rebuilt in 92 and just this year got it back in the car.  Have done all the recommended prep before start up: drill on the oil pump to lube the top, Petronix pick up and coil, fuel to the carb and timing close enough to get it running.

on start up, brought it to approx 2000 rpm; planned on about 20 minutes like this to seat all the internal parts, had good oil pressure right away, and only one small (I hope) water leak from the dr side head-to-block mating, at about the #6 spark plug area...

but after about 5-7 minutes, it became apparent that it was getting too hot; was relying on the temp guage in the dash cluster, but it never moved off "C"; so I cut it off.  I have a true water temp guage that I will install before the next start up.  also noticed the two middle runners on the intake manifold started darkening.  They were like that before I had the engine rebuilt...

So, any suggestions on the best way to safely proceed from here?

thanks, Mark

Besides all the other suggestions thus far made (which are all good) I’ll add:

Run a compression check and check the cam lobes to insure that they are all holding up.  I trust there was no ‘white’ assembly lube used during the original build as that’s a different set of problems that could be manifesting themselves.  Vacuum readings are also a good trouble shooting tool but you’ll need to aquaint yourself with the various vacuum reading scenarios that are typically listed in a repair manual so you know what kind of readings to be looking for.  Did you have a small hole in the thermostat to allow air to be bled from the block as coolant is added?  If not, there’s a good chance the block wasn’t full of water when you started the engine.

As far as the water leak, if it hasn’t resolved itself yet, then drain all the water, block included, and let it sit overnight without any water.  Then refill with coolant and see if that doesn’t at least fix that problem.  Note:  This draining of the water and letting it sit overnight to fix a block/head seepage issue only works if the engine had only water in it to begin with and no anti-freeze.

plan to hook up a true water temp guage, drain the water out (yes, all water no antifreeze), refill water, have my timing light at the ready, then try again...

will be watching the temp, oil pressure, attempting to set the timing w/the light and keep it running at 1800-2000 rpm for the usual break in time frame... 15-20 minutes, right?

on the temp, I suppose that anything over 200 degrees is a sign of trouble, right?

and on the two middle runners on the intake, will I just have to live with the "burned" look? or can I do something to keep them from turning funny dark-colored?  I'm not above removing the intake and repainting if I can keep the burned look at bay...

appreciate the input!

Merry Christmas from Houston!

Mark

Parts suppliers (i.e. tee-bird prods, carpenter, etc.) sell intake manifold gaskets that have restrictions on those cross-overs to prevent the burning.  Ive got about 14k miles on mine with those and no sign of burning etc.  Just dont do it if you live in a cold climate and this is a daily driver.... will take a looooong time to warm up...

finished initial run in before it got too hot; hit 200 before I shut it down.

got the timing set, did some tuning of the carb; have good oil pressure and no oil leaks;

still have a small water leak, will try the "drain it over night" suggestion from Ted...

may have a problem thermostat; may take it out and put in a saucer and heat it up in water on the stove to make sure it works... by the way, where should I make the hole(s) in the thermostat to make sure the engine gets completly full of water, Ted? somewhere along the outer edges(s)??

thanks again to all for the assist; no digital camera in the Smith household so no U tube vids of my project; maybe some stills sometime soon...

Tim ("Y Block Guy")... I swerved into your vids and was much encouraged to get this thing underway so I too could enjoy the sound of a Y... and mine did not disappoint!

Happy New Year from Houston!

Mark

nothing blocking the exhaust manifold(s)...guess I'll live with burned looking middle runners until I can install some of the special gaskets with the restriction on the middle passages..

on the subject of drilling holes in the Tstat, I tried this today on an old one; its easily doable, but I'm concerned about small burrs from the drilling process... if I can't get them all out of the assembly, would they possibly work loose and find their way to just the right spot to cause a failure in water circulation once the engine was running again ??

also, I took loose the top rad hose from the t stat housing and confirmed that my t stat is in correctly and I stuck a screwdriver in far enough to push it open a few times, so I don't believe it could be a "sticking problem"... it is a new one after all... 160 degree model...

finished draining out all the water from the block per Ted's suggestion... hope this will somehow cure the water leak at one of the head-to-block mating areas (right above #6 plug).  If it still leaks, do I have any other choice but to pull the head and check for a problem there (gasket installed incorrectly, etc...)?

thanks again for the good advice...

Mark