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**JimmieD** · 03-06-2009, 03:14 PM

[QUOTE=plymsatellite66;68219] I'm swapping in different 318 this weekend and it'll be topped with most likely a stock cast iron 4bbl intake and a Edelbrock 600.

The cast iron intake is fine, works great, good for torque production.

Now to my questions,
First, the axles, I only briefly looked at them and guessed the Dana 60/44 combo, does anyone know the stock axle options? what about gears? what little bit I've driven it, it seems like it's geared higher (numerically lower) than my 74 W200 with 4.10's. Anyone know what ratios Dodge used around that time?

You can pop the covers off the carriers after draining lube and see ratio on ring gear outer circumference. The Dana's all have a BOM, Bill of Materials, stamped lightly into the axle tube. It's usually on the outer-facing right-hand tube, careful cleaning needed to read it. Tells what you've got.

Might consider inspecting the wheel cylinders and replacing cups, also look closely at front flexible brake lines. Those lines are cheap & easy to replace and lots of peace of mind there.

Second, Do the steering setups wear badly or perform badly? I will be putting a new set of 305/75/16's on so tires won't be an issue.

I wouldn't say they wear any more or perform any worse than others of that day. It's the same setup all the way into the early 90's, not much changed. The usual: jack it up and block safely, have someone slowly cycle steering back and forth and watch for excessive play in parts.

U-joints need plenty of frequent lube, and there's a grease fitting located in front hubs, accessed through an extra hole once you remove wheels. Stay on top of that to save front wheel bearings.

305/75's are a lot of weight, so it will have some effect on steering, but still very manageable.

Any of the Chiltons will give a lot of info, or DODGEBOYS on this forum can usually get you a Factory Service Manual for a reasonable price.

Third, I understand the hydraulic clutch setup, just wondering if there's any tips or tricks to servicing and repair of it. Would it use regular DOT3 brake fluid? Anyone know what size clutch the small blocks came with?

Yes, DOT 3, and the clutch should be roughly 10", some were 11" plate. Nothing unusual in service, very straight forward and obvious on dis-assembly. I'd consider draining all old fluid, start out with fresh new stuff. Leave about 1/8" to 3/8" freeplay between slave pushrod and clutch release lever.

Have fun!

**Hobcobble** · 03-06-2009, 08:40 PM

If you're planning on driving it on the road, you should probably pull all of
the drums and inspect the shoes, springs, wheel cylinders, etc.. I would
also suggest replacing the brake master cylinder.... they cost about $50.
If you don't know the service record on the 3 rubber hoses, you can't go
wrong by replacing them as well. Your rear axle is a DANA 60 and the front
a DANA 44 closed knuckle, if original to your truck. The gear ratio will be
on your VIN tag [left door jamb] and also should be on a small tag on the
front & rear differential cover. The common ratios for Sweptlines were
3.54:1, 4.10:1 & 4.88:1. Your closed knuckle DANA 44 calls for a short
fiber wheel bearing lubricant/multi-purpose No. 2 grease in the knuckle and
a multi-purpose gear lubricant [90W commonly used] for the differential.
The differentials can be drained through the plug in the bottom of the
axle housing [front & rear]. You lube the knuckle through the plug on the
knuckle housing. The steering box calls for steering gear grease or a
multi-purpose automotive grease, per the FSM I'm referencing. A 305/75
tire may or may not rub the drag link [left front]. It is a large tire and can
possibly put excess strain on the steering box. The saginaw boxes were
used through the '71 model year. You can have them rebuilt or do it your-
self if so inclined. They can be adjusted also.... refer to your FSM. The
clutch & brake cylinders use standard DOT-3 fluid. You can get the clutch
disc, pressure plate, throw out bearing and pilot bushing through HR Clutch.
[www.hrclutch.com].
John

**JimmieD** · 03-06-2009, 09:33 PM

Glad you saw this thread, John!

My info on the lube was wrong, somehow I was thinking of the later series trucks. There's no fitting for lube as I described, John is correct as he describes. The fitting I mentioned came on the later full-time trucks.

**712edf** · 03-06-2009, 10:44 PM

Welcome Corey! I'm interested in hearing about the electric brake line-loc set-up. Is it something like what drag racers use?

