Help needed with sb 318

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H Monster said:
Should probably start by mentioning I need help with general 318 stuff. I asked and was given the OK to post, as it is NOT an A body. Beast sat idle for maybe 5 years or more.....classic was running when parked. Was not running when I bought it.

Just joined.....have questions

Anyway, second part is while I happen to own a set of 40 year old Craftsman wrenches, I'm not a mechanic. Last engine I pulled using them was over 40 years ago. Can do basic stuff like swapping parts, etc, but if you get technical, you will get over my head in a hurry. Do not normally do my own wrenching, but this isn't normally. I need to get this thing working myself so when it has issues, I can resolve them.

So beyond the basic stuff I did to get her running (pulled carb....handed it to a guy who has done thousands of carb kits), new starter, new starter switch and ignition wiring circuit; new gas tank and fuel lines, new battery, changed oil, oil filter, etc. We got her going and she idles and runs pretty good. Have plenty more to do on the perimeter, but have questions about the engine.

One issue, she had two freeze/core plugs that were leaking pretty bad. One a steady, drip, drip, drip. Initial concern was should could have a busted block, but then realized all the anti-freeze had probably leaked out, so nothing to freeze or bust. But, did replace two of the plugs, however and in doing so, got nearly 1/4 cup of sediment / scale from each hole. One side was so plugged up I began to wonder if that was where they buried Jimmy Hoffa. But makes me think the engine coolant channels could be really clogged up. Anyway to get rid of that short of tearing down the engine? Perhaps replace all the other plus and flush it really well?

Second issue, when checking the oil, dip stick showed nothing. So drained the oil, new filter, added 5 quarts and still no oil? So thinking maybe it had a bigger than standard oil pan.....like maybe 7 or 8 quarts, kept adding oil. At 10 quarts, still nothing showing on the dip stick.

Is it possible for the dip stick to somehow deviate out of the hole it is supposed to go in? Hangs up where it enters the block, but then pushes on through. For this thing not to show oil with 10 quarts in it makes no sense. Oil pan does not look that big.

Also, when you lay the dip stick up against the tube, tip bottoms out just above the bottom of the forward pan, just where it seems to me like it should.

Any thoughts? Can't be running this without knowing oil level is where it is supposed to be.

View attachment 1715363389 View attachment 1715363390 View attachment 1715363391

PS: Didn't start or run it with that much oil. Drained 4 quarts out before starting.
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For your application, you could go with either the car or truck oil pan as you don't have a k-frame in the front to get in the way of the "hump" in the pan... Maybe try a car oil pan and see what happens....

hm oil pan.jpg


This looks off to me... That is the 67 - 69 alternator mounting bracket, but it is not mounted "properly"... I can't tell which water pump you have in the picture to see what's going on there... Could you post some pictures of the water pump from different angles so we can see what you have and maybe offer suggestions on maybe improving it... I don't like that there is only one bolt for the bracket and the other bolt holds the alternator... The original mounting for that bracket had 3 mounting points/bolts that would make it more stable if you have the proper water pump for it... Maybe we can make it more stable by seeing what you have and try to get the mounting more stable...

hm engine front.jpg


hm engine front B.jpg
 
Beginning to sound like dropping the oil pan is going to be the only way to solve this mystery. Easy enough to do, it is just hanging out under there......and I already have a gasket kit.
 
From where the stick bottoms on the tube to the tip is 28-3/4” on my 1980 power wagon with a rear sump. I can hear it in the pan as it runs through a channel.
My other truck pan is bolted to the engine, would take some doing to get a look inside.
Also, the tip is straight,not bent like a ski.
Has a twist of 90 degrees one inch from the end.
Hope this helps.
 
1983 D250-D350 would work for the major mechanical and minor tune-up/maintenance. The best bet on rebuilding the carburetor if it has to be done would probably be the numbers off the carburetor. I would imagine it being a 1973 model it would have electronic ignition, but if it’s points, 1971 back will work for that. There is one ballast resistor for points and a separate two terminal 1972 electronic ignition and then a four terminal ballast resistor for 1973 on.
 
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Grabbed some pictures, but won't have time to post em up until later today.

Convinced I'm in the right place for help!
 
krazykuda said:
The dipstick tube mounts in the same place for both car and truck applications... The oil pans have the same shape for the area where the stick goes into the pan at that spot, there shouldn't be a difference...
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Correct about the tube mounting positions are same in the block. But there are different tube lengths depending on the body type and accessories used, and many different dipstick lengths for the different tubes as well as different pans.
For example, the longest dipstick and tube combinations were either B-vans, or maybe a motorhome chassis.
The replacement dipstick part number is an aftermarket Spectre, or something like that. Parts stores have the same crappy listings for universal fitment. Go to a junk yard and find a truck or full size B-van and you'll find a dipstick long enough.
 
I have used that one. It will be too short. It's modeled after the shorter tube and the shorter dipstick tube from the cars with shallow center sump oil pans.
 
Jeez, i posted the correct length..gotta stop overthinking this.
 
Just ckd the dipstick on my 318 rear sump truck. Dipstick tube has 13" above entry point on block. Dipstick is 34 1/2" seated. Full mark is 2 3/4" off tip. Add mark is 1 3/4" off tip. Hope it helps.
 
