Slant 6 225 valve adjustment

-
cchrishefish

cchrishefish

Well-Known Member
Joined
Oct 22, 2009
Messages
768
Reaction score
153
Location
USA
I had a re- manufactured motor from Marshall Engines installed into my 64 Dart Gt last year. The mechanic that installed it claims that my valves should be adjusted once I put 1000 miles on it. My brother whom was a Dodge mechanic during the 60's -70's says this guy is full of BS.

Who is correct?
 
the mechanic.
a re- set of the valve clearances is a safeguard against any tightened clearances after an engine has "settled in".
I can imagine dealer mechanics not doing it,but I would.

regards,Rod
 
it is fearly easy, so no matter who is right, i'd do it anyway.
 
I check mine about once a year. From what I understand, it's part of regular maintenance on a solid lifter engine.
 
Not having correctly adjusted valves
----------and---------
not checking them routinely
are prime causes of lots of
the most frequently heard
probs with this engine.
 
being a new engine, probably has a new camshaft in it, most of the wear is gonna happen in the first 1000 miles. theres a treatment done to the cam called parkerizing. some of that will wear pretty quickly with the no zink havin a$$ crappy oil they sellin us. so yea reajust the valves or they will get loose and sound like an old ibm typwriter with superchick operatin it. .010 on the intakes .020 on the exhausts with the engine at operatin temp.So I don't think he's b. s.'n ya
 
You have a more important question to ask: Was a no-retorque necessary head gasket used?

If it was (and he knows that for certain) then I would suggest re-torqueing the gasket anyway (and then you'll need to check the valves, of course).

Why? I ran a cognitive science experiment that involved memory. I cannot get into specifics because of subject privacy. Let me assure you, however, that people can have very distorted memories -- even highly intelligent subjects who were immediately bragging to the principal investigator (moi) about how good their memory was and who then glanced at their data -- yow -- and nodded politely with a smile. One of the effects being studied was negation.

Negation means that it is very possible that the person will recall the exact opposite of what is the case. It is in very close association in the mind.

Sure, it is possible that ONLY no-retorque gaskets were used in the shop. I might believe the mechanic if he had a set of build notes that he kept and I knew that he had established a set pattern for recording information about the parts used BEFORE they were installed. A receipt with a traceable part number would work as well. My brother is an aircraft mechanic -- I need to remember to ask him how they document their work.
 
As far as I know, all aftermarket head gaskets for the slant, are no retorque. The factory type steel shim gasket should be retorqued. That said, it would not hurt anything to take off the valve cover, and retorque the head, and reset the valve lash, at around 1,000 mile mark. Cheap insurance.
PS: I have some NOS OEM steel shim head gaskets for sale.
 
All current and modern after-market head gaskets.

The problem is that the engine was in production for decades and there are certainly a lot of NOS head-gaskets/parts out there that could have been made anytime over the last 50 years. A few months ago I bought an NOS distributor shaft assembly from the mid 1960s on Ebay and recently gave it to a guy named Charlie in Silver Springs.

Here's one on Ebay right now. Dollars to doughnuts that this gasket set is 30 years old.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1960...ptZMotorsQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories


Aside: if you are racing, you might want to contact the gasket manufacturer and talk to their tech department. I have read that some suggest retorqueing "no retorque" head gaskets originally intended for light-duty passenger car use. http://www.enginebuildermag.com/Article/1260/engine_sealing_high_performance_head_gaskets.aspx
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top