Is overspray on cylinder head ok?

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That's a hell of a lot of work to go through AMC just to take a chance of blowing up the whole works.

Its very easy to just take the heads off now and remove the basepan while the engine is out and check everything to be sure the engine is actually rebuilt. A little elbow grease and a few gaskets is a small price to pay to be confident the engine is sound
What's life without risk? If this is a craigslist/Facebook engine that didn't cost a lot... if I'm staring down tearing an engine down either way.... 16 go, 17 stay...

Now, if OP has 10 grand into this, then absolutely, rip it apart. We all can agree this isn't good or the right way to do something. A grand? Send it and risk it and if it goes it had to be torn down and redone anyways. 20 minutes of run time to find out isn't going to grenade the thing.
 
What's life without risk? If this is a craigslist/Facebook engine that didn't cost a lot... if I'm staring down tearing an engine down either way.... 16 go, 17 stay...

Now, if OP has 10 grand into this, then absolutely, rip it apart. We all can agree this isn't good or the right way to do something. A grand? Send it and risk it and if it goes it had to be torn down and redone anyways. 20 minutes of run time to find out isn't going to grenade the thing.
I'm just thinking from a viewpoint of how much work it is is to fully assemble the engine, put on new filters, fill with expensive break-in oil, juggle the engine into the engine compartment, struggle with putting the exhaust system and cooling system together with fresh coolant etc.. just to have an issue that could have been found and rectified very easily with the engine on a stand, especially with clear evidence that proper assembly protocols were not followed from the start.
 
I'm just thinking from a viewpoint of how much work it is is to fully assemble the engine, put on new filters, fill with expensive break-in oil, juggle the engine into the engine compartment, struggle with putting the exhaust system and cooling system together with fresh coolant etc.. just to have an issue that could have been found and rectified very easily with the engine on a stand, especially with clear evidence that proper assembly protocols were not followed from the start.
Your point is valid. I'm not saying you're wrong. Sometimes taking chances is fun though
 
Depends what he paid for it. I'd roll the dice if the price was right. These things came new with left over casting junk still in the water jackets.

The way I see it, he either has to rebuild it now, or if he runs it and it fails he still has to rebuild it.

If he cleans it, rolls the dice and it turns out ok, then the gamble paid off. If it doesn't work out he was gonna be out that money anyways ripping it down and doing it all over again.

Unless there's thousands and thousands tied up in this or it's a numbers matching block, then roll the dice and get the car running and enjoy it
That's all well and good except that half the effort is wrapped up in the final installation. All those bits and pieces take a ton of time to put together.
 
Your point is valid. I'm not saying you're wrong. Sometimes taking chances is fun though
I'm getting too old I guess.

If I went through all that work to put the engine in and it blew up because I didn't properly check it out first, I wouldn't be fit to talk to for weeks and the car would remain in the garage unfinished for months!!
 
Is that wheel bearing grease smeared on the lifters and cam lobes?
1705705258614.png
 
From looking at the photos, what makes anyone think it was overhauled? The cam looks like it may or may not be new, and a clean timing cover. Valve spring retainers look to maybe aluminum? If so, get rid of them. I am not knowledgeable about the rocker arms, but they didn't come on a 340, don't believe that they are TA's either. You can do what you want, no way I would even consider not going through it, NFW. It's not that much to go through it, except maybe the heads, or, something is really wrong with it. Maybe think about how or why ithe engine became available.
 
From looking at the photos, what makes anyone think it was overhauled? The cam looks like it may or may not be new, and a clean timing cover. Valve spring retainers look to maybe aluminum? If so, get rid of them. I am not knowledgeable about the rocker arms, but they didn't come on a 340, don't believe that they are TA's either. You can do what you want, no way I would even consider not going through it, NFW. It's not that much to go through it, except maybe the heads, or, something is really wrong with it. Maybe think about how or why ithe engine became available.
This is a really good catch
2C84A2BE-C118-4615-A7AB-324778E98F1F (1).jpeg
The rockers do look wrong
 
They look like adjustable 273 rockers. Perfectly fine to run on a 340.
They could have at least pressed a piece of aluminum foil around the valve train. That alone would have kept most of the overspray out of the engine.
If you dont want to pull the engine apart, here is what I would do. Put it on an engine stand and turn it upside down. Spray lacquer thinner on the overspay and use a scrub brush on it. Flush it with more lacquer thinner and repeat until clean.
Put a bore scope in the cylinders. At least then you could see if its got a fresh bore.
 
I'm not gonna argue about it, but there's just no frikkin WAY I would ever run that without getting every single bit of that paint off. Where will it end up when it comes off? Possibly stopping up the oil pickup screen and oil filter, that's where. No thanks.
 
Looks like possible rebuildable core. With 273 rocker arms. The shafts and rockers could be toast or like new. Only Superman has X-Ray Vision.
 
