This is in my roommate's engine. 350, AFR190s, holley carb. He was sitting at a traffic light idling when it suddenly started knocking. Pulled it apart and found this stuck into the piston. Can anyone identifiy this part. Could it have fallen out of that center hole in the carb? Also is this head repairable?

 

Looks like the "shot" they use to tumble finish castings.

 

Yeah it does, looks just what we use at work but how would that get in there.

You can have that head welded up and repaired, aluminum is cool.

As for the piston you need a new one. Check the cylinder out good also maybe you get away with a simple hone and patch up job.

Good thing he caught it quick, ive seen them so bad they look like they were nailed with a few round of buckshot a few times.

Is there somithng mising off that carb

 

Funny part ( not really), is the dent in the middle of the divider that lines up with the chewed up center hole in the carb. Looks like someone had a plug in the center of the carb and the rattling from the vacuum chattered an opening in the divider to be sucked through.

 

Its hard to see in the pic but the notch in the manifold and that hole in the carb do line up and it looks as if that hole in the carb blew out or melted or something. This was a brand new carb and manifold when he put the engine togther less than a year ago.

 

If that little thing was techncally not suposted to be there. couldn't you call up Holly or soemthing .. since thats obviously a
quality control issue.. which caused damage to a customers engine.

Either way.. that sucks..

 

If it were me I would see who I could get to completely fix and pay for the engine damage. Like one of the manufacturers or something. That sucks.

 

I'd be on the phone ( not an e mail) with Holley tech and ask what they say about a plug in the air filter stud hole to see if they do or do not use one.
Just don't bring up the fact that the engine is torn up so they don't deny up front.
Also get a name to go with it.

 

if you need a piston you'll need 8 most likely since they tend to be matched by weight to make a set. not to give away my age or anything but when i was working in a garage we bought a new 76 chevy service truck and had a screw fall out of the carb and trash one valve and piston.

 

The engine is getting completely rebuilt, actually he's building up a 400 to replace it.

 

Does anyone know if holley uses this type of tumbler bead to clean their castings? Would be be possible for one to get stuck in that center hole in the carb and then at some point fall down to where it was resting agianst the manifold, wear that slot in the manifold, and then fall into the engine? I'm thinking thats what may have happened but of course there's pretty much no way to prove it or get any recourse from holley probably.