1968 Dart 273 - Freeze plug replacement
I mean no offense by the following response, I just do t know how to state this in a delicate manner.
I should have known by reading this that your experience is quite limited and your work space is pretty basic.
I posted pictures of a freshly painted block with arrows to the problem areas that you would have. I see now that those pictures may not help you if you are not familiar with this type of thing. The pictures would have helped a more experienced guy because he would be able to envision how close the motor mounts are to the front plugs. It would absolutely be easier for you to lift the engine up using a hoist of some kind but it appears you don’t have one. The motor mounts may have to be removed to get access to the plugs near them.
I don’t aim to demean you with these comments. It is just that I have gotten used to having a shop and tools to do stuff like this without much trouble. I thought the pictures would enlighten you to two trouble spots to prepare for.
If this were an electrical issue, I’d be asking for help like you are with this. Electrical matters are just not my thing.
Cheers.
No offense taken at all. Apparently there was a misunderstanding on my part.I apologize. Yes,I saw the photos you posted of the engine out of the car,I also saw the arrows and fully understood where the mounts are.(I have the same car and have been under it many times) I simply misunderstood your last post and assumed (mistakenly) that you meant that you had just posted photos of the area between the motor mounts and engine block,in the car,llustrating the limited clearance after I made a reply discussing the tool i bought.
When I access this site on my phone,there are a million ads that pop up and sometimes the pictures posted dont load/dont show up,or partially appear,unless I refresh the page to make the ads go away. I thought you meant you had posted more photos and perhaps they didnt show up on my end and I missed them.
I by no means professed to be an expert here. my asking questions here and deferring to others (whom I also dont know) for opinions,experiences and advice is a tacit admission of that fact. Its also easy to make assumptions about people you dont know based on limited information,or poor wording in a post. There are lots of folks who own and drive classic cars that dont have engine hoists,lifts and $15,000 in Snap On Tools. Theres a place I pass each day where those guys pay mechanics to constantly fix their cars.
I wouldnt say I have very limited experience,but im certainly not a master mechanic. Ive owned and driven 50's,60's and some early 70's cars for many decades and have done all the work necessary to keep them running on my own,with the exception of having a couple automatic transmissions rebuilt,radiators recored and generators rebuilt. Its important to remember that everybody's experiences with cars are different. I have never bought junk cars,cars with bad or missing motors,modified cars,cars that were hit by a trucks,etc. I have always bought nice original complete cars. I have NEVER had a car with bad freeze plugs ever before,so Ive never had to deal with that issue and replace them.
Ive dealt with other cooling system issues, replaced water pumps,radiators,thermostats,I replaced the water distribution tube that slides into the block on a 57 Plymouth with a flat six,(it was fun removing the old one with a slide hammer) but I have never had a car with bad freeze plugs before .Thats why I was asking for advice here. I know its not rocket science,but I want to learn from other people's past mistakes,triumphs and experiences when they tackled this issue so I can do the job the best way I am able to with the resources I have. I tend to over think new problems. Im sorry if my questions painted me as inept. As you very honestly stated,we all have our areas of strengths and weaknesses and differing resources. What matters is that we have a willingness to learn and to help others.
Nobody here,no matter how skilled was born a master mechanic with an engineers knowledge. We all crawled before we could walk,and we all learned from others along the way in life,as well as from our own mistakes.
“In my walks, every man I meet is my superior in some way, and in that I learn from him.” Ralph Waldo Emerson