just wondering what to do with my '86 'bird
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From: VA
Car: 86 firebird
Engine: 305
just wondering what to do with my '86 'bird
In 2002 I bought my 1986 305 firebird with 140,xxx miles on it 9 months later it started overheating. When i bought the car i didn't know much about engines so when it overheated i went to a shop and asked then what the problem was. They told me that it was the radiator--i bought and installed a new radiator and flushed the cooling system...which made no difference. After that I was told that the problem was most likely a busted head gasket, and was quoted a pretty high price to get the gasket replaced. I asked if it was likely that the block was cracked and they assured me that the odds of it being cracked were low. I didn’t have the money for it so a friend of mine helped me put a new set of heads and gaskets on it. I was told the if i used 350 heads it would give me more power so i installed the 350's. I replaced many parts while the engine was being rebuilt: valve covers, timing chain/gear and cover, push rods, rockers manifold gaskets, all hoses, heater core, spark plugs/wires, thermostat and gasket, air filter ect... I bought a used edelbrock carb and put that on the car also. I also removed the smog pump and vacuum hoses.
Long story short when it was all put back together it still overheated and oil started showing up in the h20 reservoir. I took it to another shop to get a recommendation as to what to do and they told me that my water pump was bad (water was leaking from the seal) so I got a new water pump—it still overheated. After dealing with this car and others for so long I have started to get jaded. I have had so many uneducated recommendations from “mechanics” one guy told to "let it run and just see how hot it gets" a friend of mine swore that it was the 350 heads that was causing the problem and switched the heads and gaskets back to 350's. Still the same thing happened (oil in the h20 and overheating).
I’m guessing that the block is cracked, though ive been told that the likelihood of that happening is low. Someone else told me that they thought that it might be the timing, but I don’t believe it because the car starts and runs smoothly the entire time, without the temp gauge and the obvious boiling of coolant it would be hard to tell the car overheats at all from just the sound of the engine. The transmission shifts fine as far as I know and the interior is in good shape.
I’ve owned this car for four years and it has spent only 9 months on the road—I have since bought another car (Toyota Camry) and am driving that.
I now have enough money to buy another car (f-body) but I was wondering if I should try to put another block in this one. The car has been sitting in a yard for a year and on my parents gravel driveway for 3 years and I was wondering if just sitting mite have caused anymore problems… suspension deterioration? My parents are selling their house soon and I have nowhere to store it, I don’t have the equipment or the space to put the block in myself. I’m wondering if it’s going to cost more than its worth to get a new block put in at a shop—the one estimate I got was around 2000$ plus parts and quite frankly the car isn’t even worth that much in running condition. But I have spent a lot of $ on this one and its body is in good condition.
So what do you guys think? can anyone recommend a good rebuild shop in the spotsy/Va area? And if I do sell what would be a good price?
pictures at:
camrobird - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
Long story short when it was all put back together it still overheated and oil started showing up in the h20 reservoir. I took it to another shop to get a recommendation as to what to do and they told me that my water pump was bad (water was leaking from the seal) so I got a new water pump—it still overheated. After dealing with this car and others for so long I have started to get jaded. I have had so many uneducated recommendations from “mechanics” one guy told to "let it run and just see how hot it gets" a friend of mine swore that it was the 350 heads that was causing the problem and switched the heads and gaskets back to 350's. Still the same thing happened (oil in the h20 and overheating).
I’m guessing that the block is cracked, though ive been told that the likelihood of that happening is low. Someone else told me that they thought that it might be the timing, but I don’t believe it because the car starts and runs smoothly the entire time, without the temp gauge and the obvious boiling of coolant it would be hard to tell the car overheats at all from just the sound of the engine. The transmission shifts fine as far as I know and the interior is in good shape.
I’ve owned this car for four years and it has spent only 9 months on the road—I have since bought another car (Toyota Camry) and am driving that.
I now have enough money to buy another car (f-body) but I was wondering if I should try to put another block in this one. The car has been sitting in a yard for a year and on my parents gravel driveway for 3 years and I was wondering if just sitting mite have caused anymore problems… suspension deterioration? My parents are selling their house soon and I have nowhere to store it, I don’t have the equipment or the space to put the block in myself. I’m wondering if it’s going to cost more than its worth to get a new block put in at a shop—the one estimate I got was around 2000$ plus parts and quite frankly the car isn’t even worth that much in running condition. But I have spent a lot of $ on this one and its body is in good condition.
So what do you guys think? can anyone recommend a good rebuild shop in the spotsy/Va area? And if I do sell what would be a good price?
pictures at:
camrobird - Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting
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