Thread: Well, isn't this special???

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I haven't driven my 23 for about the last 3 months because I have been working on the 27 project, but I spent yesterday cleaning it up and thought I might start driving it a little. The last time I used it I noticed a slight miss in the engine and figured it was fouled plugs as it runs rich with the 2 x 2 Rochester setup...........I never got around to installing a pressure regulator and those 2GC's only like about 3-4 lbs.

Tonight after work I decided to do a compression test and see what was what. 7 of the cylinders were right at about 190 but number 7 had zero. I pulled that valve cover and watched the rockers move normally, and then loosened both the intake and exhaust just a tad to see if it made any difference. It didn't. For a while now I have been noticing my dipstick has been coming up about a half inch out of the tube when I ran the car, so evidently compression is going into the pan. My best guess is a hole in that piston or a cracked ring or two. With zero compression my bet is on a hole.

I'm really not upset, after all it isn't the car I depend on to get to work every day, so I will throw the cover on it and when I get the 27 done I'll tear into it to see whats happened. I've been wanting to bump up the cam anyway and I now have this bug for stroker engines, so a 383 kit would be cool with some more aluminum heads. Chevy stuff is so cheap it wouldn't pay to just do another 355 rebuild.

Oh well, I got 2 years out of it and those were absolutely trouble free, so who am I to complain. I'd tear it down now out of curiosity but I really don't want it laying around in 1,000 pieces until I can pull the engine and rebuild it. Such is life.

I might borrow a scope from work and take a peek into that cylinder though.

Don