If I've read what the OP is saying, he bought the engine for himself but I've read some of you guys saying that you would send it out. What do you mean by that? I guarantee that I wouldn't send anyone something that looked like that and if they were to send it to me like that that they would be getting it back pretty quick.
 
Look at the adjusters on the rockers.......Those pushrods are way too long.

Brother, do some research, tear it down, check and measure, re assemble with new gaskets. This may sound like a lot of work, but trust me...it will be a fun learning experience if the engine looks good inside. (It will suck if it needs machining...but at least you'll know).

Ask tons of questions here......Lot's of great advice. @krazykuda has a great engine re-build tutorial (with pictures) to help you through if you need it.

My .02 cents
 
Look at the adjusters on the rockers.......Those pushrods are way too long.

Brother, do some research, tear it down, check and measure, re assemble with new gaskets. This may sound like a lot of work, but trust me...it will be a fun learning experience if the engine looks good inside. (It will suck if it needs machining...but at least you'll know).

Ask tons of questions here......Lot's of great advice. @krazykuda has a great engine re-build tutorial (with pictures) to help you through if you need it.

My .02 cents
Who ever painted the engine in my opinion was lazy, all they had to do was put the valve covers on. I've read on here more than once about the pushrods being wrong and I agree. Somebody said earlier for the op to go ahead and run it as is which would be the worst thing that he could do. Going by the pushrods being wrong and the sloppy paint job I would tear it down no matter what. I hope that the op didn't pay much for the engine I don't care if it's a 340 or not, as I said earlier it's had a spray can over haul
 
If I've read what the OP is saying, he bought the engine for himself but I've read some of you guys saying that you would send it out. What do you mean by that? I guarantee that I wouldn't send anyone something that looked like that and if they were to send it to me like that that they would be getting it back pretty quick.
Send it:

Just go for it and have fun, not send it to a customer
 
Look at the adjusters on the rockers.......Those pushrods are way too long.

Brother, do some research, tear it down, check and measure, re assemble with new gaskets. This may sound like a lot of work, but trust me...it will be a fun learning experience if the engine looks good inside. (It will suck if it needs machining...but at least you'll know).

Ask tons of questions here......Lot's of great advice. @krazykuda has a great engine re-build tutorial (with pictures) to help you through if you need it.

My .02 cents
Good catch. Likely has hydraulic lifters in it with solid lifter valve train. That valve train came with solid lifters which were shorter in the pushrod seat area.
 
Good catch. Likely has hydraulic lifters in it with solid lifter valve train. That valve train came with solid lifters which were shorter in the pushrod seat area.
You know Rob, sometimes the board goes over the top with suggestions. We've all read about asking for a little more pep from a 318, and ending up with a stroked, aluminum headed blah blah blah.

But in this case, I feel that it would in fact be wise to look a little deeper. Not saying that he needs to dump a ton of $$$, just catch any catastrophic potentials. Can you imagine running that valve train?
 
You know Rob, sometimes the board goes over the top with suggestions. We've all read about asking for a little more pep from a 318, and ending up with a stroked, aluminum headed blah blah blah.

But in this case, I feel that it would in fact be wise to look a little deeper. Not saying that he needs to dump a ton of $$$, just catch any catastrophic potentials. Can you imagine running that valve train?
I don't disagree. What's a good gasket set cost?
 
Is that wheel bearing grease smeared on the lifters and cam lobes?
View attachment 1716194665
Almost looks like red lithium based chassis grease. Hi-Temp Valvoline Moly wheel bearing grease might be okay, but that may be a little iffy. I see enough going on that I would at the least pull the rockers and check the valve stem heights and check the puchrod legnths. What you find there is going to give you an idea of how much farther you need to look. Probably also be interesting to see what's behind the timing cover, being that's only about $12 worth of gaskets.
 
View attachment 1716194621

Correct! I apply Glyptal on almost every motor I build. If used correctly, it has its benefits.

I would personally pull OP's motor apart. Details matter. If a builder is willing to skimp on the parts you can see on the outside, just imagine what you can't see on the inside.
You took the words right out of my mouth. If the builder cut corners on something that can be seen so easily, where else did he cut corners?????
 
Yea with Glyptal, and that is an enamel based “paint” but it goes on when the engine is clean, and freshly machined. The rattle can paint on oily valve train parts will not stick and likely end up in the pick up screen. Resulting in a thread on FABO titled “where’d my oil pressure go”?
i personally like the limited series "where's that ticking sound coming from?"
8~10 episode format really works well to move the story along and reveal plot pieces in a more timely fashion.
 
just seeing this makes me think everything else is sus AF
i'd be ordering gaskets, buying a 12 rack and diving in.

thankfully, brakeclean would probably take off most of that.

that cam looks a little gnarly, i hope that's just the lighting.
 
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