Hypothetical SBC question

[AyWoSch Motors]

So I have a fun idea to wrap your heads around. Something that popped into my head a while back, and has been rolling around in there for a while gathering dust, haha.
It's not squarebodys specifically, but about any chevy small block in general.
Here it is:
Hypothetically speaking, let's say you have a basic Small Block Chevy, and one cylinder goes bad big time. Like a cracked piston, or a bent connecting rod, or a warped cylinder, or a crank in the cylinder wall... something, that doesn't completely ruin everything else in the engine, but renders it "junk" as far as building again.
And let's say your in the middle of nowhere, and have to get home, and dont have an option or the time for swapping a new engine, but you do have a friendly stranger with socket set and a welder.
What if...you took everything apart, cleaned it up, and put it back together, take your connecting rod, cut it off right above the bearing, and bolt it back on the crank where it goes. Then take a disc of steel just the right size and weld it at top dead on that cylinder, and weld shut any damage to that cylinder while your in there. Now, take your push rods and lifters for that cylinder out, let the valves stay closed. Then, take a cast iron dual plane intake, and weld a plate over that cyls inlet, so you dont get fuel down there. When your done putting it back together, don't put that plug wire back on.
The question is, would it run?
I know a sbc will run on 7 cylinders, from when a plug fouls. Sounds like crap and has no power, but it does run. But will one run that's had parts taken out and stuff welded. Theoretically, I believe I've covered everything I can think of, but I figured I'd ask all of you, and see what you think. Or maybe you could come up with something better
Hypothetically, would it work to get you home?
This is what happens when a motor head is bored, lol.

 

[Turbo4whl]

So I have a fun idea to wrap your heads around. Something that popped into my head a while back, and has been rolling around in there for a while gathering dust, haha.
It's not squarebodys specifically, but about any chevy small block in general.
Here it is:
Hypothetically speaking, let's say you have a basic Small Block Chevy, and one cylinder goes bad big time. Like a cracked piston, or a bent connecting rod, or a warped cylinder, or a crank in the cylinder wall... something, that doesn't completely ruin everything else in the engine, but renders it "junk" as far as building again.
And let's say your in the middle of nowhere, and have to get home, and dont have an option or the time for swapping a new engine, but you do have a friendly stranger with socket set and a welder.
What if...you took everything apart, cleaned it up, and put it back together, take your connecting rod, cut it off right above the bearing, and bolt it back on the crank where it goes. Then take a disc of steel just the right size and weld it at top dead on that cylinder, and weld shut any damage to that cylinder while your in there. Now, take your push rods and lifters for that cylinder out, let the valves stay closed. Then, take a cast iron dual plane intake, and weld a plate over that cyls inlet, so you dont get fuel down there. When your done putting it back together, don't put that plug wire back on.
The question is, would it run?
I know a sbc will run on 7 cylinders, from when a plug fouls. Sounds like crap and has no power, but it does run. But will one run that's had parts taken out and stuff welded. Theoretically, I believe I've covered everything I can think of, but I figured I'd ask all of you, and see what you think. Or maybe you could come up with something better
Hypothetically, would it work to get you home?
This is what happens when a motor head is bored, lol.

Most of that might work but, you need to keep the two lifters in to maintain oil pressure to the other lifters. Then you also need a way to keep the lifters in their bores.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

I think you could get away with keeping the valve train intact, but just closing off that port on the intake. I think the biggest problem here would be the connecting rod part, I think it would create a severe imbalance. Then the next thing would be closing up that cylinder, as welding cast isn't easy or always possible

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Hypothetically speaking.. I guess I could leave the lifters and pushrods in place. They'd cycle up and down like normal, just wouldn't be doing anything.
I figured it would be a must to cap off the top of the cylinder so all the oil doesn't just go up and out of the exhaust. Doesn't need to be much of a weld, just enough to keep the oil from coming out.
As far as the balance, yeah its gonna suck and probably end up tearing the engine apart, but its junk anyway so who cares as long as it gets you home.
But would it last that long is the question.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

Hypothetically speaking.. I guess I could leave the lifters and pushrods in place. They'd cycle up and down like normal, just wouldn't be doing anything.
I figured it would be a must to cap off the top of the cylinder so all the oil doesn't just go up and out of the exhaust. Doesn't need to be much of a weld, just enough to keep the oil from coming out.
As far as the balance, yeah its gonna suck and probably end up tearing the engine apart, but its junk anyway so who cares as long as it gets you home.
But would it last that long is the question.

