Cleaning Out The Sludged Engine - 1934 Ford Forgotten Hot Rod 

If that's a '55 engine, unless it's bored, it's a 265 cubic inch. Oil filters were optional on the early engines, and canister type, not spin ons. The 283 came out in 1957 and made the Earth shattering horse power of one horse power per cubic inch with two Carter AFB four barrel carbs. Woo hoo !!! Very cool build / rebuild guys . Have fun. Nothing better than driving a car you built / rebuilt yourself. Take care.

Just an encouraging word. If the water in the block had frozen, as loose as that plug was it would have pushed it out and allowed the water to drain. Finding water still in the block is a good sign. Good call on cleaning out the oil pan. The 1955 265cid engine did NOT have an oil filter. If the engine happens to be bad, ANY small block Chevrolet engine will bolt right in with little or no modification.

"Ruby"! Pressure test all cylinders while it's there. Looks excellent guys! 👍

Red Baron. I like the channel, reminds me of my youth as a hot rodder in the 60’s. Watch a couple episodes each day.

If the block was cracked it would have leaked out over the years and leave rust stains on the block. Also the water coming out was clear, it should have been rusty.

Old school, keeping it real. There are a whole bunch of us viewers that can identify with what you are doing. Not that many of us have hoists!

This is awesome 👏 I started doing this when I was 13 on a ford v8 flathead nasty 🤢 dirty and I’m 70 now and still love it

Time for a first start video! Check out Jonathan W on RU-vid for the king of first starts. I really enjoy his videos. Maybe some of his first start good luck mojo will transfer to you! Thanks.

You are the only person I've seen who actually does this right.

The good thing about the water is it’s clear, if it had been in the block for 50 years it would be rusty.

Now you know what the old oil did inside an engine back in the day before detergent oil . the new oil will loosen up the gunk and require frequent oil changes.

Definitely my favorite car on your channel... love everything about this sweet piece of history

Hey Matt, I'm going to be optimistic with the other comments. That the motor is good with no issues! The glass is always half full in every situation, great video.

I got a positive feeling that motor will run. Worked on a lot of small block Chevys back in the late 70ds and 80ds. Was a Chevy guy till i bought my first Modle A couple years ago. Love the 34 My favorite now or maybe at least till you work on the 32. 😉😁 thanks for sharing. 👍

The 55 had no oil filter so more sludge,also the lifters oiled through a groove in the rear cam journal,one year only engine

Good news, those early small blocks are really tough engines and will usually push out a soft plug before cracking, so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

Matt take off the valve covers and pull out the push rods. Clean run some wire through the push rods and be sure the oil galley holes on the heads are open.

You did check the numbers to see what sort of chevy it is, So The offset rocker coverr bolts and exhaust manifolds would make it a 265 .It would make a fun engine and because there are so many around ,parts are cheap.A set of early power pack heads and a duntov cam ,a multicarb set up etc would look great.

Usually the rocker covers come off first and judging by the crud in the pan the rockers and valley are crudded too. My Camaro motor at just seven years old had baked oil in the rockers and valley.

Matt it might be a good sign that you didn't push any water out of the cylinders and also typically the SBC will crack horizontally across the block side somewhere around the freeze out plugs . good luck

Good stuff boys. I’m going out on a limb here, you might know this being from Pennsylvania? That “sludge” is good old Pennsylvania crude made into Pennzoil, than had lots of paraffin in it back in the day. I’ll bet you’ll find more in the heads when you pop off the valve covers too. “We’re having FUN NOW”!🤕😂👍🏻

My Pops Pulled 3 1948 Plymouth Special Deluxe Coupes out a wet land area in Upper Black Eddie P.A. They were so far gone it took 3 to make one. I remember he was using oil and a hammer to knock the value back down when they pop up on the Flat top 6. The best part That motor went to T.N. twice and F.l. once. He sold the car and as far as know its still running.

Thanks Matt. I’m with you on using the parts that they were born with if you can. Keep em coming. Another vote for Hot Tomale.

Always go by the deck stamping. The casting number on the back would be shared among many variations of 265's. Early small blocks do not have crank bolt, and the 55 only block will not have an oil filter pad, or side mounts so they are easy to identify. When I unstick an engine I fill it up as high as I can with diesel. Squirt it into all of the cylinders, and then poor it through the carb to fill up the open cylinders as much as you can. The diesel with make the rust melt off and will soften or dissolve carbon. It should leak past the rings when left for long periods of time and will melt all the sludge in the bottom end also. Stinks but does a pretty good job and makes it much easier to clean the pan. Its cheap insurance to replace that oil pump and screen. Oil pumps rarely go bad, but the swinging pickup can suck air and aerate the oil. I always replace those pickups on these early small blocks. I also use an all steel oil pump drive if it does not have one. The plastic coupler embrittles over the years and crumbles. The water in the block , if frozen, usually crack in the lifter valley first , and then the outside. You usually find water in the oil if this has happened. We do a lot of marine engines that have frozen, and on a real hard freeze which that engine should have seen several of, there would be large external cracks, probably with the side of the block popped out. If you don't have that, its probably not cracked, or cracked bad. If you need 265 blocks, there are several in our shop, but we are in Toronto. A little far lol.

