OK, first off, auto-x starts in 3 days. I WILL have something ready to race. Right now my car sits with no motor or anything, I have pulled everything because i just fried two of my ringlands. I have a b16 with a JRSC at 9psi. Now I just picked up another shortblock yesterday. Here's my dilemma. I know you shouldn't swap cranks and mains because the line bore can be fucked. The shortblock that I have to put in it which is good, has very very shitty waterjackets all crudded up. I have soaked the waterjackets in engine brite and scrubbed with a wire brush and there is still a decent amount of something just stuck to the walls of the waterjackets. So now I'm contemplating just pulling the pistons and rods from the good shortblock, and tossing them in the block that I just blew the pistons on. The Crank from the blown piston block has not been removed, so basically, just plastigauge the rods to be sure it's in spec and hope for the best. I know this is ******* ghetto and I don't care, this does not need to last all season, just maybe a month. I don't have time to get the block hot tanked because racing starts in 3 days I'm always at school or work. Basically I'm doing this no matter anyone tells me, so don't waste your time saying "take your time and do it right".

My question in the end is....do I run the assembled good shortblock with the crusty water jackets cleaned as best I could? Or do I pull the pistons from that crusty block (which are good) and put them on my block (which the crank is still there with the mains untouched) and plastigauge the rod bearings and hope I hope I don't spin a rod bearing?

 

Id try to salavage the water jackets on the shortblock with good interals because swapping pistons requires reseating the rings to do it right. I say get some heavy duty solvents and get her cleaned up. that crud in the water jackets could cause the waterpump to clog resulting in overheating which is not good under F/I.

 

I like your answer.....I'm sitting here at work with t minus 2 hours before i'm out, then I need to pick a route and go with it. I'm thinking this is what I'll do, but I need a damn brush with a drill attachment. The hand wire brush I was using, didn't do much at all. Any suggestions on better solvents? aircraft remover perhaps?

 

try using liquid plumber, I have soaked radiators in it overnite,rinse in the morning, Spotless!


Try getting A spraybottle,and A wire brush drill attachment,and see if A stiffer brush can be found!