**plymsatellite66** · 03-06-2009, 10:51 PM

Actually, the line lock set-up on the brakes was for it's life as a wrecker. As far as I know, drag cars do use a similar set-up. I'm not sure if drag cars lock both the front and rear brakes or just one or the other, but the set-up on this truck locks both the front and rear. It looks like it was installed new, can't recall the brand name at the moment though. It doesn't appear to have been used in years and I'm almost scared to test it for fear that it might not un lock lol

**712edf** · 03-06-2009, 11:28 PM

PTO winch equipt trucks would benefit from some for of brakelocking device. I'd assume the drag cars would only lock the front and leave the rear open for burnouts. If your able at some time posts some pics of this setup (and the rest of your truck for that matter). Just for educational purposes:-)

**plymsatellite66** · 03-07-2009, 10:41 AM

I'll definitely get some pics up, I'm going out right now to start swapping a different engine into it and for once actually have my digital camera ready to go with me before starting a project. The one thing I was surprised to find or rather not find was that despite it's use as a wrecker, the truck isn't PTO equipped. I'm not 100% sure how the wrecker arm was powered yet. So far I haven't found any extra wiring and the only extra holes in the box are mounting locations and about a 1" hole through the side of the bed, so maybe it was a hand crank operated winch setup. I can imagine the line lock would still be helpful if you wanted to leave the truck run while winching or if you only had it in 2 wheel drive, that way all 4 wheels would stay locked.

Hobblecobble and JimmieD, thanks for the excellent info, I am really thankful for the lubricant guide. I never gave the bellhousing crossmember a second thought when buying the headers, I knew they use a bellhousing crossmember instead of a transmission cross, but it completely slipped my mind. Maybe the Hooker comps I bought weren't such a good idea lol.

**712edf** · 03-07-2009, 07:42 PM

Originally posted by plymsatellite66 View Post

The one thing I was surprised to find or rather not find was that despite it's use as a wrecker, the truck isn't PTO equipped. I'm not 100% sure how the wrecker arm was powered yet. So far I haven't found any extra wiring and the only extra holes in the box are mounting locations and about a 1" hole through the side of the bed, so maybe it was a hand crank operated winch setup.

They might have had a 12volt electric winch mounted on the slideout and just ran a cable off the battery, then removed the cable when they removed the rest of it. The truck was left running so as not to drain the battery. The winch controls were on a remote that plugged into the winch so the operator could be back there where the action was.

**plymsatellite66** · 03-10-2009, 05:21 PM

Progress turned out to be a little slow this weekend, but then again, isn't it always? First off, on the brake lock, it's a MICO brand, I've seen quite a bit of info on the system here on the boards but I'll let you guys know the specifics on my system when I get them.

Getting the old engine out was a learning experience. Unlike my 74, the tranny on this hydraulic clutch setup has no mounts, it hangs from the bell housing. I was aware of that in my reading, but the design of the hydraulic bellhousing really through me. Usually, we unbolt the bell housing from the motor and pull it that way, well after everything was unhooked and we began pulling, we made about an inch of progress before catching on something. Pulled the inspection cover and found the bell housing wraps around in the front capturing the flywheel and cluch assembly. After a little head scratching and overly extensive inspection, we agreed the only way was to support the transmission and unbolt it from the bell housing, pulling the bellhousing with the engine. that worked quite well.

I'm sure many of you were already aware of this, just thought I'd mention it for the newbies to the hydrauilc clutch setup like me. I was also informed headers for an LA 318 in a hydraulic clutch setup are also another battle. Well, Hobbcobble, you were absolutely correct sir. The Hookers I bought interferred with the bell housing crossmemeber. The collectors stop about dead center with the crossmember and want to sit about 2-3" too high. We secured the header flange to the nearest solid object, inserted a long pipe into the collector and fired up the torch. After a couple hours of me heating the primary tubes and my buddy prying on the bar we've got the driver's side header bent in to fit and the passenger side is almost there. I bought the Hookers beacuse they had a 2.5" collector instead of a 3" like the rest hoping to keep more torque and the primary tubes were a heavier gauge steel. The heavier construction made bending the headers tougher, but the thicker steel also gave me more confidence in bending them as much as I am without weakening the primaries too much.

Well, hopefully I can make some more progress tonite, I'll let you all know.

thanks
Corey

**712edf** · 03-10-2009, 08:13 PM

Gotta love the blue hot wrench!!!!

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67 W200 questions:clutch, brakes, etc

67 W200 questions:clutch, brakes, etc

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