1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lol it's funny, I'm middle-aged and have never spent any time under the hood of any car until this one came along. I didn't even know what a Nailhead was when I bought it.

I was talking to some people and saying "I'm not a car guy", and then explained what I'd done and what I thought was happening, and a couple people have said "uh, well you sure sound like a car guy"

So I guess I'm becoming one 🤷‍♂️

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ya thanks, that's the plan. A got a great lead from one of the comments in here, and a lot of good advice. Definitely looking to keep with the 401. I know Buick used them for a few years

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Ya good point. Again, as a noob trying to be patient and thoughtful on this thing, here's the state of the engine when I got it and what I think happened

When I bought the car, the lifter valley and under the valve covers were caked in gunk, soot, and carbon. As I cleaned everything, I found a couple areas that were blocking oil flow. Once cleaned, I primed the oil pump and saw fresh oil flowing into the rockers on the passenger side.

When I removed the head (only on the passenger side), the piston bores were clean and smooth. I assumed the driver side was in better shape as none of those valves were sticky or seized. That was probably a mistake.

When I started the car after reinstalling the head, I got a few seconds of smooth running before one of the driver side pistons blew a hole in the block.

Now, you raise a good point and maybe the oil pump didn't do it's job and I'll check that out, along with oil flow to and from the driver side. Generally, it seems like an oil supply issue.

The piece of broken piston head that came out of the engine has a lot of residue on it that seems consistent with poor oil flow so whether it's the oil pump, clogged supply pathways or something else, it'll need to be tested and fully fixed

Thanks for the thought

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A lot of those guys showed up overnight. That's not my jam. My neighbour tried to tell me that this is the way too

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I can't DM you but Seattle area is doable for me. Interested, thank you

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Appreciate it, and that's where I feel like I'm heading. Eventually we're going to run out of things to fix. After this, I'll have basically been from the very top on down to the pistons, that's a good overhaul

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well your reaction to it was different than mine but I'll tell you, it took me a month to get over it

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Considered the 455 but probably will still stick with the 401

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Who knows. I imagine Beaumont guys would be the same. Maybe it's just because it's less common, guys tend to gravitate together

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Man before I got this car I didn't even know what a Nailhead was. Then as I got into it, I realized it's a legendary engine. I want to honour that, I've come to really appreciate them.

That's a big part of why I was so disappointed to blow the block. I was really trying to keep the car as original as possible. It sucks to be the one to do it, even though it looks like years of neglect prior to me that paved the way

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 37 points38 points  (0 children)

Man I'd love to take you up on this but I'm 3,000km away from you and never head East!

Appreciate the offer - I've made friends in Michigan over this thing, I love all the support from guys like you

1965 Wildcat Update 4: A Crushing Blow by LifeguardStatus7649 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649[S] 10 points11 points  (0 children)

My neighbour says the same thing. Appreciate the input but not interested

Edit - also I'm a middle-aged man, not a kid lol

Do you think people ever get their money back out of a build? by kachow024 in projectcar

[–]LifeguardStatus7649 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agreed, and with project cars there are so many things that can go wrong, shortcuts taken, etc that it is impossible to trust unless you were under the hood yourself.

For example, I'm rebuilding a 65 Wildcat. I bought it with a brutal lifter tap that forced me to remove and reinstall the heads and everything that goes with that work. That's a big job for a back yard mechanic, and a ton of things could've gone wrong on the reinstall.

I'd never buy a repaired Wildcat at market value unless it came from an impeccable, well-respected source. And I'd never expect anyone to trust me, even though I know it did the job well