Hey guys, last year I got a 74 Maverick with a 250 inline 6 that ran like a dog. Right now I'm in the middle of swapping a 289 into it. I pulled the 2 barrel intake off to but my 289 performer on and found a carp ton of sludge. This is a red flag for me. I don't have the accommodations or the money to rebuild it right now. If I clean it up do guys think it will be okay? Or would you recommend me to put it on the shelf for now until I can rebuild it? This car is supposed to be my daily driver and I need it asap.
If it's intended for daily use; I vote, shelf it till it can be dealt w/ properly. Ton of sludge cudn't mean anything positive -- who knows what else is wrong you can't see. JMO...
If engine has no noises, good oil pressure etc it could be OK. By OK, means at least probably needs valve stem seals, timing chain, gears, oil pump etc. Of course the sludge should be cleaned out as best as possible. Engines prior to '75 or so did not have hardened valve seats, meaning possibly burned valves. The last 289 were built in '68.
I'd look at the rods and mains before making a decision. Pull the rear main cap and the two rear rod caps and see what the bearings look like. Motor like that probably has lots of copper showing in the bearings, which means it needs to be rebuilt not run some more. If you need an engine go pull one from a 94-97 pickup, van or Explorer. Lots of those can be run as is. Just swap your carbed intake on and put a steel geared distributor in it. They'll also make more power than that tired old 289.
If time is a factor, and that 289 is in worse shape than your six, you might put the six back in for a bit. The v-8 swap is not exotic, but if you use headers, a handful of new problems will surface.....which take more time and some money.