As a drummer, the rim shot around 4:53 broke me up. Thanks for the laugh!

I think weve all been there best of luck on no cracks Matt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hey Matt, I just wanted to tell you to check the top of the block on the outside right below the cylinder heads, just below the exhaust manifolds, you might be able to see it with an inspection mirror. I had the same motor in a 1947 willys overland pick-up the block was cracked from front to back on both sides, and someone had done a masterfull job with JB weld! it lasted just long enough for me to test fire the engine and come up to temp. before the JB weld split.

Hoping the block isn't cracked. 55 was the first year Chevy made a small block V8 I believe, and is part of the car's history. It would be cool to see it running again. As for a name, keep it simple. 34 Tudor.

After seeing all that water come out, maybe you should call it the Fire Hydrant.

One place where I worked had an amazing huge hot parts washer,like a dishwasher on steroids! It was capable of washing engine blocks. Everything came out spotless clean and warm. Really miss it and wish had access to it still. Everything nicer to work on when clean and warm! Dirty tools were put in a basket and came out like new. Everything in the workshop was so nice and clean!

The correct terminology is “core hole plugs”. Engine blocks are sand castings, and the purpose of the holes are to remove the sand after casting. If they do pop out if block water freezes, that's a happy by-product.

LiL' RED , RED RIDER, INTO THE RED,. Just a few ideas for a name. Glad to see the motor spins over freely. Personally, I would clean the old oil pump, get a new screen, if it comes off the pump, and put it together. I see this motor running before mid April. Can't wait til this one moves under its own power.!!!!!!!!! 😎👍👍👍👍👍

Hey Matt, Be aware that the 55 - 265 is different then other small blocks. For one you can't use any other cam as the oil passages in the rear are different and if you use any other cam you will wipe it out within 20 min. There are other differences too like no oil filter. It was a great idea to pull the oil pan and pump so that you have good pressure once fired up.

I dont know if you disassembled the oil pump and flushed all of the degreaser out of it but once you get it running I would change the oil again soon after to make sure there is no loose crud or left over degresser mixing with and ruining the oil. Cheap brake cleaner is great for removing the degreaser and leaving only clean metal behind. I think you will be alright with the water if the radiator was out and the cooling system was not air tight the ice would have had room to move. I would think the rigged up drain plugs would have pushed out. Hope its ok for you, maybe the block can be pressure checked with out pulling it out of the car. Keep the updates coming.

Hey Matt .. save your next bottle of empty differential/gear oil. With the nipple tip. Cut the bottom off, & run a piece of fuel line from the nipple .. & < whammo ! > .. you have your own cylinder IV bottle for ITG car hospital. I use a heavy tension spring mini clamp on the hose to cut the flow. Also have a long length of hose ( OVERKILL ) .. because I hang my contraption from the garage door track. Also : Do you have a powered parts washer on a stand yet ? If not .. you'll love to have one. I change out solvent maybe once a year with heavy use .. and honestly, many times by that definition .. I just filter it out with shop rags & magnets on the inside drain hole .. & filter it back in with shop rags & a funnel. Your mileage may vary .. ..

Thanks for bringing videos to us all across the world during this time! Really appreciate it! Id watch you guys do ANYTHING at this point 🤣 👍❤🇬🇧

Sorry to see that water in the engine. Fingers crossed for you. That Zep industrial degreaser is sold in Lowes and is a concentrate. I use it a lot cleaning parts. If you put the used stuff in a sealable tub it was last for a bit. Good luck guys.

That ‘34 is just a really nice looking car. Great score!

You should prime the oil pump with a drill motor and a mating shaft. That way the cam, crank, bearings etc will be oiled up and not dry when it starts, also you'll know if the pump is okay.

Smart, you guys are very smart to use Aero-Kroil penetrant to loosen up frozen up parts/assemblies. Aero-Kroil is the superior product.

I would seal up every possible opening in whats left of the cooling system and see if it will hold air pressure. If there is a crack then it won't

On the hose extension use heat shrinking tubing to hold it

Ruby, yo!u have no choice! Love this car

I had a old 80 trans am set for a long time got water in the end i used old gas to flush it few times i still drive the car over 2 years later with 80 psi of pressure so i hope she lives for ever like mine

It's kinda funny how this video popped up, I just yanked a a seized 350 out of an El Camino today that had also been sitting full of water. I pulled the dipstick tube and about a gallon of water shot out like a geyser lol

If the block is bad and you still want to go with a 55 265, I have one complete fully assembled engine but its been sitting for 15-20 years. Story goes it was once rebuilt, car sold to co-worker, engine yanked and replaced with bb454, co-worker was going to scrap the 265, I swooped it up for free. It may have mouse intrusion from sitting so long.

