[AZ64GP]

Hello All,

Now that I have the rest of my engine broken down and the broken head bolt removed, my '64 389 and the factory heads have a date with the machine shop for Monday (2-24-14). I have some ideas what I want the machine shop to do and look at (as well as I'm going to ask his input), but are there any general questions I should ask, things I should ask the machine ship to do for my heads and/or engine block when I bring them in? I'm bring the heads (disassembled except for the valves and valve springs), the intake manifold (it's so grimy I'm like him to dip it when he dips the engine block to clean it), the original pistons and rods, the crankshaft, and the bare engine block? Anything I missed that I should drop off to him that I haven't listed above?

For the heads, I was going to have him check the heads for any issues, check the valves (I don't know if I need new ones), do a valve job on the heads, and install hardened valve seats. I was going to replace the valve springs, and possibly the rockers and pushrods if they need it, myself.

Concerning the block, I was going to ask him to magnaflux the block (I'm pretty sure it's not cracked, but I wanted him to check), check the deck and cylinder bore surfaces, and the crank for any issues. Lastly I was going to ask for his opinion on rods (not sure if I can recondition the originals or if I'm going to need new rods), and pistons to help lower my compression ratio so I can run the car on pump gas. I'm going to do the engine assembly myself with some help, but all the engine machine work will be done by this shop.

I'd appreciate any advice or opinions on what else I should ask the machine shop to do, or look at it with my heads and engine. This is my first trip ever to a machine shop, and everything I'm doing while restoring my '64 GP I'm doing for the first time. I trust the machine shop, as some friends have used him and have had good results with his work. Thank you advance for your help!


Chris

[Squidward]

You are in my 'hood. Curious... who ya gonna use? PM me if you don't feel comfortable publishing it openly.

[AZ64GP]

Hi Squidward,

Thanks for the reply. I've had a few friends use Action Speed & Machine in Mesa, AZ. He's supposed to be a trustworthy guy, does great work, and charges reasonable prices for his work. Any experience with him or have any other references?


Chris

[AZ64GP]

Hi Sirrotica,

I mentioned lower the compression ratio in the third paragraph. I know I'm going to have too. I don't want to spend the money for race gas, and there's only a few places in the Phoenix area that sell it. It sucks...91 octane is a high as it gets for pump gas here. I'm going to probably do dished pistons, so I can keep my stock heads. It being a '64 engine, if I want to change to later heads, I'm also going to have to change the front accessories (all the pulleys and locations of the engine accessories changed in '65) and the intake manifold, besides the heads. I really want to keep the '64 engine looking like a '64 and it will be cheaper too to only change the pistons. Do you have any opinion/suggestion for that? Thank you for the info and the reply!

[67gtospud]

Make sure to have the block zero decked or close to. . . I had mine decked to 0.003. With the heads have the valve guides checked also for wear.

[Firebob]

The first thing to do is make sure he knows that he is working on a PONTIAC!!!!! engine. I just recently had a very reputable shop here to do a simple straight forward nothing little job and got my parts back mounted up like it was for a SBC. They couldn't very well say they didn't know because I dropped the block off at the same time for something else. Luckily the same guy didn't work on both parts.

[Vet65te]

Chris - You're doing the right thing by asking for suggestions, especially if this is the first time you've walked through the door of a machine shop. And, no matter the topic, you'll no doubt find contrasting opinions related to the subjects you've brought up such as compression ratio and installing hardened seats. Yes, the 91 Octane stuff is a bit disappointing in our area but that doesn't mean you have to drop the compression down a lot. The factory ratings for horsepower and compression were considered to be a bit optimistic meaning an original 10.75 was really less, like maybe 10.50 or 10.25 and by just using a thicker/typical head gasket will drop the compression even further. The cam specs you intend on using will also play a part in what compression ratio you can get away with. When unleaded gas came out, the immediate reaction was to add hardened valve seats but the prevailing attitude on that is for a street driven vehicle, they may not be needed. Ask all the questions that come to mind before you make a decision on which way to go.
Good luck,
Mike T.

[gtofreek]

Anything that will be driven a lot or on the highway, needs hard seats. A drag car can get away without them. I have seen exhaust seats on Pontiac heads recess 1/8" in just 10,000 miles when driven on the highway. The extended heat burns them away rather quickly.

If you're willing to drive to Tucson, you can have a REAL Pontiac nut machine your engine.

I'm building a 64 389 right now at work. Very similar build to what you're doing. It's for a 64 Catalina.