1973 Dodge Charger. "The Oly Express"

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Funny enough, that 8 1/4 rear is so small that an old mod for International Harvester lawn tractors was to swap them into the tractor so they could handle more torque.

GIRTHQUAKE said:

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Funny enough, that 8 1/4 rear is so small that an old mod for International Harvester lawn tractors was to swap them into the tractor so they could handle more torque.

Hahahahaha!  You gotta be kidding me! 

Ok, well that seals the deal.  I'll be changing that for sure.  Looks like a Dana 60 is the hot ticket, but if anyone has other suggestions I'm open to options.

Good times

From what I recall from the Mopar guys I grew up with the 8 3/4" rear end was a solid piece and it should work well with your small block.  

Not being well versed in Mopar stuff, I'd assume it would be alright for a mild LA. Stepping up to a Dana 60 is a big jump. That rear was industry standard for 3/4 ton pickups for decades and is probably way more axle, and way more unsprung weight, than is required here.

The 8 1/4 is fine.   If you're going to regear, add a limited slip, swap to a big block, or build a stroker, try to find an 8 3/4.   It takes a lot to hurt an 8 3/4.

A factory Dana 60 would be over $2k USD, so you would be looking at a custom built D60, which also wouldn't be at all cheap.   

Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself said:

The 8 1/4 is fine.   If you're going to regear, add a limited slip, swap to a big block, or build a stroker, try to find an 8 3/4.   It takes a lot to hurt an 8 3/4.

A factory Dana 60 would be over $2k USD, so you would be looking at a custom built D60, which also wouldn't be at all cheap.   

440 swap is 100% a possibility at this point, so a swap away from the 8-1/4" will be needed.  If the Dana is overkill, then I'll keep an eye out for a 8-3/4", (because yeah, that Dana axle is EXPENSIVE!)  thanks!

(re-gear and limited slip is 100% in the cards though)

I know I haven't been on here a lot (insert excuses), but since my November check-in, some things have been going on.

The first is there's a 440 being crated up with the intention of sending it this way.  Fellow forum member "Daylan C" posted 440 engine/trans combo for sale on FB for super cheap, and I was certain to let him know just how much I hated you guys and your cheap/easy access to such things.  That being said, I was also interested but not ready to move on it quite yet as I had a few things working against me at the time:

1) I was interested in the engine but not the trans.  Having the automatic out here wouldn't do me any good, so I would have to ask him to separate the two.

2) It was back in December so my money was tied up in other things, and we'd have to wait until January for me to shoot him the money

BUT, as it turned out, he reported back that it took exactly ONE interaction on FB Marketplace to remember why he absolutely loathes dealing there.  I guess splitting an engine from a trans and shipping it across the country, and then across the ocean is easier?  

I can not possibly imagine what that stuff is like for you guys...

So with that on the way, the other update is I've started taking the Dodge's original 318 apart:

What was left in the pan was like gel...  I don't think it was the low temperatures (32deg f), but man was it gross!  no sparkles or chunkies though.

I did find some stuff I thought was "metal bits" under the odd bank valve cover:

I posted these on instagram and they were immediately (and correctly) identified as the remnants of a hardened valve stem guide seal.

I went back in and looked at the head, and welah!  The #5 exhaust valve was missing its seal!

Fun stuff.

And that's about how she sits (well, minus the cam.  I took that out just after the photo).  I'm kinda unsure what to do with it now, as if I make this running and pretty then I could probably sell it locally for some good coin (A Chrysler V8 being rare out here, and all), but then again I like to hoard engine parts so that's what I think I'll do.  I've got a thick thick chunk of glass that used to be a table top, and....

(who am I kidding, you know where this is going)

Looks like the Hungary house might be getting a new coffee table?

We'll see.  Always good times though.

One quick question though, as I was a little surprised:

These holes in the casting look (and I'm certain they are) to be for drainback for oil into the lifter valley.  What caught me off guard was how awful they were.  At first I thought they might be casting flaws...

Anyhoo, my question is:  Is it normal for them to look like that, or do we think there was something else going on?

Purely academic, but I thought it would be nice to know.

Cheers!

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

These holes in the casting look (and I'm certain they are) to be for drainback for oil into the lifter valley.  What caught me off guard was how awful they were.  At first I thought they might be casting flaws...

Anyhoo, my question is:  Is it normal for them to look like that, or do we think there was something else going on?

Just looks like casting flash to me. Not a problem for the cast majority of passenger car and light truck use, but should be removed for high-performance coffee tables, etc.  That's what Uncle Tony says, anyway, and his signal:noise ratio seems pretty good.

When I got heads off, I tend to clean up these drain back ports. 

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

I did find some stuff I thought was "metal bits" under the odd bank valve cover:

 

 

I posted these on instagram and they were immediately (and correctly) identified as the remnants of a hardened valve stem guide seal.

I went back in and looked at the head, and welah!  The #5 exhaust valve was missing its seal!

Fun stuff.

 

 

Hi.

That was me again.   (VDD on IG)    Good to see Oly back here again.

Russian Warship, Go Berkeley Yourself said:

Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) said:

I did find some stuff I thought was "metal bits" under the odd bank valve cover:

 

 

I posted these on instagram and they were immediately (and correctly) identified as the remnants of a hardened valve stem guide seal.

I went back in and looked at the head, and welah!  The #5 exhaust valve was missing its seal!

Fun stuff.

 

 

Hi.

That was me again.   (VDD on IG)    Good to see Oly back here again.

