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today i picked up a '77 400 cubic inch for $50.00 the guy i got it from said it ran when he parked it, but after some time sitting outside (mind you with no air cleaner), it wouldnt crank over (i suspect internal rust?) question: i filled the sucker to the gills with kerosene and im going to let it sit for a week or so befrore i try and crank it over. (its seized solid) do you think the kerosene will dissolve some of the rust and HOPEFULLY free it up? Is there any other solvent that is more potent than kerosene/diesel fuel?? i NEVER rebuilt and engine so im a little hesisitant to take it apart out of fear that i will NEVER get it back together. hence, i am trying this method FIRST to see if i can get lucky! any additional comments from the experts on the board here???
regards
benj
if it doesn't work, get your self a rteally good maunal on rebuilds and just follow it. make sure you understand everything and give it a try. we all once didn't know how, and i still don't know how to
Straight diesel has worked well for me. Get a bar and try to turn the engine periodically. If worse comes to worse, pull the heads and beat on the pistons with a large hammer and an oak 4x4.
The guy who sold me this engine told me it was re-built with 35,000 miles on it.
It was a long distance buy but, a friend said later that the guy wouldn't let him crack it open to look at it.
My friend thought I wanted it anyway because of it being guaranteed to be re-built.
This is what happens sometimes when you take someone else's word for it.
I found out after the court appearance to get my money back from the nieghbour that, this engine apparently sat for a year.
My dad and I bought a 40 ford from a fella. When we went to pick it up, it wouldn't turn over. So, we put a little brake fluid in each spark plug hole. Came back the next day and it turn right over. Put the plugs back in and drove that little flat head home.
I bought a car that sat for 10 years. 351C 4V. It was seized solid, but fortunately it had been doused with diesel. I drained the pan and put fresh oil in. Then pulled all plugs and shot more oil down. I started trying to turn the crankshaft bolt two weeks later. I kept going in one direction. More oil. More turning. Finally after a week or so of that, I tried the other direction. WHUMP! There it went! With only a flex handle, and no hammer hits. It would spin freely after that. Then I disconnected the coil wire and hooked up the battery to crank it over lots. I finally decided to try to start. I needed a new distributor; the old one was seized in placed and had to be smashed out. It started, and ran great! (some stuck valves, but a couple cans of free-all fixed all that, along with about 4 new pushrods). Burns a little blue, but satisfactory overall. After 70,000 miles and all the sitting time, I am going to rebuild. These motors aren't easy to find, especially numbers matching, so I didn't want to drive it till she blew.
Good luck!
Mark
I once went with a friend to pick up a 53 ford with a siezed engine. We towed it around the corner and on a whim put it in gear and rocked it back and forth. There was "clang" as the starter bendix released. We then started it up and proceeded to drive it home.