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Back, after selling my 58 98 and my 64 dynamic88, I am back with a 62 Cutlass. 215 4bbl auto. I "thought" it was a pretty good deal at 7k, but time will tell. The car is complete but the motor is out. All original, which is the way I go as much as possible.
The story is the engine was rebuilt by a remanufacturing company and has the "heat tags" on it, supposedly they melt if the engine over heats? I have been dealing engines since the 70s and never heard of them. So the engine was pulled because the PO heard a ticking sound and thought the cam had gone. That is as far as he/she went. The interior is very nice, the paint is poor but passable from a distance. It is a repaint with bad prep.
So I wanted to put it on my test stand and run it to determine the "tick" before putting it back in the car. I am leery of mounting the rear of the engine on my mount straps for fear of breaking off the aluminum ear. So debating just stuffing the engine back in the car to hear it run.
See pics. Comments? I know I need a spin on adapter.
Thanks for reading, Steve
That engine weighs 320 pounds fully dressed. That's less than a 455 short block. Two people can hand carry one out of a wrecking yard from the exhaust manifolds (well, at least back in my young and stupid days... ). You're not going to break anything on the motor. I'd be far more concerned about the bolts you have on your chain, which do not appear to be grade 5 or better. Also, the bolts and tabs should be bolted up firmly to the motor - as you have it you are bending the bolts, which means there's a much lower failure load than in pure shear.
Thank you gentlemen, I appreciate the kind words and the great advice. The engine is on an engine stand now. Valve covers and oil pan are off. Plugs are out and they look new. I can rotate the crank and it stops, then will continue if I put more pressure on the crank. The motor was remanufactured. Maybe a stuck valve is what I am hoping, maybe bent now, the word I got is the engine developed a tick and it was pulled out as they thought it had a flat cam and left. Why pull the motor for a flat cam, I do not know. Oil was black, some sludge in the pan, timing chain appears to have surface rust so I think it sat for a long time.
I was trying to see the cam lobes from the bottom, so far none appear flat and not a lot of metal in the pan.
I just stopped for lunch so I will go snap a few pics and continue to investigate for a stuck valve.
Thank you again, and I will do a better job of hoist connection.
Steve
Thank you Greg,
Still working on it slowly, mostly cleaning parts.
I got a complete timing cover with the oil pump from a local wrecking yard that specializes in GM. Dan's Garage in Kennewick.
The cover was a mess but after cleaning it up looks pretty good. But I will use the original cover, it cleaned up better, just had to make a good oil pump out of the parts.
Got the valve covers and oil pan clean enough to paint.
Doing a lot of research. I do not have the shop repair manual yet, but it is on order. I am still trying to figure out if this motor is supposed to have an oil slinger on the front of the crank shaft. I hope the manual will tell me, no one here seems to know as I have asked. The engine is a remanufactured and there was not one when I removed the timing cover. And it was strange the timing chain was rusty, like it never had much if any oil on it, nothing else inside the motor showed any signs of rust.
I did pull the piston and the bearings look good and I carefully deburred the high spots on the piston and the head. So my plan is to put it back to gether and see if I can carefully mount it to my test stand and run it before installing.
I got some parts in last night, timing set and gasket set.
I hope to get it back in the car soon as next week my brother in law's cousin is brining over his 57 Buick Century that was not been started since 1988. It may be here a week from today and he wants me to get it on the road.
But still lots to do yet. I want to replace the idler arm, looks like it will be much easier with the motor out, still need to check the brakes and wheel bearings but I am hoping they are good as someone has put some effort into this car as it has a new exhaust system and shocks already.
Well we shall see.
Thanks again for the interest Greg, I will see if I can add some picture.
Have a great weekend,
Steve
Back with progress and some questions.
Finally got parts and engine is back together, preparing it for a test stand run. Getting a fan belt and some hoses today.
I am to a point where someone else has done removal and am looking for missing parts, IDing parts and figuring out how the P/S pump was attached. I think I am missing a bracket. Can someone post me a picture of their stock installed P/S pump please? Most that I see online are manual steering. And the book does not show anything.
I am going for the dual master cylinder, going to try the trick with the s10 unit, it is on order, I would like to have that completed before the engine install. I have run all new steel brake lines. I am thinking there is a bracket between pully and pump? Not sure but I think the L bracket is for the battery tray? Due to amount of corrosion is my thought. Other bracket holes line up with left head bolt holes.
