Head gaskets keep blowing on 851

Marcus;Classic &amp; Exotic did my Lycoming 25 yrs. ago, have not removed head(s) since that time, and have driven car extensively since; Ask them to put some miles on it, take it to lunch for a few weeks and so forth. These are the same guys who did Bugatti Royales and Duesenberg racing cars. <!-- s:o --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_surprised.gif" alt="" title="Surprised" /><!-- s:o --> <!-- s:o --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_surprised.gif" alt="" title="Surprised" /><!-- s:o --> <!-- s:o --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_surprised.gif" alt="" title="Surprised" /><!-- s:o -->

MARK,

KNOWING JOHN FOR YEARS, HE IS REPUTABLE AND IF HE DID SOMETHING WRONG, HE WOULD MAKE IT RIGHT. I AM QUITE SURPRISED THAT HE WOULD "SLAP" SOMETHING TOGETHER. HIS REPUTATION IS IMPECCABLE. I WILL FORWARD HIM YOUR COMMENTS.

Jim: Try calling John Schnittker at 847-253-6740. He loves to discuss these old engines, and I'm sure he can lead you in the right direction. He has been rebuilding Lycoming aircraft engines for many years, as well as antique auto engines.

My own opinion is that the head might be warped, which is alot easier to fix than an engine block. But I'm no expert.

BTW, Forsyth rebuilt my engine, and I have since found some half-baked shortcuts that he took in the process. One of the shortcuts was a slapped-together supercharger, which cost me $$ to have redone.

Mark

I live in Sheboygan, Wisconsin and currently have a Ford engine being rebuilt in Skokie, so going to Chicago is not a problem. I do have a reputable machine shop close to me but they have limited experience with Lycoming engines but did a satisfactory job for me in the past with an engine from the 50's. I am just at the assessment phase of my restoration. I am contemplating cleaning the gas tank, carb and radiator, changing the oil and trying to start the engine. The previous owner claims they tried this last year without doing the above and it "ran." I of course don't want to damage anything that isn't already damaged. Any thoughts or recommendations?

Jim Nicholson ACD CLub member since August

If it was me I'd get someone from a machine shop to put their flat edge on the block to see if it is level or not.

Tom

GIVNER wrote: Red Auburn:

Apparently you are not learning from the previous owner. Trying to manually flatten the block is absurd. This needs to be done properly by a machine shop. The motor must come out and be decked properly. The guru of all guru's is John Forsythe in Fremont, Ohio. But let me also say that any good quality engine rebuilder can rebuild these engines. There is no mystery in these Lycoming 8 cylinder engines. As far as the problems with the head bolts, again, a good engine rebuilder can evaluate and tell you whether the block is beyond repair or not. Crucial to any machining when trying to straighten the head bolt problem is whether there is enough material to work with so as not to break into the water passages.

Thank you for the advice Joel.

Red Auburn:

Apparently you are not learning from the previous owner. Trying to manually flatten the block is absurd. This needs to be done properly by a machine shop. The motor must come out and be decked properly. The guru of all guru's is John Forsythe in Fremont, Ohio. But let me also say that any good quality engine rebuilder can rebuild these engines. There is no mystery in these Lycoming 8 cylinder engines. As far as the problems with the head bolts, again, a good engine rebuilder can evaluate and tell you whether the block is beyond repair or not. Crucial to any machining when trying to straighten the head bolt problem is whether there is enough material to work with so as not to break into the water passages.

ilikescars wrote: Where do you live? I can recommend a re-builder in the Chicago area, or I can present your question to him and get back to you. He's a Lycoming guru.

Mark

The problem I have is a block that is not flat or warped. It is at the shop right now. The former owner kept replacing head gaskets until the bolt holes were all striped. The wholes were heli-coiled but the drilling was not straight. So we are drilling the holes to 9/16 and using inserts to straighten up the bolt holes in the block. I understand that the block may not have to be decked if we can file it flat enough. I am trying to avoid pulling the engine at this time. My friends say we should be able to file it down to get within 6 to 10 mills of flatness, then use a pair of gaskets to cure the problem. I would like to know if this is true. The car is currently with Bruce at Classic & Exotics, a very good restorer in the Detroit area. I had it in to fix the brakes, but the car blew a head gasket on the test drive. I suspect the nuts were loose on the head, this combined with the warped block caused the head gasket to blow. Other problems were discovered after that.

Many thanks,

I am restoring an 852. I wouild like to know who is the "Lycoming Guru" in Chicago?
Thanks. Jim Nicholson north of Milwaukee

Where do you live? I can recommend a re-builder in the Chicago area, or I can present your question to him and get back to you. He's a Lycoming guru.

Mark

I have just bought an 851 and the engine in it has been apparently blowing head gaskets for quite a while. It turns out that the block appears to be warped. The repeated changing of head gaskets has caused the bolt holes in the block to strip out.

What solutions have people found to fix this? Is the only way to machine the block or is there some other solution? Is this a good time to go ahead and rebuild the engine or buy another engine? Who rebuilds this type of thing?

Marcus