Need help choosing a junkyard engine

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sbh126

sbh126

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Well I tore the head off my recently aquired 63 valiant 4 door with 170 slant 6 and found several large chunks missing from the #6 piston. Goes to show you how rugged these little monsters are. I'll post some pics of the damage later on tonight. So I am in need of a slant for what was supposed to be my super cheap play car. I called a guy that says he's got a couple slants and I will be going out there to get one today. What do I need to look for? Can I still do a compression test if the engine is cold/dry? If so how much pressure should there be? I do not plan on rebuilding the engine. other than the gaskets and maybe shaving the head down a bit. maybe a new valve train. Also can I use a 225/904 out of a truck? I found a good deal but I'm not sure if the 904 had any major differences When used in trucks. Any help is appreciated.
 
first thing to look at is the milage on the car it is in. then you look for things like new gasket sealer on items like oil pan, valve cover, timing cover and such. if you find one that looks like it has been all apart, it probably has, you might have a rebuilt engine there. sealer on the timing cover alone could mean a new timing gear and chain. pull the heads if you can, your gonna do 'em anyway. and go thru the glove box under the seats, and in the trunck for recipts and clues, alot of empty oil bottles are a bad sign. tune up parts boxes are a good sign. look at everything on the car not just the engine, it will tell you what kind of life it had. overall i would rather have a one from a 4 door granny car, than a duster sport with big speakers and mag wheels.....unless the sport had been rebuilt.
 
I have two that will be great builders. They are hyd lifter motors but all your stuff will interchange. No intake or exhaust manifolds, just long blocks. I think the rocker assembly is off one. A handshake from a new friend will get you either one. I'm in Georgia.
 
StrokerScamp said:
I have two that will be great builders. They are hyd lifter motors but all your stuff will interchange. No intake or exhaust manifolds, just long blocks. I think the rocker assembly is off one. A handshake from a new friend will get you either one. I'm in Georgia.
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I'm headed to douglasville on tuesday, i'll shake your hand! :hello2:
*edit* - Scratch that - Jones county is a little off course...
 
You can do a compression test cold if you have to. As long as the reading is 100psi or more and all the cylinders are within 25lbs of each other, it should be fine for a driver. If it's been sitting for quite a while, I'd squirt some oil in each cylinder and spin it over a bit before I did the test. Keep in mind that the '68 and newer engines need a bushing installed in the crank to make the converter button fit tight and centered. If all you have is a bad piston, why not just fix what you have? The 904 in a '66 and later vehicle won't work with your push button shifter.
 
StrokerScamp said:
I have two that will be great builders. They are hyd lifter motors but all your stuff will interchange. No intake or exhaust manifolds, just long blocks. I think the rocker assembly is off one. A handshake from a new friend will get you either one. I'm in Georgia.
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I appreciate the offer but your almost 7 hours away. Maybe if I had an excuse to go down there.
 
Wow, I can't stop thinking about it. 6 years ago I was stationed there while I was in the Marines. I drove a 75 duster w/ a s6 that ran great. Long story short, my EX wife screwed me over pretty good and I was forced to leave it there when I got out. If you see a gold 75 duster w/ black and grey interior try to get it. lol
 
sbh126 said:
I appreciate the offer but your almost 7 hours away. Maybe if I had an excuse to go down there.
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Well the offer is here if you decide you need it. I tore mine down today gettin ready go to to the machine shop tomorrow.
 
thejohnnyguy said:
I'm headed to douglasville on tuesday, i'll shake your hand! :hello2:
*edit* - Scratch that - Jones county is a little off course...
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Yeah that's bout 2.5 hours from me. ...if you ever get this far, gimmie a holler.
 
Hell I would almost drive down from Ky and shake your hand. Ill be goin to Daytona next month.
 
I narrowed it down to 2 slants I found at the junkyard. One is in a 67 belvedere with 60,000 on the odometer. I dont think its the original engine. I found reciepts from 2001 in the glove box for tune up items. so it was more than likely that it was running less than ten years ago.

Comression test

dry psi/with oil psi
100/115
100/120
90/100
90/115
90/120
80/90

the second engine is in a 74ish dart with 68k on the odometer. Suposedly came from the original owner. the number 3 cylinder worries me having half the pressure on the dry test.

dry psi/with oil psi
90/120
100/120
60/120
100/120
120/160
120/150

What do you guys think? Which one sounds like a better option. the second one seems to have higher pressure. But the first is more even. When I decide on one I'll pull the head to check everything out just incase before I buy it. The guy is asking $200. Does this sound like a decent price?
 
