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Well I went ahead and did it, I bought a 50 Super Eight from a guy named Don in Centrailia, WA and dragged it home. It displaced my boat which will be sold this spring. The body was in good shape and the chrome was OK too. New wide whites and I'm in. the only problem was that no matter what I do I can't make it run. I changed the whole spark system from the points to the plugs, and I mean everything. I discovered that the PO had added an electric fuel pump and disconnected the mechanical one, so new fuel pump, filter, and carb. Still not a peep, oh it made a feeble attempt to run with 12 volts and a lot of cranking. So on to the compression check. Cold it had 40lbs max in any cylinder, even with oil soaking. I checked the timing too (forgot to mention that as well as firing order).

After 2 months of dinking with the motor I have decided to pull the head and valve covers to see what's going on inside. I hope I find stuck valves, otherwise it's coming out for an overhaul.

Meanwhile I'm digging through the electrical system and buying up parts to get the interior ready for new seats side panels and headliner....the things we do for fun.

I'll begin the photo shoot next.

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Well the head is off and the cylinders are black with carbon (valves too). So I mic'd the cylinders and they all seem to be about .006-.008 oversize with very little taper. The plan now is to pull the engine and clean out the carbon, check the valves and grind them. Pull the pistons and inspect. Put in new rings and reassemble the motor.
I'll be adding pictures later.

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If you're going to use the original pistons in slightly worn bores, you might consider either installing a set of piston expanders or knurling the skirts for a snugger fit. And also consider whether the ring grooves need to be cut oversized (especially the top one) and fitted a ring spacer. Were it mine, I'd also think about OS wrist pins and new pin bushings.

It is not necessary to remove the engine to do the work you mentioned. Engine overhauls - rings, bearings, valves - were/are commonly done with the engine in the car.

Concerned that you could not get the engine to run. The work you are proposing may not fix the non-starting problem.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

(o{}o)

Edited to delete the paragraph about cylinder taper measuring as Mark indicated he checked the taper.

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That's the most likely reason for the no-start. At a guess, you'll find the rings frozen in the pistons.

I'd pull the pistons, use a glaze-breaker hone, new rings, grind the valves and seats. Wash thoroughly. Assembly is the reverse of disassembly.

jack vines

Great input!
I will be pulling the engine...seems easier to have it on a stand and take my time rather than laying under the car pulling rod caps and pulling the heater to get to the back of the valve gallery. While it's out I can detail the engine compartment too.

I agree that the most probable cause is stuck rings. I spoke with Hastings about which rings to use and they suggested that I go with .010 oversize and cut them down to make the proper end gap using the standard pistons.

That's the plan so far but I won't know till I get the engine into my garage. The car is outside and I don't like laying on the wet ground (it rains a lot in Seattle)!

Mark

Howdy Mark,
I live in down in Portland and I'm rebuilding a 1950 custom 8 327 engine. It was running okay last year before I bought it but the guy heard a top end noise. Sure enough, the some of the lobes on the cam had flattened and so I sent it to delta cam to be ground. I just got the block back from the shop with new seats and ground exhausts and im rebuilding it all ASAP. New rings all new bearings and complete gasket set didn't run me much over 500 from Rebuilders Choice. The pistons look okay, they're not the originals, but the budget isn't allowing for new ones. I hope I don't come to regret that. The last choice I'm thinking on is whether to build it up as a 6V or go for two 6V batteries in series and run some things on 6 and others 12. Also would probably run it as a 8 or even 9 volt system. Heard that's an.option.

Good luck to you buddy! Keep me posted!

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50 2382 - Understand you not wanting to work under the car, in the driveway, in the rain. Removing the engine will allow you easier access to it and the engine compartment. The problem with working on these long and heavy straight-8 engines is getting a proper engine stand. Bolting the back of the engine to a stand is not recommended for many reasons. There is a project blog over on the PAC website where the poster describes mounting an engine on a special stand and the work he is doing on it. You may find this helpful. Also, the engine stand subject has been discussed on this site. Or, you may have already figured this out. Will follow your progress with interest.

(o{}o)

I now have waffled on the idea of pulling the engine. I have listened to all of you, and after tearing into the engine a little further I agree that the most efficient way of solving this problem is to do the rings and valves in the car.

Having decided that, I pulled the passenger side inner wheel well covers this weekend, which broke 1/2 of the small bolts so I'll be making a trip to the hardware store for replacements later.

Anyway, I will be pulling intake/exhaust manifolds if necessary and the valve covers in preparation of grinding the valves. I'm looking for information on how to pull the heater off the firewall for access to the rear valves...any advice is appreciated.

I'll be dropping the oil pan to remove the pistons after I remove the cylinder ridge, of course. Once out, I intend to measure out the cylinders again and check the pistons before ordering the rings. I definitely want to get the proper set based on what I find.

I discovered a great way to clean the carbon off the head, oven cleaner. I know that you already know this but I had never heard of this till I started digging into the forums on line. Spray it on, leave it overnight and wipe off the crud, slightly messy but effective. I won't be using oven cleaner on the pistons as they are aluminum and will get eaten up, carb cleaner should do the trick. I'll post a photo later of the "after" cleaning of the head.

Nice looking car Blake! Thanks for the encouragement. As I get further into the engine I may still need to send it out for cam work. What are you using for an engine stand?