I have a 1965 Valiant, with a 225, that purrs like a kitten. It is a mostly original 'barn find' that is in pretty good shape both mechanically and cosmetically. She's a toy that I tinker with when I am bored with my boat restoration projects.
I have really enjoyed working on it- Fixing the little problems, upgrading the brakes, tuning it, adjusting valve lash, etc... Most of my mechanical experience is from boats, this is the first car that I've really dug deep in to- and I have had a lot of fun learning. Between the manual, the books recommended by SlantSixDan, and searches of this forum I've been able to tackle pretty much anything that I have needed or wanted to. But- Now I really want to tear apart an engine.
I don't want to do it to the engine that's in the car now- It runs well, and I don't want to mess with it. I tend to procrastinate a bit, and I have a LOT of other things going on, so I know if I pull it it might be months before I get it back in, and I don't want the car out of service that long. So, I have been keeping an eye out on Craigslist for a candidate, and found one. It is a 225 in a '70 dart... Runs as well as my engine, so probably doesn't NEED anything other than a freshening up.
But, I still want to tear it down, fix anything that needs attention, and build it back. More for the experience of doing it than anything.
I don't have any experience with doing this to anything but an outboard- But it seems that a slant might be a pretty good choice for a first attempt at a project like this...
So- Are there any good threads/sites that have more info, or better yet some step by step pictures? I did some searching but didn't find much. Any other resources I should look at?
While I'm doing it, I might want to do some minor performance upgrades, nothing too crazy. Any recommendations?
Any help appreciated!
-Andrew
