It looks like I will be pulling the engine and trans from the Dart this coming weekend. I pushed a little hard this weekend and now have some noises I don't like. I have decided to drop the engine and trans out from the bottom this time. I will be able to leave them both attached, the headers can stay in place, starter motor , everything.

I surveyed the situation today and after I disconnect everything that I would need to anyway, I can drop it out the bottom.

The only problem I had was drop it onto what and how do I move it once it is on the floor under the car? So I made this today. 2X2 welded chanel, attached to 1 1/4 box steel, lockable swivel casters, some welding and....

This is what I came up with:


It fits right under the K-Frame and cradles the tail of the trans. There are 2 holes in the bottom of the K-Frame and the 1/2 locating pins align it perfectly.

Here is a picture with it hanging under the car where it will hold the engine.

 

do you think the noises are berings?

 

The noise is in the bottom end. It is not valve noise or detonation. I can't be sure what it is, so, out it comes. I can't take the chance on blowing the heck out of it, or punching a hole in the side.

Also, when you hear a noise and feel like you can't trust it, how hard will you really push it? I don't feel comfortable pushing a car to nearly 7 grand and 130mph through the traps with engine problems possible. I still haven't hit the bottle (n2o) yet and when I do, I need to be sure it will stay together.

I may find everything OK, and it just be something minor but if I have rod bearings going away or mains going bad, I need to address it before I wipe out some very expensive parts.

 

That is the coolest thing I have seen in a while! Good luck with your project.

j

 

Good idea Steve! Hope it's nothing major.

 

Nice job on the Hemi shopping cart..lol. Hope the bearings are ok, but like you said, a set of shells is cheaper than rods and blocks. Let us know if ya find anything Steve.

 

I WELD AND FABRICATE,AND THAT FRAME IS GREAT,VERY EASY,AN PRACTICAL-GREAT JOB,RICK

 

Thanks, without a budget for buying stuff like this, I have to get creative and fabricate stuff myself. The total cost for this was $31.00. There is a company that makes a "cart" similar to this for about $400. NO WAY!

In answer to some of your concerns, I had hoped it would be something less major, but unfortunately after draining the oil I found fine metallic "mud" stuck to the drain plug. ....Bearing failure. I have no idea why. It could have been a defective bearing, or main cap come loose, oil problem, I don't know. We will find out after the engine comes apart. This is always disappointing but that is the way it goes sometimes. All the very best parts used, top dollar doesn't always guarantee the best outcome. but cheap parts will guarantee failure.

Stay tuned

 

that sucks. I hope everything goes well in the repair process...keep us updated

 

Aw man.

Thats a bummer. It's good that you didn't make another pass.

Last week, my Dads best friend made it to the semis in his low 9 second Duster. All of a sudden, a big cloud of smoke in the dart night at the end, he ran 9.41 on his 9.26 @ 117 instead of his normal 135. He went though the traps BACKWARDS, hitting both walls, and almost hitting the other guy.

Bearing failure. Put a nice hole in the block. He was luckily okay though. Thought we were going to have to pull him out.. but he got out on his own and was perfectly fine and laughing.
sorry for the hijack.

-nick

 

That was my fear exactly. Glad he is ok.

 

No doubt, Glad he made it. Nice rig crazy. I `m waiting on a guys bee form the body shop. im gonna do the same thing, when I put it together, motor/ trans from the bottom, but my methods a little different, a buddies big screen blew up on him awhile back so he brings the base of it over to see if i could use it, its like 3ft. wide x5ft. long, perfect for laying the k on it and lowereing the body down, haaas casters on it, we both stood on it and it didnt bow a bit. I put a small block and trans on it to check it and it rolled around the shop great. . A little crude, but it was free, I like it.

 

Hey, thats great, that is what hot rodding is all about.

 

crazy, is there a diaper around your engine?

 

No, never needed one but it does make it much safer if things come apart in a hurry. There is a SFI Trans blanket going back in this time. I have it laying around and just procrastinated putting it in.

 

hey did this happen down at the OC cruisers week???

 

YEP!