I suggest “Red’s resurrection” for the name. Thank you for taking the time to show theses steps. I have two field fines that i plan to get running this summer.

Matt pressure test the 265 with a leakdown tester ,pump air into block after sealing all holes relating to water passageways . .put 75 psi in and watch hold time and % loss . Aussie out

Next time try a piece of shrink tubing for your extension tube..

The 265 had a front motor mount setup, not side motor mount holes, like 283 on up blocks. 265 heads had small valves and ports. You'll have to run a remote oil filter. I'd look for a 283 with the "power pack" heads and 2- 4bbls? A built 265 is a screamer if you want to build up one of those, in any case. Try to find one though..!

I'm betting that the engine is a 55 or 56 265 cu in engine. If there is an oil filter on the lower left rear corner of the block, it is a 1956 engine. If there is no oil filter, then the engine is a 1955 and would have a partial flow oil filter mounted on top of the intake manifold.

The stock 265 my 1955 Chevy had an external oil filter mounted on the top of the engine next to the oil breather tube. Maybe it was an option or was added by the original owner but it sure looked like a factory unit.

Matt, it appears to me that you need a parts washer with pump and brush to clean engine parts and such, The Eastwood 20 gal. model would probably fit the bill, and at $167 wouldn't be a wallet buster. As for a name how about "Little Red" or for a little class you might use "Le Ford Rouge", french for The Red Ford.

In times like these, maybe "Old Glory" would be appropriate. Great work guys.

It's a good thing you pull the pan good call Matt hope the block isn't cracked may be the freeze plug pushed out good luck Matt

I have seen a 56 olds barn find full to the top with white mayonnaise-like sludge, so this is not that bad, but you still need to sell it to me!! Red Rocket is a good name for it, Hot Wheels did a series called Larry's garage and it has a 34 sedan in it!

Should name it project Candy Apple, it's a beautiful shade of red and with a nice v8 it's pretty sweet. :) Just an idea.

I have to agree about a crack, and might add that ice makes the water volume expand, and if there is nothing to restrain it, you merely have a volume of around 20% more than it was before freezing. Considering the radiator was missing, likewise the heater, the original person doing the work "back when" probably never considered the possibility of freezing, I've encountered this myself in the past with junkyard engines, and didn't have any cracked castings...but then, I was dealing with FE blocks and Studebaker V8s. Whole different cooling system design. In all, I think (and hope) you'll be fine, although you will still end up with a SBC.

Looks like you could use an Eastwood parts washer!

There was never a V8 that was less than 12 volts. The 55 and some early 56s had a remote oil filter. There was mounts on the side in 58 however your exhaust manifolds are 55 through 57, 265 cubic inch. The 56 on up had an oil filter cast in the block. It used a cartridge filter, easily replaced with a spin on, by replacing the oil filter bypass from a later Chevy V8. However it appears from the oil pan there is no filter. So best guess is a 1955 265 cubic inch , first year V8.

Here in NZ I have seen sludge MUCH worse than that on used Japanese imports (presale servicing). We often used mix of Diesel engine oil (high detergent) and diesel fuel (also an oil) for first runs- 10 minutes or so, then drained and fresh oil added. new filter of course!

One thing I thought of while watching you with the curly tubing would be to have one of you stretch out the tube while the other heated up the tubing to relax the curl, maybe cool it under water after heating. Also wondered how it would be to fill the motor with kerosene or kerosene oil mix and just run the oil pump a little at a time to clean all the oil passages, see if it comes up through the heads. Just a couple thoughts and thanks for sharing. Ps, a compression check wouldn't hurt either.

Call it Lucille after that famous redhead from the 50's & 60's.

Another good video. Because that car is not a radical hot rod ( no chop or channel, stock 265 2 barrel, skinny whites), how about a nod to Larry. The "Gentleman Tudor"

That doesn't look too bad. The dipstick on the 289 installed in my Hupmobile had been under water so long that it rusted off.

Just started your video...small block Chevy if Put in the 60' got to be 265-283 if lucky back then maybe a 327...64 I was making maybe 1 to 1.25 an hour prices in the books look crazy cheap but remember what your weeks pay was.... Keep up the good work

Just have to take the good with the bad good video matt

Call it Cherry Pie, after the Skip & Flip/Marvin and Johnny song. It'd be a nice sixties song reference and it works for the color too!

