buds54dodge Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 Also new to Mopars I recently purchased a real solid 54 dodge that was rodded in the early 70's and has been off the road since 81. My original plan was to chev 350/350 turbo it, but the more I look at it, my plans are evolving. It has a 65 273 and a 4speed out of a Barracuda that amazingly isn't stuck and if I had a set of points I think it would have ran yesterday, a 69 truck rear. I think I would like to use this drivetrain. How reliable is the ball and trunnion joint on the rear of the trans? If the 273 is junk upon disassembly,how new of a 318 can I use with the 273 stick flywheel. Thats it for starters,More questions to come Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 First step woud be to see if you can get the engine running, the 273 was a pretty stout engine and unless you are into drag ,should provide reasonable power and economy. Are you sure its a points style distributor? Chrysler changed to electronic across the rane in 73. have you done a compression test, what does the oil look like? Have you pulled the plugs to see how they look? Welcome to the forum, and you will probably get lots of advice and support about keeping it Mopar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparmonkey Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 The 273 is a solid engine. Not a huge HP maker, but nice and reliable if its not worn out. Looks like someone has already done all the hard work, it be a lot more work to go with a 350. A 318 should drop right in, a 360 will just need a different passenger side engine mount (bolt in, super easy). Any LA 318 will be able to use the 273 neutral balance stick flywheel (so, any 318 up to '91). A 360 would require an externally balanced flywheel, although there are patterns out there to drill a neutral balance crank to remove weight from a certain location and make it an external balance, most machinists should be able to handle it no problem. Bonus on the 273, if it has the stock rockers they should be adjustable. This set up will also work on the 318's and 360's, and is much better than the standard stamped steel, non-adjustable rockers the later engines came with. The ball and trunnion style joint is ok, and should be fine with a stock 273. Parts for it are a little more challenging to find. If you can find a later 833 transmission you can swap the rear housing and tailshaft to change over to a later yoke/u-joint set up, but the ball and trunnion is actually a stronger transmission because of the additional bearing in the rear of the tailshaft. The joint itself, on the other hand, is a little harder to deal with. Looks like a points set up to me, I don't see a box for the electronic set up (even the stock electronic set up uses an external controller). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plymouthy Adams Posted July 10, 2011 Report Share Posted July 10, 2011 273 came in a variety of stock configurations..posible the 65 'cuda being a stock power-pac with 235 horses..(5 ponies more than the 318 of the same year) as the highest output 273 from the factory did not debut until the 66 model year where the HP went over square at 275 ponies..the 273 is very dependable yet smaller bore or the LA family and the forerunner of all the later LA engines to include variants such as the 3.9 V6, the Viper V10 and even the slant four of race legend..some early 273's will not interchange with the later production years so be careful on anyone saying you can mix and match.... actuallly in todays economy you have a nice powerplant that will be somewhat economical and yet be a nice kick in the pants when you want to accelerate.. the electronic ignition is a plus and highly recommended upgrade... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds54dodge Posted July 11, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 Thanks, I'm pretty sure the 273 will meet my needs ,just building a reliable cruiser It has a Mallory dual point in it The previous owner quit driving it after a trip home from Ca. and the clutch started slipping bad. There is a lot of innovations and I'm sure it was pretty nice in the 70's Despite my desire to here it run,I'm going to pull it and check the engine over,I'm sure there will be more questions to follow. I'm leaning towards IFS for the front(fatman),did a frame swap on a 56 chev tk a few years ago,it was ok but I wasn't real happy with it Thanks again, Bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds truck Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 (edited) welcome to the forum from another "Bud". The 273/4 speed will be a great set up. Taking it out and checking it isn't a bad option. I did that with the 318 I put in mine and ended up doing a full blast rebuild. What does it have for a steering box as I can see it is not stock? I would look at the motor mounts a bit too, they look a bit on the weak side.... Keep us posted on the progress. Bud Edited July 11, 2011 by buds truck more questions Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greg g Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 check with member olddaddy (www.rustyhope.com) for disc brake adapters, Or consider a clip job from an early dakota. I would think about swapping in a MOPAR electronic ign set up should be easy to pick from a pic and pull. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dontknowitall Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 welcome and nice truck.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ggdad1951 Posted July 11, 2011 Report Share Posted July 11, 2011 welcome. Keep posting pics as you go! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds54dodge Posted July 14, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2011 The steering box is a hybrid of a somewhat newer dodge truck worm gear, I'm sorry he told me but I don't remember. The fellow was telling me about the mods and where the truck had been,but it was in the 90's and I was come-alonging it on the trailer and don't remember some of what he told me. Motor mounts are cool aren't they? He put about 60,000 mile on it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds54dodge Posted July 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 The disassembly continues. I have a 57 ford rear that just about sits right on the center bolts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carls 49 Posted July 17, 2011 Report Share Posted July 17, 2011 hi bud and welcome. good to have you here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 Welcome to the forum Bud. Its cool when someone starts posting pictures outside the 48-53 era. It actually helps me get better at ID'ing truck parts. Case in point, I bought a 54hood thinking it was a 50....oh well. 48D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4msfamly Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 So other than the extra windows on the back, what else are the differences between the '54 and the '55 like mine? I hear the front window is different? I think the '55 slopes back a bit... is this correct? The hood sure looks the same... Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Young Ed Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 The extra windows in the back were just an option. Here's what the later 55 and 56 windshield looks like(this is not a 56 truck but they kept using it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desotodav Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 Mark, I've attached a picture of a 54/55 'coupe ute' from here in Oz which shows the 1 piece windscreen that was carried through for future models. I don't know the owner of the truck, but it certainly is one of the best that I have seen! Desotodav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds54dodge Posted July 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2011 The disassembly continues, Gutted the cab today, it had carpet and a black foam pad glued to the floor. The floor is going to need a bit of work. Took the 273 apart and its already been bored .040 and has light rust pitting in the cylinders, tried honing for a while but its still there. Undecided what to do with it at this point, Maybe search out a block Here's some floor pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moparmonkey Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 If a rebuild is in your budget, the 273 will take .060" over with no issues. If you're tight on cash, then it'll be cheaper to find a running 318. No one seems to want the 318's, so even in running condition they're usually dirt cheap, and it will bolt right into the spot for a 273. Just be sure to save the adjustable rocker gear if the 273 still has it, its an easy swap over to a 318. The 273 will also have a forged crank, which nearly all 318's won't have. Obviously not an easy swap, but worth keeping for a later rebuild, or worth selling, as lots of folks will want the forged crank. It will bolt right into 318's, and I believe 340's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted August 3, 2011 Report Share Posted August 3, 2011 Just be sure to save the adjustable rocker gear if the 273 still has it, its an easy swap over to a 318. The 273 will also have a forged crank, which nearly all 318's won't have. Obviously not an easy swap, but worth keeping for a later rebuild, or worth selling, as lots of folks will want the forged crank. It will bolt right into 318's, and I believe 340's. Took the words right out of ma mouth. 48D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buds54dodge Posted August 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2011 Some progress Got the cab off, its not that heavy when stripped out, I used my engine hoist and a chain bolted to the two front seat bolt holes. Should be alot easier to repair the floor. Now the cleaning begins. Already filled my trashcan once with dirt,crap,debris, Bud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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