WHYDTYTT: What Have You Done To Your Truck Today?

[viven44]

Vivek - Yes, the dogsbody, Baldrick, from the 4 different Blackadder series. We've seen them all as well as The Thin Blue Line plus most other Britcoms, including One Foot In The Grave, Waiting On God, Keeping Up Appearances, Brush Strokes, As Time Goes By, The Vicar Of Dibley, Are You Being Served, and many, many others. The one we couldn't get into is Last Of The Summer Wine and I later worked with a Brit from a village 10 miles from that one and he said even the locals didn't like it. Oh, and of course, Fawlty Towers.

Oh my, that is a big list! I'll need to add many of those to my watch list...

[ArdWrknTrk]

Vivek - Yes, the dogsbody, Baldrick, from the 4 different Blackadder series. We've seen them all as well as The Thin Blue Line plus most other Britcoms, including One Foot In The Grave, Waiting On God, Keeping Up Appearances, Brush Strokes, As Time Goes By, The Vicar Of Dibley, Are You Being Served, and many, many others. The one we couldn't get into is Last Of The Summer Wine and I later worked with a Brit from a village 10 miles from that one and he said even the locals didn't like it. Oh, and of course, Fawlty Towers.

Oh my, that is a big list! I'll need to add many of those to my watch list...

You can't overlook Ab Fab!

[FordFETruck]

You can't overlook Ab Fab!

Did some work to the old engine today. Measured cylinder bores, most cylinders only have .001" taper with the exception of two outer cylinders have .002". I should be able to get the taper out with a lisle 15000 hone and be at .003-.0035" piston to wall clearance when done. I measured an old piston that had a lot of skirt wear and set the dial bore gauge with it, some cylinders at the bottom I was getting 0 clearance where the rings don't ride, some .0005". Scary tight and not sure how that even worked all that time. Took all core plugs, oil galley plugs out, tapped the two by the cam thrust plate for 1/4 NPT so they aren't press in plugs anymore. Lapped the valves on one of the old Edelbrock heads, seems like a lot of micro-welding went on with the exhaust valves. The seats clean up well with a bit of lapping but the valves need cut, or just replaced which is probably what I'm going to do. The intakes all clean up great. I pressed the cam bearings out and I didn't get a pic but I've never seen a set of cam bearings so worn on the bottom half of anything I've ever torn apart with 2-3 times the mileage on them. It'd be nice to know what happened to this engine before I bought the truck, all of the bearings just looked like sand and gravel ran through them.

I also checked the ring gap on a couple of old rings. One was .020", ok that's normal. The other was .040" ring gap. Not quite right lol.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Did some work to the old engine today. Measured cylinder bores, most cylinders only have .001" taper with the exception of two outer cylinders have .002". I should be able to get the taper out with a lisle 15000 hone and be at .003-.0035" piston to wall clearance when done. I measured an old piston that had a lot of skirt wear and set the dial bore gauge with it, some cylinders at the bottom I was getting 0 clearance where the rings don't ride, some .0005". Scary tight and not sure how that even worked all that time. Took all core plugs, oil galley plugs out, tapped the two by the cam thrust plate for 1/4 NPT so they aren't press in plugs anymore. Lapped the valves on one of the old Edelbrock heads, seems like a lot of micro-welding went on with the exhaust valves. The seats clean up well with a bit of lapping but the valves need cut, or just replaced which is probably what I'm going to do. The intakes all clean up great. I pressed the cam bearings out and I didn't get a pic but I've never seen a set of cam bearings so worn on the bottom half of anything I've ever torn apart with 2-3 times the mileage on them. It'd be nice to know what happened to this engine before I bought the truck, all of the bearings just looked like sand and gravel ran through them.

I also checked the ring gap on a couple of old rings. One was .020", ok that's normal. The other was .040" ring gap. Not quite right lol.

Was the cam subject to very strong valve springs and/or lifters that were bottomed out?

Even if the cam lobes look fine, the bearings are much softer.

It only takes a few really laboured cold starts where oil pressure doesn't build immediately.

And once they're worn you never see the same dynamic oil film.

Which rings were worn?

The top ring is assume as cylinder pressure is meant to get behind it and force it into the walls.

If there was still leaded fuel those exhaust seats & valves would look as good as the intakes.

Not that I'm suggesting we go back to poisoning our water, roadsides or ourselves, but there it is.

[FordFETruck]

Was the cam subject to very strong valve springs and/or lifters that were bottomed out?

Even if the cam lobes look fine, the bearings are much softer.

It only takes a few really laboured cold starts where oil pressure doesn't build immediately.

And once they're worn you never see the same dynamic oil film.

Which rings were worn?

The top ring is assume as cylinder pressure is meant to get behind it and force it into the walls.

If there was still leaded fuel those exhaust seats & valves would look as good as the intakes.

Not that I'm suggesting we go back to poisoning our water, roadsides or ourselves, but there it is.

