Based on the advice of fellow forum participants I got a 400 builder long block. Great advice, I'm excited to build it with real parts versus sacrificing the decent 351m in the truck now.

It's a good motor, was running pretty well in the last truck it was in. Pulled the heads, looks like pistons and cylinders are in very good shape. Looks like it could use a cam which I was going to do anyway.

Because of this I don't want to break the thing down to bare bones. I would mostly likely end up making things worse. I am a firm believer in leaving well enough alone.

Outside of taking it apart and getting it hot tanked, how can I clean this thing without messing it up? Are there detergents that won't mess up the oil? The inside looks good, no work needed there. I want to clean all the seal surfaces and don't want to foul the inside with a heavy degreaser.

Side note, if I do tank it and kill the bearings, is there a cost effective tool to remove and replace them? I don't think the motor has too many miles since rebuild and I'm getting this intuition that if I yank and install new bearings they will end up worse than if I left them alone.

Current build Idea:

Action+Plus intake
Holly 625-650 carb
Summit headers to existing exhaust, will eventually get dual exhaust made here in Denver.
Summit K5200 cam - (I know there are better for high compression but see next line. )
Stock pistons for now but eventually TM pistons, like a custom exhaust, blows the budget right now.

End game, a good strong pulling motor that prioritizes reliability over ridiculous power. I have other vehicles for that.

Thanks!

 

I'm confused with your questions. If you want to save the bearings and not "mess up the oil" then why not put new head gaskets on, replace the heads and try it? But, if you are going to rebuild it then you will want to replace the bearings, bore the cylinders, clean the block, etc.

 

I guess the questions are:

What are the best practices for cleaning at home without screwing things up?

If I do decide to replace the bearings, what kind of tools will I need and are there any budget options for someone who will only do this a handful of times? I don't want to spend $300 on a tool to install a $20 part.

How does my part list look for a mild build?

 

You said you don't think the motor has too many miles since the rebuild. How do you know that? And, do you know if the cylinder bores are round. That the last rebuilder did a good job? Etc.

The only way to know what you have is to take it to a machine shop and have them check it out. That means pull it apart and measure the bores to see that they are round, meaning it hasn't been long since they were machined. Plus, they need to check out the heads to determine if the valves are good. And look at the main and rod bearings to see if they need to be replaced. These are the important things to do in a rebuild. And if they aren't "right" then you have to have all those things fixed.

If you aren't willing to do that then don't take it apart any further than you have. Just put the heads back on with new gaskets and install the engine. If it runs well then, and only then, do your upgrades. That way you'll know if it is worthwhile to do the upgrades. Otherwise, you easily could be throwing money away.

As for your parts list, I'm not a proponent of the newer Weiand intakes as they are now made in China. Nor am I a Holley fan. And I don't know about the Summit cam. Plus, I don't know how well those pieces would play together. Instead, I would recommend going with an Edelbrock combination as they are designed to work together. And for a low compression engine a 600 or 650 CFM carb is plenty.

Speaking of low compression, that's all you will have by going with any other pistons but Tim's. And low compression is giving away power and economy. If you have the engine rebuilt with run-of-the-mill pistons you are very unlikely to pull the engine down and put Tim's pistons in later. So, either run the engine the way it is or put the good pistons in now.

Headers? I have a set of the most expensive ones available for a 460, L&L's, on Big Blue. They rest on the driver's side engine perch, which means there's lots of vibration in the truck at all times, and clunks when shifting gears. I'm not a fan of headers in these trucks, nor are many I know.