small block heads?

[RetroC10Sport]

305 is good enough for me. Mine will just be a cruiser, no need to be a brawler. But it will have TPI. I jus love the look of the TPI.

 

[Irishman999]

Kinda getting back to topic though. I didn't ask what your situation was on this 305 build? Are you just doing a valve job or looking for heads for an higher mileage 305 short block, or you rebuilding a 305 or what's the situation? I have a feeling you might be barking up the wrong tree all together. If just doing heads, how many miles are on this 305 psitons and rings?

Sure you don't wanna discuss cats ass's anymore? Haha. My engine is actually low mileage, It came out of an 86 car so it has a J code or some crazy ****, something is different about the main oil seal being one piece. The truck sat for 15 years and when I started it 3 intake valves stuck closed and broke the pushrods. Its firing on all the cylinders again but still is not right.

I figured I would start collecting everything to change the heads, cam and intake.

 

[HotRodPC]

Wow, if it the thing sat that long, I'd imagine the rings are probably stuck tighter than a nats ass in their grooves too and likely not going to seal well or scrub the cylinder walls. And if you ever seen a nats ass, thats pretty damn tight. Almost sounds as if there is some internal rust going on. If its not that bad, maybe some good thin synthetic oil, like a 5w-20 and running the thing for awhile might free up some stuck moving parts, replace the pushrods, and of course the valve seals will be dry rotted and hardened, so they'd need replaced. Sitting that long and if its low mileage like you say it is, then I think I'd just get me a re ring kit with a full engine gasket kit, go thru the motor, with a ball hone, new rings, new valve seals, and lap the valves just to clean the seats up, and put it back together and call it good to go for a few years. I'm just not a big fan of 305's, never had one, but know several people from way back in the day when 305 was fairly new in passenger cars and had problems. Now, one of my cheap buy squarebodies does have a 305 in it that doesn't run from sitting so long also, and rats have chewed up wiring etc. Now there you might be able to pull a greased wire out of a rats ass !!! If I could get that thing to run for cheap, I'd consider using it, not expecting alot of power, just to see if I could some fuel economy out of the thing. My DD 3/4 ton is running a 454/Turbo 400 and it drinks gas faster than I do Pepsi.

 

[Irishman999]

The valve seals are definitely shot, It smoke after it sits for a day or so and once its been running a while it clears up. I treated the oil before I started running it with half a can of sea foam, Everything is moving freely again. The engine has well over 1000 miles on it since I got it. I should have done the valve seals back when I had access to a shop and air compressor! It sounds like those rats that chewed up your wires are in for some sick experiments with grease and wire haha.

Just driving around town my pickup gets awesome mileage, I turned down the metering rods a little bit in my Qjet.

 

[Manbearpig]

305 is good enough for me. Mine will just be a cruiser, no need to be a brawler. But it will have TPI. I jus love the look of the TPI.

Haha I was going to do a TPI swap on my 355


Need some parts?

 

[RetroC10Sport]

Truthfully, YES!

I'll be needing, um...Everything. ahaha

 

[crazy4offroad]

I should have done the valve seals back when I had access to a shop and air compressor!

Dad told me a cool way to do them without needing air in the cylinder or removing the head. Make sure the cylinder you're working on is on the compression stroke (both valves closed on the up stroke). Roll it up to about 2" from TDC. Take some 1/4" rope and feed it into the spark plug hole, then roll the engine over by hand to TDC. The rope will get squeezed between the piston and valves before you reach TDC. You can then remove the valve springs/retainers and install your valve seals without worrying about dropping a valve. Of course, back the cylinder off by hand and remove the rope. I'm sure you could have figured that part out on your own.

 

[bucket]

Dad told me a cool way to do them without needing air in the cylinder or removing the head. Make sure the cylinder you're working on is on the compression stroke (both valves closed on the up stroke). Roll it up to about 2" from TDC. Take some 1/4" rope and feed it into the spark plug hole, then roll the engine over by hand to TDC. The rope will get squeezed between the piston and valves before you reach TDC. You can then remove the valve springs/retainers and install your valve seals without worrying about dropping a valve. Of course, back the cylinder off by hand and remove the rope. I'm sure you could have figured that part out on your own.

There is a downside to doing it that way though. I have heard once or twice of the rope managing to get tied in a knot inside the cylinder, lol. You have to be REALLY unlucky for that to happen though.

 

[Irishman999]

Dad told me a cool way to do them without needing air in the cylinder or removing the head. Make sure the cylinder you're working on is on the compression stroke (both valves closed on the up stroke). Roll it up to about 2" from TDC. Take some 1/4" rope and feed it into the spark plug hole, then roll the engine over by hand to TDC. The rope will get squeezed between the piston and valves before you reach TDC. You can then remove the valve springs/retainers and install your valve seals without worrying about dropping a valve. Of course, back the cylinder off by hand and remove the rope. I'm sure you could have figured that part out on your own.

That is absolutely brilliant. I am going to try this.

 

[HotRodPC]

Dad told me a cool way to do them without needing air in the cylinder or removing the head. Make sure the cylinder you're working on is on the compression stroke (both valves closed on the up stroke). Roll it up to about 2" from TDC. Take some 1/4" rope and feed it into the spark plug hole, then roll the engine over by hand to TDC. The rope will get squeezed between the piston and valves before you reach TDC. You can then remove the valve springs/retainers and install your valve seals without worrying about dropping a valve. Of course, back the cylinder off by hand and remove the rope. I'm sure you could have figured that part out on your own.

I have done this before a few times, and it works. LMAO, I actually thought I invented the idea. Guess not.

 

[HotRodPC]

You know, if this is a fairly low to mid mileage motor, and it sounds as if you have the rings loosened up if its not smoking after it warms up, then why not just pull the heads off and either take them to the machine shop for a valve job, but I'd make sure took off little as possible on the resurface, or do it yourself ,and just lap the valves to clean up the seat, install new seal and reinstall. But, if you have a couple valves that stuck bad enough to bend push rods, I'd imagine they may have stuck in the valve guides too, and might have tore up a few valve guides. Just saying, if its a low budget project and you think the bottom end is in good shape, just freshen up the heads and go with it. Save the big bucks for putting into a 350 someday. JMO.

 

[Irishman999]

Thats very good advice and exactly what I want to do, instead im going to buy some rope, 12 pack and some valve seals. Something to do all day i guess haha.

 

[GreaseDog]

its much easier and quicker to thread the adapter into the spark plug hole, put an air hose to it, change the seal, and be done with it. last i checked the adapter was like $6.

 

[Irishman999]

its much easier and quicker to thread the adapter into the spark plug hole, put an air hose to it, change the seal, and be done with it. last i checked the adapter was like $6.

Ya thats a way better idea, but I live in an apartment complex. I have no air compressor so I am thinking about doing the rope trick in the parking lot. It sounds neat, I want to try it.

 

[Swims350]

yea air works if you can do it, like you said, place to do it and tools or if it'll hold air. I had one that wouldn't hold the air, had to jerk the heads off.