Pulled oil pan, found a surprise

Finally got the 4 speed swapped in and getting the 3.42 install this next Tuesday. Figured I would finally fix that oil pan leak I've had for a while.

Pulled the pan and noticed these shavings...... I'm guessing it's either cannot rod bearing material.
The chunky stuff is most likely engine crap from wrestling the pan out.
-_-

The engine runs great and oil pressure is @ 55psi cold and 25psi warm

I did install a cam last year but followed the break in procedure etc.


I'm guessing it might be a ticking time bomb now.

I'm going to most likely need another 350 or a 455. Going to button it back up since it has to drive over to the rear end shop Tues

 

Button it back up and drove it while you save up for a rebuild or rebuild another core.

 

Will do, a buddy of mine has a 455 with 430 heads I might be getting soon. I do have the team teds and motor mounts ready as well.

I'll button it back up and drive it around.

 

Heck, it might surprise you how long it might still last after you clean out the pan and put fresh oil in it. Many years ago a friend asked me if I had any 350 Chevy engine sitting around that I didn't need. He needed one for his dump truck. I told him all I had at the time was 2 bolt main 350 out of a `72 Chevelle with 215,000 miles on it that was stuck when I got it and after a week of soaking with Marvel Mystery Oil I finally broke it loose and got it running. He actually took it and it ran for years in that old dump truck. You never know.

 

The black stuff looks like vintage Permatex. Didja try a magnet on the shiny stuff? Id pull #7&8 rod caps off for a look... If you have a dial indicator check the thrust on the crank for a worn main. ws

 

I gave it a pass but it didn't stick, I'm at guessing it might be some shavings from the aluminum rockers? Before I upgraded the heads/ cam , one of the nylon buttons had broken off and the rocker was on moving on the shaft side to side. I rebuilt the shafts when I did the heads and cam, could be left over from the break in or when the nylon button broke. The thing is that I ran break in oil, flushed it , ran some high zinc oil, and flushed it after 500 miles again. Hmmm maybe it didn't completely flush out since I did it on car ramps not level ground.

I ended up buttoning it up, I wasn't able to remove the caps and measure.

 

Im not too familiar with 350's but I thought the plastic rocker buttons were only used on the stamped steel rocker arms. OOPS! Wrongo! My 455 when I took ownership had 5 bad rods and 1/2 dozen missing buttons; that caused the push rods to rub in the holes in the heads pretty severely...The seller said "It has a rod knock"... yeah, right!

The early 60's V6's and smaller V-8s had the torsion springs. ws

 

That broken chunk looks like aluminum, maybe part of an old timing gear.

 

Whats your distributer gear ? Bronz or other? Did you at least throw in some super duper neodenium magnets in the pan? Was a bunch of crap in tbe pickup? Onlt thing that usually makes chunks without knocking is a bronze dist gear.

 

The real surprise! ws

 

I'm running the original distributor with a points eliminator kit.

I will have to order some magnets or at least a magnetic oil pan plug.

The pick up screen had some specs of crud but definitely don't look bad all.

I did replace the old timing gear for a double roller when I did the cam swap.

I'm hoping it isn't anything too serious. I will run fresh oil tomorrow after the RTV sets. I used a bit just on the pan side. I'll run that oil for a couple of miles then inspect it.

I'm thinking of cutting the oil filter open as well to double check.

 

Holy crap, that's definitely a surprise

 

You may want to pull the fuel pump and have a look. Theres been some chatter about the arm rubbing on the double row chain; at least on 455's. I checked mine and there wasn't any rub at all. I think the naysayers dont check their work, but hey, Ive only been at this for 50+ years. ws

 

Lookin tubular 68 Rivi. Except thats not a 68 Rivi. I was about to ask ware you find tubular a arm

 

Where did you get a crank turning socket for a 455 ?

 

John, I purchased a Pontiac size socket from Summit and had my machinist openned it up on the lathe to fit the BBB. It makes it easy to use a cam degree wheel with the use of the double nuts to hold it place.
Fernando

 

I made out of another make that I had the inside opened up to fit

 

Theres an advantage to having a lathe! I used a BBC(?) unit and made a sleeve for it. The crank and cam was mounted along with a naked piston and rod for measuring. That aluminum unit wouldnt turn a complete rotating assembly but a bare #1 I was OK with... I went with the BBC so if If I bored the unit I didnt lose any keyway depth. Apples and Oranges.. Besides, itll still fit the BBC if it ever comes to that. ws