engine teardown part 1

It's funny when I started the last engine tear down, I mentioned it on the forums and there was no shortage of people telling me I was in over my head and to pay them take care of it for me.  I am going to tell you just the opposite.  If you have even a vague idea of what pistons and a camshaft are, then get a torque wrench and a good book for your engine and follow the directions.  Engines are not difficult to disassemble and rebuild.  Nothing is rusted together, everything comes apart with hand tools.  Logic prevails on the way everything goes together.  Other than that maybe my only other advice is don't start your journey of discovery with the motor from your 512BB. 

For now I am using Tom Monroe's book with the no nonsense title "how to rebuild small block ford engines"

In the book after the engine removal section it did say "I assume you won't have any difficulties with draining the oil, otherwise you wouldn't be this far along".  It was good to see the oil come out without any metal, water or congealed lumps.  So far so good.

Beauty. 

 

 

 The book mentioned that it can be quite hard to get the intake manifold off.  I just undid all the bolts then let the gasket fail to lift the engine:

 

 I expected a lot more oil in here.  I looks like this engine was never run after a rebuild.  Fortunately all the rocker arms were loose.  I think this must have been done when they mothballed this so that it didn't sit with a couple cylinders open to the atmosphere.  Also the distibutor gear was bone dry.  I am hopeful that there are no bottom end surprises waiting for me.

 

My goal is to just confirm a couple things while I am in here.  That the timing chain and gear are not shot, that the valve timing is right, that the bearings are not all scored up, Static time the distributor, check out the cylinder bores from below only for any damage.  I may do a leak down test, although I don't have a tester.