273 318 parts?

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swing69

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Im going senile, so i need a little help here.

We took apart a 273 2 years ago, and saved some of the parts to put on our 318. the 318 will go into the 65 barracuda. the 318 is from a 68, b-body i think. the 318 will also get the 273 pulleys.

specific questions:

1) will the center sump oil PU from the 318, fit into the 273 pan? anyone have part numbers?
2) the timing cover has a cast in timing mark gage on the passenger side. the 273 uses the bolt on pointer/gage. are the covers interchangeble?
3) im going to use the 318 balancer (neutral), but the 273 looks lighter. are they interchangable? just curious......

thanks
 
1- Yes, no part numbers.
2- Yes, use the 318 balancer. No pointer gauge needed.
3- Use the 318 balancer with the 318 timing cover since the timing marks are on the other side.
 
Or use the 273 timing cover and just use a TDC indicator to find top dead center and re-mark the 318 balancer. Then your radiator hose won't obstruct the timing marks.
 
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Bingo, youll end up cracking your flex plate if you dont bush your larger crank convertor boss. I had a piece fly out and bounce back up into my floor. My 273 had steel cogs, no nylon silent gears.
 
Check if the 273 damper surface sits in the same place axially. You might need to use it to get the 273 pulleys to line up. I posted some years ago showing 4 different SB timing covers I either have or found photos of. I also found differences between the crank dampers in my 1965 2-bbl and a 1965 4-bbl engine I have. Probably nobody today knows all the why's.
 
If he has a 68 318, then it will just bolt in where the 273 did, just worry about the converter snout mis-match and run the proper converter for whichever trans that you want.

The 273 and 318 timing chain covers, timing chains, and water pumps are interchangeable. The only difference is the earlier 273 engines had a tab that bolted to the bottom two bolts for the water pump, and he later ones had the timing marks cast into the timing cover. ---> THEY ARE IN THE SAME SPOT and are completely interchangeable....

The pulleys will also interchange, and you can use the same radiator.

It wasn't until 1970 and after, that they went with the aluminum water pump and changed sides for the timing marks...

Don't make it more complicated than you have to....
 
Ill try to remember to take more pictures tomorrow.... But here's a few observations.

1) The 68 318 and the timing cover cast in scale is off by ~ 5 degrees as compared to the stock 273 and removable pointer. Pict to post is definitely needed here!

2) I'm going to dress the 318 in all the 65 pulley gear. Its not much, only the alternator, crank and waterpump. No PS or AC. The 318 is getting the cast iron waterpump with the drivers side inlet.

3) I'm going to run a later lock-up 904. It has the large snout TC. That will fit my crank. I know about the early converter small snouts. There is an adapter ring that can be used if using the earlier cable shift trans. I did that mod with another 65; its kept the cable trans and got a later LA 318.

4) The 318 has non smog port heads. The 273 drivers manifold should fit. If using the 273 stock manifold on a head casting with smog boss....it needs to be ground down or the manifold will not sit flush. see pict.
 

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Here is a 318 with the 273 gear. 318 balancer was remarked for the "pointer" of the 273 original.
 

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AJ/FormS said:
That's no way to dial in the TDC mark. Which one,if either, is right? You better figure it out.
Click to expand...


The bottom picts: the 1973 318 pulley is cut with the factory mark, highlighted with some paint and it corresponds to the cast scale on the timing chest. Pure stock, no worries. As accurate as the factory made it in 1973. The Problem? the waterpump hose will obstruct a clear view when in use as set up in the 65.

The 1965 273 bolt on scale was then added to the timing cover. With the 318 stock mark at zero on the cast scale, a second mark was added for zero on the 273 pointer. Both marks and scales reflect the same readings. its just makes things a little easier. That little shitty pointer is subject to getting bent all over the place anyway. Take a closer look, both are sitting off ~5 degrees.

To be perfectly honest, both are probably not perfectly true. But it doesn't really matter IMHO. there is some factory slop in the timing chain and stock marking anyway. In addition, Parallax error also will cause "misreadings". For a factory stock engine? the inaccuracy probably doesn't mean a hill of beans anyway.

The "notes" written on the face of the balancer were put there as a reminder only. a bit sloppy, yeah. but they are accurate.
 
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