I recently acquired a new y-block project, a '57 Fairlane 500 with its original 312 4-bbl and fordomatic trans. It stayed in the same family since new and racked up 84k miles. The car hadn't been driven since the 80s, and not cranked in at least 5 years at the time of purchase. The 312 was stuck.



I tore the engine down in chassis until it was apparent that cyl #8 was the holdup. There was a skin of surface rust on the cylinder wall. All of the other pistons came out easily and are in excellent condition. The rings retain their chrome plating. It is clear that I am the first to tear this engine down. After much chemical soaking, I had to take a light ball peen hammer to piston 8 to get it loose. Once it moved about 1/3" down the bore, it moved easily, and I was able to clean up the cylinder wall and remove the piston.



There is one patch of pitting in the cylinder wall about 3/4" wide by 1/4" tall. I don't know how deep it is but it's enough to feel with my finger. It's located close to halfway down the length of the cylinder bore, which should be in the lower half of the ring travel (I can take a measurement if it would be helpful).



Currently the engine is out of the car, the block is stripped down ready for cleaning, and I'm trying to decide what to do with it. The car is rough cosmetically and pretty much needs everything; ultimately I want a clean-looking driver. I don't think I'm ready to drop $2-3k on a full rebuild at this point, but if a thorough cleaning and refreshing with replacement of obviously spent parts won't yield a decent running engine then I may be willing to consider that road.



I have 2 questions:



1. Does it sound like the pits are bad enough to noticeably spoil engine performance (smoothness, smoking)?



2. The hammer left its mark on the stuck piston. Assuming it isn't cracked, can it be reused?

1954 Crestline Victoria 312 4-bbl, 3-speed overdrive