Easy is no challenge

A couple weeks after bringing the engine into my garage (thanks for understanding honey) the cold and rainy weather decided to subside for a few days and we were blessed with sunshine and +70 degree weather. Who needs work when you can be tearing down an engine!

After removing the greasy external components, we began pulling the pistons out. One cylinder looked particularly troublesome with a corroded piston and the inability to rotate the crank. Foolishly, we thought we could just pull the other pistons out and that would remove the drag on the rotating assembly. Seven pistons later, it still wouldn't budge!

What the heck was going on here? It shouldn't be that stuck. "Oh, that's it. We're done here" decried Alan. He pointed to the remaining connecting rod which had a horrendous curve to it. We finally had to pull the main caps and lift the crank out, leaving the last stubborn piston in place. Even a drift and hammer couldn't break the years of neglect the engine had experienced.

I imagined the engine in some old Thunderbird behind a shop or on someones property in a field. Left alone and neglected for years, water seeps down into a cylinder and soaks in for the next 10 years. Some teenage boy lusting for his first car convinced the crusty old man to give up the eyesore. Dreams of cruising to Foster's Freeze will soon be a reality.

With the help of some friends, they work for a few days getting the car ready to move. Tires are inflated and years of dirt and grim are wiped off the windows so they can see. Unable to turn over, they decide to push start it by pushing it down the hill and dumping the clutch. Two more failed attempts and they finally break down and have the car towed home.

Three previous summers of mowing lawns, saving money, and help from Dad lead to the purchasing of a used replacement engine and the beaten 312 is pulled and passed along to others with grand intentions. The boys are soon cruising the strip and living their dream. Fast forward to today where we discover the bent rod and frozen piston... lucky us!

A call to the Selby and Sons machine shop confirms that they're only open for another 30 minutes. For some unknown reason, we have to get the block down there to start the rebuilding process today. Fortunately for us, Everett Selby is ready to assist to us with his expert knowledge and skills. "You guys weren't kidding about doing this engine" he says as he takes a look at the piston in the cylinder and grabs a drift and BFH. A few heavy swings and the piston shatters out of the cylinder, to the ground... Free at last!

After wiping out the cylinder another hiccup is discovered. Those young teenagers coupled with years of water had split the cylinder right down the sides. This is gonna get expensive...

We leave the block in Everett's capable hands and head back to my house to talk strategy and prepare the other parts for a trip to the shop. The heads should be better then the block. Right!