Love the "real tree" cap... lol best of luck with the build.

Take some heat shrink and heat up around the 2 different sizes and it will hold for days, double up if needed 👍

"Little Red Riding Coupe." Hey there Little Red Riding Coupe, you sure are looking good. The engine plant you referred to is in Tonawanda. It's a native American word. Tonawanda is located between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, along the Niagara River.

Being that old, it's possible it was run years with non-detergent oil, which means all the dirt just settles to the bottom of the pan instead of staying in suspension. Worst thing that happens, is someone changes the oil then puts in high-detergent oil. Then all the dirt mixes into the new oil and can clog the filter till it bypasses.....next is destroyed bearings.

The TimTam special 😁

I use a zip tie to hold the hose on the tip of a sprayer when cleaning injectors, it would work very good for trying to oil cylinders.

Just watched your video with Barry, very impressive, if I owned the car I would name it "Barry"

Great job Matt,all the fun of barn finds. Sounds like your garage is becoming a archive tomb. Good luck, thanks for the video

If I'm correct you should have freeze plugs on that block replace all those tap those little plugs that fell out put a new bolt in each one I don't think you crack your block so far so good that's a sweet gem you got there

It didn't have a radiator in it so it had plenty of room for what water was in there to expand so it will probably be ok. Lucky you found those leaks now instead of later when you driving it..

Yeah clear water is a good sign but expect the freeze plugs to have deteriorated badly with only water in the engine. They'll need replacing. Probably OK in and out of the garage since you'll see them blow, but I wouldn't drive it until I replaced them unless followed by a trailer. Most likely the drip you saw was from one of them having a pinhole.

Hi Matt I missed this vid I'm sorry I guess I was busy with my son and a few fell through the cracks. Sad to see the water I really hope all is good mate. Everything will be ok Matt I'm sure. Thanks again keep safe will send you guys something again one day Jeremy Downunder

Name it "Ol' Red". Its catchy and not too complicated. Yep, like I said, my '36 Ford has that big ol epoxy patch on the side of the block and head. I'll post videos of it soon.

I'm sure the engine is fine but if it ain't 265s and 283 aren't hard to find and not very expensive I see running ones all the time for under 500 bucks love the video's keep them coming thanks

I think Red Rod; easy to say, quick to type.

Matt, I think you'll probably be ok and wouldn't worry to much about the block or heads being cracked. With the radiator off and the hoses not plugged even if it did freeze there would be room for expansion. My attached two car garage very seldom gets cold enough inside to freeze. Only when below 0 temps for extended periods of time will it freeze in there. You may have a problem with rusty freeze plugs on an engine that old with water in it though.

Hey dirty Matt , a few years back someone made a little invention called a creeper , maybe a viewer could send you one or maybe Eastwood could give you one ! I'm kidding , like the videos ! I think your hotrod gods are giving that motor the middle finger .

You should call the 34 ' Hollywood' because she is such a good looking car.

When we were younger modifing fox body mustangs, we had a plastic barrel cut in half and kept kerosene in it for sludge

Plugs look PERFECT.

Yes Matt, take the oil pump off and clean. Easy job to take off. That block may not be cracked?? If the block was not full of water. They crack because there is not empty space for expansion.

Great job love your work

Once again another amazing video. I would name that car speed buggy, looks fast and kinda like an old horse buggy. Lol. See you on the next video

For things like the oil pump and small parts pick up like 3 large sized crock pots the cheap ones boil that oil pump in simple green over night it will look like new in morning

Back in the early sixties when my father ran a rural garage, oil pump pickup screens just were not available. He'd soak it in gasoline, take it outside to the wash pit area (where I grew up) and set it on fire, burning off the sludge so he could then wire brush it so it could be reused.

I didn’t notice the old cal custom chrome valve covers till now ha. My buddy has a pair

I know you're not a small block guy, but you might become one. Exhaust manifolds, pre-hightower distributor and valve cover bolt patterns told me it was likely a 265. Hopefully, since the radiator was pulled, the water was just a bit that was left in the bottom of the block with room to freeze harmlessly.

It reminds me of something that would be on a box of an AMT model kit with an ad for the new wild spray lacquers. The Kat from AMT would approve.

55 block shouldn't have an oil filter boss on the block-had external remote filter-pan gasket will be slightly different also-Block is valuable to a restorer that needs the right date code-few other 55-57 block quirks too

You don't have a parts washer? Cleaning that pan and pump would be simple with one.

Definitely try to pressurize the engine. It will save you some trouble if it is cracked. If it is hit me up I have a 56 265 shirt block with later 197 heads,early 4bbl aluminum intake. Came out of my dads 36 Chevy. Horse trading welcomed.

Every frozen 265 I have seen broke low on the side of the block about half way. very visible external break. Either side. I think you're good.