On the way to work today I started getting a knock sound. It got louder quick and was definitely a single connecting rod knocking away. It deteriated so fast I pulled over and had old faithful towed home rather than risk the rod making a guest appearance in the daylight.
250,000+ miles though. I guess I can't complain to much.
This weekend I'm humping it on my other project car. A small block powered Duster that I was putting all new front end components on and replacing a badly cracked K-frame. It only has roughly 80,000 on it. Need to have it ready for monday. Till then I'm on my Kawasaki.

What's the best way to approach this /6 rebuild when I get around to it?
Have MY crank and rods machined and buy piecemeal the pistons/ring set, bearings, gaskets...Or should I get one of those PAW master kits with everything and just have the machine shop punch and hot tank my block and I put all the new parts in?

for the quick and easy rebuild a master kit from NAP or PAW would work good (cheaper than trying to 'put' a kit together). When I rebuilt mine, I got a kit from Northern Auto Parts, upgraded to moly rings for $5, and sold off the 'stock' replacement cam, and got a comp cam...

Do a little price shopping and see what you come up with.

-D.Idiot

Wow, I didn't think they ever actually died.

Mine /6 got pretty tired at around 155k miles. The LOL (Little Old Lady, original owner) only drove it about 1/2 to warm each drive for its first 90k miles. Oil preasure was largely a memory at idle and between burning and dumping it needed a quart every 500 miles. The lower end was so loose that it roared over 3200rpm, but that was OK as the loose distributer couldn't accurately fire it over 3000rpm anyway. It overheated, but that was expected - the water pump impeller was missing lots of metal (found later). And it ran a bit ugly, all the nylon on the timing sprockets was found in the oil pan over a few oil changes (-8 degrees for the cam timing).

I wasn't done assulting it though. It used to make a weird chirp from time to time - never could find it. Right as I got onto hiway 2 that chirp turned into a full on fan belt whine. No where to get off so I kept going. Half way across the bridge the fan belt came off. No stopping now, finish my way across the flats and up Hwy 204 to Lake Stevens. Before I got to the end of the bridge the radiator started blowing steam. By the time I got to Lake Sevens the steam had stopped - there was no water left!

The poor little 6 lived through it just fine. A quick call home to get a fan belt and some tools brought and I got it running (with the help of 3 gallons of water from the nearby gas statioin). Left the fan belt real loose - the alternator bearings had gotten so bad the stator had lodged in the field (that was the chirp

Drove it home and from there started the search for another stock (36 amp?) alternator. That started a snowball of events that went on to include rebuilding the stock engine (wanted to keep the numbers) and the hunt for the rest of the stuff that belonged on it (never have found a non-ribbed exaust maniford without a bit of cracking).

The /6 is a tank engine. I'm sorry yours has died. I didn't think it actually happened, but I guess it can at times.

Paul

A little history on mine beyond the quarter million miles.
I have towed a convertible 159 miles for a friend. (he always wanted a spider) I towed a Ford F150 across town (another friends tranny went out) I towed a Corsica across town (Took it to the salvage yard) Among other pushes and pulls of cars and trucks. I've towed 3 to 4K lb trailers up to 750 miles on numerous occasions. I've raced it around spinning tires for that wonderful smell of burnt rubber. I know I've overrevved it on numerous occasions on missed shifts (damn that column shifter, floor shifter fixed that) This car used to have a 1K + lb stereo system that earned it 9th in the world USAC and got my name in multiple magazines and 70+ trophies heavier Imagine an old dart taking out Lexus, Mercedes, Bimmer etc with sponsorships at high end competitions. Even beat a dude in a yellow Ferrari (deep pockets) with my system. It was glorious. And I have no idea what it's life was like for the first 89 or so k miles of it's life.

Hrm...I'm going to have an extra V8 K frame laying around...And I always wanted to stick a Magnum 360 from one of these newer dodge trucks in my Dart...

I'll always love this car

Oh...And this tear down is down the road a ways. I do have a house full of other responsibilities to worry about too. But I will post pics of the failure in the engine when I do pull my /6 apart. Have a lakewood engine stand I haven't used in a long time just sitting in the garage

You've been busy with that dart! Good luck on that rebuild.

_________________
Scott Blaylock
Admin Sweptline.ORG/Sweptlineparts.COM

1964 D200 Camper Special, Poly 318, 4Spd
1965 D100 Utiline, /6, 3Spd
1969 D100 Sweptline, LWB, LA318, Auto, Factory Air
1969 D100 Sweptline Adventure, LWB, 383, Auto, PS, PB, Factory A/C, Tach!