bob1949b Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 First of all I would like to say this forum has been a big help to me because before I bought my one-ton I had never restored a vehicle before. By reading previous posts and looking at all the great pics on here I decided I would give it a shot. There is a great wealth of information and expierenced auto restorers on this forum. I am not even done with my one-ton yet and look forward to my next dodge truck! Now for my question.. My 230 engine ran fine before i pulled it. It had about 35,000 miles on it and didnt smoke. Does it need to be totally rebuilt , or just gaskets, cleaning, and paint?And being I have never done this before, is this something I can attempt , or is it better left to professionals? I am pretty mechanically inclined and would like to attemp it .Are there any good how-to books out there? Thanks.. Bob:cool: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest El Rust box Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 First of all I would like to say this forum has been a big help to me because before I bought my one-ton I had never restored a vehicle before. By reading previous posts and looking at all the great pics on here I decided I would give it a shot. There is a great wealth of information and expierenced auto restorers on this forum. I am not even done with my one-ton yet and look forward to my next dodge truck! Now for my question.. My 230 engine ran fine before i pulled it. It had about 35,000 miles on it and didnt smoke. Does it need to be totally rebuilt , or just gaskets, cleaning, and paint?And being I have never done this before, is this something I can attempt , or is it better left to professionals? I am pretty mechanically inclined and would like to attemp it .Are there any good how-to books out there? Thanks.. Bob:cool: First of all, i would like to say that "anyone can do anything if they really want to, and put their mind to it"!! All it takes is the will, and a little research. Dont ever feel bad about asking questions, no matter how "dumb" they may be. The first time i tried to "fix up a car", i really had no idea what i was doing. i had an idea as to what i wanted, and one thing just lead to another. Go for it! Before i knew it, i had a chrysler 400 BB scrubed down and shiny, with a 4bbl edelbrock, new carb, ignition, dropped the fuel tank, POR 15 treated it, dropped the suspension, whole new interior, and painted it. It took me about 8 months of a day here and a day there. I was fustrated beyond control more than once. As for you, if the engine is out as you feel like tearing it down, and replacing the gaskets, and getting to know whats what, sure. If not, and it seems to be running fine, then dont worry about it. This site has some pretty good info in the repair section. Have fun, and remember its o.k. to walk away from it for a while if things get heavy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Gengo Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 35K it's not even broken in yet! Unless you have nothing better to do and want to throw some money at it then rebuild it. If it were mine I'd paint it and put it back in. You know the old saying. If it aint broke, don't fix it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MBF Posted March 29, 2008 Report Share Posted March 29, 2008 Was it holding good oil pressure while it was hot? If so, since you've already got it out, you may want to drop and clean out the oil pan to make sure that it isn't all sludged up. I agree, if it aint broke don't fix it, but I'd give her a good look over as long as you have it out. Got any pics? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bob1949b Posted March 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 I agree with you both. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I just figured since it was almost 60 yers old and oily , and already out of the truck it would be a good time. And to your question , the oil presure was fine. It would be great not to have to dump a bunch of money into a rebuild if it did not need one. Here is a pic of the day I brought it home and one of the motor. Thanks for any advice. Bob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grey beard Posted March 30, 2008 Report Share Posted March 30, 2008 Here are a few suggestions for you: 1. Pull the plugs and do a good compression test while holding the carburetor throttle and choke open. Over one hundred pounds per hole indicates a healthy engine. 2. Do as Mike suggested, and drop the oil pan just to clean it out. What you find inside may help you decide how to proceed further. 3. Pull the distributor cap. While watching the rotor, turn the engine over by hand both directions and observe the slop in the timing chain. This, too, may help you make further decisions. 4. Remove the two valve chamber pans. Look for large accumulations of sludge. If it is there, clean it out while the oil pan is off. Get all that junk out. It will live longer. If your engine passes these four tests, pop out the block core plugs and the water pump. Then pull the water distribution tube out of the block and clean the water jacket out within an inch of its life. Then put new block plugs in and clean it up and paint it. Consider yourself lucky. I sure would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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