Let's Play "Forensic Hank the Crank"

This is real Mopar detective work! The question is: "Has this motor ever been removed from the engine bay since new?" What do we look for? How can we be sure of our findings without a complete teardown?

Let's begin with my "daily driver" 1965 Signet 273 auto convertible (no A/C, no P/B, no P/S, no radio). It has no hole for the antenna in the right front passenger fender, but has dual antennas in the rear quarter panels-radio must have been installed after initial sale.

Please review the fotos and comment if you like (either specifically regarding this vehicle or just in doing general "forensic Mopar research" overall. No, I don't have the answer to this question. Not directly related to the matter at hand, but I did find a 6 month warranty card for the automatic transmission in the glove compartment.

Grab a magnify glass (ala Sherlock or Columbo) or a jewelers loupe and wipe them greasy nuts (and bolts) down and get to sleuthing!

Looks pretty stock but hose clamps an the regulator, valve cover gaskets and wires/plugs have been replaced, pretty much maintenance. Carbon date the grease on the motor mounts to be sure?

Look at the motor mount bolts... Are the heads toward the front of the car and the nuts toward the rear??? That's the way the factory made them, some people don't put them back that way sometimes when they put them back together...


Also, look at the trans mount and see if all of the bolts and nuts are there and they are all facing the proper side....

I believe the metal exhaust gaskets for these early 273 are different left (driver) to right (passenger). The reason being, the driver's exhaust manifold curves up and the passenger exhaust manifold curves down. It looks to me like both sides are using the passenger side metal exhaust manifold gasket which leaves the driver's side spark plug wires more vulnerable to being cooked (shielding is way too small/low). Compare foto #1 (driver) and foto #2 (passenger). This gasket discrepancy does not indicate an engine removal or rebuild, but it is evidence of something.

That is assuming I am correct remembering the metal gaskets right and left were unique from the factory (and would be unique also in an NOS gasket kit).

One clue promoting the fact that the motor has not removed can be seen in the exhaust manifold fasteners. The two center bolts do not have those thick washer/spacers like the outside fasteners which are employed to allow for manifold expansion and contraction.

You will find the replacement exhaust manifold bolt kits sold on the internet include 12 bolts and 12 washer/spacers while the factory original assemblies (if I am not mistaken) used 8 bolts, 4 studs/nuts and 8 washer spacers (4 spacers for studs/4 spacers for bolts).