BLOWN ENGINE
HOW TO AVOID THIS

OK JUST TOASTED YOUR ENGINE, YOU KNOW THE LIFE LINE OF YOUR BABY.
WELL I AM HERE TO GIVE YOU SOME DO'S AND DON'T THAT MAY SAVE YOU SOME BIG BUCKS. FIRST OF ALL LOOK AT THE PICTURES BELOW OF THIS 351W THAT HAD SEEN BETTER DAYS I SURE OF.
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NOW THE VERY TOP LEFT PICTURE IS WHAT THE OIL PAN LOOKED LIKE AFTER I DROPPED IT FROM THE ENGINE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF OIL WAS IN THERE BUT IT DOES NOT LIKE ANYTHING I BUY AT THE STORE. IN FACT WHAT HAD HAPPEN IN THIS INSTANCE WAS THAT SOME ONE DIDN'T CHECK THE OIL AND RUN THE ENGINE TO HOT AND OVER REVVED IT WAY TO HIGH. FROM THE BEST THAT I CAN TELL HERE IS SOMEONE RAN THE ENGINE ON LOW OIL WHICH IN TURN COULD NOT COOL THE BEARINGS PROPERLY THUS IN RETURN CAUSING THE BEARING TO STICK TO THE CRANK SHAFT AND SPIN. WHAT MAKES THIS HAPPEN IS THE OIL GETS TO HOT AND LOSES IT LUBRICATING ABILITY AND THUS YOU HAVE METAL TO METAL CONTACT WHICH IN RETURN YOU SPIN BEARINGS AND BREAK RODS AS YOU SEE IN THE PICTURE ABOVE. NONE OF THE RODS IN THIS ENGINE ARE RECONDITION ABLE EVERYONE OF THE ROD BEARINGS SPUN. AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE PICTURES THE CRANKSHAFT IS PRETTY WELL JUNK TO. THE BLOCK IS REBUILD ABLE BUT IT WILL HAVE TO HAVE ONE CYLINDER SLEEVED. THE HEADS ARE OK BUT THE LOWER END IS PRETTY WELL FRIED. I CAN'T STRESS ENOUGH ABOUT CHANGING YOUR OIL EVERY 2500 TO 3000 MILES LIKE CLOCK WORK. AND THE KIND OF OIL MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO I RECOMMEND EITHER CASTRO SYNTECH 15/40 OR VALOLINE 10/40. ALSO I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ADDING LUCAS OIL STABILIZER TOO. RUN A GOOD OIL FILTER TOO. NOW WHEN YOU ARE RUNNING HIGH PERFORMANCE I ALSO SUGGEST RUNNING A OIL TEMP GAUGE TOO, THAT WAY YOU CAN MONITOR YOUR OIL TEMP WHEN YOU DRIVING OR RACING. BECAUSE IF YOUR OIL TEMP GETS  OVER 190 DEGREES THEN YOU BETTER START WATCHING YOUR PRESSURE BECAUSE WHEN OIL GET THAT HOT IT WILL GET THERMO-BREAK DOWN ( IN LAYMAN'S TERMS) IT GETS THINNER AND DOES NOT HOLD GOOD PRESSURE NOR CAN IT PROVIDE THAT PROTECTIVE BARRIER BETWEEN THE BEARINGS AND THE JOURNALS, THUS YOU HAVE THE CHANGE OF SPINNING A BEARING. IF YOU RUNNING A HIGH VOLUME OIL PUMP YOU SHOULD HAVE ABOUT 70-85 LB'S OF PRESSURE ON START UP THEN AFTER THE ENGINE GETS TO NORMAL TEMP ( 180-190 ) THE PRESSURE SHOULD STAY AT AROUND 55-60 LB'S. NOW IF YOU ARE LOSING OIL PRESSURE THEN YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH POSSIBLY BEARINGS, OIL PUMP, BLOCKED PICKUP SCREEN. IN MOST CASES I HAVE RUN INTO IS THE BEARINGS GET EXCESSIVE VERTICAL WEAR, WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE OIL PUMP IS TRYING TO FILL THE EXTRA CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE BEARING AND JOURNAL BUT CAN'T. WHEN YOU START SEEING THE OIL PRESSURE DROPPING MORE AND MORE AFTER THE ENGINE WARMS UP THEN YOU NEED TO START CHECKING THE BEARINGS NOW!!!
BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T THEN YOU MAY END UP WITH YOUR ENGINE LOOKING LIKE THE ONE ABOVE IN THE PICTURES. THE BEST WAY TO FIND OUT WHAT THE CLEARANCE IS BETWEEN YOUR BEARING AND JOURNAL IS TO PLASTIC GAGE IT. THE WAY  YOU DO THIS IS REMOVE A ROD BEARING CAP CUT A SMALL PIECE OF THE PLASTIC LINE OFF AND THEN STICK IT ON THE BEARING AND THEN PLACE THE ROD CAP BACK ON AND TORQUE IT DOWN TO THE SPEC.'S AFTER YOU HAVE DONE THIS LOOSEN AND REMOVE THE ROD CAP BACK OFF LOOK AT THE PLASTIC LINE IT WILL BE FLATTENED OUT. WHAT YOU NEED TO DO NEXT IS TAKE PAPER STRIP THE LINE CAME IN, AND LOOK ON IT. IT WILL HAVE LITTLE GREEN LINES ON IT IN DIFFERENT WIDTHS. TAKE THE LINE ON THE PAPER STRIP WHICH MATCHES THE FLATTEN LINE ON THE BEARING AND THEN LOOK AT THE NUMBERS AT THE BOTTOM OF THE LINE. IT WILL READ LIKE THIS ( .001  .0015  .002 .003  )  BELOW EACH DIFFERENT WIDTH LINE ON THE STRIP. THE NORM IS ANYTHING OVER .003 THOUSANDS OF AN INCH IS TO MUCH CLEARANCE.
YOU DO THE SAME THING FOR THE MAIN BEARINGS. NOW WE MOVE ON TO THE CAM BEARINGS. IF YOU FIND THE ROD AND MAIN BEARING IN ACCEPTABLE CLEARANCE RANGE THEN YOU SHOULD CHECK THE CAM BEARING AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT IS PULL THE CAMSHAFT OUT YEA I KNOW WHAT A PAIN IN THE ASS BUT IF YOU FIND THAT THE CAM BEARING ARE YOUR PROBLEM AND YOU REPLACE THEM THUS BRING YOUR OIL PRESSURE BACK TO NORMAL RANGE THEN YOU HAVE SAVED YOUR SELF A POCKET FULL OF MONEY.
IF YOUR OIL TEMP IS RUNNING OVER 190 DEGREES THEN I SUGGEST INSTALLING A OIL COOLER ESPECIALLY IF YOU RUNNING HIGH PERFORMANCE. THE COOLER YOU KEEP THE OIL THE COOLER YOU KEEP THE CRANKSHAFT JOURNALS, PISTONS, AND BEARING BECAUSE THE OIL IS REALLY THE ONLY THING COOLING DOWN THE LOWER END OF THE ENGINE.