i have a 360 i got out of a motorhome in the junkyard. it looked like it was a running motor. when i got it home and took it apart i saw that #2 cyl. piston had some dents on it like it had dropped a valve at some point. the head and valve were fine like it had been repaired and ran for a while after that. i was planning on reringing this motor and running it. i was honing that cylinder today and noticed a small dent. its about 3/4 way up the cyl., about 1/2" long about 1/8 wide and when i put a ring in the cyl. i could fit a .008" feeler gauge between the ring and cyl.
this is not a performance motor, just something to replace the high mileage/low oil pressure 360 i have now(200K+ miles). should i just put it together or look for another block to re-ring? boring is not an option as this is a low budget project. i did buy another std. piston to replace the damaged one.

Look for another block

I would FIND anutter block ... BTW ...what did you have to pay for it from a JY ?

$85 for the complete motor

I'd put it together and see, I bet it will live just fine. I've put some motors togeather with some pretty nasty cly bores and they ran fine.
If it's budget deal? what do have to lose except your time and maybe a gasket or 2. You can even reuse oil and coolant.

The bores only matter at the top where the rings seal at 40 degrees before TDC, even then I have cheaped out and got away with it.

Did they sell it to you totally as-is? ...or did they suggest it was a rebuildable core?

You could always buy one oversize piston and have that hole honed oversize ...

How about sleeving the bad cylinder along with the new piston? I would

sleeving it now would be cheaper than time and materials to pull it back apart later

my

You might be surprised how hardpressed you would be to notice a difference between that and an undamaged cylinder. For a budget beater and if you are not out to set any records go ahead and use it. Over a relativley short time that shallow bad area will fill in and varnish over leaving something that conforms pretty well to the shape of the rings.

i got it from a upullit about 3 years ago so it was sold as is. was in a 74 motorhome with a casting date of 6/30/73

Especially if it's a vertical scratch. I've hacked such things together myself. It should fly.

Just use a can of engine restore. It works. I saw it on TV.

Actually JB Weld would probably work all right. Have to rough up the gouge and hit it about 6 times with brake cleaner, then jam in the JB Weld. Shape by hand to near net shape then use an old hone to get final shape. You could probably even do it with a piece of sandpaper. All that part of the cylinder is doing is preventing blowby. And, if the JB Weld does come loose, it shouldn't be too harmful. But it won't. Just do it.

R.

One old guy I knew used plastic body filler to fill a long gouge in a hydraulic piston rod. I couldn't believe it worked but it held and brought the ram back to life. He died several years later, the rod still repaired with the plastic body filler.