Stuck Engine (440) Tear Down?

[rakort]

couldn't wait any longer so I broke down the 440 to see what I was dealing with after it sat for decades.

2 cylinders have some water damage / rust. I believe this is the reason that its stuck

Any tips on breaking down a stuck engine? good penetrating solvent to soak the cylinders?

Will I have to carve the piston out with a die grinder?

 

[oldbee]

Use some Kroil around top of each piston,let it soak for awhile. Pull the rod cap for the one you can get at and hammer away with a wood dowel;then just work your way through each one.

 

[mentor70]

Evap o rust works really good for this.

 

[Coronet 500]

I have left a 2' or 3' flex handle with socket on the crank hanging a weight on the end, flipping to other side after some hours or the next day. Filled the cylinders with ATF.

 

[Mike67]

Roll the block where the cylinders are facing straight up and fill with trans fluid. Let it sit for a couple of days do each side, then take a breakover and try to spin it over. Depending on how bad the rust is you may only move it a 1/4" or so, just repeat until it breaks loose.you may need to tap the break over with a dead blow a couple of times at first...
I used this on a block that went under salt water in a hurricane. Did not score the cylinders to bad...

 

[eldubb440]

wrist pins are probably stuck also

 

[wilmacmike]

Mix the ATF with acetone (50 / 50 mixture) and leave it in the cylinders a few days.

Also take a pressure sprayer like a fertilizer sprayer and put the ATF / Acetone mixture in it. Connect it to the oil pressure sender port on the block. You will have to rig up a barb fitting and some tubing.

Pump it up and pressurize the oil galleries/bearings and all other internal components the mixture can get to.

Do this several times as your letting the cylinders soak it will help with breaking the motor free.

God Bless America!

 

[rakort]

I appreciate all the tips! So I wanted to get this engine apart to start the unsticking process. I didn't know what I would find and wanted to find out and get the process moving! So for now, I've torn the engine down except for the short block. Got all the lifers loose, cleaned the sludge out of the oil pan, dealt with the broken nuts in the exhaust manifolds, and the one rod bearing cap I took off shows that the lower end and crank is fine. Soaked cylinders several times, dug around the top of the pistons with a razor knife, soaked it some more, and reassembled it so as to not loose track of parts. Now its a waiting game. Now I can try all the potions! I like the ATF and acetone idea for some reason.

Hrmm, whats missing here?

Here is what is missing! It's an exhaust valve! It's the only dropped valve I have seen that dropped when the engine wasn't running, ...me lucky

The valve corroded away......had strange levels of corrosion on the exhaust ports that were hard of the heat riser...early evap ports.

Fun Fun Fun drilling out the broken exhaust manifold nuts. Here is what remained after I extracted the remaining nuggets from the manifold!

Back together loosely waiting for magic penetrating oil potions!

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Your having FUN!

 

[wilmacmike]

My hats off to you Rakort for even attempting to break this Motor free. Most would take a look at it and put it back outside and forget about it.
I have had many like this and was able to resurrect most of them.
God Bless America!

 

[rakort]

My hats off to you Rakort for even attempting to break this Motor free. Most would take a look at it and put it back outside and forget about it.
I have had many like this and was able to resurrect most of them.
God Bless America!

This one will live!! I happen to have the matching number remnants of the 1969 GTX this motor came from including the dash (VIN tag), title, truck lip with vin, and radiator support with vin.....too bad the rest of the car didn't live.....it's pieces will live on in my 68 GTX and maybe someday a matching number 69 GTX?

 

[Mike67]

Just a recommendation, I would turn the motor 90 deg where the piston are facing straight up, that will ensure that which ever penetrant you use gets to all sides of the of the piston.
The rings are what is rusted to the cylinder wall and needing to soak. Flip it and do the other side in a day or two...

 

[747mopar]

Typically the rust is mostly on the top side of the piston, I'd pull the crank and drive them out the bottom. I'd also never drive them out by the rod even with a wooden block... beat on the part that will be getting tossed.... the pistons.

My current power plant had 6" of water in the crankcase and all threw the top end but a .060" over bore (.040" left a touch of rust color in the bore) cleaned it right up. Been running like a top for better than 8,000 miles now.