The days have finally arrived that I have the time, money, and inclination to work on my Omni again.
For background, the engine was completely redone professionally in 1998. A ton of money in parts and coatings went into the motor only to have it leaking coolant from the headgasket when fired the first time in mid 1999.
Not only leaking, but coolant into the cylinders also, so a cloud of white smoke followed the car where ever it went. I was so depressed that I parked the car and let it sit for a few years. I never even tore into it to see why. That, I now view as my biggest mistake and it will cause me much more work than had I worked on it immediately.
Even though I had the build sheets from the motor, and all torque specs were met, I didn't know then that ARP studs should be torqued more than their recommended spec. And mine should have been even tighter as it is an O-ringed block. They were all torqued to about 72 lbs. I learned a couple years later they should have been torqued to about 90 lbs to get the O-rings seated properly into the flame ring on the gasket. And yes we did use the proper '008' gasket from MP for O-rings and crossdrilled.
So during the last couple weeks I started getting ready to remove the engine from the car. I pulled the valve cover first to see what shape the upper end is in. I was very surprised to find water droplets on all surfaces under the valve cover. Cam, followers, head, springs, and even the splash shield over the first two valves had water droplets (condensation) covering every surface.
But what was more amazing was that there was no rust or corrosion anywhere. It looked like brand new, just wet. I rubbed the top of one of the cam lobes that was sticking up and the water pushed off easily revealing a nice film of lubricant covering the surface. In case anyone is interested, Amsoil 10W40 is what was used in the motor.
A friend lent me a borescope so I could look to see how bad the cylinders are rusted. I don't think I've gotten so lucky there though. I have a fresh engine on a stand (the replacement). I looked in there to see how shiny cylinders are supposed to look. They are very nice. Then I pulled the plugs on the Omni.
The first two were dry, and black looking like a rich condition. Plugs in 3 & 4 were wet though. A water droplet between the center electrode and the ground electrode. And the edge of the plug that protrudes into the combustion chamber was rusted on both of them.
I could only make out the cylinder wall in #1, I could see where the piston rings had been seating into the cyl wall and some honing marks also, but overall the cyl wall looked "dirty". There is no reflection from any surface in any of the other cylinders so I guess they are fairly rusted. The dish on piston #3 is filled with water.
I've got the car up on jackstands and am going to drain the oil and water that is in the oil pan. Once that water (and oil) is drained out I am going to squirt some oil into the cylinders and manually turn over the engine a couple turns. Then I'll check the cylinders with the borescope again. This is just for grins, I am nearly certain the engine on the stand is going into the Omni, but I have nothing to lose by trying to see if minor surface rust can be cleaned up enough to not need an engine change. Also, even thought the upper part of the head was protected by an oil film, I imagine that the valves and valve seats are fairly rusted.
Besides the engine, the brakes need to be done all around. It is the original fluid in them and the pedal goes to the floor. I have the SLH package to put on the front and braided stainless lines to replace all the rubber lines, and also a rebuilt master cylinder from a Daytona. I also have new backing plates with brake cylinders for the rear brakes.
My goal is to have the car drivable by mid October. This sounds like an easy thing, but I am nearly 61 and I don't move as fast as I used to. And it has been 12 years since I did any serious wrenching on this car at all.
More to follow, film at 11 ...
Barry
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Originally Posted by CoolV300C
12.57@104 :O) 
