, me thinks hot from vacuum leak.
I haven't done squat with it for a few days. Too busy and depressed.

Hippie this might be a chicken and an egg moment. Do not conclude that the (A) "vacuum leak" (B) toasted the engine when it well could be that the (1) soft seat closed a valve clearance, which then caused a (2) "vacuum leak" which (3) heated up the engine but good ... unless you have identified a vacuum leak that presented its proof while you were disassembling the engine. Think with the discipline of those aircraft accident reconstruction experts.
Colin

[Hippie]

Hippie this might be a chicken and an egg moment.

There was a rather large, deceased chicken lodged between the manifold and the head. How did you know?

Actually, I see what you mean, but the seat would have had to "collapsed" pretty quickly, as the valves had been holding adjustment well and up until about 600 miles before this happened.
Come over and help me fix it? I'm tired of it already.

[Amskeptic]

Come over and help me fix it? I'm tired of it already.

Install a 72,000 btu closed combustion cell heating system in the garage with 300,000 lumens halogen floodlights + illumination enhancement mirrors, and I'll be right there.
Colin

[Hippie]

I got light. The garage is built into the house. Easy to boost the heat, but it never gets that cold as it is surrounded by ground and heated space. Unfortunately that doesn't help because the bus won't fit. Blah!

[ruckman101]

Even with lower tire pressure?


neal

[Hippie]

Even with lower tire pressure?


neal

Ya. it's like 8 inches too short, IIRC.

[Amskeptic]

Even with lower tire pressure?


neal

Ya. it's like 8 inches too short, IIRC.

Who needs a bus in there? It's the engine we're dealing with.
Colin

[ruckman101]

True dat.


neal

[Hippie]

Who needs a bus in there? It's the engine we're dealing with.
Colin

Wellllll...you metioned having my garage heated...The engine is acually in the house an a heated, carpeted, well lit room.
I got it on a 4'x4' piece of 1/4" plywood on top of a 12' x 12' tarp. Keeps the carpet clean. It's old carpet, but still....

So when you coming? LOL

[hambone]

Oh yeah I'm sure Mr. K would really enjoy a hearty Iowa winter, powder snow blowing 1,000 miles across the prairie.

[ruckman101]

It's a dry cold.


neal

[hambone]

Goes right thru ya like a knife. I have never experienced a cold colder than the Midwest.
Although this 100% humidity NW Winter stuff is a contenda.

[sped372]

It's a dry cold.

That made me laugh! I for one am not quite ready for the onset of winter yet.



Yuck.