1974 Plymouth Duster Restomod

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I have done virtually nothing since I did the patch, I have been busy working on a 50 buick, lots and lots of patches and welding. I plan to start pulling the engine within the next couple of days.
 
Oh I did pick up a couple of goodies for the car that will be going in when I pull the engine.

A body 8 3/4 rear end it only has 2.76 non sure-grip in it for now, but it's a start!!! The plan is some 3.5X sure-grip in the future when money allows.
J heads with 2.02 intake/1.60 exhaust with minor porting and 61cc combustion chamber and thin .020 head gaskets (I will be getting shorter push-rods to accommodate the difference in length due to head milling)
Mopar performance camshaft .484/.484 lift 284º duration 248º at .050"
Double roller timing chain
New orange box ignition
I will be doing minor intake porting to help even the flow out as well. (gasket match it)

I am also hopefully getting a cast iron non O/D A833 4spd manual tranny for it =)!! 8-9 people going in on it for christmas for me. I found someone on here selling a complete ready to bolt in one for really cheap, it will be everything I need to do a conversion!

Hoping to have it all back in and burnin rubber by late January!!!
 
Reason for milled heads and thin gasket is quite simple, cheaper than getting new pistons, rods, etc. Which if I went that route I would need new heads anyways. So I went the cheap way of raising compression, milled heads, and thin gasket. it will drop my combustion chamber by just over 10cc, which is a little more than 1 compression.

So with push-rods and heads it will be about 450$, versus new pistons and heads coming out to about 650++$.

Not the right way, but it will work.
 
Did you mill the intake face of the heads as well, or the intake? One will need to be milled to get the intake to bolt down.

Nice score on the 8.75"! Just a thought, but if you found a B-Body one you wouldn't have to run wheel spacers, or you could run thinner ones. Not sure how the bolt pattern would work for you though, not clear on what you have or are doing (I know you are running the SRT-4 wheels, just not how).
 
DionR said:
Did you mill the intake face of the heads as well, or the intake? One will need to be milled to get the intake to bolt down.

Nice score on the 8.75"! Just a thought, but if you found a B-Body one you wouldn't have to run wheel spacers, or you could run thinner ones. Not sure how the bolt pattern would work for you though, not clear on what you have or are doing (I know you are running the SRT-4 wheels, just not how).
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I am not positive if the intake side of the heads has been milled, I will find out when I go to mock up the motor to check for push-rods. If it has not then I will be milling the heads, not the intake.

The rims, I have decided they are no good for the car and will get changed out at a later point!
 
Finally got the engine pulled, been running around for people, and things it's taken three days. But I finally got it out and home, going to be mocking up the engine with new heads and cam to check push-rod length.
 
So I just got the heads and intake off the engine, I was less than pleased with what I saw. I will post pictures in just a minute.
 
First time taking an engine out completely by myself, I knew how just always had help. Not this time though!

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Got her home and started surgery.

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Intake and one head off

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Very upset when I saw this, I know it is common on these engines. However back when I bought the short block it was from a very close friend who we have known for years. He said he did it personally... I had enough trust in him to not check, now I regret it. The engine maybe has 5,000 miles on it and that is a stretch. The good news is, that the edge can be rubbed out, no build up on it yet.

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Everything apart

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Cam and valve-train looks great, lifters are all in perfect shape.

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Well I went out and was tinkerin around with the motor some more, and decided to turn the engine over. The pistons do not sit down in the bore at all, they go to the very top!
 
Not clear on what you see that you don't like.

Not surprised the pistons are at 0 deck, with the notches they are definitely not stock. Should make a good motor, provided you don't have some work to do.
 
DionR said:
Not clear on what you see that you don't like.

Not surprised the pistons are at 0 deck, with the notches they are definitely not stock. Should make a good motor, provided you don't have some work to do.
Click to expand...

Well at first when I saw it I did not think the pistons where going to the top of the bore. I went out there and turned the motor and found they were.

I was disappointed until I turned it!
 
Ah, makes sense now.

Should be a good little motor with those pistons in it. The problem with my motor is not enough compression, you shouldn't have a problem with that.
 
Got to pulling some more items off the motor today to put the new camshaft in. And found it had a double-roller timing chain!! I get to send the one I bought back and save 60$! This little motor has a lot of surprises for me! Bigger 1.88X1.60 valves, pistons with valve reliefs, double-roller timing chain, what's next a nice camshaft? Could be people have told me it doesn't sound stock at all, it has to much lope!!!
 
I did also find out that it has been bored .040 over, which I am fine with. Just means my bore of 3.910 is now 3.940(Close to the "magic" number 4")!!! And a little less shrouding when I put the 2.02X1.60 heads on!
 
I got to sanding the engine compartment for paint today, and it is going A LOT faster than I expected it to go. I am painting half of it tomorrow, I got everything removed sanded and prepped today for this side. And I will paint the other half when I am ready, but it should not take long I am 75% done with sanding the whole thing. I will post pictures tomorrow!
 
Well I went to the parts store this morning to pick up my gaskets, so I could put the intake manifold, timing chair cover, and water pump back on, but they didn't have them in yet. Really bummed me out because I was told they would be there last night. So I picked up a few things and started what I could. The engine is ready for paint, I am going to be painting it tomorrow morning. I did get my headers painted today, I will put some pictures up in a minute.
 
These have been battered and bruised in so many places to get them to fit right, and they had started rusting pretty bad, so I figured I would give them a makeover. Went from black to silver aluminum.

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I couldn't paint the engine today, weather was and is still to unpredictable, I did however get to do some valve covers.

Got rid of the chrome valve covers and used some old ones, but gave them a make over.

I like the 318 I put on it, I think it's pretty bad ***!

It is done in Plum Crazy Purple, while the valve covers are done in cast aluminum, all of which got some clear on top of it.

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Another day of fluke for painting anything, I did manage to get the intake manifold cleaned up, and actually put on there with gaskets today though. Before it had just been sitting on it with old gaskets.
 
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