Classic 44 Year old, seized, corroded V8 rebuild thread.....

[Saint.V8]

Well.....that was fun......NOT

Started at 20.15 this evening thusly....

Bought a cheap (£4) saucepan from Tesco and large bottle of vinegar...

Got the small oven thingy that one of our guys uses to warm up hydraulic seals....

And set the pan boiling with water and vinegar....hmmmmm that smells nice, hence why I did it by the open shutter in the back of the workshop!

Here is the tiny gap in the rings I am having to contend with....

Once the water was boiling, in goes the piston with a bent bit of welding wire to hook it out with...

Once boiled for 10 minutes, on with the welding gloves and hold the piston down and try and lever up the ring....

Took 3 dunkings in the pan for 10 minutes each time before I could even get the ring to begin moving...

3 HOURS LATER..............................................................................

Finally got the rings out....albeit in fragments, that was starting to test my patience I have to say.

Only another 7 to go.....but I can seldom afford to take 3 hours per piston!

Any other tips....might try the paraffin/diesel trick as I can then leave to soak for a few days before attacking again....that way I don't have to boil, try, boil, try, boil, try......

It is now just after midnight so I am going home!....and I stink like a fecking chip shop!

 

[jamesmartin]

straight paraffin

 

[Saint.V8]

Will give that a shot, cheers JM.....

 

[Gazbo]

Only another 7 to go.....but I can seldom afford to take 3 hours per piston!

Back in the 60's when I was an apprentice my Dad and I were restoring a 1939 Triumph Speed Twin motorcycle that had been parked under a mulberry tree for many years with bits open on the engine, we, after finally getting the cylinder block off the crankcase and pistons, removed the pistons and realising the rings were unmoveable in the conventional manner carefully machined them out in our lathe using a modified parting tool, but the rings in that were just cast iron with little chrome content and the oil ring was made of the same material, they machined away at low speed until the remains collapsed and broke free of the grooves.
What about turning your protected pistons in a lathe and using a 4" grinder with a slim 1.00mm thick disc fastened in the tool post plunging cut into the centre of the ring.
Just a thought.

 

[wammers]

Well.....that was fun......NOT

Started at 20.15 this evening thusly....

Bought a cheap (£4) saucepan from Tesco and large bottle of vinegar...

Got the small oven thingy that one of our guys uses to warm up hydraulic seals....

And set the pan boiling with water and vinegar....hmmmmm that smells nice, hence why I did it by the open shutter in the back of the workshop!

Here is the tiny gap in the rings I am having to contend with....

Once the water was boiling, in goes the piston with a bent bit of welding wire to hook it out with...

Once boiled for 10 minutes, on with the welding gloves and hold the piston down and try and lever up the ring....

Took 3 dunkings in the pan for 10 minutes each time before I could even get the ring to begin moving...

3 HOURS LATER..............................................................................

Finally got the rings out....albeit in fragments, that was starting to test my patience I have to say.

Only another 7 to go.....but I can seldom afford to take 3 hours per piston!

Any other tips....might try the paraffin/diesel trick as I can then leave to soak for a few days before attacking again....that way I don't have to boil, try, boil, try, boil, try......

It is now just after midnight so I am going home!....and I stink like a fecking chip shop!

It did work though didn't it.

 

[wammers]

You can get more than one piston in the pan surely. Three hours in a pan is better that three weeks in paraffin.

 

[honolulujoe]

have you tried soaking in a solution of molasses?

I recall someone on the series forum putting up some articles about it, iirc it removes rust by reverse oxidation

 

[Grrrrrr]

have you tried soaking in a solution of molasses?

I recall someone on the series forum putting up some articles about it, iirc it removes rust by reverse oxidation

Halloween coming up so could always make treacle toffee afterwards.

 

[Grrrrrr]

You can get more than one piston in the pan surely. Three hours in a pan is better that three weeks in paraffin.

Still think the alloy wheel cleaner might be worth a shot. Test it on the underneath first and have a tap nearby to wash it off. Might get it a tad more porous then wash off and straight into a parafin bath and leave for a few days.

 

[wammers]

Still think the alloy wheel cleaner might be worth a shot. Test it on the underneath first and have a tap nearby to wash it off. Might get it a tad more porous then wash off and straight into a parafin bath and leave for a few days.

I am talking about something i know works not speculating.

 

[Grrrrrr]

I am talking about something i know works not speculating.

Yes, realise that but was trying to speed things up a bit. That Halfords alloy wheel cleaner is probably a bit stronger than vinegar.

 

[wammers]

Yes, realise that but was trying to speed things up a bit. That Halfords alloy wheel cleaner is probably a bit stronger than vinegar.

The idea of the boil and quench, expansion and contraction, with and acidic content is to allow the acid to penetrate the small gaps created and get to the contamination and remove it. It works as demonstrated by Ant. Several two minute boils and cold water quenches will do the job.

 

[honolulujoe]

Halloween coming up so could always make treacle toffee afterwards.

rum would be better though

here is the link the person put up on the series forum, molasses takes a bit of time but does work, I was gobsmacked when I saw the results

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/general-archive/rust-removal-using-molasses-90452/

 

[wammers]

My concern as the wrist pins were seized in the pistons, would be any damage to wrist pin bearing surfaces in piston. Gudgeon pins to you lot.

 

[Saint.V8]

My concern as the wrist pins were seized in the pistons, would be any damage to wrist pin bearing surfaces in piston. Gudgeon pins to you lot.

They weren't seized in piston, they were seized in the conrod.....

But they will be measured in due course.....

Appreciate all the help guys, as I say I have only previously worked on 'working' examples before.....

 

[wammers]

They weren't seized in piston, they were seized in the conrod.....

But they will be measured in due course.....

Appreciate all the help guys, as I say I have only previously worked on 'working' examples before.....

OK Ant. They are supposed to be tight in conrod Ant but maybe not as tight as yours were.

 

[Fergie46]

Wrist pin is an Americanism. Like firewall and rotors.

Two things have occurred to me since yesterday, one is a nice soak in brake cleaner and the other is liberally applying carb cleaner with a toothbrush around the rings and lands, will work better on the oil control rings.

Just a thought.

 

[wammers]

Wrist pin is an Americanism. Like firewall and rotors.

Two things have occurred to me since yesterday, one is a nice soak in brake cleaner and the other is liberally applying carb cleaner with a toothbrush around the rings and lands, will work better on the oil control rings.

Just a thought.

It is indeed, i can't help being multi lingual. Or of course you could use the method that actually works.

 

[Fergie46]

Sorry, forgot to mention carbon tet but this stuff is outlawed these days unless somebody has got a can still!

Saints method certainly works and would be great if it were a 500cc single motorcycle.......but it isn't.

 

[biketeacherdave]

We often use to soak the gas parts of our automatic rifles in lemonade to remove carbon deposits, works a treat