Can rusty cylinder heads be used?

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dibbons

dibbons

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I know cracked cylinder heads should be repaired/junked but what about heads that are real rusty? Can they always be cleaned up enough to salvage them and reuse? Thank you. P.S. Same question, what about rusty cylinder blocks?
 
I suppose that comes down to how much pitting there is in the wrong place.. Pictures?
 
Pretty much, yes. Unless they are rusted so badly that they are crumbling apart. Then pretty much, no.
 
i saw rusted though holes in a block and head that had been laying on its side in the weather for years . ate a hole that would have showed up after cooking and slot peen rolling it to clean out the passages . had him (my machinist) do that cleaning process to everything now . it does a beautiful job cleans cast iron until it shines . then sonic test for thicknesses thru out . oh and the guys block and head that had the hole in them . well he didn't want to pay for that extra . now not only getting another block and head , he's having to redo the whole assembly again . lucky i guess he's got all new parts to put in it , lol . because the leak only showed up after it was assembled, and going the run to breaking it in .
 
why waste $$$ on a core build, they always suck. Missing parts, broken parts, bad bearings and worse. If you need a small block, grab a $500 magnum and install it instead. Better gaskets, more power, new design heads, roller cam and hypereutectic/moly pistons and rings.
 
I've seen "no substitute for cubic inches" so many times that I'm finally going to trade my allegiance from my beloved 273 to a bigger motor--the infamous 305. My new heroes drove the 70 Trans Am and the 71 Daytona 500 using the little "lunch box" motors. (my old bracket racing Valiant is in the color foto)

65 Valiant1.jpeg


305 Cuda 48.jpg


Daytonae 305.jpg
 
I would reject a block that has a lot of rust in the lifter bores. You can't clean it out well enough to make it usable and keep the lifter-to-bore clearance tight, you can't over bore, and lifter busing work is darned costly.
 
mine were pretty crusty and turned out fine
they had been sitting in a garage for 30 years
broken spark plugs in each hole
pitted surface rust everywhere
i'm not sure if they tanked or baked them but they're ok
i don't have any before pics but the after pic is in a post I just started earlier this morning
 
so you need 340 block, right? Should be able to find one thats not covered in rust. I have built some 4"x 3" engines before and they are fun. Figuring out a cam will be a challenge for street driver. If you run a roller, the 340 has issues with lots of roller lifters as the lifter bores are often too short for rollers longer length. I still wouldnt screw with rusty block though.
 
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