So I have been a member here for a few months and just now seen there is a motor forum. I have been way to consumed with my truck to even look anywhere else on here.

I hope this is the right place to ask so here I go.....I am about ready to have something done to my engine but have not consulted anyone about what is the best way to go. If you check out my gallery you can see my project and what I was told is a 289. Well I was also told my frame is a 63 galaxie but when I look up galaxies from 63 they don't come with 289s so I may have a motor with pieces from different years.

My thoughts are is it best while the truck is tore down to completely rebuild the engine or just fix the problems.....So you would want to know the problems....it has alot of oil laying in what i call the valley between the heads(i am not a mechanic). It also has started leaking gas infront of the carb not out of the fuel line but like around the bottom of the carb. It also shows signs of oil leaks down the back and front. I am guessing about all the gasketts and seals are shot..other than that when you crank it up she runs really smooth and sounds good. No rough noises or chatters, we drove it about 30 miles before we started work on the truck and it run good. Just wanted some ideas on how to dress it up a little and what was good way to go.

 

A few observations, etc. It looks like a '63 car frame, with the perimeter design. Not sure about a '63 and the 289, but '64s had 289s, and the '63 and '64 frames are probably identical. ('65 was a big change, but I don't know how far back that frame design goes, probably '60 at least)

Your engine, if it is prior to '65 1/2, will have a 5 bolt bell housing mount. After that, 6 bolts.

The transmission shifter shows a pattern of PRND21. That pattern did not come into use until '67. A '63 would have the "green dot" pattern, PRN.0L, where the "." starts the trans in 2nd gear, and the "0" is a white circle with a green center, which is "Drive" and starts in 1st. Do you know what trans it is? Probably a C4, aluminum bell, aluminum case and tail, with removable bell.

The oil fill on the front cover is early, but both valve covers have breathers/oil fills, so who knows how that came to be.

The oil in the valley--external? I didn't see that much. Inside, there would be oil normally.

289s are easy to work on and rebuild. If you reseal it, put new valve seals in it and if the rest of the engine is sound, it will run for years....

 

I think its a little bit of this year and little bit of that year. I am no mechanic but I thought why does both of the valve covers have oil fills in them. Anyway the "valley area" I was refering too is maybe the intake. It isn't like pools of oil but under the carb there is oil laying. I thought maybe the valve cover gaskett was bad or something to do with the heads.

So would taking the heads off be a good idea, or should I just go ahead and take the motor to a mechanic and have it done. I ask because I think having some other opinions help so If I take it somewhere I sort of have an idea of what they might say or what don't really need to be done.

 

OK, it starts easy, runs smooth. Any oil smoke? Especially a big cloud on a hot restart?

Oil on the intake? Spilled, oil vapor from those breathers, maybe a little valve cover leakage.

Carb leak? Rebuild kit, new carb to spacer to manifold gaskets. (if it has a spacer) I had to use two gaskets, as there were was a bit of roughness that a single gasket wouldn't crush down into and seal.

At the minimum, a compression test is in order. Good compression on all cylinders? Check the valve seals--which is pulling the valve covers, and replace if need be. Stockers (which are a poor design) can be replaced with the heads on. A good mechanic can do it and should have the tools.

Check your timing chain: Pull the distributor cap. Turn the crank until you see the rotor move. (you might need a wrench, or pull the plugs, or both) Then reverse the rotation, and note how far the crank rotates before the rotor moves. If you get more that a few degrees, consider replacing the timing set. Pulling the front cover will allow some clean up and resealing up front.

Good compression, leaks sealed, valves sealed, timing good, rebuilt carb--it will run a long time.

If you find a bad cylinder in your compression test, it may just be a valve job, plus the above, to get you motoring. (but if you had a dead cylinder, it would not be the smooth runner you describe, so you're probably good there)