some people should not be allowed to touch engines

[rfoll]

I picked up a 4 bolt 350 4 miles from home for $50 with a promise if it was bad I would get my money back. It was clear someone had been there before because of the thicker head gasket. The bore measured right at 3.995, and the pistons that could be removed, (the ones not suffering from an extended water bath), were in excellent condition and very snug in their bores. What a shame, so much for storing engines under a tarp. With a refund in hand, I decided to pull the crank out to see if I could recoup my time with something usable. It was not to be, as it had spun 2 rods, effectively ruining a set of the nice heavy stock rods. I noticed 350 R10 written on the end of the crank, and sure enough, it was assembled with standard bearings. Some people should not be allowed to touch engines.

[bigjoe1]

Two or three times in my life, I started up an engine for the first time on my dyno, and there was an oil pressure problem. Once the guy stopped before I beat on it, but two times, the guy said Go ahead, let her rip.. NOT GOOD ! In all three cases, they had the wrong size bearings, like you just saw.


JOE SHERMAN RACING

[machinedave]

In my 20+ years as a machinist I can relate to your story and tell quite a few of my own. I remember a guy that thought it was a good idea to port heads with an acetylene torch and the guy that bought in a block for me to hone a little bigger because he had to pound the pistons into the bore with a hammer. Yes some people should not touch engines.

[mag2555]

I have worked as a parts manager at a few car dealerships and in this one place they had a new machanic start one Monday morning and I new it was going to be a full on disaster as soon as I layed eyes on him, you know the type!

The first job they give him is a tire roation, tune up and oil change, so he comes to my parts counter and I give him the tune up stuff and oil and tell him to wait 3 minutes and I will get some more oil filters out of my over stock location. Mind you that I had already seen him drain the oil and drop the filter.

I get back to counter with the filter and he's running the fucking motor! and I scream to over at him what the hell are you doing running the motor with no filter on it , and his reply to me "was getting all of dirty oil out of the motor" with a look on his face like I was the Asshole!!! Needless to say he was out of a job within 20 minutes thank God!

[Biteme]

A freind of mine bought a motor, put it in his car then rang me saying it's got real bad piston slap. I went and had a look and every time he accelerated the noise was horrendous. He needed the car to get to work so drove it that way for a few weeks until he had time for me to pull a head and have a look. Sure enough, 0.020 pistons in 0.030 bores!

[MadBill]

A friend just this week started in on some minor work on a customer's "ready to go" short block. Actually, not quite ready: among other issues one bank's pistons were 0.035" out of the holes. With the blocks squared away, he's now waiting for custom 0.090" SCE gaskets...

[Carnut1]

This will be a long thread!

[racear2865]

Had a guy call me back in the winter. He purchased a crate motor (SBC)off internet. Started it and oil pressure was down. He yanked oil pan and placed the M55 oil pump and installed a 55HP. Said it was some what better but not what he wanted. Yanked pan again and installed a 55HV. He said this really helped until motor got hot. He called me for Big Block 77hv set up for a small block. I asked no question and I had one with the shaft. He said this really fixed it and proceeded to drive for about a week but engine got yto knocking and he shut it down. Then is when he brought it to me. Tore down. Had .001 bearings and crank turned .012 and was a 305 crank in a 350 and not balanced. He said they told him it would rev faster with the lighter crank.
reed

[peejay]

Plastigage isn't all that expensive, is it?

[vht]

I work at a Ford dealership, had a boy changing oil and he wasn't stout enough to tighten the filter, had several come back, and even had to go to peoples houses and take oil and clean up the mess. He wanted to work on cars he said, so they told him to install a exh hanger on a F350. Next day we found the hanger, when asked about it, he had installed a coat hanger on the exh. He twisted 8 lug nut studs off one day with a breaker bar and pipe. Lucky that someone walked by and told him he was turning them the wrong way, or he would have twisted them all off.

[midnightbluS10]

So what does R10 signify to say to you that bearings are wrong? The rods are 10 under? Aren't some 350s labeled as R10 for the application? I've seen them marked as such. What made you positive it was one and not the other? Thanks.

[englertracing]

So what does R10 signify to say to you that bearings are wrong? The rods are 10 under? Aren't some 350s labeled as R10 for the application? I've seen them marked as such. What made you positive it was one and not the other? Thanks.

I assumed he meant that it meant the crank was ground 0.010" under.

Sounds logical to me.

Also those are some funny stories, anyone got any more.

[MadBill]

Somewhere in the S/T archives there is a "Top This Turd" thread I started, with a hundred more such stories..

[FC-Pilot]

As a young kid I was putting an engine together with my dad. Well, the speed shop sold us thing new-fangled 9 keyway timing set. That meant that there were 18 different markings on the crank gear. Well I learned after firing up the engine that when the cam is off three teeth you are going to have some valves kiss the pistons. Luckily I learned from my mistakes and I would not put a lawn mower engine together without degreeing the cam. LOL We all live and learn. Sometimes it is just more expensive than others.

Paul

[The Radius Kid]

Somewhere in the S/T archives there is a "Top This Turd" thread I started, with a hundred more such stories..

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