A sound you don't want to hear when assembling a motor

[Jim]

Over the last couple of months, I've been assembling the 440 for my 72 Cuda project as time and funding have permitted. This week I finally got the short block buttoned-up. The other night I installed the windage tray and 7 qt pan. Today was the day to roll it over and install the heads.

So I've got it on the stand and start rolling it over. I get it rotated about 90 degrees, and I hear a faint, CLINK.
 

"WTF was that!?!?", I say to myself. 

So I do another rotation and I here it again... twice. CLINK..... CLINK 

So now I'm fit to be tied. I'm thinking I'm going to have to open up the bottom end to find whatever I left loose and is rattling around. 

I keep rolling the motor over, waiting for the CLANK signaling whatever it is has fallen into the oil pan, but it never comes. 

After several more rotations, I trace the noise to the left cylinder bank, but I'm thinking no way did I have anything fall into the crank case. 

Finally I start to thinking maybe something is in the water jacket. So I start peering through the holes looking to find something. Can't really see the into the far outboard corners, or in between 3 and 5. By this time though, I'm fairly certain whatever is rattling around IS in the water jacket and probably harmless, but I'm not going to stop looking until I find it.

So I popped out a couple of freeze plugs, and sure enough, I find a chunk of rusted cast iron flash.  I flip the motor a couple more times... no more CLINK

It was a frustrating detour, but at least the story has a happy ending. Only cost me the time, and a couple of 99 cent freeze plugs. Obviously, it could have been a lot worse.

[moparmaniac59]

Glad you found it. I had a similar situation when I built my motor. I found a piece in the pan and did a lot of looking to figure out what it was and where it came from. Glad it all worked out!! It will definitely give you the pucker syndrone!!



                                                 Matt B.

[UKcuda]

A sound you don't want to hear when assembling a motor

I thought it was going to be "..... so when are you going to mow the lawn ??! "

[moper]

The very first engine I tried to do when I was 16 had a noise... Very fait, but under the intake... I left teh 3"   3/8"drive socket extension in the valley...