Anybody else go to these extremes?

So the story starts with a blown frost plug yesterday in my Y-Block. No big deal right? Wrong. Its on the back of the head against the firewall, can't really get at it. So the plan was to pull the head and replace the frost plug. If you have the intake off already you might just as well pull the other head and do that frost plug too, because you know it will let go 3 weeks after you get done with the job. Get the intake off get the gaskets ordered, while at the parts store I ask about a newer style distributor for it with a better vacuum advance, they have it. So now I am
pulling the heads and putting in a new distributor. Okay not so bad, but you can see it snowballing already can't you? Driving to work this morning I come to the conclusion that it would be easier just to pull the whole motor out, then I can clean it, degrease it and paint it like I've wanted to do since I bought it. Talked to some friends who are smarter then me(which isn't a compliment) and it was agreed that this would ultimately be easier, So off we go on this mission that started with a blown frost plug.
Does anybody else get this snowball effect on their projects?

 

So will you be done for BTT 50s???
I got in that trap last year.

 

im doing the same thing with an o/t truck......started with a darn freeze plug

 

Yes, I understand the snowball effect. I owned a 39 Buick that had the freeze plug go bad in the back of the head. Some old timer cut a hole in the firewall with a chisel , bent it down and replaced the plug. Then bent it back and covered the hole with tar. It took me a while to understand why that hole was there until I removed the engine ans saw that it lined up perfect. Probably was done on many cars back in the day.

 

I had one blow on 71 pontiac lemans and my future father in law did the same think, cut a hole in the firewall and removed the old one and pushed in a new one from the inside.

 

All the time here.

 

ONE thing leads to FIVE more & each one of them branches off & so on & so fourth.
yes know all about those extremes.

 

I helped my dad do the same thing on a 71 lemans. Luckily it was on the passenger side. Lots easier than pulling the heads or motor.

 

A friend of mine had a freeze plug pop out on his old Chev Blazer onct.
and had had headers put on his 350 which made it impossible to put
an ordinary soft plug back in it. It took a lot of beer for us to realize that
there are expanding rubber soft plugs (like the oil filler on a detroit deisel).
All ya need is the clearance to get it started and room for an endwrench. It
appeared to me it would last forever, but certainly no longer protect his engine
from freeze. I do not remember which 12 pack brought us to the conclusion
that antifreeze works better for that purpose, anyway. Good luck!

 

I'm about to do that with the Studebaker. Broken rear shock mount is going to lead to complete rear suspension make over.

 

Might as well put a cam in while you've got it out.

 

Back in the 60's, you had to pull the engine on the Cougers and Mustangs to change a couple of the plugs...unless you cut a few holes in the fender well with a hole saw...

 

You're WAY behind! I'd have had the body off the frame by now!

 

yes that happened to me, luckily your working on a Y block. The easiest engine to work on ever. Mine started with a 60 Fairlane with a 6 in it, blew that up. Then decided to rebuild the 6, at that point I thought Y not put a Y block in it. So I found a Y block, then I thought I better rebuild it. So I rebuilt the Y block, then thought why not put 3 dueces on it while im at it. After that I thought well I better put new tires and rims......it got out of hand real quick

 

Same here.

I'd have a cam, lifters, and an intake on order already, too.

Sad thing is that's no joke.

 

Heh, I started with a bad valve guide in a 318, ended up morphing that into a 440. Too bad I never get it done, ended up selling the truck for $300...

 

I've always heard it called "Ship-fitters Disease".
I Pinstiped and engine bay once.

 

You better sell that thing before it bankrupts you. It's hard to find a stopping place.

 

If not me, its one of my buds...!

 

My 54 F100 project worked that way.
Started out an drivetrain upgrade and patch the rust on the body?
Turned into building a early 60's mild custom !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Darn HAMB and Metalmeet for the knowledge and encouragement to try this ????

jim h

 

Ouch!

~Jason

 

You want to talk snowball effect?
Somebody gave me a mopar minivan with a thrown timing belt a few weeks ago.... Simple enough,,, a $29 timing belt and I'd be driving down the road... Well, prolly should replace the $29 water pump while I'm at it.... Oh look, it leaks oil, better get a gasket set for it... Well hell, I'm in this deep, cap, rotor, plugs, wires and filters makes sense... Hmmm. Tires look a little thin, so I'll swap 'em out for a set I'v got in the garage... Oh, tires are off and I see the brakes are thin.

So while it's all taken apart, someone is nice enough to steal the battery out of it. Only they cant be friendly and just un-bolt the terminals, nooooo, they gotta cut them!

This is the kind of moapr that the positive cable is part of the wiring harness... $279 for the + cable... No way, I'll just buy some terminals and re-connect all the cut wires, so a new battery and a little repair work......

Only I hook it up wrong and fry something in the electrical system.

Thus far, I'm into my "free" minivan for about $700, and it aint worth $500, and it still dont run!!!!!!!

 

I once rewired my whole car because the ballast resistor went bad.

 

I had the same problem with mine . The one that went bad on me was the one under the starter . Pulled the starter and have no room to pound one in so I did the rubber one for now .
Now instead of pulling the 272 , I went and bought a 292 instead to rebuild so my car wouldn't let me sit ! Going with the Isky cam & lifters, headers , "G" heads , 3x2 , 4 speed and so on !

All I wanted to do was fix a freeze plug !

 

Mine was like a boo-boo that needs a band-aid and a kiss compared to this story! Been there too, done that...

 

Blew one in a 406 and cranked in a rubber jobbie, it's been in 4 years now.

 

Well, if you pull the motor, you don't have to pull the heads and intake...
Wait, let me guess, you already did, right?

I've heard it called mission creep...

My 47 is in the shop for brakes. Just freshen up the OE ones that require a few special tools to do. Figured I'd have an old-timer do it. But for 150 more, he can swap to discs and a dual master. Oh, and might as well change out the rear lug bolts for all right hand studs and nuts to match. Oh, and might as well upgrade to self-energizing and self-adjusting rears too. I'm just glad that the wheels seem to fit, otherwise they would need to be changed too. Did I mention kingpins?

 

That would be the goal although I hope to be done sooner.

 

Had a Dodge truck once that started out as replacement of a bad rear flex brake line. The hard line to it looked crusty, then so did all the others. The fuel lines didn't look any better, so.... The front flex lines couldn't possibly be any better that the rear one so those needed replacement. While that job was being done, the brakes had about 40K on them so rotors drums, pads shoes, hardware 'cause it was 10 years old... this would be a great time to fix the frozen park brake. Yeah with $120 of new cables. So I blow a whole weekend plus another couple of nights, about 300 1995 dollars on an old truck that got 7000 miles a year.
Oh, that also led to shocks 'cause the thing was in the air, ya know.

 

You still got 2-1/2 months. I think you'd be ok.