Rebuild it, replace it, or do the valves and hope for the best?

[PPestorius]

Hi and thanks for taking a look.

I have a 69 Skylark with 120k miles.
I replace the timing chain acouple years ago.
The car ran really smoothly for years and started fading fast since last spring.

Recent pressure tests show an average of 85 psi with only 1 or 2 clyinders breaking 100. The two lowest were at 60.

A valve job addresses the issue, but if I'm going to invest time and effort into the engine, should I rebuild or replace now, rather than in a year or 5....?

I'm going to visit a rebuild shop and I priced having the valves done... at the mimimum, it puts me in around $600. I'm thinking of having a shop pull the heads for me.

I'm sorta in stuck on what to do, and appreciate any insight you might have from your experiences.

Thanks alot.
P

[bobc455]

A valve job only fixes one of the possible problems that causes low compression. You might also have cylinder wear.

If you add oil and the pressure rises, your rings are bad.

But at 60-100 PSI, I suspect you have bad, umm, everything...

-Bob Cunningham

[PPestorius]

I added oil during the test without a significant increase in the numbers. Sounds like my number's up...

Reckon I'll start engine shopping.