Hot Rods Need refresher on installing sitting engine

I have a 40 pickup with a 350 chevy (I know)and will be installing my 454 I have that came from another truck I use to own.Now this is my question. It has been sitting in my garage for a couple years and debating if I should pull the plugs and squirt some oil in the cylinders and let it sit or some marvel mystery oil and turn the engine over by hand slowly. What do you think? Thanks. Exterminator

 

Ill fallow i got a hot sbc on the stand for a couple years now myself

 

That should work but you could pre-oil it and really be sure about having oil everywhere (inside the engine...).

 

I like to put the engine on a engine stand drain the oil add a couple of quarts and do a slow role with the engine with a drip pan under it. If you have oil coming out of a breather just role it faster

 

The valvetrain will lose it's oil a lot sooner than the bearings and rings will.

If you feel like pulling the intake off, then you could dump oil all over the cam before you do anything else. Then run the oil pump with a drill for a while, to get oil flowing everywhere it needs. Also douse the rocker arms with oil.

Or just fire it up and see how it works, which is what I usually do

I installed a used engine last week, I had to pull the intake for other reasons, so I poured oil all over everything.

btw I've taken apart engines that have sat for 20 years, and oil runs out the oil holes in the crankshaft.

 

I'm like Squirrel, I usually just put in fresh oil, turn them over a time or two, and crank them. Never had a problem doing it that way..

 

Just pull the dizzy, drive the oil pump with a drill until you have good oil preasure and oil on the top end. ( rockers) good to go, drop in dizzy, fire it up.

 

10-4

 

Oil in the cylinders, oil the rockers, fresh oil and filter, correct oil pump priming tool or one made from correct distributor. Spin pump with oil pressure gauge connected while you crank the engine over by hand until oil comes out of all rockers or you pass out whichever comes first. Certainly helps to have an assistant and beer.

 

When you put the 454 in the 40, please post pictures.

 

Oil in the cylinders never hurts,


After she's pumping oil with the drill and making pressure, have a buddy rotate the crank and when the oil holes line up the drill will speed up. Hold it there till oil is flowing and rotate again till the other side lines up. Then I usually use the starter with the plugs out to spin it while the drill is running and All the rockers are oiling.

 

"An engine equipped with a distributor-shaft-driven oil pump may be mechanically primed by turning the pump with a power drill or a pressure tank in order to establish pressure."
here's the online article this quote came with other suggestions, or what Squirrel said from, http://www.autoserviceprofessional....ing-a-critical-procedure-for-any-fresh-engine

 

It was not bad. we had to work on the intake a little, elongate the center holes and take a little off the side of the plenum and I made some angled spacers for the center bolts to seat against and other than that it worked great.

 

Trans fluid burns out of the cylinders good, nice and thin

 

All of the advice here is good, now with that said, what do you know about this engine and were its been? I had a big block that I had in the shop for a couple of years. When I got that engine I taped up the intake manifold and any other hole I could find. finally got ready to use it, I did pre oil it, puller the valve covers and oiled the rockers etc. Fired it up and there was the damdest racket you ever heard. Pulled it apart and there was a #10 sheet metal screw setting on the number 1 piston. I was lucky as I had to only replace that one piston. I swore right then I would never start a motor that had sat for a time without pulling the heads. Its not that big of a deal and only cost a little money for new gaskets. the piece of mind, Priceless.

 

I know a lot about this engine since I had this engine built by a well known local engine builder in apple valley for my 56 ford pickup. I ran the truck for a year or so and my wife said she missed our 40 ford pickup I sold (she protested) so I traded my 56 for the 40 and told the guy that if he pulls the 454 out that I want first chance of buying the big block. It happened!He was going to install a 460 ford engine, which never happened since he sold the 56 and moved away. So I am excited since I feel like a high school kid again when I cruise with that engine- RumpRump! I think I will have louvres punched in the hood and flames on the 40. I am sooooo excited! Exterminator

 

Put in some new frost plugs, easy and cheap to do now