318 Full of Chunks of Rust, How Bad is That?
- Thread starter zephyr
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zephyr
Well-Known Member
Just got a call from the mechanic. Says the power steering pump and alternator bracket don't line up. The engine is out of a 69 Dart going into 65 Dart. Any suggestions?
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
What doesn't line up? The bolt holes are all the same, and if it is really a '69 318 (and not a later year 318 that was transplanted into the '69), there should be no differences with the water pump. If it is a later year 318, the aluminum water pump (Passenger side inlet) is a bit longer nosed than the proper iron water pump (driver side inlet), some of the mounting surfaces on the aluminum pump may be at different depths, and the pulleys/belts won't line up. In that case, swap on the 273 parts.
Wvbuzzmaster
Well-Known Member
Did he swap over the crank pulley or not? Mopars are bad about changing pulley alignment specs between years, and models. So if its the belts not lining up and the pulley hasnt been swapped to the 273 one yet... you may want to consider another mechanic... sorry, but this isn’t this hard to swap... it’s been getting done for 50 years so there is nothing special with yours that it should be any different in complexity...
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
I hope he's not charging you by the hour, just so he can tell you it can't be done... and have you tell him how he needs to do his job. This isn't rocket science. Must be a Chebby mekkanik.
Surely there's a willing and knowledgeable member that can go help Vance out in person?
Vance, your "mechanic" is sounding less and less like a mechanic. At least one that you should have working on a vintage Mopar.
Vance, your "mechanic" is sounding less and less like a mechanic. At least one that you should have working on a vintage Mopar.
This is what happens when you swap certain eras of small blocks. Pulleys gotta be same era, these arent.
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seabee
Well-Known Member
I could be wrong but that brown goop looks like the stop leak stuff.
TrailBeast
AKA Mopars4us on Youtube
Put me in the rinse it out and run it camp.
Vinegar does work great.
Flush the block and radiator both (back flush) the radiator.
I used a section of 3/8 steel trans cooler line with a 90 in the end hooked to a water hose and just chased the loose crap out.
Then did the two day vinegar soak after it was all together and running.
That motor was way worse than yours in the block, and years later still has bright green coolant.
I don't think I would bet against you.
I agree. I would go so far as to run 100% vinegar IN the cooling system for a few days. Won't hurt a thing. If you're skiddish of it, just let it sit and idle a while watching the temp gauge.
My experience with blocks that have large grain/rice size rust bits in the water jackets is this. No matter how well you 'clean' out the block & heads, some remains in there to clog up the radiator tubes. The problem is worse when you turn the engine at higher rpms; the extra pressure & turbulence dislodges previously settled bits.
To be safe, it would be best to use a filter in the top hose to trap the debris & stop it blocking the radiator; filter will have to be emptied periodically. Could take months before all the crap is removed.
To be safe, it would be best to use a filter in the top hose to trap the debris & stop it blocking the radiator; filter will have to be emptied periodically. Could take months before all the crap is removed.
That engine would smell like an italian salad dressing after running for awhile!
Only if it had a coolant leak. lol
Why not give it a 'refresh' yourself... It's not that difficult...
Start here and work your way through the series... Or just read the last section of this one to see how to get the crud out of the cooling passages yourself...
How to Rebuild a Small Block Part 1: Block Prep
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Professor fate is correct.... The water pumps on the 69 318 are the same as the early a-body 273, that's where the power steering attaches to....
It should be a direct bolt on, plug and play...
Get pictures of the front of both engines and post them...
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If you're not going to do anything else, at least replace the timing chain with a double roller...
The stock 318 timing chains are junk... They are single row and the cam gear is coated with nylon plastic to help 'quiet' the engine down... The nylon gets brittle over time and will chip off, eventually making the timing chain loose up to the point where it can skip a tooth.... I once replaced a stock timing chain on a 68 Barracuda 318 with 84,000 miles and gained 2 MPG because of the looseness of the stock chain (before it skipped a tooth)...
If you don't change anything else, at least change the timing chain to a double roller... It will pay for itself over time with less variation on your spark and more accurate timing... It's worth the money to do now...
Here's the timing chain that I've been running for decades in many engines and holds up well over 150,000 miles with minimal stretch... It's a step above the stock 340 double roller chain and will give you many miles and years of reliable service... It's the Edelbrock true roller doubler roller timing chain....
Edelbrock
Here's some pictures of an old stock nylon tooth 318 timing chain to show you how they get with age... Do you want to run this in your engine???
Here you can see the cracks in the nylon where the red arrows are pointing and where some of the nylon has already broken off in the red circles...
F*ck your mechanic, here are step by step instructions on how to assemble a timing chain and front of a 318 so you can do it yourself... If you need any other advice if you attempt to do it yourself, I can walk you through it...
How to Assemble the Front of a Small Block
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There must be a willing and knowledgable member that can help him out...
And don't call him Shirley....
I'm with other posters who think OP's mechanic has no business working on an older Mopar.
Yes....you paid way too much.
Too late to worry about that now.
The engine will be absolutely fine - flush it out and move forward.
The price thing....that just comes with experience.
Most importantly, have fun with your project and get it on the road!
Jeff
Too late to worry about that now.
The engine will be absolutely fine - flush it out and move forward.
The price thing....that just comes with experience.
Most importantly, have fun with your project and get it on the road!
Jeff
Krooser
Building Chinese Free Engines since 1959...
Does he have a drill?
Charger.770
New Member
I would do a compression or leak-down test before doing anything else. If passable, continue. If not it's time to make some decisions!
autoxcuda
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Go over there in person with a coat hanger. With the freeze plugs pulled out poke the hanger between the passages and interior coolant walls and break away any loose rust and mineral deposits.
then water hose flush it.
then water hose flush it.
MOPAROFFICIAL
Oogliboogli
Yikes.
Stick a hose in it, run a hanger in and around inside..
If you actually use it, pressure test the system once all hooked up to see if the head gaskets are still good.
Stick a hose in it, run a hanger in and around inside..
If you actually use it, pressure test the system once all hooked up to see if the head gaskets are still good.
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