Engine Prep Step 1

While the final pieces are being blasted for priming for installation I wanted to seal up the engine and power wash it.

I installed spare valve covers, lifter valley cover, and oil pan.  I cleaned up the matting surfaces and then sealed the openings on the block and heads including water jackets, intake and exhaust ports etc.

With the top end of the engine sealed up I flipped the motor over on the stand and installed an oil pan with RTV to keep the water out of the bottom end.

With the engine sealed up it is ready for a good soaking of Gunk and exposure to the sun to get bake in before power washing.

After a good soaking of Gunk and a days warm up in the Arizona Sun on a 104 degree day I was ready to hit it with the power washer to see what it looked like under 50+ years of oil and grease and dirt.

After a good wash and a little more sun to dry I have a good idea of what the motor looks like and what will need to be done to prep it for installation of the blasted and new parts and priming for paint.

With most of the grease and dirt gone what is left is rust and stubborn backed on oil , some paint, casting and edges that I will remove before priming.  I made a pass with some wire wheels that took off the remaining oil and dirt leaving only the rust and casting flash

I wanted to make the engine paint job look a step above just a respray so I am grinding and sanding to smooth out the block and heads for a better finish on the final paint. I started with my little 1/2″ detail belt sander to clean up a small area.

With the block and heads cleaned up I removed the temporary valve covers, lifter valley cover, oil pan and front cam gear cover/water pump.  With the cooling ports exposed I flushed the motor cooling passages and block water drain.

I installed the freshly blasted oil pan and lifter valley cover. I primered the intake manifold ,valve covers and front cam gear cover