My cam seized in mine...didn't know you had to prime the oil pump if you drained the
oil from the crankcase... Found out the hard way!!

 

I hate to admit it, but i believe i figured out what caused the problem......i had the oil lines crossed and was pumping oil into the bottom of the reservoir instead of the top.

With that said, how can i tell if the cam lobes, rocker arm, etc are worn? There is no visible damage or anything, and without having a "good" cam/rocker to compare to i don't know how bad mine is damaged??? It seems to run just fine now that the oil lines are correct, there is just a loud ticking/pinging sound which i am nearly certain is coming from the valve train area. Can all of this be repaired/replaced without removing the head/cylinder?

Also, i have ordered a service manual so will it contain clearances and such for the valves and tell me how/what to do???

 

"500 Project".... cross the oil lines? This must be a serious project. I would have to say Stendori would probably be right in that you had seizure due to lack of oil. The damage is probably already done......

All 3 cam lobes should look "similar" - a defective exhaust lobe is going to look to be "flattened" and "scarred" on the top of the lobe - at the same time, the exhaust rocker will show this same "scarring" on the bottom of the foot that rides on the camshaft.

Due to lack of oil, you probably want to look at the cam bearing journals and the bearing surface in the head (bearing surface in the head is actually part of the head, and if bad, the head will have to be replaced).

 

Yeah, it was a major project.....i cut the sportsman in half, stretched it, and added a golf cart body, making my own Ranger if you will......

Thanks for all your your insight, while my fabricating skills are average, engine repair is not something i enjoy nor have abundant knowledge of, therefore i will likely take it to the shop and have them perform any major engine work for me. I wish i could find someone local that does side work, this was a budget project so dropping $1k on a shop bill is out of the question......

This is before paint/body work, so it still looks kind of rough.....once i get the engine work figured out, it should be nothing but fun!!!

 

That's a neat idea - a little more of a "project" than what I would want to tackle, though.

How did you tie in the steering system?