49 Chrysler with no compression

Ah, ya got me thinking back some 30 years...
Back then I did a valve job on several sidevalve (L-head) engines.
As I remember, you would just remove the tappet covers on the side of
the block and with a special L-Head valve spring compressor (looks
like a giant tweezer), compress the valve springs until the keepers
are removed and then each assembly would easily come apart. The valve
is then extracted from the top of the engine , the springs are removed
from the side cover cavity and away you go....

I even used the suction cup type hand valve twirlers,Prussian blue and
grinding compound to resurface the valve seats.

Doug

 

When I was first learning to tinker with engines and rebuilding a
one-lung Kohler back in the early 70s, my Dad dug out his valve-spring
compressor like you describe. He told me you had to have a "regular"
valve spring compressor for side-valve engines and couldn't use the
"special kind for overhead valve engines."


compress the valve springs until the keepers

That's my recollection too- you cannot get the springs out unless you
lift the valves to get the stems up high enough to let the springs
slide out. To install, you have to hold the compressed spring "stack"
(with retainer and any shim needed) in place and drop the valve through
it, stick the keepers on the stem (thick grease works great) and
carefully release the spring comprssor so that the retainer captures the
keepers.

Yep, that Kohler was the first and last time I ever did that job, too.
With the advent of hardened valve seats and 3-angle valve jobs, grinding
just kinda faded into the sunset.

 

On Sep 5, 12:16?am, Doug <sparks06524nos...@

The valve

Doug and et al

And the keepers start their journey to the oil pan unless the oil drip
passages/holes are blocked. Then the oil pan and probably the engine
comes out for sure!

If the OP is going to keep this car it is time to pull the engine and
get on with things.

Bob AZ

 

yeah of course, i didn't read the Motor's manual until after I dropped
the collet into the engine. It says plainly to put a rag over the
holes.

.......... you make it sound like flathead sixes are easily found
nowadays.. I've only seen a couple so far for sale on the
internet... none really seemed like anything to woohoo about. The
best lead so far is a 218 from a truck in Baltimore, but that's a bit
far for right now.

 

Just rebuild what you've got. The average corner machine shop that does
50 small-block Shivvies a week may not want to do it, but its still a
routinely serviced engine. LOTS of old industrial equipment is still
running around with Chrysler flathead power, not to mention collectors'
cars.

 

You already have an engine. Just rebuild it. The parts are still
available and you can find a local machine shop to do that kind of
stuff.

A couple of thoughts for you from a guy that has old Chrysler
products.

Find a mailing list for people with your era of car. For example I am
a member of the Imperial Mailing List, c-body mailing list and Forward
Look mailing list. Right now I'm sure it seems like you are the only
one in the world doing what you are doing but there are lots of folks
in to the same things and they can be an invaluable resource for
finding parts and information. This is a great group but truthfully
there probably aren't more than a handful of people here who have
knowledge of this car.

Unless you are going to totally mod the car don't go screwing around
and putting the wrong parts on it. As great as you think the car is
right now one day you will want to sell it and get something else. The
more "screwed-with" the car is the lower its value to a serious
collector and they are the ones willing to pay good money for a car.
(throw this advice out the window if you are going to mod the whole
car). I just sold a '68 Newport convertible that was shipped out of
the country. The new buyer paid good money for the car specifically
because it was "correct" and hadn't been modified. All the parts are
still out there but they are a whole lot harder to find than '57 Chevy
parts

You are going to learn to have patience in this process! Seven years
ago when I got my '59 Imperial I was horrible about wanting everything
done NOW! After seven years with this Imperial I have totally been
cured of this. The roadblocks are constant and it takes weeks to get
stuff to get around the road blocks.

One of the greatest things about this type of old car is that there
aren't that many, so people love to see them. Honestly my '59 is now
mechanically in excellent shape but still ain't pretty. When I take
the car to local cruise nights you see the people run right past the
row on fifty thousand dollar '57 Chevys to look at my 5 thousand
dollar '59 Imperial. It's a tremendous amount of fun. Every time I
stop with it there is someone that wants to know about the car
standing there when I return. Also great fun.

Steve B.

 

Steve,

You are correct... I know you didn't need me to tell you this, but I
realised it after reading your 'article'... lol The car has been
sitting for nearly 30 years already, so i definitely shouldn't expect
it to be a fast restoration.

I just need to get it going well enough (and safely enough) to ride
around my 87 year old grand-dad ... he's really looking forward to
riding in it again..

 

meant to say this in the last post, but ..

guess i'd better get to work on this one as well... it's not getting
any younger either.

http://a25.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/98/l_961c29670556743ec963fce04b596940.jpg