72 duster resto

-
a little bit of aguas going on there. hopefully it wasn't run and that's just accumulation from sitting.

not the greatest, but also not the end of the world...
 
Welp. There are very few machine shops in the bay area. The one closest to me wants $800 for bore and hone…

Im inclined to just finish cleaning, slap the engine back together and run it…
 
Welp. There are very few machine shops in the bay area. The one closest to me wants $800 for bore and hone…

Im inclined to just finish cleaning, slap the engine back together and run it…

Same as what I'm doing with my project. The inside of the motor is dirtier than I'd like, but just figuring on getting it running and driving and will worry about rebuilding the block/head portion later. Keep up the good work and updates!
 
Same as what I'm doing with my project. The inside of the motor is dirtier than I'd like, but just figuring on getting it running and driving and will worry about rebuilding the block/head portion later. Keep up the good work and updates!
Thats awesome! yeah always can rip the engine out and worry about that later. This was meant to be a budget swap for me. Have you seen or tried those hone tools that deglaze cylinder walls?

Amazon has one like this that I might try. My cylinder walls are pretty shiney and a bit of surface imperfections. Figure the price might mean it's worth a shot. I heard a trick of putting waxed string around the gap of the piston to keep the small metal bits out, then just vacuum out the junk and wipe it down with wd40.
Hone deglaze tool
 
I've been using oven cleaner on the carbon buildup for the pistons with a toothbrush lightly agitating it. looking much better than before. Great tutorial video here:

My current tentative plan is:
1) pool acid wash the water jackets and de-crust the openings
2) pull the bottom end out to inspect the bearings
3) deglaze the cylinders and clean
4) reassemble

Screen Shot 2024-01-30 at 9.28.33 AM.png


Screen Shot 2024-01-30 at 9.28.26 AM.png
 
Looking good... I didn't even pull the head off because I knew if I did that I'd end up tearing the entire thing down to nothing and rebuilding it all... I have a hard time drawing a line in the sand and not crossing it...lol... it was running well and compression tested well before I started the current project, but it just looks crustier than I'd like under the valve cover and peeking in through the intake/exhaust ports...

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
-Procrasticles... Greek Philosopher

Ha!
 
Looking good... I didn't even pull the head off because I knew if I did that I'd end up tearing the entire thing down to nothing and rebuilding it all... I have a hard time drawing a line in the sand and not crossing it...lol... it was running well and compression tested well before I started the current project, but it just looks crustier than I'd like under the valve cover and peeking in through the intake/exhaust ports...

Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow?
-Procrasticles... Greek Philosopher

Ha!
HAHA! love it. yeah man run it! I got too deep now im paying the cost lol
 
the bearings are gonna tell the tale of the tape.

i wouldn't clean jack **** till i popped the caps and made sure i wasn't dealing with core.

then if it's runnable i'd formulate a plan of attack.
 
Yeah you're spot on. No use acid flushing my waterjackets if the block is trash lol. My rookie engine builder is showing through. It would be one thing if I had bought an engine that I had heard running, but with this thing it's a guess until I see.

Been waiting on the 1 1/4" driver I ordered to arrive so I can pull my balancer off. Then can get the crank out but that should be here tomorrow.
 
Im no expert but these are the connecting rod bearings off cylinder 1 & 2. Look pretty worn but no damage to the crank (so far). Rings don't look too bad though.

Pulling the rest of the pistons out later tonight and then I'll check to see how the crank mains look after that.

Screen Shot 2024-01-31 at 10.27.50 AM.png


Screen Shot 2024-01-31 at 10.27.47 AM.png


Screen Shot 2024-01-31 at 10.27.44 AM.png
 
looks like plenty of debri has gone through the oiling system. i'd at least check if not replace the oil pump too. plenty of oil and filter changes are needed once it's running again. that's assuming you don't do a full strip with a comprehensive block cleaning of course.
neil.
 
will i need rings and bearings for the used engine i picked up?

*shakes magic eight ball*

you may rely on it

*snorts*
*takes pull off beer*

should i order rings and bearings for this used engine?

*shakes magic eight ball*

it is decidedly so
 
For what it's worth, I did up a "core" 5.9 for my Dakota starting with something maybe not a bad as yours but not great. The heads were junk, none of the valves would seal so I replaced them with a better set of unknown heads. I did all new bearings, oil pump and timing chain but left the pistons and rings alone along with the cam bearings that I know for a fact needed to be replaced.

My theory on the rings was, I could still see the factory hatch in the bores so I assumed they were ok (yes, I know what "assume" stands for). And I didn't have the time and money to re-ring it.

So far, seems to run good so at least for now I am getting away with it. :D

Never expected it to be a "forever" motor anyways.
 
You ditched the slant! Nooo!

I can't blame you as they do need more power. But it's going to be sweet with the new motor.
 
You ditched the slant! Nooo!

I can't blame you as they do need more power. But it's going to be sweet with the new motor.
Haha I knew you'd eventually see my madness :) The slant is still super cool. Had I yanked it out right at purchase i'd probably have just rebuilt it, added a turbo and used it as a daily driver. But I'm happy with going the small block route now.
 
A great read! Admire your tenacity and ability to keep moving forward in spite of setbacks. You have a very nice car - cheering for you!!
 
I can't blame you as they do need more power.

Had I yanked it out right at purchase i'd probably have just rebuilt it, added a turbo and used it as a daily driver.

I think a turbo slant would be cool. I had a ‘63 Valiant that I had planned to build into a poor man’s M3 and a turbo slant had been the plan, but the car ended up being too rusty. With some of the new stuff out like the Gill Welding parts and a Terminator X or MS3, seems like a slick build could be done.

@Red Stripe I think you should turbo the slant in your car. That would really add to an already cool build. :D
 
I think a turbo slant would be cool. I had a ‘63 Valiant that I had planned to build into a poor man’s M3 and a turbo slant had been the plan, but the car ended up being too rusty. With some of the new stuff out like the Gill Welding parts and a Terminator X or MS3, seems like a slick build could be done.

@Red Stripe I think you should turbo the slant in your car. That would really add to an already cool build. :D

I actually just bought another a body that will most likely get the slant out of the duster. And it's definitely getting a turbo or a torqstorm supercharger.
 
A great read! Admire your tenacity and ability to keep moving forward in spite of setbacks. You have a very nice car - cheering for you!!
Thanks man! I do like it and appreciate the compliment on tenacity. Learned that with my first Mopar and always appreciated how that skill translates in other places of life. Bang your head enough times you'll overcome :BangHead:
 
Once I get it home I'll post up on it. Its a 64 Valiant that's in decent shape but has no drivetrain. So the plan is to get the slant out of the duster and make it better with EFI and some sort of boost to get it in the 300hp range (hopefully). Also want to minitub it and try to get 315's on the back.
 
Once I get it home I'll post up on it. Its a 64 Valiant that's in decent shape but has no drivetrain. So the plan is to get the slant out of the duster and make it better with EFI and some sort of boost to get it in the 300hp range (hopefully). Also want to minitub it and try to get 315's on the back.
Woah that sounds amazing! Love the valiants. Cant wait to hear more man! EFI plus boost might put you closer to 400hp depending on psi. 315s would look killer on that back end.
 
Quick vid on teardown progress. Any suggestions on assessing the crank journals appreciated. I might just have to get it inspected by the machinist down the street.

Definitely need all new bearings, rings, cylinder honing, oil pump and timing chain to get comfortable with the rebuild.

 
-
Back
Top