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Thanks Dan,

Your theory on how the damage occurred is aligned with what I know about the vehicle and that was owned by a U.S. Navel officer in San Diego by the Name of Theodore Hight. Officer Hight purchased the car new and based on my findings such as him keeping every registration slip, and other documentation it would appear he loved the car and took well care of it up until 1984 when it was parked until I purchased it in 2019.

I haven't been watching this one, so I apologize being late to the party.

I think you're just wasting time messing with this engine in this condition.
If you find the noise, it's 50:50 maybe something in the lower end and needs to come apart anyway.
Yeah, it might run for a while, but I think you're headed to catastrophic failure down/on the road. Those pistons are well pitted and have lost dimension. Candidates for blowing a hole through and then you'll have debris and eventually game over, if not already.

I mean to educate, not be harsh, blaming, or pointing fingers, it's pretty common across the hobby. The TV shows are partly to blame these days. Cars sit around for years in or outside and someone passionate comes along and rescues "that barn find" and the first thing they want to do is get it running as fast as they can. (I spent over a month getting the '49 prepped to fire.) Then wonder why it's so messed up. They sat for a reason. If PO would have properly stored, drained this motor and kept lubricated, it'd still be good. Over time the coolant degrades, forming acid and corroding metal. The corrosion products have more volume than the liquid and create pressure. Then bad coolant seeps into the pistons and they corrode, plus some are exposed to the atmosphere while sitting. (I found an acorn shell in one of the '49 cylinders) I wouldn't be surprised #2 was in the open crank position during it's long snooze.
I suggest to (everyone so inspired) take time and carefully work through each system, til they're working correctly before starting. Bore scopes are cheap these days. Had coolant system been cleaned "first", then would not have overheated. I rest my case.
Not much sense, plus it's dangerous, gettin 'er running, and the brakes fail/don't work, etc, wire short causes a fire, fuel system full of trash, or some other unforeseen. Check, recheck, and check again is the standard for eliminating errors.
Your going to have to set up some sort of heated recirculation to clean that block properly with oxalic, otherwise, you're just loosening the gunk to end up in the radiator and low spots. Follow with a flush and anti-corrosion inhibitor for the clean surface.
All these things will be taken care of in a good/proper rebuild. It's a heavy motor to pull, and not easy to handle outside the car. It's also getting more difficult to find someone who knows them, like Ross, to do the work. But there are good engine builders everywhere, but more not so good. I recommend you have it run in test stand or dyno after, til they make it right. Then you can enjoy your ride for decades like the PO.

Excellent advice and well stated. Thanks for posting. Maybe it will help the next ones who want to start on a long-stored car.

I have to agree with Fish'n Jim and echo John's 'well-stated' remark. Idleness and non-use are any engine's enemy, so even if the motor was in tip-top shape when it was parked 30 years ago, there would be issues. Add to that the fact that many of us have no idea what our cars went through prior to their last use, from over-heating to over revving to lack of care and maintenance, etc., and a tear-down and fresh rebuild are really the only proper way to get to a known point of condition reference, and allow us to KNOW what we have under the hood. I spent 3+ years fighting with my car after buying it, and countless dollars with different so-called mechanics, all saying they thought my engine was okay, until I finally 'bit the bullet' and did a complete rebuild. Now the car runs beautifully and better yet, I know what I have. Chris.

Using my dry compression test results as starting point (#1 - 121 / #2 - 90 / #3 -120 / #4 - 118 / #5 - 119 / #6 - 120 / #7 - 118 / #8 - 120) I removed the #2 piston - the top ring was toast and land were shot - I'm surprised I got a 90lb reading. The connecting rod bearings and wrist pin were in much better condition than I had expected

I was doing a bit of research before measuring my piston bore wear and read that the oil fill tube can come into contact with the crank if not installed at just the right orientation

Being that I had removed the fill tube I removed and inspected it and sure enough a new shiny spot witness mark.... so, that's the source of my tick!!

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I will be replacing all pistons, rings and even though they look satisfactory the bearings as well.

I am undecided if I should overbore (which I would like to avoid if possible) or if I can just hone.

All cylinders are within the required taper tolerance (0.10 before a overbore is required). Two cylinders are outside of the recommended roundness tolerance (.004 before a overbore is "recommended").

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Hi Jason,

I have followed this post from the onset and I think you and I have in common that we are NOT mechanics, yet want to do what is 'right and prudent' for our cars. On my engine, there was one cylinder so bad, it required .60 thou overbore to correct, so there was no doubt that the block would receive oversize pistons, etc. I DO think, however, that the decision for you to 'go up' 10 thou, or not is one of those where, if there's any doubt, there's no doubt. You have it all apart anyway and if you have a couple of cylinders 'outside spec', why not bore?? The cost of oversize pistons and rings vs. standard is negligible and yes, there is a bit more in the way of logistics to paw through, to get it to a machine shop, etc. If you do go that route, it might even be worth considering having the same shop do the reassemble, even just to the short block stage. Just a suggestion, of course and I realize costs can become a mitigating factor with all that goes into a block rebuild. I would suggest that there is a good case here for 'short-term pain for long-term gain' in that it might squeeze the pocket book in the moment, but once you have it done and the engine is back in, 'purring like a Packard', there is a great deal of satisfaction and confidence in 'knowing what you have'. Just my two bits worth... obviously all your decisions as you go - good luck. Chris.

Hi Chris, thanks for taking the time to reply

It's only due to this statement in the service manual that's causing me to question if an over bore is needed "if an owner desires a dependable job but also wants to hold the cost to a minimum, new rings may be installed without reconditioning the block if the cylinders are not scored and if the taper is no more than 0.010"

Jason, this would be where the 'pros' would weigh in, but I thought I saw significant scoring on the pictures of your cylinder walls?? Broken rings and piston lands do nasty things to cylinder walls and, I guess, I'd go back to my original premise and say 'cost it both ways'; weigh those cost differences against all the work and time you're putting in to R&Ring this engine, and see where pragmatism places you. Chris.

So i am getting prepared to swap my engine for a gently used 288

Last night I added new stabilizer Bar bushings and remove the piston for my oil topped I've included a picture of the piston if Phil Smith touch but has some deposits on it and I'm wondering if this is of any concern

I've also included a picture of the Pistons out of the original engine if you look closely above each piece of painters tape is a chunk missing from each question also is the new engine with trans fluid in the cylinders - no fluid leaked after 48 hours. The cylinders have zero where as is evidenced by no rich I'll also be doing a leak down test but didn't wanna waste the money on the head gasket until doing the fluid leak test

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