Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
Well, I swapped the engine on my lawnmower in under 20 minutes...
What is your fastest time to pull an engine, install another and drive it away?
- Thread starter Kern Dog
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middleagecrisis
Well-Known Member
1-day, by myself, consisting of: Pulling the engine that had swallowed a Holley baseplate screw, removing the damaged rod/piston and taking it to a machine shop to have old pressed off and new piston pressed on, put it back together, stab engine and got it running/driving. Ran as good as it did before the screw was swallowed. Keep in mind I was 25 years old back then. Nowadays that would be a solid 6-8 month job.
Professor Fate
Push the button, Max...
A bit off-topic, but I have to ask:
You're probably aware, but like I said; I have to ask.
I assume since you had to use the Hughes fuel pump adapter that the cam is a Magnum shaft- did you take into consideration the rocker ratio difference between the Magnum and the LA (1.6 vs 1.5) when you put it into your roller LA? Total lift will be a bit less than advertised.
You're probably aware, but like I said; I have to ask.
The numbers on the back of the cam led me to a listing on the Hughes site. The specs were listed for 1.5 ratio, I worked the math using 1.6 to arrive at the .544 number.
This cam was in this engine when I got it. It ran strong in the previous owners 64 Valiant.
This cam was in this engine when I got it. It ran strong in the previous owners 64 Valiant.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Back around 75 or 76, I swapped a 273 out of a 65 Barracuda and swapped another one back in....in about 4 hours. Did it in the street in front of a co-workers house. It was an automatic car, and I left the transmission in the car. I was 18 or 19 years old. He gave me $100 for the motor after hearing it run and another $100 to swap it in. I thought I was rich....lol.
I was at a Mopar car club meeting last night and I asked this question. One dude said his best time was 45 minutes. I called bullshit on that.
Come on, man....be realistic. Even with an automatic car if you're really fast, have air tools or cordless stuff, that is draining and removing a radiator, disconnecting a torque converter and bell housing, starter, all front end engine accessories, motor mount bolts, disconnecting all wiring, maybe unbolting the exhaust manifolds from the heads, disconnecting the fuel line, KD linkage, throttle cable and vacuum line to the brake booster, removing the engine and then reversing ALL of that while also getting it started up and driving out.
There is no way you are 45 minutes fast with a new cam.
No way you'd do it even with an engine with the distributor in place and already set to proper timing, full of oil and oil filter in place.
Now if this were a VW Beetle, maybe.....
Come on, man....be realistic. Even with an automatic car if you're really fast, have air tools or cordless stuff, that is draining and removing a radiator, disconnecting a torque converter and bell housing, starter, all front end engine accessories, motor mount bolts, disconnecting all wiring, maybe unbolting the exhaust manifolds from the heads, disconnecting the fuel line, KD linkage, throttle cable and vacuum line to the brake booster, removing the engine and then reversing ALL of that while also getting it started up and driving out.
There is no way you are 45 minutes fast with a new cam.
No way you'd do it even with an engine with the distributor in place and already set to proper timing, full of oil and oil filter in place.
Now if this were a VW Beetle, maybe.....
Many, many, many years ago we would go street racing on Friday nights. If we had problems, we would pull an all nighter to get it back out for Saturday's racing. Again if we had problems, we would spend Saturday night and Sunday putting things right to go to work the next week, only to do it again the next weekend. I can't tell you how many engines, transmissions, clutches and rearends we worked over on weekends. Alas, I am WAY to old to even contemplate something like that.
Kendog 170
Let the boy go !
In my Town there was a pair of brothers with friends that would rent a car, strip it down, install their drive train in it, race it all weekend a NE. Dragway, then reassemble and return. They were the Benevento brothers.
I'll be going to over Greg's to help with the swap. We should be able to do it in one day. Thank goodness he has a lift.
1WildRT
Well-Known Member
Bring plenty of Beer and Bandages...
And Motrin.Bring plenty of Beer and Bandages...
I will not be using the lift. This will be a fairly simple job of plucking just the engine out from the top. I've done this without even taking the hood off.
cudamark
Well-Known Member
More than maybe with a VW Beetle. In my younger days, Those were about all I worked on. There used to be a Bug-In car show, drag race, swap meet at OCIR (Orange County International Raceway) at El Toro, Ca. They had a engine pulling contest too. You had to drive up, put the car on stands, pull the engine, roll it back over a line 10ft (I think, maybe 20ft), roll it back under the car, jack it back up in place, hook everything back up, lower it down, and drive away. Even though I never was able to enter the contest, I practiced at work. I modified a floor jack to securely hold the engine from falling off, found the best tools for the job, and also the best car to use (a 1967 Beetle). My best time in practice was 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Oh to be 22 years old again!
That is absolutely amazing.
MILO
Well-Known Member
I changed a engine after work and got done at 3 am a little snooze and back to work the next day
My boss paid me salary at work and one day told me I had to punch the time clock.So I did and wow made twice as much money. Happy Day
My boss paid me salary at work and one day told me I had to punch the time clock.So I did and wow made twice as much money. Happy Day
Read up on eliminating all members of the nightshade family from your diet. Tomato, pepper, eggplant, potato, ciggies. There are supplements that can help. You can't cure genetic predisposition to joint problems, but maybe lessen them.
So... no gnocchi with a marinara sauce?
F that!
