Newbe with a cracked block.

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flamejockey13

flamejockey13

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Hello... I'm the proud owner of a 64 Dart GT Convertible /6. Currently I'm mulling over swapping engines due to hairline crack in block. Runs & JB Weld holding so far but..... I have a line on a 273 but things get a bit complicated with the old push button shifters, center links etc. Any thoughts?

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WELCOME -- From Pa. -- You've come to the right place, for info.
 
I'm a sucker for the V8 rumble out of two independent pipes with no cross-over.
Bup,bup,bup,bup,bup,bup-up,bup,Bup,bup,bup,bup,bup,bup-up,bup,
Bup,bup,bup,bup,bup,bup-up,bup,Bup,bup,bup,bup,bup,bup-up,bup,
If you put a rectangular tip on it well,then.....that just makes it extra sweet.
Don't let the PushButton thing slow you down; all you need is the proper case,vb, and hook-ups, and Mr. WP onnitro already chimed in. You are almost all set. It's a piece of cake putting a SBM under that hood, any SBM,lol. Headers may be the hardest thing, but manifolds are easy.
 
A modern 360 magnum would fit nicely, 727 and pushbutton shifter to round it out. the 64 vert has the looks, give it some teeth.
 
Welcome to FABO... :welcome:

Nice car.... :thumbsup:

The cables for those old push button transes are hard to find now days... :BangHead:

If you swap or upgrade, I would think about going with a 66 trans that has linkages and the smaller snout on the torque converter to be compatible...

If you do a 273 or v-8 swap, then you will also have to get a v-8 center link for the front end that dips lower to clear the oil pan or you will get interference when turning...
 
biggest problem doing a v8 swap is getting the v8 push button trans.. after that its cake...

motor mounts you can buy new if ya can't find used ones..
exhaust manifolds pop up all the time for early abodies
v8 center links pop up on a regular basis too..

if you are pulling the engine then go v8.. nothing more boring to drive then that stinking slant six...
 
The slanty does several things well tho;
1) if you idle it way down, the only-three-pulses-per-revolution will start to hammer on the crank, and then the whole car will shake rattle and roll. Then you can pretend you have a really badazz motor.
2) Another thing is that if you put a 2800TC in it, and nail it hard, it will spool up and hit the tires hard enough to chirp them for a little ways. I always found that amusing.
3) if you put some 3.91s out back, AND the 2800, well then you can have some fun. Even if the engine burns a qt of oil,between fill-ups,lol.
4) If you put some valve springs on her so she can hit at least 4500,See how often you can bounce off the rev-limiter before a rod comes out the side.When that happens, just stuff your T-shirt in the hole,crank up the idle,and keep on truckin'.Don't worry;the banging and clanging stops after a while.......
5) Oh, and I can tell you how easy it is to change the starter on your slanty, but you probably already know that.I bet it doesn't take 5 minutes, and you will hardly get dirty.
6) Another thing they do well is buck snow. Just put it in second, get her up to 30mph, and just about nothing will stop her.Turn the heater off and lower the window. You will have to catch the wiper whenever it comes by,pick it up,and slap the ice off it. Once the window cools off, you can start skipping slaps. If you can't see, don't worry, the slanty knows the way home all by herself. Just hang on, it will all be over soon.Keep an eye out for brake lites.

And here are some tips;
A) put a CherryBomb on it, or a PurpleHorny.You'll get a lot of friendly hand gestures, whenever you downshift into first.
B) If you think the slanty is down on power, open up the lash a bit, everybody always lashes them too tight.
C) Another nice thing about stock slantys is that they don't care what gas you put in them; I think they are immune to detonation due to insufficient octane. I think they are practically immune to detonation period.
D) That leads to another thing: you can let the kids wail on her all they want, they can't hurt that powertrain. But,if the Catholic Father from the church at the end of the boulevard calls you up one afternoon,and says he has reports of your son turning the corner in front of the church, balanced on the two outside-wheels?; well, you better have a talk with that boy then, cuz sooner or later, the landings are gonna break something.
 
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Welcome to FABO flamejockey13!! As You'll find out quickly enough, there will be a variety of our own opinions about these things, sometimes strong opinions, LOL!! Ultimately,
it's up to You, how You feel about the car as far as originality goes, etc. If all You're doing is dropping a stock 273 in, I'd skip it and drop a warmed up /6 in instead, unless You
want to do all the work for the V8 rumble. If You are planning on more than a stock 273, as mentioned, a 360 or stroker fits just the same...........but........
That leads to swapping the rearend,new driveshaft, built PB tranny etc.,etc., that can handle the extra output! Do You want to get into all of that, both time & $$$, Your call.
That's a beautiful 'vert GT, some will tell You to put cage & a blown 3G Hemi in it, some will say bone stock slanty & leave 'er the way She is. Do what makes You happy!!!
Cheers!!!!:thumbsup:
 
Welcome aboard this great site, jump on in and enjoy
 
Welcome to the site.
If it's working okay, just leave it............
My 2 cents FWIW.
 
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