Dartin for Divorce

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Timing marks picture .This should make things easier to check timing .

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The timing marks being on the left side makes that a 1970-up front cover. A '69 should have the marks on the right side. And obviously, a '70-up balancer is different from a '69 or earlier. You are going to have to determine what year that engine is before you can go too much further! There are bunch of guys here that can tell you how to decipher the numbers stamped on the block. You have '69 style water pump. The other thing is that the inlet for the pump being on the left side makes those '70-up timing marks almost impossible to read. Someone has mis-matched some parts.
 
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The timing marks being on the left side makes that a 1970-up front cover. A '69 should have the marks on the right side. And obviously, a '70-up balancer is different from a '69 or earlier. You are going to have to determine what year that engine is before you can go too much further! There are bunch of guys here that can tell you how to decipher the numbers stamped on the block. You have '69 style water pump. The other thing is that the inlet for the pump being on the left side makes those '70-up timing marks almost impossible to read. Someone has mis-matched some parts.

Here's some fun pictures .

#s on side of block, X heads (I believe what that X is for, but I also have the #s from inside that I believe determine they are Xs), front of block stamp/s, old & new starter, old exhaust and manifolds are out as well.

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The block I thought came out of a 68 (from previous posting helping me identify it) the #s on the side of the block are the #s from the VIN of the car it came out of correct?
 
The VIN and casting date is located on the passenger side (right side as seated in the driver's seat). Those will tell the tale. Check out Krazy Kuda's How to ID a small block in the "How to Articles".
 
The VIN and casting date is located on the passenger side (right side as seated in the driver's seat). Those will tell the tale. Check out Krazy Kuda's How to ID a small block in the "How to Articles".

I was just reading that thread, and actually still ha e it open in another browser.

I cannot find the VIN pad right now and need a shower so... That's a project for tomorrow, I'm going to try and clean the block as I'm putting parts on it. I may also buy new spark plug wires
 
This is what I was able to snap pictures of and it doesn't look like it does in the "how to" thread .

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That's the casting date. Looks like 6-23-?? Can't make out the year. Night shift!!

The VIN pad should be right underneath the drain plug. I can sorta see the left side of it right above the oil pan.
 
DW3402251… means it was a 1968, built in Windsor, 340 cu. in., and again is a 1968.

So, somebody has put a 1970-up front cover on it, and maybe, or maybe not, put a 1970 harmonic dampener on it. If not, the timing marks on the left side of the cover are useless.
 
That's the casting date. Looks like 6-23-?? Can't make out the year. Night shift!!

The VIN pad should be right underneath the drain plug. I can sorta see the left side of it right above the oil pan.

I literally cannot see the VIN pad anywhere haha, here's another picture as well. I cleaned where it should be? Also the last # looks like a 67 .

Yes from a 68 though. I'm going to put everything on tomorrow

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Remove #1 plug and turn it over until you have reached TDC on the compression stroke. Now, lets see if your mark on the harmonic balancer is indicating near tdc. I noticed the mix match colors and wrong timing chain cover earlier as well. My 1st thought was someone had swapped them out.. followed by I hope the 340 is in there! Stoked to see a X head 340 living in there.
I notice the exhaust on the floor, are you going to install your headers?
 
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Your stamp on the front left side of the block right below the Head shows it to be a 1968 340 made at the Windsor plant.
 
Remove #1 plug and turn it over until you have reached TDC on the compression stroke. Now, lets see if your mark on the harmonic balancer is indicating near tdc. I noticed the mix match colors and wrong timing chain cover earlier as well. My 1st thought was someone had swapped them out.. followed by I hope the 340 is in there! Stoked to see a X head 340 living in there.
I notice the exhaust on the floor, are you going to install your headers?

That was the plan for today find TDC, the other day when I was shining the timing light down there one or the marks was in the area of the tape right there. There are 2 marks on the balancer, so I'm curious to see if the second mark is for when the engine is revving.

Yes I'm putting the headers and different exhaust on it as well. Figured since I was draining the coolant again and taking everything off this would probably be the easiest time to install the different headers and exhaust.

The engine is mainly orange everywhere, with lots of chipping of paint and grease. I painted the valve covers silver with some left over paint, bit I'm going to redo them black today.

Yes I'm excited about the 340 with x heads .They have better compression with better flow right? 10.5 to 1 compression and flow of 2.02 intake with 1.6 exhaust.
 
I dont think they stamped the vins in the blocks until 1969

Shoot I was under there searching like a crazy man, thinking to myself "I really don't think I'm blind, Dr just told me I have 20/20 vision, but heck maybe my wife is right and I never see what's right in front of me."
 
Up thru 1968 all you will find stamped in on a body is a manufacturing sequence number, and nothing on the engine typically except its size stamped in.

Starting in 1969 the last 8 of the vin would be stamped in 2 locations on the body, also on a machined pad on the engine usually close to the oil pan rail, and on a machined pad on the transmission, pan rail on automatic, and on a specially cast in pad on passenger side for manual. This was for anti theft, and theft recovery purposes.

On the body, locations vary as to the location on the back of the car, however on the front, it's usually always the top of the radiator support on the LH side. Factory would cover em up with a yellow mopar antifreeze sticker On your Dart probably the LH trunk drip rail in the back under the weather stripping. That's where I found the rear body numbers on my sons 69 notchback.

On dusters, dart sports, and demons I could be wrong, but I believe those numbers were stamped in the speaker deck.
 
Up thru 1968 all you will find stamped in on a body is a manufacturing sequence number, and nothing on the engine typically except its size stamped in.

Starting in 1969 the last 8 of the vin would be stamped in 2 locations on the body, also on a machined pad on the engine usually close to the oil pan rail, and on a machined pad on the transmission, pan rail on automatic, and on a specially cast in pad on passenger side for manual. This was for anti theft, and theft recovery purposes.

On the body, locations vary as to the location on the back of the car, however on the front, it's usually always the top of the radiator support on the LH side. Factory would cover em up with a yellow mopar antifreeze sticker On your Dart probably the LH trunk drip rail in the back under the weather stripping. That's where I found the rear body numbers on my sons 69 notchback.

On dusters, dart sports, and demons I could be wrong, but I believe those numbers were stamped in the speaker deck.

As always great information! Thanks for the lesson.
 
So between drilling some teeth and making a bridge for those teeth this morning, then Sam's club this afternoon and now getting my son a haircut I haven't made any progress today on the car. I'll start here in a bit.

I did turn the balancer by hand a bit (which sucks btw) and this is pretty dang close to TDC and roughly where the light was hitting the other day. I'm going to grab a 1 1/16 socket on the way home from the haircut place .

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Turns easier if you remove the spark plugs lol

I just put them in last night though

Oh I picked up some new wires too, removing the old ones I had one of the medal inserts come out so figured with the money from the starter Core Id just grab spark plug wires.
 
I did turn the balancer by hand a bit (which sucks btw) and this is pretty dang close to TDC and roughly where the light was hitting the other day. I'm going to grab a 1 1/16 socket on the way home from the haircut place .

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So whoever put the wrong front cover on re-marked the balancer. Got to wonder how "close" that mark is though. The engraved line looks about where it should be on the right side though. Well, ± 10° anyways....
 
So whoever put the wrong front cover on re-marked the balancer. Got to wonder how "close" that mark is though. The engraved line looks about where it should be on the right side though. Well, ± 10° anyways....


Yes there are 2 marks, one on each side, so I'm assuming who ever put it on did a second engraving at TDC on the stock mark .

FYI dirty engine, plus stuck bomts plus **** in your eyes makes putting all this back together a disaster.
 
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