1968 Dodge D200 with a 318 from who knows where

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Supposedly the last 8 of the VIN # are supposed to match the 8 digit number stamped on the block below the head on the drivers side. The last 8 on the VIN # are 28144362
 
The VIN on a 68 Motor and transmission is stamped on the top of the flange where the motor and bellhousing bolt together. It's usually kind of down behind the distributor. No VIN's were stamped below the head. Later than 68 VIN's stamped on motors was stamped into a machined pad on the passenger side of the motor, just above the pan rail and near the block drain plug. You will have to scrape it and wire brush it to read the stamping if it's all gucked up with grease and grime.
 
chukardogs said:
I was told by the local machine shop guy that I've known and trusted for years that all 318s are internally balanced and thus the harmonic balancer only acts as a unit to bolt the fan belt pulleys to. Whether this is true or not....... I have no clue. The new timing chain gear set doesn't have the nylon coating on the cam gear. It'll be interesting to see how much noisier it is.
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Harmonic balancer - yes all pre magnum 318s are internally balanced - as has been said before that system relies on the harmonic balancer to work - period! You must replace the balancer or you will ruin that engine - period. There is no other interpretation, there are no "alternative facts" like those that the machine shop guy gave you.
 
The stamped # on this engine is on the front of the engine, drivers side, right below the head.

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All Mopar engines
chukardogs said:
The stamped # on this engine is on the front of the engine, drivers side, right below the head.

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All Mopar engines have a stamping on the front of the block below the drivers side head. It was stamped at the engine assembly plant and has nothing to do with the VIN. VIN's will be stamped on the motor/trans flange in 68, and on the machined pad above the passenger side of the oil pan rail starting in 69.
 
I know nothing about alternative facts, only that the engine has been run with the existing balancer for 20+ years and it looks like it was planned this way. At some point, a bracket with the timing marks was installed to make up for the smaller outside diameter of the existing balancer.
 
It like detective work need all the clues
The timing cover is a 69 only
70 they changed the side the lower hose came out
So some were would think an engine swap was done
Maybe they changed the t cover then
 
chukardogs said:
I found a chart if you will, online that has the breakdown for the number below the head on the front of the block, drivers side. Going by that number breakdown of PM 318R 25020444, this engine was manufactured or installed in 79, it was built in the Mount Road plant, it's a 318 that uses regular fuel. The engine block was built in 1968 and I don't care enough to figure out which day.
This means to me, at some point in 1979 they altered this truck, probably using extra leftover parts from who knows where.

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I keep going back to the numbers stamped on the block below the head. It's possible that someone swapped engines and installed a 318 from 1979 and then found they needed to use the engines existing components that were on or in the truck at that time.
I'll check for the VIN # on the block today and go find out if I can purchase a harmonic balancer that works in this scenario. If not, I may find that using the existing balancer is my only alternative at this time. Thanks
 
Yes everything would bolt on
Funny that its a 69 timing cover
Either its a late production 68 and they used a 69 cover
Or who did the swap just needed a early pass side timing marks cover
 
I can't see a number code on the passenger side right above the oil pan. There's a machined space but no number. I'd have to do a lot of cleaning to check for a number behind the distributor. If that's where the number is, than maybe this is the original block that's just miss-marked. I'm going to find a harmonic balancer because it does look as though the bigger diameter balancer will work. I'll just have to put the new timing mark on the new one to match the existing.
 

Just find a pre 70 dampner
Then confirm that TDC(#1cylinder is all the way up) lines up with TDC on your dampner
 
I haven't been able to find a pre-70 dampener anywhere. Every post-70 dampener I have found has the timing marks pretty much lined up with the keyway slot. Mine needs to have the timing mark's approx 43° CCW of the keyway slot.
 
I have seen industrial 318's with just a crank "hub" and the stamped bracket timing pointer. I've never seen one installed in a truck. It would make sense it has been changed.

To go with the 68 VIN stamping on the top of the bellhousing area. Here is my 68 300 engine. Mind you it's a 440 and very early, but this is how it was done until late 1968 (Feb-June timeframe).

It's very possible the truck was built in 1968 as a 1969 model. I have seen countless vehicle titles as the year earlier than the car.

I'm also not sure truck engines and transmissions had to be VIN stamped until years later.

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I went back and looked at the number stamped on the block below the head on the drivers side, P M 318R 2502 0444. Other than the P at the beginning, which could be a mistake, that number means that this engine is the 444th engine built (finished) on or around 8th of December. So it's possible that it could be considered a late 68 and therefore the 69 only timing cover may make sense.
For now, I'm going to use the "hub" that is the harmonic balancer and like I said earlier, I'll use the timing to get it started and warmed up and then use vacuum gauge to do the final setting.
 
Over the years, a couple different people have brought up the industrial engine concept in relation to my truck. Supposedly there's a couple definable differences between the normal 318 and an industrial 318.
Anyone know for sure what they are?
 
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