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I have a stock 77 2wd(1.8 Isuzu). I have been told the engine has bad blow-bye, and there is a small pool of oil in the breather. Several people have gave me there opinion on what to do, rebuild the head, rebuild the entire engine, put a new head gasket on. Could somebody tell me what the best way to go is? I am new to working on engines and don't want to get screwed on this. Thanks for any help!

"Blow-by" is pressure blowing past the piston rings due to a worn out engine. Rebuilding the head will only make things worse by putting more pressure in the cylinders. Another common mistake a lot of people make when a engine smokes when it's first started due to bad valve guides(seals) is to rebuild the head. The only problem is that greatly increases the pressure on the old piston rings and they can't take the pressure and then the engine starts to puff smoke out the exhaust and use oil. The moral of this story is if you rebuild the top-end on an old motor, then you gotta rebuild the bottom-end. The only alternative is to find a short-block and put your external stuff on it or another engine. It's just one of those "damned if you do and damned if you don't" scenarios. If it were me, I'd be asking the rest of these guys that have been putting big engines in theirs if they want to part with a good running 1.8 stock motor that they no longer need. Hope this helps. Later -TAZ

I agree with Taz on this. You're gonna have to go deep into the truck to fix it. This may be a good time to concider upgrading to a bigger motor. The cost will be a little more than a stock rebuild and the time to mod the truck to accept the new setup but it can be worth your while. A stock V-6 or V-8 will provide more power and prove to be a very durable motor. But then again, a stock rebuild may be enough to keep you happy. The motor must be pretty worn out to show signs of blow by. A fresh motor would feel pretty good. Explore all options before you commit to a plan. Good luck.

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Previous setup: 4.1 Buick V-6/TH 350
Current setup: 400 Small Block Chevy V-8/TH 350
9" ford rear end/short bed/blue
What do Water, Electricity and Humans have in common... They all travel the path of least resistance.

Thank you sir! It is comforting to know that a man can get some respect. Furgy, like the man said, explore all your options and try to get the best bang for your buck. Incidentally, has anyone heard of putting a built Quad4 in a luv? There's a dude in AZ that has one in a little bucket-T that is RAD. He built the motor and put a Vortech V5 blower on it and it SCREAMS! His name is Dave Blythe. I've been diong a little investigating on this and there apparently is quite a few serious people using these little GM Offy clones because of the tremendous benefits due to improved power-to-weight ratio. Later -TAZ

Thanks Taz and Blue. I had a hunch a full rebuild was needed. If anybody has a stock engine and trans(might as well get the whole package) let me know. I found two sites that sell remanufactured engines at a cost of 1,300$ plus shiping but if I can find one cheaper and in good condition all the better. A stock is all I need. Bought it to get me back and forth to work. Also need a fuse box cover. Mine has snapped in half. Thanks again Taz and Blue!!

WHOOPS!! I forgot to log in. That guest post was me.

if you plan on spending that much i would at least stepup to a v-6 engine and trans combo you will be much happier with the horsepower and still get good gas mileage. it`s not that diffucult to install and you can stay with a standard or switch to auto in the process which ever you prefer. that extra power for passing sure comes in handy.

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don`t have the luv no more but I still like em.72 el camino,
00 & 06 silverado one 4x4, turboed vw sandrail,99 banshee, 06 raptor 700, 02 polaris trailblazer.