Anyone ever pull a small block out of a van??

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4spdragtop

4spdragtop

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I spotted a 72 b200 van for sale with a 340 in it. Im thinking I might buy it for the 340, but was wondering how much of a pain it is. Or I may just keep it in but wondering the maintenance/servicing nightmares on them. Any input is appreciated

Thanks
4spdragtop
 
Someone put a 340 in a van, wow, that is unusual. I bought a 77 new, but never pulled the motor.
But I had a buddy with a shop, and he brought it out the front if I remember correctly. Major job!
 
HemiEd said:
Someone put a 340 in a van, wow, that is unusual. I bought a 77 new, but never pulled the motor.
But I had a buddy with a shop, and he brought it out the front if I remember correctly. Major job!
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Yeah thats what I thought, its got 340 727 and an 8 3/4 sg with 291???? So it might be well worth a look
 
I was told that dodge was easy, take the front grill and radiator out and it will come right out trans and all , unlike the chevy or ford, I am looking at a 360 la engine out of a van
 
why not just drop the front and rear crossmembers down and lift the body off of them??
 
805moparkid said:
why not just drop the front and rear crossmembers down and lift the body off of them??
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If I lived in AZ I might think about it, but she is starting to get cool up here!!LOL If I get it I would like to pull it in the garage, but i only have a little over 7' in height to work with.
 
4spdragtop said:
If I lived in AZ I might think about it, but she is starting to get cool up here!!LOL If I get it I would like to pull it in the garage, but i only have a little over 7' in height to work with.
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haha man i was raining and lightning, and not to mention golf ball sized hail! but yea just cut the springs or loosen the torsion bars (cant remember what they have) and then take the front wheels off so its damn near on the ground. loosen the k member and trans member bolts. so once all that stuff is loose free just jack the front end up and slide it out. if u dont have enought clearance then do the above and pull the front end apart and cut what u dont need out of the way.
 
Ya raining here too, $hitty. She is about a 4 hour trek so I gots to think whether I want it that bad or not.

Thanks
 
Are you going to scrap the van after you take the good stuff?
If so, then cut as needed, (sawsall, torch etc.) and take it out the front.
If not, the grille, bumper, and carb/aircleaner and radiator has to come off at least and then pull it out the front complete with a cherrypicker. It's tight, but someone must have done it before!
Be prepared to swear a lot too!
 
If the van is going to scrap. I've pulled motors out thru the side door. Just pull the front seats and chop out the floorboards with a sawsall. The front crossmember is not removable and the dashboard gets in the way with a standard cherry picker. Just my .02 worth.
 
I did a swap on an 81 van through the front a few years back. Pretty simple. Anything in your way should unbolt.
 
Dartnut said:
Are you going to scrap the van after you take the good stuff?
If so, then cut as needed, (sawsall, torch etc.) and take it out the front.
If not, the grille, bumper, and carb/aircleaner and radiator has to come off at least and then pull it out the front complete with a cherrypicker. It's tight, but someone must have done it before!
Be prepared to swear a lot too!
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Yeah, that is kind of how I remember it.
 
Not sure if I am gonna scrap the van or not. Pics look ok, its been gutted from the front seats back. Always wanted a van, but I want a wagon and a dart and my project finished, so who knows, but at the least the 340, 727 and 83/4 gotta be worth it.
 
pull the grill. radiator, the top of the core support unbolts, you an pull the carb if you want, but it will come out wit it on, have no slack in the chain, the cherry picker will rub the bottom of the dash area, but it will come right out, I pulled more engines out of vans then anything, people used to give them away around here, because the body's was rusty and they couldn't figure out how the engine could come out.
 
mac daddy mopar said:
pull the grill. radiator, the top of the core support unbolts, you an pull the carb if you want, but it will come out wit it on, have no slack in the chain, the cherry picker will rub the bottom of the dash area, but it will come right out, I pulled more engines out of vans then anything, people used to give them away around here, because the body's was rusty and they couldn't figure out how the engine could come out.
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Agreed, top of radiator support unbolts and BOOM, out it comes.
 
when i was younger, i took a 318 motor and trans out the bottom , it was miserable as i wasnt too skilled back then . i just bought a slant six out of a van and the boys that yanked it used torches and a tractor to pull it out the front. it wasnt pretty , and the trans got destroyed in the process.
 
With the carb off and one of these hook plates bolted to the intake the engine alone comes out fairly easy. Engine and trans together causes balance issues.
 
By the consensus, it sounds like its not too bad!! Do you think the b200 would garner any interest?? If I get it, I gotta get rid of it almost as quick as I get it!!LOL Its running driving right now.
 
Dont know today. 25 years ago I pulled the motor/trans/drive sgaft from a B200 and rolled it out to the very back of the lot. Less that a week later a guy came in asking about its' rear end. I said "take the whole van away and its yours". Gone
 
C130 Chief said:
I did a swap on an 81 van through the front a few years back. Pretty simple. Anything in your way should unbolt.
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This is the way to do it , I am looking to do one, well my sons are for me, I have dun this a few moons ago. remove breather and carb front grill and radiator then unbolt radiator upper support
 
I pulled my 70 out thru the side door but had to have my friend stand on the back of the hoist with the boom extended
 
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