overheated engine issues for this teen

I just purchased a '90 SC that had an engine not running because it was run without coolant. The engine was extremely difficult to turn over and squealed when trying to get it to turn over(like metal on metal squealing).
The engine is now apart and both head gaskets were bad but the heads are not warped at all. The engine can be turned over by hand with the heads off though.
Any suggestions on what else should I check before reassembling with new head gaskets? pistons? bearings? Has anyone else had this experience that could offer some tips?
The radiator supposedly leaked, is a recore a good idea?
Also, are there any good books on engine repairs for SCs, such as repair manuals that are well explained?


P.S. I am a new SC owner so I am somewhat new at all of this so if there are any unclear questions that I asked, please tell me. I finally got my license and am anxious to get my first car up and running!!!!

i would try to ask the previous owner if it had any rods knocking last time it ran , if it did it will prob need a crank and a new rod, when my headgasket went it started getting warm over half on the guage so i shut it off and coasted home . it had water in the oil but i only ran it maybe 3 miles , that was around 207k miles , i just bought 2 felpro headgaskets about 20 bucks a piece and an intake gasket about 36 bucks and changed oil 2 or 3 times , its still runing fine

Like rlong said, check the oil for evidence of water. If the oil has water in it the oil will look like coffee with creamer in it. (Not a good sign) Mains and rods, (bearings) do not get along with water very well. My 90 SC was this way when I bought it and without any history on it I just rebuilt the whole thing. I had it torn down almost all the way just to get the heads off so pulling it all the way out was no big deal. If there is no oil in the crankcase, you may be able to just replace the headgaskets but I would hate to get it all back together and find something else wrong. Headgasket failure is a very common isuue with these cars especially if they were run hot. Congrats on your purchase, you should learn alot very quickly by owning one. SC's are really fun to drive when everything works right.

I recently bought a 90 supercoupe that has the same problem I'm going through the whole engine, my mustang had the same problem with the head gaskets, the 3.8L has a history of blowing head gaskets (like merc said) there wasnt and water in my crank case though the oil will be milky and if there is enough water it will be below the oil. Check to see if the block is warped that could be a problem if the block is warped pending how bad it will have to be resurfaced and bored and honed an easy way to see if the cylinder walls are bad is to look for deep grooves that will tell you if the piston gets stuck and if that happend then you may have a bent rod If it squeeled when you turned it over you also may have a spun or stuck bearing. you will be able to tell this by looking at the oil. If the oil has a layer of what looks like glitter or powder that is a sign of bearing wear (though that is pretty common), ...if that is the case you will need to rebuild the engine and get the block machined .....well good luck and enjoy that car.

Oh Yeah and very good book to look into is the Chiltons Thunderbird service and repair manual I Belive it has 83-97 model years in it but I am not sure you can get that at Oreily auto parts and I am sure there are other places but that is where I got mine. Haynes is also a pretty good one you can get that at Advance Auto and Napa auto parts I think you can get them at barnes and noble and check your public library

Pull the motor and do a complete rebuild or replace it with a good used motor.

David