I am assembling a Y Block 292 engine. I have everything off except for the rotating assembly, cam and lifters. This engine was rebuilt in 1978 and since then only amassed 20K miles as it has been sitting for 25+ years. The heads were not rebuilt in 1978, just replaced with a used set. I started working on trying to get it started and found I had no compression in a few cylinders so I removed the heads. The machine shop told me everything needed to be replaced and now I have them back in like new condition. The cylinder walls look great and there was zero sludge (or metal) in the oil pan or lifter valley.
Everything I took off I de-rusted, de-greased and painted. I am at the point now I need to reassemble this thing. While looking on Ford forums I find that there are people who swear that RTV is not needed with gaskets. I looked at Fel Pro's site and sure enough they tell you not to use RTV except for gaps and where parts meet at corners. This seems strange to me as I have always used RTV for oil pains, water pumps, timing covers and valve covers (that's what I was taught). Has anyone here put an engine together without using RTV and just the gaskets?
By the way, this engine is in a 1959 F100 that was purchased new by my grandfather. He died in 1983 and my father and I drove it from CA to NY. My parents kept the truck in their garage for a few decades. They didn't drive (or start) it much. They made a cross country move and now I have it. The floor pans need to be replaced, but that is the only rust.