Tore down the new frozen 455 last night and...

For future reference, when dealing with a seized block, there area few techniques I developed over the years. First the crank has to come out. most of the time some sacrifices have to be made. more often then not, a couple of rod bolts have to be cut with a die grinder. I have even cut the rod right in two once, but that was a chevy:Brow: once the crank is out, thats when the fun (read: Hammering) begins. I like to try to shatter teh pistons with a chisel. it doesn't always work, but at least teh divot will give you a firm place to lodge a drift of some sort. always push the piston further in the down in the hole- just to get it moving. then a quick hand hone can cut most of the rust off the offending area, and the piston will come out easier. if the rod is seized at an angle, I like to chisel the pison to the point where the pin bore cracks, ussually a good place to squirt some penetrating oil. I'd move on to another piston to let it soak a bit.
Cams can be hammered out through the back freeze plug. once the cam is gone, the lifters can be pushed down instead of pulled out.

once the componets are out of the block, I'd quickie hone the cylinders to get an idea of how much rot there is, and measure the cylinders, to see if its even usable. I've seen them so bad that sleeveing wasn't even an option! good luck next time

 

hey paul, sorry about your block. i just got mine back from the machine shop. they had to turn the crank 10/10 and i had new TA performance pistons installed on new stock rods. i was disappionted with the pistons though. when i ordered them from ta perf. i told them i wanted the 10.2 to 1 and i was sent sent the dish type.the machinist saw how disappointed i was and told me he would mill the heads to give me more compression. how much i have now is just a guess. i had to bore the cyclinders 30 over. after doing all that work to the motor i have to save my pennies to get the cam and intake i want. i will ask around here in nashville and see if i can't help find you a block. later ron

 

Hey Paul, I have an original bore 455 block. Thing is, it's in Reno, NV and you are a rather long way from there. It seems like it weighs 5000 lbs (not really, but it IS heavy). If you want to set up shipping and take care of what that costs, I'm sure we can work something out? I'd let it go pretty cheap.

You also might want to keep an eye on the "Pay It Forward" forum on this board. You just never know what might turn up.

Let me know if you are interested.

 

Paul,

So thats what the post was about, a frozen block. Now I see. I wish it wouldn't a broke on you. Bummer. o No:

 

You must be in a different "Midwest" than me, Mike!:Brow::laugh:

"Local" yards HAVE/had (as I've been "accumulating" parts, before they get CRUSHED):

'72 Skylark Custom (yellow)-$100/whole car (JUNK)
'70 Skylark (Tan)- $500/whole car (Runs! Needs a STARTER!:Smarty: )
'72 Skylark (Orange)- Parts Only (Got a PERFECT Tan A/C Dashpad for $10!:bglasses: )
'72 Skylark (Brown)-$500/whole car (JUNK)
(5) '70-'75 Electras/LeSabres- Parts Only (455's! Sorry, can't tell!:TU: )
'70 Riviera (White)- Parts Only (455/TH400! Bought engine/trans. for $100!:bglasses: )

Cool thing is they're "private" junk yards, so to find them, you have to know someone who knows someone who knows the owner. Otherwise, you'll NEVER find them (out in the middle of NOWHERE)! One place is like a "Musclecar Graveyard". I found a '70 Mercury CYCLONE, at the TOP of a STACK of cars!:eek2: It's hard to believe what guys have "collected" and have LET SIT for YEARS! I actually get lost there every time I go, because it's like an "archive" of old cars! STACKS of cars, in ROWS of cars, in AISLES of cars! I've actually CLIMBED up 5 or 6 cars to get parts off of the higher cars! It's a weird place to see that many old cars, that are "stored" in that way.o No:

One Buick that I remember, has a TREE growing straight up through the Engine Compartment, LITERALLY!:eek2: I've never seen anything like that before! Like someone just took the hood off, and took the engine out, and planted a TREE (30 Years ago! It's a BIG tree!) on the crossmember! Fenders, Grille, Front end is still INTACT! The only way to MOVE the car, would be to DISASSEMBLE it from AROUND the TREE!o No:

 

Its been my experience that the junkyards advertised in the yellow pages are "insurance" junkyards. They only have newer vehicles and are relatively clean. The yards you want are like the one I described in an earlier post.

I would look for a whole 455, not just the block. Now you have parts in case something is junk in the "new" 455. Even if nothing is junk in it, its nice to have an extra crank laying around. Those parts don't take up much room. Just box them and stick them in the corner till you need them.

 

I guess lesson learned about whacking a motor with a steel rod. But on the flip side I was not enthused with the way the block looked anyway. I am trying to get in touch witha guy in Connecticut who is into GS's but isn't a board member. I guess for the maentime I might get the heads done and concentrate on the things around the block.
Paul