Palmer P60

[Bill Beatty]

I have a 1975 E32 with a Palmer P60 that requires a valve job. Can this be done in place?

 

[treilley]

I assume a Palmer has a cylinder head like most engines that can be removed for this service. If you are asking if you need to remove the engine, the answer is probably not but the head will need to be removed and sent to a shop to do the work.

 

[Bill Beatty]

The P60 is a flat head similar to the Atomic 4 and a marinized version of the International Harvestor Cub tractor engine. I removed the head. The pistons and valves are in the block.

 

[Rocinante33]

I don't know anything about a Palmer, either. Tim is right that the cylinder head can be removed & sent to a shop for service. The only problem - the valves may not be in it! It could be a flathead, like the Atomic 4. If that's the case, a mechanic (or you) would have to disassemble more of it in place on the boat. The valves would have to be pulled out individually and taken into the machine shop for grinding. Then the valve seats (in the engine block on a flathead) would need to be re-surfaced. This shouldn't discourage you though. Old flatheads like the Atomic four are really easy to work on.

 

[Jeff Asbury]

Here's a link to a discussion about Palmer Gas engines at OldMarineEngine.com

Looks like there is one of these in a E-27. See Pic.

http://www.oldmarineengine.com/discus/messages/3430/1707.html

It sez that Palmer's are International Tractor Engines converted for Marine use.

http://www.oldmarineengine.com/

 

[rwthomas1]

The answer is maybe. If the valve seats are not horribly receded or buggered up badly then its a fairly simple process to cut the seats either with a manual seat cutter or a powered grinder type. The valves can be cut on any valve grinding machine and then hand lapped in. Ahh, the good old days when you could actually work on engines yourself. A flathead engine is really just a big lawnmower engine. They are pretty simple beasts. A power equipment shop or someone who specializes in flatheads may have better ideas about doing the valve seats. RT

 

[Tom Plummer]

Many years ago my dad passed on to me his dads 1950 Pontiac Chieftain Deluxe. It was in bad need of a valve job and I was a 2nd class Missile Technician in the Navy, read that poorer than a church mouse. This thing had a Flathead straight 8 and the era of unleaded gas had just arrived. Now as luck would have it there was this grizzled old, I mean he had to be at least 35, Chief Machinists Mate on the boat, the USS John C. Calhoun SSBN 630 who took pity on this NQP, Non Qualified Puke and together we did the valve job on the old beast. We did the job with the engine in the car and replaced the valve seats and valves with stellite (sp) valves and seats. The chief used liquid nitrogen to shrink the valves so the would stay in the engine. That was in 1975 and the car is still running.

 

[Ccaptain]

Palmer P-60

I have a P 60 coming out of an Allied 30-30 in the very near future. The boat was last sailed three seasons ago so the condition of the engine is unknown. The previous owner said it was operational. Any and all offers are considered viable. I can send picture and will post picture as soon as the engine is removed.