I mean at what cost though? That's a lot of work just to get home, of course depends on how far. If it's already junk and not worried about it I'd cut the connecting rod at the crank end and remove that from the crank, and maybe jb weld what's left of the piston and connecting rod to the cylinder wall then disconnect the spark plug and it should be able to go a good distance.

Of course the worry then would be, the other connecting rod on that journal moving around a bunch, but as long as your not revving it to the moon should last without too much harm, will have less of an imbalance instead of having a chunk on the crank. This would be the least amount of disassembly and fab I would think. Even if it does throw the other rod on that journal she'll still get you home, puttin it of course, as long as it doesn't window and lose all your oil lol.


There's so many variables, and luck.

 

[Octane]

An engine can run with a piston/rod removed.And nothing else done.Going to that trouble is the bigger issue.

 

[PrairieDrifter]

A small block will also run with only one head... lol

 

[Turbo4whl]

An engine can run with a piston/rod removed.And nothing else done.Going to that trouble is the bigger issue.

Again, as stated, you would need to cut the rod and reinstall the bearing cap and rod stump back on. Need that to maintain oil pressure and to keep the buddy rod in line.

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

A small block will also run with only one head... lol

True. I've personally run one without a carburetor before by just spraying starter fluid down the intake.
I've seen one run on as little as 2 cylinders.
They're tough engines.
The reason why that popped in my head was because I was looking at a pile of junk sbc parts behind my shed, and I was like "wonder if you can build anything with that?" (Not that I'm going to, just daydreaming)
Got a '57 283 that's bored .125 over, got 3 cracked cylinders, 2 chipped pistons, worn out bearings, worn out cam, ect ect.
I think I'm gonna put it all back together with no parts inside, paint it up factory finish, and make a coffee table out if it, lol

 

[AyWoSch Motors]

Again, as stated, you would need to cut the rod and reinstall the bearing cap and rod stump back on. Need that to maintain oil pressure and to keep the buddy rod in line.

That's what I thought.

 

[Octane]

Again, as stated, you would need to cut the rod and reinstall the bearing cap and rod stump back on. Need that to maintain oil pressure and to keep the buddy rod in line.

Nope.Done it and got the t shirt.Still had sufficient oil pressure.Makes for an off balance rotating assembly tho.I dont recommend it.lol.Done it on an old inline 6 cylinder too.Also,remember that regardless of what many "cyber" internet mechanics believe.The oil pressure would drop but not oil starve.If the rest of the crank and rod bearings are not worn so bad that the pressure is way low anyway.An engine only requires about 10 psi per 1000 rpm anyway to survive.So you would bleed oil pressure by removing said rod and bearings.But no need to put a sawed offrod on it.

 

[Turbo4whl]

Nope.Done it and got the t shirt.Still had sufficient oil pressure.Makes for an off balance rotating assembly tho.I dont recommend it.lol.Done it on an old inline 6 cylinder too.

Inline 6 cylinder, each rod has it's own journal. SB V8, two rods share the same journal. If one rod bearing failed on the six cylinder the oil port probably filled with the failed bearing. Or maybe a high volume oil pump would maintain enough oil pressure to still run.

 

[Octane]

Inline 6 cylinder, each rod has it's own journal. SB V8, two rods share the same journal. If one rod bearing failed on the six cylinder the oil port probably filled with the failed bearing. Or maybe a high volume oil pump would maintain enough oil pressure to still run.

A crank thats worn out of spec can cause lower oil pressure too.Which is the case in some reman engines,will have maybe one journal out of spec to some degree.And pressure is made at the journals,so one journal doesnt mean no oil pressure because its being bled out there.Think of it as an extended oil gallery of sorts.

 

[shiftpro]

Again, as stated, you would need to cut the rod and reinstall the bearing cap and rod stump back on. Need that to maintain oil pressure and to keep the buddy rod in line.

Hose clamp and piece of leather or rubber.

Back n the 70-80s, a popular 4x4 magazine had a write who was this old guy. He had a Jeep and a dog and crazy stories about his off road lifestyle.
He did the most insane repairs to make it home. One story was about pulling a bad piston. He carved a tree branch to stuff the cylinder.

 

[bucket]

I like this thread

Way back in the earlier days of this thread, a member here with a Suburban turned his TBI 350 into a operational 4-cyl and it seemed to work. I don't recall the details.