Ah, thanks for that!  and I'm hoping to actually get something done to the car this year instead of just tripping over the parts I've removed. 

High performance coffee table is in the works.  I went back and forth a bit as to whether or not I wanted a complete "pretty" engine, or just "glass on a bare block" and I think the bare block is going to win.  I pulled the freeze plugs, and started wire whipping the paint and grease (obligatory fuzzy picture below).

This means, that those cylinder heads might become "porting practice" items for me.  It's something I've been interested in for a while now, and I have no idea what else I would do with stock LA heads out here (besides recycle them).  Cleaning up those drain back ports would be an easy introduction into such things, I think (plus you never know, they may still get added to the high performance coffee table!).

Unfortunately it is still VERY cold outside and I am an absolute wimp (my garage isn't heated) so I haven't done much else in the garage lately.

Good times.

Well, moving houses is certainly going to slow things down, but here we go...

We can start moving in the new place on March 1st, but the outcome should be a bigger garage (one that can fit the Charger!).  Hopefully that translates to more progress on the project.

On the current home-front, I got back out to the garage this morning (despite the low temperatures) and finished wire whipping the block:

I mentioned I had pulled the freeze plugs out, but there were some threaded hex plugs still screwed into the engine.

When I went to remove them, the first one bested my old trusty "Made in USA" Craftsman breaker bar

No big deal, as I just pressed the pin back in place and all was good... but still!

In other tool news, I'm still workin the tax out of all my consumables

Got it down to bare metal, and as promised I brought out the chunk-o-glass to see how she'd look

Man, I tell you what.  I bought that chunk of glass from Habitat for Humanity for $10 back in 2015.  I've drug that thing across three continents to get to this point!

So, that's what a bare block with glass over it looks like.  Honestly, I wasn't satisfied so I started stabbing the guts back in to give it some features break up the monotony:

I ran short on time so I couldn't get the pistons punched back in their holes, but I think this is how I'll leave the table.  Cam and crank installed, timing set running between them, and pistons in their respective holes.  No real reasoning, but I like it (plus it's a pretty convenient storage spot for all those bits).

Now I just have to build a base for the thing, but I think that can wait until after the move.  It's good to be back in the garage, but it'll be better if I got back to working on more productive things (like finishing that panel I have sitting back there).

Good times

Just a thought...and I don't really think that the rods would be long enough... but could you invert the four corner pistons on the crank, run them out the bottom and employ them as feet, or would that be too tipsy?

Woody (Forum Supportum) said:

Just a thought...and I don't really think that the rods would be long enough... but could you invert the four corner pistons on the crank, run them out the bottom and employ them as feet, or would that be too tipsy?

I bet if I could find a way to sieze the wrist pins solid in the pistons, and the rod caps solid on the crank...  But that's still a lot of weight for them to support, I think.

I was actually thinking of a wooden base like this one:

Except I would make a wood channel that went under the oil pan bolts to raise the engine off the base enough that the crank counterweights would clear.

All subject to change and totally open to ideas, of course.

No thoughts on the actual table, however I can say with certainty that oven cleaner does a phenomenal job of stripping everything from cast iron and steel.  

Do not put it in contact with aluminum, though. 

Mr_Asa said:

No thoughts on the actual table, however I can say with certainty that oven cleaner does a phenomenal job of stripping everything from cast iron and steel.  

Do not put it in contact with aluminum, though. 

Ooh.  Did that once.  Burned the heck out of the aluminum...

Got the keys to the new house yesterday.

First thing delivered today was.....  (you guessed it!)

That there is a 2-bay garage with no dividing wall 

I brought over some wheel caster trays.  The big move is this weekend, and I'm hoping to get her parallel parked in the garage.

Good times.

oof.  Been busy with Ukraine stuff.  Let's go back a bit and get this caught up.

First, The Eagle has landed.  Unfortunately I have no idea where I put the photos so I had to clip them from instagram (I guess once you put photos on insta, you can't right-click and save???) anyhoo.  Here's how she looks in her new home:

Second, I really do refuse to let this project completely stall.  I've definitely had my hands full lately, but I make it a point to force myself to stop and touch the car every once so often.

Not wanting to get into anything major, I've just been doing little things.  Like removing the passenger windows and regulators, and then cleaning all the junk out of the insides...  Again, I have pictures of this somewhere, but they're probably buried in my phone.  You'll have to settle for these:

The other thing I did (because I had extra time one day) was sand and paint that one sectoin of the roof.  Don't ask me why, I just happened to be there and had a can of primer, so that's what I did

On thing I'm absolutely sure of is to make sure this darn thing does not turn into a "shelf"

That's why, every time I use it to store something I'm sure to remind myself "this car will not become a shelf"

Those plug wires were for the Toyota.  The problem is, I don't yet have a work bench in the new garage (but I do have permission from the landlord to build one, and anchor it to the wall.  So that's good).

Having the interior out does have it's benefits though:

Gonna have to do something about that handling though...

Still working on the next post, but while I wait for those pictures to download an important decision was made:

This car will never see road use.  Too difficult, too expensive, not enough benefit.  I thought it would be nice to get that out of the way early as it would influence any decisions going forward

In reply to Hungary Bill (Forum Supporter) :

Can you explain why no road use? Taxes? Inspection? Emissions?

Serious question: if it's not for road use, where can you use it over there? I can't imagine there are many 1/4 mile tracks or things like that. Did you ship over a Ramcharger frame? 

But imagine running donations to Ukraine in a 70s Dodge berkeleying Charger