Earl:

I don't remember details about your Dad's posts as he was working on the car, so I don't know if he retorqued the heads after a few miles of running.  That is something that needs to be done.  If you haven't rermoved the other head, retorque it before you run it again, and retorque the new gasket after a few miles.  Also be aware that the front and rear head bolts in the top row are a little longer than the rest.  If they get put in the middle holes, they will probably bottom out and not clamp the head properly.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

I will do the test when the head comes back from the machine shop. When the smoke started the engine ran fine. No knocks, bangs or anything that sounded out of order. No missing or sluggish running. It hesitated when the smoke started but all it did was smoke till I got home. Next day I went out and checked the engine. I found no oil leaks on the garage floor pan. No water leaks although it was a bit low but not way out. I had a dark brown plug 2 were light brown and 1 was hardly brown at all. When I pulled the head off I found a lot of ashlike residue in the back cylinder where the gasket was messed up. The closer to the front of the engine the less residue. Looked like finely ground charcoal. Smelled like antifreeze. No score marks on the cylinder walls . The engine turns smoothly by hand and doent seem to be binding anyplace. A friend of mine helped me and he felt the pistons as they moved and he said they felt ok. But I will do the compression check and see what happens.

The heads are 113 heads that dad put on just before he died. I have done nothing to the engine except keep it running.

Do you think it could be a waterpump problem? I had a 72 Pinto that blew a waterpump and my wife drove it till the headgasket went. Just a thought.

55Birdman  Hickory NC

I am with Larry on this one.Compression test will tell the tale.

  

Pull the spark plugs and do a compression test. I'm betting you'll find one that's Zero. We drove a '55 Merc that smoked like that for 50 miles. Found it had a hole in the top of the piston.

Larry D

Winnipeg, MB Canada Eh!


'57 Fairlane 500 Club Victoria

'58 Custom 300 Tudor

'56 Crown Victoria

'61 Starliner Z Code

'51 Ford Victoria

I've had an oil ring break on one piston. Smoked like crazy, used a bit a oil, but ran great.

Bad valve guides and seals are a possibility too.

       A  L  A  N   F  R  A  K  E  S   ~  Tulsa, OK    

I have but it didn't consume nearly that much oil. Until the plug fowled, there wouldn't even be smoke out the exhaust. I guess every case could be different. I've also had intake pushrods jump out of the rocker arm, which caused it to smoke a lot, but there is also a noticeable difference in the way the engine runs, for obvious reasons.


Lawrenceville, GA

Earl:

There is no oil in that part of the head, only coolant, which produces a white smoke.  May be another problem causing the oil consumption.  I have seen the wrist pin locks jump out of their grooves, and the wrist pin push them against the cylinder wall and wear a wide groove in the wall.  Had that happen to a 390 I had, also a John Deere combine.  Could happen to a Y, though I have not experienced it.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

My mileage guesstimate may be off a bit. Never was good with numbers and distance and time. But the winner is a blown head gasket. Badly corroded in one corner that made its way to the cylinder .

55Birdman  Hickory NC

Not head gasket problem. PVC or road draft? Have seen stuck pvc pump a lot of oil out a tailpipe. If no pvc my bet is blown or broken piston. Compression test should find it.

It sounds as if you have a broken piston.That much smoke and using that much oil in 8 miles,it can't hardly be anything else.

 

Paul,

Boonville,MO