Pics attached.
Thank you for your assistance,
Steve
I got the motor in, been working under the dash the last few days. Got the P/S bracket from the bay, it is off a Buick but it looks like it fits. I got the two lett brackets IDd but there is a 3rd bracket I am unsure of, I am guessing it is for an A/C car? The manual does not show any illustrations for the P/S. The bracket in question is the one on the lower right.
Thank you,
Steve
Thank you for the reply, not sure what you are referring to, the remains of what I think is a cotter key or the marks it left in the head.
Yes the Olds motor is much more user friendly at this time, specially as I am now cleaning out the water jackets on the Buick, found an old freeze plug left in the water jacket, preparing to power wash it now.
I picked up a universal heater control valve for the Olds, going to see if I can make it work, painting the P/S brackets, hope to have the Olds running by the end of the week, the Buick? Not so much.
Steve, I love the progress your are making, You are making me tired just watching the Olds here and Buick on AACA your are working on, WOW I have to go and rest.
Thank you for the reply Bob. Sorry I made you tired. You have a 58 what? I had a 58 98 I resurrected from my neighbor,s shop, it sat for over 20 years. Had no reverse so he never did anything with it. I rebuilt the motor then fixed the trans without having to pull it. Was a few years ago, so I don't remember what was broke but was not a big deal. Sold it. Here are a few pictures of it, before and after. Well maybe it is after and before. Now I am wishing I still had it, but then I probably would not have the 62 F-85, which I have not driven yet but the wife thinks it is "cute", meaning I think she wants to drive it. She rode in the 58 but no way she wanted to drive it, was too big. So the 62 is coming together, I have neglected posting any pictures so here are a few as it went together. Working on the P/S brackets then I need to get it back in the air to tie in the exhaust system then bleed the brakes and who knows what else will pop up.
That's
it for now Bob, have a great weekend and a happy Halloween!
Steve
Steve, I am all rested up now lol, I like model year 58, I had 2 58 Chevy's, 1 Bel Air and 1 Biscayne at the same time, sold both, then the next town over from me guy was selling a 1958 Buick Special, went to look at it and test drove it, was running on 6 cylinders, the guy doubled the asking price and would not come down, so I left. Body shop in town was selling a 58 Oldsmobile 88, it was going to be a father and son project, it sat for 10 years and they did nothing, so the son wanted to sell it, I looked at car, needed work, but I was up for it,it was a rose colored 4 door, then the father came out and said he changed his mind, did not want to sell? 2 weeks later the guy called with 58 Buick Special and went down to his original asking price and I bought it, so that is the 58 stories. Looking at your 58 Olds brings back a lot of memories of what could have been with Oldsmobile.
Keep up the great work on both cars here and on AACA forums, your detail and photos are awesome,
Thank you both for the positive reply's. I kind of took the afternoon off today, trying to finagle a heater valve system for the Olds. I did go to the parts house for some curved heater hose. I painted the P/S brackets, going to give them one more coat tomorrow. I have 3 power steering pump brackets, but I think I only need to use 2 of them, I am thinking the other is for an A/C compressor. That is my guess anyways, I have had no response to my previous question on the brackets, so maybe I will put something in the steering section. I have no idea what shape the P/S pump is in, so I will just go with it and see if it works.
I still need to bleed the brakes on the Olds, see how the updated master cylinder works. I used a new one for a 98 chevy luv truck as per another thread. I did fit pretty good so we shall see. Need to redo the fuel line, put some gas in it, the PO had installed an electric fuel pump so I will pump some fuel through the lines and see how dirty or clean it is. I did install a regular fuel pump.
One of the hood bolts had broken off and someone drilled a hole in the side and bent the bolt mount but my neighbor has a stud puller and said he can fix it, so we will see how that works out.
That is about it for now, thanks again for the interest, I will post some more pictures as I go along.
Have a great week,
Steve
September 9th, 2022, 09:15 AM
). You're not going to break anything on the motor. I'd be far more concerned about the bolts you have on your chain, which do not appear to be grade 5 or better. Also, the bolts and tabs should be bolted up firmly to the motor - as you have it you are bending the bolts, which means there's a much lower failure load than in pure shear.
