TJA

So she is not a total loss as far as the engine goes? That's what I was worrying about. Thank you.

I didn't think I had any other choice!

I found an OEM top end on the net for $450, anyone know where to find a crank and a rod. I remember chatting about it here back when I first started posting about the thing blowing up. I did get an answer to my question on niche parts though! Thanks Fish.

It has a quarter inch of play in the connecting rod. Is this worth saving? Is the crank case separate from the transmission? All that Chinese aluminum went somewhere. Thanks guys.

But the rings look almost new.

Yep, carbon build up on the top of the piston, wait a minute...

Found the problem.

$83! Dang! I'll stick with the one Fish have me!

I haven't done anything yet except to push it into the free stall! My wife is going to staples or somewhere to print out the service manual in a high quality and spiral bound format. Right now it is still flintlock season in Pa and I have 1 more tag to fill. Once I read the service manual a couple times, I'll yank the engine and see what I have to work with. Something inside let go as she is seized.

JRB, mine was running loud also. No smoke. I haven't had the time to tear it down yet. I'm happy to hear that your build came out well.

64 in Pennsylvania.

Well, like my Chevy's, I want this to be and upgrade also. How many more CC's can I get with an overbore? I like the idea of more compression, I only run E90 anyways. Better cams? I'm looking for bulletproof power, not racing power. More cubes is always good. More squish, even better. The darn thing never ran right since I got it. The kid who did the "rebuild" was an accountant. I hope he is a better accountant than he is a mechanic. That is why he used the cheapest stuff he could find on eBay. I probably won't get to tear it down until after Christmas but I want to get a plan in process. Thanks again for the ideas.

I'm not sure what broke, it was sitting at idle warming up to go get my deer and it made a loud crack and stopped immediately. The previous owner had replaced the top end with ebay stuff ( probably chinese) so the stock jug is long gone. It always had valve noise, I'm just hoping not to put a mint into this thing. I only have about $1500 in it and the rest is in reasonable shape. I really won't know until I tear it down. Thanks for the reply and the references.

Good morning, well the engine locked up on my Foreman. So I am looking for parts. I noticed a brand on eBay called Niche. Anybody use any of their parts? Anyone have any brand they recommend? Thanks in advance!