Hi guys, looks that there is a lot's of knowledge on this forum, so i will try my luck.
I bought a 1987 Dodge Ram Van with a slant 6 single barrel carb and a 4 speed auto tranny.
The guy, who sold it to me claims, that the engine is a rebuilt 1969.
I'm not very mechanically inclined, and i don't know anything about the slant 6 to be able to verify this.
He also said something about the lifters being mechanical, versus hydraulic, which dosen't do me much good, since my mechanical knowledge is rather limited to the basic stuff.
I got it it for a really good price, so i really wasn't going to be too picky.
I took it to my mechanic for a tune-up, and this is where it got interesting.
Before i took it in, i bought new spark plugs, ignition wires,distributor cap and a rotor for a 1969 slant 6.
I get a call from my mechanic half-hour later, that none of that stuff will fit, and furthermore he belives that this engine is the original.
So i took the parts back, traded for 1987, and--- bingo!!!!, they all fit perfect.
I couldn't really figure out why would the old guy lie to me, about it being a 1969, since he must have known, that i will find out the minute i will try to get some parts for it.
If he would told me, that it is a rebuilt original, i would never find out, even if it weren't.
My mechanic has tested the compression, and he says it is really excellent across the board, some 120 psi.
It runs pretty good, but it wouldn't pass the emiission test , which has left him totally baffled.
Apparently it dumps about 5 times the amount of un-burned fuel that is allowed, suggesting a possible misfire sparkplug, but that is hard to belive, since it runs silky smooth once out of idle.(the idle is a little bit rough, but not much).
The mechanic says that the carb dosen't leak, i know that all the ignition is brand new, and the choke opens-up nicely, once warmed-up.
The guy that e-tested it, has suggested that it could be related to timing , so i took it back to my mechanic and he has looked at the timing info, which is writen on the inside of the hood and he then said that maybe he was wrong after all, in saying that this engine is the original, because something wasn't quiet right in regards to the timing info and the way this engine is set-up.
He said something about degrees suggested that something dosen't seem right about it, but i'm not really sure what he was talking about.
So far, i think that since the 1969 parts didn't fit, would suggest that this engine really isn't a 1969.
But, my mechanic now thinks, that it may not be a 1987 either, now that he looked at the timimg(don't ask me why).
So is it possible that maybe half of this engine is made out of mixed parts, say the head being a 1987, but the bottom being a different year?
Or better yet, is there some kind of ID number on the engine block, which would help me identify exactly what i'm dealing with?
Obviously the best idea would be to ask the guy, who sold me the van, but he lives out of town, and of course as luck would have it, i have "misplaced" his phone#.
Any advice on this would be aprecicated and thank you in advance.

This is just a guess, but maybe the old man wasn't lying and maybe it is a '69 engine w/ '87 electronic ignition. There are other people on this site who know a heckuva lot more about what year is what. But it should be obvious if it is a later than '80(?)engine , because they have a way different shaped head and a smaller valve cover and 'peanut' spark plugs w/out tubes. Somebody else here can give you the specific digits(probably ...xxxx87...225..,or something like that) to look at on the stamped ID no.

_________________
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I should have mentiuoned, that the 69 spark-plugs which didn't fit, had much larger thread diameter than the 87 plugs.
I also wonder if the engine year can be ID'd by it's colour.
Mine has a blue oil pan and blue valve cover.
I'm not sire about the rest of it, it is pretty dirty, but if it helps i could try clean it off and hopefully find out.

Well, it sounds like you've got a later-model head, because it uses the small plugs.

Here's a couple things to look for that shouldn't be too hard to get to. Take a look at the side of your block, under the intake/exhaust manifolds, and get the number(s) that are cast into the side. Post those and that will help us determine what year/family the block is.

Another thing to look for....right behind the water pump block casting is a strengthening rib, running at an angle from the "outboard" side of the casting to the block. Does this rib taper in thickness from one end to the other, or does it stay the same thickness?

It's possible that you have an early short block, with the '87 head and ignition swapped in.

Roger

Sorry for the late response, i did look for the # on the block, and it is 2725.
Does anyone know what that means?
Oops, forgot about the strenghtening ribs, i will check that out tomorrow.

Ok, i have checked the strenghtening ribs, they appear to have uniform thickness from one end to other, and the block is(was) blue in colour.
Anyone want's to take a guess at this one?

im having the same problem as this kid. i have a 85 van with a slant 6. i was told it was a 69 but the cap and rotor didnt fit right. im thinking it might be a 79 cause it has a two barrel and electronic ignition. ill get the casting numbers soon. ill aslo get the size plug.(the new ones i bought didnt fit so i went with the same size that were already in. the tranny is a 904 if thats any help. ill appreciate any help you can give me



ted

What are the odds of someone else having exactly the same problem?
I should play the lottery this week.
BTW Ted, what is the colour of your block? Mine is blue, i did some research and from what i understand, the 1969 block would probably be red.
Also please post the # on the block, it would be interesting to see if it is anywhere close to mine.

Most '68 slants were red with a few blue. '69s were probably all blue and blue was used through the 70's. The 2725 on your block, is that the first four #'s? The block casting # is 7 characters long with a dash and another #. If 2725 is the first four #'s it may be a '67 block. Look closley to see if the block has been repainted.

Cecil

Slant Cecil, thanx for your reply.
The numbers i have taken from the block seemed to be the only numbers there, but it is possible that there is more.
After i found those 4 numbers i just stopped looking, thinking that i got it.
I will search the block again for any more #'s and will post it as soon as i find out.

I have checked the block over and i did find another series of numbers on the same side of the block, but little further-up.
They are very hard to read, because the spot is pretty rusty, but it appears to be: 030-5
It also appears that there only is four digits to this one as well.
I know you said seven, but either the rust is too thick, or i need to get my vision checked.
These numbers are separate from the others,which i have already posted.
Do those numbers make any sense to any of you?
Thanx for any comebacks.

Check-out this thread:
http://www.slantsix.org/forum/viewtopic ... =030+block

There seems to be a bunch of those "030-xx" blocks out there.
Search for "030 and bolck", I came-up with 27 topic threads doing that
DD

On older cars, often you see a wide variety of mixed and matched parts. The parts on a slant six are often very interchangable, so you can put together an engine with parts for several different years. It's possible to swap heads, intake and exhaust systems, distributors, and most other external parts between different years. Wolfears could very well have a '70 block with a later distributor and cylinder head attached.

_________________
"Mad Scientist" Matt Cramer
'66 Dart - turbocharged 225
My blog - Mad Scientist Matt's Lair

Dr. Dodge,that's it!
Mine looks EXACTLY like the one with the boy standing behind it, in the link you have posted.
The water pump is tapered and the # 030-5 matches mine, the others are very close.
I would say wherever/whenever that block was made, mine was in the same bunch.
So what year is that one exactly?

Also, could anyone tell me what kind of mileage i can expect of that engine, when it has a full size cargo van wrapped around it?