The nice thing about the '67 is that it will bolt in without modifications to the crank. You will have to swap the pan and pickup however but you'd have to do that on the '74 engine too. I'd pop the valve cover and make sure you have valve clearence on all the rockers. If the adjustment is too tight, you can get a low reading. You don't have to do a full valve adjustment but just make sure there is some free play on each valve. Any particular reason you can't fire them up? That can sure help on the valve sealing if they've been sitting for a while.
 
cudamark said:
The nice thing about the '67 is that it will bolt in without modifications to the crank. You will have to swap the pan and pickup however but you'd have to do that on the '74 engine too. I'd pop the valve cover and make sure you have valve clearence on all the rockers. If the adjustment is too tight, you can get a low reading. You don't have to do a full valve adjustment but just make sure there is some free play on each valve. Any particular reason you can't fire them up? That can sure help on the valve sealing if they've been sitting for a while.
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Well the 74 had the key in the ignition but the carb was not bolted down anymore. The 67 seemed ready to go but there wasnt a key. Could somebody give a crash course in hot wiring the 67? I'd really like to hear it run before I take the time to pull it.
What exactly is different between the 67 and 74 cranks? What would I need to do to make the 74 work if I go that route?
I believe I read something about the post 68 heads being slightly better. Is this true? If so should I yank the head off of something else. There is a 1980 road runner with a slant in it as well. would this have a better flowing intake/exhaust manifold or are they all about the same?
 
Run a hot (+) wire to the (+) side of the coil, use something metal (screwdriver) to cross between the large poles on the starter relay on the fender to get it to crank. It'll prolly need a good shot of gas down the carb too if it's been dry a while.

The 80 engine might be a 2 bbl. engine. They make a bunch more power than the 1 bbl. setup. Good luck.
 
be careful starting it, around here they drain the oil from everything. the 67 crank will elimnate fitment issues with your tranny. if you use the 74 with the 74 trans you wont be able to use your pushbutton setup. i would grab the 67 block with a later head (improved combustion chamber), swap it out yourself if you have to. as long as you going thru your head you might as well put a few bucks into the bottom end with new bearings and rings, heck, pistons are only $160 from summit if you have to go that far. if you dont want to spend the cash run it as is. if the 80 has a 2bbl carb setup, grab it. there is no difference internaly between the 2bbl engine and the 1bbl engine, it is all induction. even the exhaust manifold is the same, but grabing the exhaust too will save you from dealing with remating the intake and exhaust manifolds.

strokerscamp.......i would shake your hand, but im not sure who would show up :afro::geek::flower::iconbigg::rolleyes::tongue10::profiler::cool::batman::drunken::headbang::):thumbup::idea1::toothy2::nike::cheese::glasses2::hmph::walk::rr::tongue2::bounce::blob::wav::pirat::supz::p:tongue3::glasses4::naka::blob6::glasses5::drinkers::king::blackeye::glasses6::blah5::eek:ccasion::booty::happy7:
 
CUDAGUY said:
or just use the later converter as well, thats what I did, bolts right up.
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You cannot use the later converter(68 up) with the 63 trans. The input splines are different. It changed between 67 and 68, the same time as the crank "pocket".

PS: It is possible to use the late engine (68 up) and late converter with the early (67 down) trans, by installing the late front section of the trans (pump, input shaft, clutch drums) into the early trans.
PPS: You cannot install the later "Low gear" planatary gear set into the early trans, as the internal splines on the output shaft are different then the splines on on the gear set.
 
sbh126 said:
Well the 74 had the key in the ignition but the carb was not bolted down anymore. The 67 seemed ready to go but there wasnt a key. Could somebody give a crash course in hot wiring the 67? I'd really like to hear it run before I take the time to pull it.
What exactly is different between the 67 and 74 cranks? What would I need to do to make the 74 work if I go that route?
I believe I read something about the post 68 heads being slightly better. Is this true? If so should I yank the head off of something else. There is a 1980 road runner with a slant in it as well. would this have a better flowing intake/exhaust manifold or are they all about the same?
Click to expand...
Take your '63 Ignition switch with you and plug it into the '67 dash harness to fire it up. Use the '67 carb on the '74 if you have too....it'll bolt on. Bring some gas, water, battery, oil, and have at it! The '72 and later heads came with induction hardened valve seats. Other than that, they're all decent castings. The '75 and newer have the advantage of external spark plugs so there won't be any leaky plug tube seals but the later heads seem to have more crack problems...not a lot more, but a little....probably because they run those engines hotter for smog reasons.
 
Charrlie_S said:
You cannot use the later converter(68 up) with the 63 trans. The input splines are different. It changed between 67 and 68, the same time as the crank "pocket".

PS: It is possible to use the late engine (68 up) and late converter with the early (67 down) trans, by installing the late front section of the trans (pump, input shaft, clutch drums) into the early trans.
PPS: You cannot install the later "Low gear" planatary gear set into the early trans, as the internal splines on the output shaft are different then the splines on on the gear set.
Click to expand...

well, it fit in my situation, nice and snug just like the stocker, splines where the same seal is the same, no slop no funny wobbles, car goes into gear just fine. Then again, its a 47 year old car, things may have been changed at some point.
 
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