I'm sure I recall reading the answer to this, but can neither recall, or effectively search for it now:

I am about to tear down my 87van 225. I suspect it has spun a bearing

I have a 74 dart 225 sitting in my garage.

The 87 engine was my father's. I would prefer to keep as much of it as is practical.

That said, assuming the 74 is original to the car from which it came (I know 87 is original), what can be used on the 87 motor? (Specifically piston assemblies, push rods and crank--possibly oil pump/parts)?

(I'll get block #s when weather allows, if they matter)

The '87 has a cast crank and the '74 is forged. These cranks do not interchange nor do the engine blocks or connecting rods. You must keep together the block, crank and rods from one or the other. If you have a spun bearing the '87 engine should be set it aside once the oil pan and pickup tube are moved to the '74 engine. Those are the parts you need to change to do the engine transplant assuming and automatic transmission. If you have a manual then the '74 engine needs a pilot bearing. If you want the '74 engine to have the hydraulic valve train you need to swap the cam, lifters, pushrods, and rocker assembly. Beware that swapping the cam and lifters from one block to another may cause them to fail. It's far safer to live with the occasional valve adjustment.

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Joshua

I agree with Joshie225. To be honest, I do not believe that you would need 'constant' valve adjustment. I have a had a few slants and never really had to adjust things much once I set things initially. If the 87 has a 2 bbl carb, I would keep that. Either way, use the carb/trans linkage from the truck. As was said, the truck pan is different than the car oil pan, so you would need to swap that and the oil pickup tube. Maybe the oil dipstick as well. You definitely would need to swap the engine in it's entirety as the forged and crank engines have very little interchangeability (crank/rods). You should likely use the distributor from the truck engine as well since I believe the van uses an early computer to control the ignition.

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-MattMan
LEANED & MEAN

My reasoning for keeping the 87 (assuming it doesn't run up a ridiculous machinist bill) is that it was my father's engine going in his truck. I don't mind valve adjustment.

The whole idea of keeping the van running and road-worthy is purely sentimental.

The 74 motor was rescued from a stranger's V8 swap. I had no specific plans for it apart from keeping it from the crusher so maybe someone could eventually use it.

If it saved me from buying a crank or piston, great. Since it isn't, it will be a worst case backup engine.

As for distributor, etc.: none of that is applicable. It has HEI and circa 1980 carb and distributor.

Thanks for replies.

I assume it was a rod bearing that spun. Once you get it torn down and confirm what's busted, I'd make a post in the Parts Wanted section here. Someone probably has extra cast-crank rods laying around.

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Somehow I ended up owning three 1964 slant six A-bodies. I race one of them.
Escape Velocity Racing

I pulled the engine and transmission together.

I dropped the oil pan and turned the motor over with a socket and breaker bar on a bolt in the crankshaft end while hanging with transmission still attached, and could not elicit the knock.

Previously the noise was most prominent when I'd set the idle low (like 500-600 RPM), cranking, or turning over by hand (breaker bar).

It made the noise with and without timing cover on.

Hanging from a hoist, I could not get it to make the noise.

I'm starting to second guess myself and considering that either TC bolts were loose (when I did remove transmission to get engine on stand, they didn't require heroics to remove, nor did they spin off especially easily), or that the chain was hitting the oil pan (although I could swear I had previously heard the noise turning by hand with timing cover off, and did not see chain getting anywhere near pan.

I checked compression: 1-6 as follows:

145 (on third try--95, and 100 during prior attempts where I had weak battery connections and charge--likely false lows)
155
155
155
155
155
175 (exhaust valve not opening? combustion chamber entirely filled with carbon?)

The plugs looked surprisingly ok (carbon they were previously coated with is gone. Mostly tan/brown.)

I will put up photos at some point.

No matter what (unless it's cracked), I am having the block machined.

Once I have it apart I'll decide it I will just have the mating surfaces flattened and polish valves, myself, or have machinist do guides etc.

Van will stay apart for likely 2 years while I essentially resto-mod the whole thing.