I’m looking for some opinions and advice about my build. I’ve had this 1964 D100 Utiline for a few years now. I want to make it my cruising truck that can be driven on long trips to events. I’m not concerned about staying stock. I’m buying a SIDs drop axle with power steering and disk brakes from a buddy. I also have a complete super six setup and I’m adding AC. The original /6 in it now rattles at startup and the A745 (Ball and trunnion with brake assembly) is noisy. I have two other /6 with 904s to choose from. The 1973 is complete and pulled from a running driving car. It is a 2806830-7 BH with a drool tube head but, I really don’t know the condition other than the 150 psi cold compression test. The guy said it was quiet and ran well. The other is a 1970 2806830-3 W and has a 75ish peanut 4027600-4 head pulled from a running driving car. The head is off with broken studs. The engine was rebuilt in CA by Wilton?Wilson? and I don’t know when. It has .060 pistons. I really don’t want to do anything unnecessarily. Stock is fine with me if it works. Now here come the questions. Thanks Craig
1) Will a stock /6 with a super6 and A904 get this 3600-3800 lb truck cruising at 70-75 on the highway?

2) How should I approach this build? Such as: Don’t waste your time…just rebuild one or use this and that etc.

3) I have 3.91, 3.23, 2.94, and 2.76 gears to choose from. Switching out tapered axle. Which ratio to use?

4) Anything else?

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I'm going to attempt to fix this project and not make it any worse.

Yes! However, you will be much happier if you take the opportunity to install a "better" camshaft, degree it properly, and have the head or block milled to give you a true 8:1 DYNAMIC compression ratio. Stock is fine and will get the job done, but if you have the parts out anyway, there are some very nice improvements that can be done that will get you better performance and MPG.
Pick the short block that is in the best condition. Oversize pistons don't do much for you on a slant six, except with a .060 overbore on the piston you can run larger valves and not worry about them being shrouded by the cylinder walls (or hitting the cylinder walls). Take whichever head you are going to use and at least have it ported, if not have oversize valves installed. Install a cam reground to one of the Oregon cam grinds. Install a 2 1/4 inch exhaust line to a free flowing muffler and then 2 inch after the muffler. As I said above, get the head milled to give you true 8:1 dynamic compression.
If the truck will just be a highway cruiser, go with 3.2 gears. If you are going to hau anything, go with 3.9s, but be ready to either cruise at 60 or burn a lot of gas to go faster. I have a 76 D100 that is powered by a stock 225 with a Super Six and it has 3.9 gears. I haven't installed a tach yet, but the truck will do 80 on the highway and the engine will be spinning very high to do it.
Put a shift kit in the 904 you install. Take the time to fine tune your distributor advance curve, mechanical and vacuum. I also strongly recommend upgrading to electronic ignition, preferably HEI.


But if stock is fine with you, then super six it, put on the oversize exhaust, and drive it!

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

Thanks Reed and now next step. I think I'm going to take the time for a few upgrades as suggested. The peanut head and the 70 block is undergoing inspection. Three worn rockers and I suspect the PO used them. The valve stems are in good condition and it was dissembled for some reason. I'm fixing the manifold studs this weekend. Then I'll inspect the 73 engine. I will rebuild the 904 and add a TF2.

1) Should I plastiguage the rods and mains or just check which one of the mains? I have to change the oil pan for the truck.
2) I'm guessing I need to CC the heads and piston height then come back for a cam and decking/shaving recommendation.

3) What else?

Thanks again.

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I'm going to attempt to fix this project and not make it any worse.

If you have the motor that far apart, then yes, you might as well plastiguage the connecting rod and crank bearings and check the crank journals for wear. While you are in there, go ahead and replace the timing chain and gears (you will absolutely have to degree the cam if you replace the timing set).

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I know it isn't one of the options you have listed but a a833 overdrive 4speed with 3.9 rear gears would make a beautiful cruiser in a heavy truck.

No it isn't without major mods... but like a few people have done one here... he does have the option of a 700R4 automatic OD conversion...that would give him the OD he would need to make the 3.91 live on the street... which, if you've driven one of those early 'bricks' they need all the help they can get to move that much steel, it would depend on his budget... although I have seen the old Forest Service truck my state used and they used the 11" clutch NP435 4 speed and 4.11's... behind the 225... let's say 55 mph for a top speed is wishful thinking but they do movitate off the line pretty easy for the power to weight.

That being said on a similar note, the A-833 OD after a while would not like to motivate that much weight and eventually would become noisy from the countershaft hole egging out and the gears wanting to spread under heavy load... that's why the NP235/435 was the popular choice in the heavier trucks with the manual...

Where can I find info on the cam you are referring to??

DI since it seems you're trans guru around here, how about some clarification. My 64 has the 11" bell with the 10 spline clutch. It has the A745 in it now. It has the extra bolt holes shown in pictures. Why can't I bolt up a A833 to my bell, change to 23 spline and go? There are vans and trucks that have them. Craig

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I'm going to attempt to fix this project and not make it any worse.

You can't bolt up the overdrive and go because that other bolt pattern is for another truck transmission rather than the passenger-car based A833OD. The other pattern is for the NP420 or NP435. The A833OD bell is much different than your bell. Your flywheel won't even fit under it.

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Joshua

I really need to get a tach installed in my truck. My 76 D100 is a 225/727/9.25 drivetrain with 3.9 rear gears. It will happily motor along the highway at 80 MPH. The motor is stock with a Super Six upgrade. A quick calculation reveals I am spinning about 3712 RPM to motivate my 4000+ lb truck down the highway. An overdrive would definitely be beneficial, but I am lazy and don't drive manual transmissions. I will note that the original vibration damper failed completely (at speed!) most likely due to the sustained high RPM use of the motor.

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Casually looking for a Clifford hyperpak intake for cheap.

I'll be reporting back with the head CC and piston height after the weekend.

Is it any value to CC the piston to top of block or just measure the distance in the hole?

Then I want to order a cam and I guess I'll have to replace the lifters, correct?

Any other information needed?

Thanks Craig

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I'm going to attempt to fix this project and not make it any worse.

It could be a little more accurate if your technique is good, but it's probably not worth it.

This isn't really a big deal, but you'd have to do some math and convert your "block CC" measurement back to an effective deck height to use most of the online SCR calculators.

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

It would be fine if you have a depth gauge to get your deck height. The issue with doing a CC on the piston at TDC or even BDC is the rings sealing and holding the liquid while the engine is cold... the cheat around that, would be to smear some all purpose grease around the edge between the piston and cylinder wall, but if you aren't rebuilding it, that could gum things up a bit until the engine was hot again to melt the grease and get oil where it needs to be....

You will need the conversion from CC to Cubic inches and the formula for the volume of a cylinder to reverse engineer that measurement... (if you aren't a numbers guy, grab the neighborhood 10th grader and give him a 6 pack of Mountain Dew to run the calc for you.

I use the depth gauge and call it good...but that is just me.

Hope you enjoy ear plugs and gas staions! You'll need lots of both.

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2 Mopars come with Spark plug tubes. One is a world class, racing machine. The other is a 426 CI. boat anchor!

12.70 @ 104.6

The 060 block has some vertical scratches in the bore. I'm not going to use it. I fired the 73 engine on a stand and started first try. no smoke and the rockers/springs are super clean. Looks like it was from a 36K mile car. The peanut head is 63cc. I'm struggling with pulling the head on a running engine but, are the HP gains worth it? Craig

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I'm going to attempt to fix this project and not make it any worse.