Start of a Dart
Having tried something different, namely starting a project and actually finishing it, I decided to go back to that well. The Dart gave up its spot in the shop so I could get this thing running. The tranny in my 94 TCD 2500 blew up and I don't have the $4K to fix it so this one is getting a quick once-over so I can have a truck again. I found this one about 150 miles away and picked it up for $200. It didn't run but it's in very good shape. No rust whatsoever other than the usual underside stuff. Body is pretty straight and the interior is quite good. It shows about 59K on the clock and I think that's the first time around.
All unhooked and ready to come out. Exhaust removal got an assist from Mr. Sawzall. Score: Sawzall 1, Exhaust 0. Why a slant had dual pipes AFTER the muffler escapes me. Turns out the timing chain was the culprit for why it doesn't run, it had over 3/4" of slop in it. NAPA to the rescue!
My buddy brought his forklift for the extraction which was a huge help.
The nice thing about working on a truck is it has this nifty spot to put all yer crap and keep it out of the way, and it has the bonus workbench right on the back end. What's not to like?
It's all stripped down. I am mostly done doing the block mods in Doug Dutra's book. Good ideas there, I took a ton of crap and flash out of the water pump area.
I'm off to the junkyard this morning for a few parts (door sills, rear window, mini-starter, maybe wing windows too). Then it's back inside to finish up the block and take the head apart for a little look-see.
Having tried something different, namely starting a project and actually finishing it, I decided to go back to that well. The Dart gave up its spot in the shop so I could get this thing running. The tranny in my 94 TCD 2500 blew up and I don't have the $4K to fix it so this one is getting a quick once-over so I can have a truck again. I found this one about 150 miles away and picked it up for $200. It didn't run but it's in very good shape. No rust whatsoever other than the usual underside stuff. Body is pretty straight and the interior is quite good. It shows about 59K on the clock and I think that's the first time around.
All unhooked and ready to come out. Exhaust removal got an assist from Mr. Sawzall. Score: Sawzall 1, Exhaust 0. Why a slant had dual pipes AFTER the muffler escapes me. Turns out the timing chain was the culprit for why it doesn't run, it had over 3/4" of slop in it. NAPA to the rescue!
My buddy brought his forklift for the extraction which was a huge help.
The nice thing about working on a truck is it has this nifty spot to put all yer crap and keep it out of the way, and it has the bonus workbench right on the back end. What's not to like?
It's all stripped down. I am mostly done doing the block mods in Doug Dutra's book. Good ideas there, I took a ton of crap and flash out of the water pump area.
I'm off to the junkyard this morning for a few parts (door sills, rear window, mini-starter, maybe wing windows too). Then it's back inside to finish up the block and take the head apart for a little look-see.
