The Beginning Of A great Adventure

[QuantumJo]

I got the truck turned around to remove the engine, trans, t-case and plow frame.

[QuantumJo]

Mr. D60 is now in the garage awaiting disassembly and inspection.

[Hobcobble]

Mr. D60 is now in the garage awaiting disassembly and inspection.

Jo,
Is this drive train going under your D200 Club Cab? That was quite the
massive flat bed on that W300!
John

[QuantumJo]

Jo,
Is this drive train going under your D200 Club Cab? That was quite the
massive flat bed on that W300!
John

Thats the plan. My goal is to have the 79 running gear under the 77 and a fresh coat of paint by mid to late autumn.

[QuantumJo]

The 400 thats in the Adventurer has a rear main seal leak. Most of the gaskets aren't looking so good either. In a few weeks I plan on pulling the engine & trans out so they can get a general cleaning (pressure washer) and replace the gaskets . When it goes back in, I will replace the stock exhaust manifolds with a set of headers that I have kicking around. I'm looking to run strait pipe from the header back to a muffler and a tip ending before the rear axle. Any suggestions on what mufflers and pipe diam. to use is welcome.

This weekend I was at a local mopar swap meet / show and I picked up a TQ that came from a 74 360 (part # 6453). What I now need is a kick down linkage set or cable adapter for the carb. If you have one or know of a place where I can get one let me know.

TQ part # ref http://www.moparchat.com/forums/showthread.php?p=591862

[QuantumJo]

Another chapter in the Great Adventure.

When I got my Adventurer home from PA I noticed that it marked its spot each night with an oil emission. It looked like it was a rear main seal leak, so I pulled the 400 2 bbl out and got it on the stand and hit it with the pressure washer to knock off the 33 years of accumulated oil. I flipped it over and replaced one half of the rear seal.

I had a windage tray, Edelbrock intake, a freshly rebuilt 850 TQ, headers and a few other goodies that I picked up about a year ago and decided wile I have it this far I might as well bolt it all up.

After cleaning it and a fresh coat of paint it was ready to be dropped back in the engine bay. After 2 attempts (engine in and out both times) to fit B body headers I found out that I needed truck headers. I put my hands on some truck headers and they didn’t fit either (2 more times in and out). Later I found out that they were for a motor home chassis. So I then decided to wait until the running gear that I have from a 79 1 ton was in before messing around with headers again. I ended up putting the stock center dump exhaust manifolds back on.

One of the gaskets that I didn’t have was for the oil pump. I picked up some gasket material and made one by hand. I had left out the hole in the gasket that allows the oil to leave the pump. Not to long afterwards on my way to get the exhaust put on, my poor oil starved 400 **** the bed. Demoralized I had it towed back home where I took the engine out again to find all my crank bearings wiped. One thing lead to another and before I could say “well seeing how I am this far I might as well…” I got it to an engine shop to have it gone over.

I pulled the crank and rods out of a 66 383 and sent them to the shop with my 400 block and 452 heads.

.030 over on the block, .010 on the crank, KB pistons, .488 Comp Cam, Springs retainers & locks, Billet 3 Bolt 3 Way Adj. Timing Chain Set, Melling M-63HV High Volume Oil Pump, gaskets, fluids 3” pipes with turbo mufflers 2500 stall torque converter and before I knew it I had $3500 into what started out as a quick fix to an oil leak.

Today I did my cam and engine break in and got the timing and carb set up. I am very happy with the way it runs. It is a blast to drive.

I learned quite a bit during this ordeal. In total that 400 was in and out 6 times. I was lucky to have the help of a good friend and fellow Mopar knucklehead to help me get all this done.

[Hobcobble]

Another chapter in the Great Adventure.

When I got my Adventurer home from PA I noticed that it marked its spot each night with an oil emission. It looked like it was a rear main seal leak, so I pulled the 400 2 bbl out and got it on the stand and hit it with the pressure washer to knock off the 33 years of accumulated oil. I flipped it over and replaced one half of the rear seal.

I had a windage tray, Edelbrock intake, a freshly rebuilt 850 TQ, headers and a few other goodies that I picked up about a year ago and decided wile I have it this far I might as well bolt it all up.

After cleaning it and a fresh coat of paint it was ready to be dropped back in the engine bay. After 2 attempts (engine in and out both times) to fit B body headers I found out that I needed truck headers. I put my hands on some truck headers and they didn’t fit either (2 more times in and out). Later I found out that they were for a motor home chassis. So I then decided to wait until the running gear that I have from a 79 1 ton was in before messing around with headers again. I ended up putting the stock center dump exhaust manifolds back on.

One of the gaskets that I didn’t have was for the oil pump. I picked up some gasket material and made one by hand. I had left out the hole in the gasket that allows the oil to leave the pump. Not to long afterwards on my way to get the exhaust put on, my poor oil starved 400 **** the bed. Demoralized I had it towed back home where I took the engine out again to find all my crank bearings wiped. One thing lead to another and before I could say “well seeing how I am this far I might as well…” I got it to an engine shop to have it gone over.

I pulled the crank and rods out of a 66 383 and sent them to the shop with my 400 block and 452 heads.

.030 over on the block, .010 on the crank, KB pistons, .488 Comp Cam, Springs retainers & locks, Billet 3 Bolt 3 Way Adj. Timing Chain Set, Melling M-63HV High Volume Oil Pump, gaskets, fluids 3” pipes with turbo mufflers 2500 stall torque converter and before I knew it I had $3500 into what started out as a quick fix to an oil leak.

Today I did my cam and engine break in and got the timing and carb set up. I am very happy with the way it runs. It is a blast to drive.

I learned quite a bit during this ordeal. In total that 400 was in and out 6 times. I was lucky to have the help of a good friend and fellow Mopar knucklehead to help me get all this done.

Jo,
Did Bill help you out?

You DID set up the oil pump gasket differently for your rebuild... right?
[LOL].
John

[QuantumJo]

Yes John, Bill is the one who has been helping me out. This time I used the gasket that came with the oil pump.

Now what I have is a power steering pulley problem. I either need a ps pump that is set up for non-ac big block or I need to get the right pulley on the pump that I have.

Here are some pix

[QuantumJo]

Yesterday I found out the hard way that the volt meter is an important part of the electrical system when I replaced it with one that works. The factory one was spanked along with all the other gages. It took me several hours and more help from my friend Bill until we got it to start again.

I must have removed 10 lbs of copper that was snaked all over the truck, most of it started and terminated with a lone wire nut. LOL