Hey i got a 1967 dodge D200 crew converted into a 4x4 powerwagon. the the engine that came in the truck when i got it is a 1971 360 - mostly stock except for a edelbrock intake, 750 edelbrock carb, and some headers. since i cant really afford to rebuild my engine - and someone in my area is selling a pair of fresh J heads this is what he had to say about them:

"1972 Dodge 360 / 340 ci J Heads. Custom built by a local shop. 2.02 / 1.60 valves, new guides, seats, seals, springs. Never mounted. Kept in oiled plastic. Sold the motor they were going on, no use for them now."

now my motor isnt exactly tip-top but it’s running pretty decent and i havent had any major problems yet, and all the cylinders have decent compression except for 90% compression on cylinder number 8.

would would happen if i pulled my old heads off - cleaned the block surface up a little bit - and then put those new heads back on along with new head and intake gaskets? and then ran the truck like that?

and yeah as for putting my bottom end at risk - thats why this new head idea is more of a crazy pipedream of mine - because if i turn it into a reality i have a tendency to get a lead foot and i dont wanna do any serious damage to my engine. i know i should just do it right and wait until i get the money to afford the rebuild kit from summit or RPM machine or wherever the hell i get it and start rebuilding my engine so i can actually start smashing it around and the only think ill have to worry about is breaking simple stuff like U-joints and yokes. but then again - if i can be a cheapstake and my bottom is good enough to handle the freshened heads and the occasional pedal to the floor 0-5000 rpm shifting through the gears then i might try it out...

 

aye thanks for the welcome.

the guys on the myspace mopar forum recommended against since im putting "new" heads on a motor thats seen a lot of miles. basically because of the pressure put in the rotating mass because of the increased compression and tighter sealing caused by the new heads. and that i risk the chance of blow-by if i do anything buy baby the motor - but then again the 3 guys in that group who really know everything mopar havent posted yet, but what i got so far seems logical.

if i decide to do this - and i pull my heads off and it turns out that cylinder 8's low compression wasnt caused by a valve - but indeed the rings what would you recommend then?

and now im gonna ask a very dumb question: is it possible to re-ring a piston without taking the engine outta the truck? i assume i wouldn't be able to pull the crank out without pulling the whole engine - but would i be able to drop the oil pan, undo the connecting rod bolts, pull out the connecting rod, and then pull the piston out and re ring it and then put it all back together?

 

yeah - ive been using greased lightning in my oil because of all the PTFE (teflon) it has in it. my dad apparently has tried every fuel additive/oil additive he could find - and claims that greased lighting works the best.

idk - what is the lucas supposed to do? i never understood "stabilizers" and what weight of oil would u guys reccomend? - ive been using castrol and vavoline 10-30 oils so far.

and yeah next time i go outside ill look at my oil pan to confirm that i have the clearance to pull my pistons out and re-ring them without having to take the engine outta the truck.

 

lol yeah i know that the majority of people on the myspace groups dont know much more about mopars than i do. however there are at least 3 guys on there who answer nearly every post who truely are "the people that live, eat, sleep, breathe and poop mopars!"

however those guys didnt respond to my post that time...

and lol im considering re-ringing all 8 of my pistons that way - if and when i do that - what should i use to clean the pistons with? WD-40? brake parts cleaner? both? and after i put the new rings on them can i just coat them with 10w-30 oil and pop em back in? and then just look up the torque specs for the connecting rods?

im trying to do this as cheap and effectively as possible. if i had to take out my whole motor - i tell myself i just might as well rebuild the damn thing.

and yeah ill make sure to get a nice valvoline oil with a **** ton of zinc.

 

yeah i still dont know what i want to do with it. the other day i fired it up and drove it around for a few hours and it was running pretty good. it does make a lot of smoke on a cold start up - but once its warmed up it runs good.

and i just replaced my spark plugs 2 days ago. what should the gap for the plugs be? kragen told me it was .035 so i made sure all the plugs i got were at that gap - but the plugs that i pulled outta the truck we're all .032 gap.

which one should it be? and whats your guy's take on NGK plugs?

 

well when i first fire it up - it starts idling at 1000-1100 RPM theres no smoke except a hint of black smoke comming out. then now after like a minute while its still on fast idle at like like 1500 now, the smoke is greyish-white. then when i see the temp gauge going up i hit the gas pedal to bing it back down to 700 rpm idle and the smoke is a wispy grey.

and yeah as far as ignition goes i have electronic ignition and i think its the mopar performance one. as for the plugs whats the deal with plug gaps - what do different size gaps to - for performance vs economy or spark size or what? i dont know enough about this...

and say what should my engine temp be when im driving? the needle usually stays at around 190 degrees. is this right or should i get a 180 degree theromostat?

and since these new plugs have a bigger gap should i ajust my air/fuel mix and timing again? right now my timing is at 11-12 BTDC and when i took out the plugs they were all a light brown color - but they may have been a little bit on the lean side...

 

so should i be worried about this grey smoke or is that just the way it is in wintertime?