H Monster said:
Grabbed some pictures, but won't have time to post em up until later today.

Convinced I'm in the right place for help!
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You have plenty of opinions already, so I'll stay out of those parts of the conversation.
It was/is common to bend the tip of an oil or trans fluid stick to get it to go past places like the crimp on the end of the tubes. (like you apparently found out):D

BTW, some van, truck and RV dip sticks were long as hell.
 
Also on trucks, with the short oil filter it takes 5.5 qts.
Long filter will hold 6 qts.

All the replacement dipsticks I have found are for cars.

Go to the junkyard and buy a dipstick from a truck or van, measure how long the tube is that you are removing the dipstick is from.
 
Sounds like the dip stick I need is longer. Have two junk yards nearby (never had any luck finding stuff in them), plus one about 50 miles away that my neighbor goes to when he wants a Mopar core engine to play with. I can give him a call to see what he might have. I hear he is a hillbilly type who knows his stuff and is eager to please. That would be refreshing.

On the water pump, I noticed it too was weeping along the gasket, so probably needs to come off at some point anyway. This is the pump number (upside down), and what photos I could get. Turns out water pumps are hard to photograph and not very glamorous when you do.
IMG_0748.jpg
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Pull the pan and find out where the oil pump foot is. If its almost sitting on the bottom (1/4 inch) just fill it with 5 qts, find a long dipstick and trim to register full at 5 qts. I doubt your going to starve that beast running 2500 RPM all day. I bought an 86 D250 360 LA 4bbl and it had a huge alternator, a little like that one but I think the mount was different.
 
OK, other than the alternator bracket, which still needs to be resolved, I think you have set me on the right path regarding the core plugs and dip stick.

Next question. I'm needing to replace all the gauges, none of which are working. Found an affordable 0-4000 rpm tach, which for this purpose, has an hour meter on it vs. mileage meter. But need the other gauges too. Any recommendations for an affordable, economic set? Since the run is at least 15 feet from engine to cockpit, thinking electrical units. Looked at Ultra Lite from Autometer, but they are a bit pricey for this use. Should that be 100 psi for the oil pressure?

And what engine oil? Thinking 10w-30 or 10w-40?
 
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BTW, on the alternator.......pretty certain that is not the original. Other than headlights, of which it has 7 under normal night time operations, there is very little electrical load, except there could be times when unloading when the engine is asked to run at fast idle for 30 minutes or more with full headlights on. That might put a big drain on the battery, ergo the big alternator. Original build included a stand alone voltage regulator, but that is now completely bypassed.

As mounted, I noticed the alternator does bounce a bit, and fan looks kinda loose and floppy. So will need to get that resolved too.
 
Drain the oil, pour in five quarts and mark the dipstick to where the oil level is... bingo. You're done.
 
The alt bracket is real barnyard engineering... why fix it if it ain't broke?
 
Update......managed to find the correct dip stick, inserted it in the tube and found oil!!
hm dip full.jpg


A bit overfull actually. Does that look like it would be high enough to do damage?

hm dipsticks.jpg


Didn't measure the replacement stick, but assume it is the 34 inch one.
Replacement tube that came with the new stick was the same as the original one in it.....same length and bend, but was different that the tube supplied with the after market stick that didn't fit....the one in the middle above.

Correct stick (technically it is called engine oil level indicator) has a 90 degree bend in the tip (vs the bent ski tip) and slipped in with no issues and no modifications.

hm dip tip.jpg


Also, have ordered a set of entry level Auto Meter gauges, and will be replacing the water temp and engine oil sending units to get them working. New wiring harness will be run tomorrow.

Thanks for the help!!!
 
Least mess, spin filter off and drain it. That will take almost a quart if you let it drain for an hour.
 
Revival of this thread from last summer.

An update.......since this thread went dormant, we did a bit more work. Basically installed a new wiring harness for the ignition circuit......installed all new autometer gauges.......replaced most of the fluids.....and took it to the field. Got to use it long enough to find out it was working pretty well. Still need to rewire all the lights, etc, but a new situation has popped up.

If she has been running, she will generally always start right up and run at idle OK. But if you rev the engine, she will stall and and if you don't take your foot off the gas, will die. She will cruise down the road.....but with any load.....like climbing up a hill.....at lower rpm....say 1,500 to 1,800.....she stalls and coughs.....But if the engine is cooking along at 2,500+ rpm's, she will pull the load.

We are thinking tuneup. Timing, vacuum lines, etc.

If a person had to guess......what plugs, points and condenser would you be shopping for? Seems to be an 83' block, with original 70's era carb and ignition components. Will have to go to parts store armed with some numbers......as there won't be any computer reference for this thing. No VIN#, etc. No known model. You could pull what it has now and match those, but no way of knowing if they are the right thing for this particular engine.

Found a guy to do the wrenching, but he has asked me to find some specs for him. Timing.....dwell, etc. Parts numbers, etc.
 
That’s a loaded question, pull a plug and buy matching ones. Timing is dependant on many things, egr,2/4bbl and distributor model, or year of it. There are just too many variables.

if your mechanic buddy is knowledgeable, let him assess it before you waste a bunch of money on parts. Numbers off carb, it sounds like you need a kit.
 
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