So I kind of chanced into a 68 or 69 430 that was in decent shape, still free turning, but has sat for a bit in a barn. I opened it up, and it doesnt look too bad. I think I am going to scrub this thing clean at home, regasket it and let 'er fly. We will see how the bearings look when I do the total disassemble. So I thought I would start a thread for pics and such as I go along. I will post some pics soon - I just pulled the intake, valvecovers, oilpan and rocker assemblies for cleaning..
Ken, I will be interested in your progress. I too have a 430 out of a 67 Riviera that I have been trying to decided what to do with. No projects in mind but I thought I might freshen it up for fun.
Block # 1333424 430 "PD 509" heads 1231109 I have a big oil pickup and rear sump oil; pan from a 73 455 I will use Also a long nose water pump I will probably rebuild the distributor for fun and the alternator maybe too. The heads have some broken exh bolts I need to address Ive got 455 manifolds and motor mounts/pads to use Looking to do this as a stock build to see what it can do. I am not going to machine anything. If I thought I could get away with sticking it together with silicone or JBweld I would. If it runs well for awhile with fresh gaskets in stock form, maybe then I will consider a cam etc etc.
Main Bearings look nice and smooth. No copper. Cam bearings too. Front one shows most wear at the oil groove. typical. surface rust on the cylinder walls looks light. Think I will try a very fine sandpaper and some PBblaster. I pulled the rear main seal in anticipation of neoprene replacement seals. The cylinders show almost no ridge. Looking inside an intake runner in the heads, you can see a decent mushroom cap of carbon gunk on top of the valves. Looks like I will pull the heads apart for a wash and clean. Then reassemble.
Did some cleanup today. Brakleen and a nylon toothbrush. Cleaned off the outside of the block a bit. Its ugly but at least its not slimy. Also got rid of the surface rust in the cyls. Came off easy - I am pretty happy with how it cleaned up. It is looking like I will put a new timing set on, full gasket kit. I am going with the neoprene front and rear lip seals. New Brass freeze plugs 'cause one or two of the old steel ones were severely rusted. adjustable oil pump regulator Now I need to disassemble and clean the heads........
Had to weld a pinhole in the oil pan. Then I laid some Marine tex on to fill in some other porosity, stop the holes before they happen. Should be good to go there. Installed the rear neoprene seals and torqued the Main caps. I rebuilt the front pump...TA shim kit and adjustable regulator. Oil pump is nice and tight. Installed the neoprene front cover seal too. New freeze plugs installed. I did have to drill and tap one of the timing cover bolt holes, as thebolt had broken off flush on disassembly. It may be the best Ive ever done ona job like that. Perfectly straight drill, the old bolt slug even came all the way out. The heads washed up pretty good. I just need to address about 5 broken exh manifold bolts. Picking up gaskets tomorrow, timing chain is in the mail along with pulley set.... Hopefully I will have it all together by next week.
is that the direction that front seal is supposed to face? it looks backwards to me. unless thats the way the ta seal looks. i used a different seal.
Looks like the aftermarket seal used for a stock front cover, it's driven in from the inside of the timing cover if I remember right. Devon
i know that but that looks like the outside of the seal to me. usually on the inside of the seals there is rubber on the center with a spring around it instead of solid. solid usually goes to dry side rubber goes to oil side. but again. may be a different seal than i used. for that matter any front seal ive ever put on anything was dry/solid rubber/oil
Ken You should consider since it is all apart to take your heads to local machine shop for a basic valve job. Good luck with your build
Ken, Can you tell us where you sourced all your parts? Seals, gasket kit, timing chain kit, valley gasket, etc. Also, what brands of replacement parts you are using. I see you mentioned TA for the pump parts, what brand gasket kit and timing chain kit do you like? Thanks.
Stock replacement timing chain, steel. - thanks V8regalowner I like FelPro Gaskets. Have the complete kit - thanks Jaystoy I got my TA neoprene seals, oil regulators, pump shim kit, pcv grommet, and a set of brass freeze plugs from Gessler Head Porting. Greg has lots of stuff available for Big and Small Block Buicks, The shipping charges are reasonable, and the shipping is FAST - got my parts next day. Cant beat his service. BTW Today I drilled and tapped the SEVEN broken exhaust manifold bolts, and WOW did they come out great! So pleased with the results. It was a pain in the @ss but it came out well. I am glad to have that done.
Assembled the heads Friday. The valves and seats cleaned up pretty well with a wirewheel so I let it go at that. New stem seals. Got the timing set last night - thanks Dan. Finished up the reassembly today/Saturday. Wet and rainy outside, perfect day for staying in the shop. In keeping with the econo-build theme, I washed and bead blasted off the old valley pan. A little silicone to help the sealing and bolt it together. The only hiccup was that the gasket set I got did not have the front and rear valley seals. So I used a big ole bead of black silicone there. Pics....U-G-L-Y this 430 aint got no alibi..... Is it true these are rated 360hp @5000 rpm and 475ft*lb @3200rpm? I think thosea re the 1967 specs, but what about 68 and 69? I am thinking I will rebuild a distributor for it, and a stock 68 or 69 430 Qjet. Not sure when I will start it. but I needed to get it off my projects-to-do list. I will swap this into my Skylark when I look into turboing the 350.
Nice econo build - I loved my 430 when I had it........... But econo or not we may need to get a collection going for a can of paint.............:moonu:
oh here is one other thing I tried this time. I had packed the oil gears with petrol jelly, and when I was installing the timing cover I poured a bunch of oil into the pump feed passage to try to help prime the motor when I start it. Kind of pre-filled the passage. Not sure If that will help any, but I figured it couldnt hurt. I may drop some oil into it and spin the pump with it on the stand just to get fresh oil around in there while I think of it.......
I think you will beat me on the cheapest price build Ken. Maybe I should start a thread for my under $1000 462 build. Oh, and where do we send the donation for your paint?
Would you believe I now have $206.00 into this - total? No lie. I hope it runs. As for the paint....I was going for the "What the h*ll is that?" look. You know, for the car shows and such. I will tell them its a "Rockett" 350 out of a Hemi Buick Skylass If it runs ok I might nitrous it. I mean - why not, right?