The cam bearings looked the same 11 years ago when I did the cam swap. What I took out was some tiny cam and the springs were pretty weak so I don't think that had much to do with it. All 5 cam bearings were worn in the same manner, but the closer to the front of the engine the more deeply worn they were. I guess its possible the cam bearings weren't replaced when that engine was re-manufactured but I kinda doubt it since it was .030" overbore and .010/.010" on the crank. Not sure, maybe the engine got run real low or out of oil briefly before I bought it.

As far as the worn rings, not sure which were which as I had taken them off the piston a few days ago and had them sitting on the bench. The rings feel really weird in the hand, almost rubbery feeling. I've never felt new or used rings that had that kind of feel when handling them before. Not a lot of tension left.

[ArdWrknTrk]

The cam bearings looked the same 11 years ago when I did the cam swap. What I took out was some tiny cam and the springs were pretty weak so I don't think that had much to do with it. All 5 cam bearings were worn in the same manner, but the closer to the front of the engine the more deeply worn they were. I guess its possible the cam bearings weren't replaced when that engine was re-manufactured but I kinda doubt it since it was .030" overbore and .010/.010" on the crank. Not sure, maybe the engine got run real low or out of oil briefly before I bought it.

As far as the worn rings, not sure which were which as I had taken them off the piston a few days ago and had them sitting on the bench. The rings feel really weird in the hand, almost rubbery feeling. I've never felt new or used rings that had that kind of feel when handling them before. Not a lot of tension left.

Sounds likely, as I'm pretty sure you stay on top of oil consumption.

My those pistons seem tight at BDC. 😳

I have to assume they're cast, or they would have scuffed much worse than you seem to describe.

[FordFETruck]

Sounds likely, as I'm pretty sure you stay on top of oil consumption.

My those pistons seem tight at BDC. 😳

I have to assume they're cast, or they would have scuffed much worse than you seem to describe.

The engine never really used any oil until the last couple of years, then it was 1 quart every 1000-1500 miles but who knows if someone did an oil change and forgot to put oil in before starting or something. It had cheap cast pistons in it, the skirts have quite a bit of scuffing on both sides on all of them all the way up to the oil rings. I can catch a lot of the scuffing with my fingernails but the bores are pretty scuff and scratch free though.

[ArdWrknTrk]

Danny - I'll try to remember to get the dimensions tomorrow afternoon. But don't hesitate to remind me if I don't.

Jim - Yes, we are watching that. Our son and family just got home to Palm Beach Gardens today from North Carolina, coming right through where that is going to hit. But our daughter and family on James Island are in for it. And she works at the hospital up near Duck Ditch and I doubt she'll be able to get there or get home. And your sister is in for it as well.

Vivek - Yes, the dogsbody, Baldrick, from the 4 different Blackadder series. We've seen them all as well as The Thin Blue Line plus most other Britcoms, including One Foot In The Grave, Waiting On God, Keeping Up Appearances, Brush Strokes, As Time Goes By, The Vicar Of Dibley, Are You Being Served, and many, many others. The one we couldn't get into is Last Of The Summer Wine and I later worked with a Brit from a village 10 miles from that one and he said even the locals didn't like it. Oh, and of course, Fawlty Towers.

I well remember when you couldn't get to the emergency room right across the bridge.

Charleston is literally a delta, it's no wonder that flooding is a big issue when offshore storms drive tidal surge and back it up (even without 25"/625mm of rain!)

IDK what the total elevation is at James Island, but I hope they heed evacuation orders if they come.

Mother nature is powerful and unforgiving.

[Gary Lewis]

I well remember when you couldn't get to the emergency room right across the bridge.

Charleston is literally a delta, it's no wonder that flooding is a big issue when offshore storms drive tidal surge and back it up (even without 25"/625mm of rain!)

IDK what the total elevation is at James Island, but I hope they heed evacuation orders if they come.

Mother nature is powerful and unforgiving.

It looks to me like they are ~20' above sea level from what this James Island topo map shows. That surprises me as I don't remember a hill of any kind between their house and the water, and I've driven it many times.

A few months ago they had some torrential rains and Ian got his kayak out and paddled down the streets in the neighborhood. But there was no water close to the house. So hopefully they will have a similar experience this time.

[ArdWrknTrk]

I well remember when you couldn't get to the emergency room right across the bridge.

Charleston is literally a delta, it's no wonder that flooding is a big issue when offshore storms drive tidal surge and back it up (even without 25"/625mm of rain!)

IDK what the total elevation is at James Island, but I hope they heed evacuation orders if they come.

Mother nature is powerful and unforgiving.

It looks to me like they are ~20' above sea level from what this James Island topo map shows. That surprises me as I don't remember a hill of any kind between their house and the water, and I've driven it many times.

A few months ago they had some torrential rains and Ian got his kayak out and paddled down the streets in the neighborhood. But there was no water close to the house. So hopefully they will have a similar experience this time.

According to that map my sister is 16m (~40') above sea level, but it doesn't seem to matter when the river backs up.🤷‍♂️

🙏 & for all of them.