On the subject, I remember my first vw clutch replacement with my dad. Would have taken maybe an hour if we would have had that plastic dowel tool to get the engine mated back up with the trans. A trip down to the NAPA store, and a turkey sammich and we were back in business. Yeah I ate it with greasy hands, and I didn't DIE, mom!
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Jeff360
Member
September 13. Threw number 3 rod at drag strip. My friend lives fifteen minutes from the track and he also happens to have a fully dressed 360 magnum to replace my trashed 408 magnum.
Just before 5:00 we are pushing the Colt onto the ramp.
By 9:30 the new engine was in.
We did some odd and ends but a lot of time was spent making a new base pan, the Colt needs a rear sump. We couldn’t find a suitable rear sump so we cut from the mid sump to the back of the factory pan out, turned it around and welded back together.
The next morning we made it back to the track in time for competition. I felt full competition was a but much so opted to just run a couple of test and tune passes.
Just before 5:00 we are pushing the Colt onto the ramp.
By 9:30 the new engine was in.
We did some odd and ends but a lot of time was spent making a new base pan, the Colt needs a rear sump. We couldn’t find a suitable rear sump so we cut from the mid sump to the back of the factory pan out, turned it around and welded back together.
The next morning we made it back to the track in time for competition. I felt full competition was a but much so opted to just run a couple of test and tune passes.
A 408 in a little Colt? Awesome. Those tires look awful skinny.
3 or 4 hours, /6 from 68 Dart to 72 /6 Duster.
mygasser
Well-Known Member
lol, i'm putting a ford fe big block in my 58 nash rambler gasser project. there's 2 ways to go fast, more power or less weight....... or both of course so that's 3
Jeff360
Member
Tires are 11.5x26 kinda small but they don’t spin. It’s actually a bit lazy coming out and the car is heavier than you’d think, 3000 lbs with me.
The combination runs 7:12 in 1/8 mile but always seamed to be short on power, I was wanting mid 6’s.
The new 408 will correct some issues. More compression, more cam, better built with a better job balancing the rotating assembly, h beams, oil system mods. Wanna keep them rod bearings happy.
Maxxicek
Active Member
Mid 90's, I was a teenager fixing up a '72 Barracuda with my dad for my first car. Bought it from Salt Lake City and the salty winter roads did a number on the bottom of the car. But it was cheap and ran, 318/auto.
Sometime in it's past it ended up with a '70 left front fender. Called around local yards and could never find a '72 to '74. The wrong fender was keeping the grill from being installed. Drove me nuts.
One day driving through some random neighborhood there was a guy with a '70 roadrunner 440+6 in his driveway, fiddling with whatever. Stopped and chatted with him and he gave me a lead on a '71 Barracuda with some wrong fenders on it. Went and checked it out and sure enough it was what I needed. Talked to the owner and offered to buy the fender but he'd only sell the whole car. No engine or tranny in it and quarters were chopped up, grill was broken out years ago, but floors were in good shape. $400.
Found a pay phone and called my dad. He showed up with a trailer the next day and we took it home, title in hand. After we took a better look at the '71 we realized it was in way better shape than the '72, so it was decided to take the 318 and tranny out and put it in the '71.
Dad had to rent a cherry picker the next weekend. Called my uncle over to help and they had it done in 3 hours, started up and drove it to my parking spot. I was impressed. But considering they'd done this a bunch of times in the late 70's and early 80's wasn't really surprised. Swapped out the right front fender and was finally able to install the grill, even though it was the wrong year for the car.
Sometime in it's past it ended up with a '70 left front fender. Called around local yards and could never find a '72 to '74. The wrong fender was keeping the grill from being installed. Drove me nuts.
One day driving through some random neighborhood there was a guy with a '70 roadrunner 440+6 in his driveway, fiddling with whatever. Stopped and chatted with him and he gave me a lead on a '71 Barracuda with some wrong fenders on it. Went and checked it out and sure enough it was what I needed. Talked to the owner and offered to buy the fender but he'd only sell the whole car. No engine or tranny in it and quarters were chopped up, grill was broken out years ago, but floors were in good shape. $400.
Found a pay phone and called my dad. He showed up with a trailer the next day and we took it home, title in hand. After we took a better look at the '71 we realized it was in way better shape than the '72, so it was decided to take the 318 and tranny out and put it in the '71.
Dad had to rent a cherry picker the next weekend. Called my uncle over to help and they had it done in 3 hours, started up and drove it to my parking spot. I was impressed. But considering they'd done this a bunch of times in the late 70's and early 80's wasn't really surprised. Swapped out the right front fender and was finally able to install the grill, even though it was the wrong year for the car.
I love stories like these from the old days.
No air tools, no cordless impacts, just wrenches and ratchets.
No air tools, no cordless impacts, just wrenches and ratchets.
Cuda Al
Well-Known Member
No record. I had just finished restoring my Fastback and right away I was having overheating issues, this was a proven engine not a fresh one. It was a week before the Fall Fling in Van Nuys and I pulled into the driveway steaming away, I left it running and sprayed water through the grill to help cool it down. I shut it off and checked, oil in the coolant and coolant in the oil, milkshake. The next couple days I got the engine in the Fastback ready to pull. third day pulled it. The next day I got the engine in my Valiant (also a 273) ready to pull. Friday morning I pull the engine from the Valiant (made an attempt to clean it) and put it in the Barracuda a few hours late Max @mvh shows up and we button it up and hit the road. We had about 120 miles to the hotel in a car that hasn't seen more than a few miles at a time and with an engine that was just dropped in.
Alan
Alan
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