'55 R-122 rehab

CB89 said exactly what I was thinking. To bad.

Thanks for the input guys. Dropped the engine off a the machine shop this evening. Owner confirmed in short order that the gasket had several breeches on both sides. He’s concerned with the finish ra of the head and block. He’s also dubious about the sleeve installation. He mentioned that if the sleeve wasn’t installed properly it *could* be a source of pre-ignition. He will look it all over personally and give me his honest opinion hopefully before the new year.

He didn’t seem too excited about my budget either, but while it’s not set in stone I can’t just write blank checks either. I may have to consider buying a 60’s IH and swapping in a good running V8. Not my first choice, but I won’t rule it out either as a possible “less expensive” option.

[quote="cornbinder89] BTW I really like you distributor work, that is one neat electronic ign set-up.[/quote]

Thank you. Arguably less expensive than a pertonix (as long as you don’t count your machining labor) and likely more reliable. I think the HEI coil will give you a stronger spark as well. I’ll likely keep that even if I do end up going back to a carb.

I'm in favor of anything that doesn't place the switching electronics in the hot, high voltage area. I replaced more GM module's than the other brands combined, when I worked in automotive. My Chry box went 360,000 mi without failure, and when it did fail, it was a hot soak failure, and once cooled got me home.

I was surprised at how hot the ICM got even being out in the open and being attached to over a 1/2” thick slab of Aluminum gen just idling in the driveway. If I do carry on with this EFI I think I’ll build an even larger heatsink for it... and still keep a spare in the glovebox.

Low impedance coils can draw a lot, Look at the size of the transistor in Ford or Chry box. I just never have been a fan of GM HEI system, tho many like it.

I sure do hope you can get it sorted out one way or another. Been following your build for a couple years and really admire your work. You've got to be one of the few who have blown a hot rod IHC I-6. That must be good for something. Good luck, whatever your direction. I'd just hate to see your truck off the road permanently. Mine has been in the driveway for 4 years now slowly coming back to life, piece by piece. Everyone loves it - neighbors, kids, the power company guy, random people driving down the street. Even the code compliance people give it a pass. These old trucks are cool, plain and simple. Not exactly practical... but what's the fun in practical anyhow?

Stopped machine shop in the middle of cleaning/inspecting the SD240. I just don't have any faith that it will be a good engine again without gobs of cash and when it's done it's still a straight valve engine.

I lucked into a BG241 from '68 or '69 about 4hrs from me. It's not a runner is its current state, but it looks to have more potential than the SD does. I pulled the assemblies yesterday. Lots of stuck rings, minor ridges in all bores, but the bores are all within .0015" for taper and out of round. I'm hoping for a ridge ream and light hone for this one. The rod bearings are dark in color, but very clean with little to no embedded debris or scoring. I need to get some more plastigauges to verify fit, but they may go back in. Haven't pulled the mains or cam yet. I'm hoping to have this engine cleaned up and dropped off at the machine shop by the weekend.

I'll update as things progress.

-Jake

And the plot thickens...

A 265! Cool!

Dean