1970 case 1500

[bobben]

I recently bought a 1500 case skid steer that came with a vh4d Wisconsin engine from the factory. some one has modified it to a vg4d engine compression was 25, 25, 25 and 0 pulled the heads off and it looks like the valves are stuck or not closing completely .I am going to pull the valves out and touch them up guides look good. no ring ridge, pistons look tight should a guy pull the bottom end apart? the machine shows 118 hrs on the hr meter that dosen't sound rite for a 50 year old unit but the wear bar on the bucket isn't worn at all looks like new. is there anything else that should be looked at, clutch pack maintenance ? Variable speed before putting it to use

 

[Tazza]

If the heads are already off, and if rings aren't too expensive, i'd throw a set of rings at it and give the bores a bit of a roughen up. You then stand the best chance of having good compression again when the valves and seats are done.
It's best to go a little further if the price is right, you don't want to be pulling the engine and doing the job again.
At the very least, i'd pull the pistons to ensure the rings are not stuck from sitting. With them out, you ca n check for wear by pulling a ring and installing it into the bore and check the end gap.