New To Me 74 RR - Engine/Tranny Question

[rt_hawley]

Hi there. I'm brand new to the forum and was looking for some advice/opinions/feedback. I just bought a 74 RR with the 318. It's a matching numbers vehicle with just over 43,000 original miles on it. I brought it home and took it to the local mechanic (I'm the first to admit that I don't have a hell of a lot of mechanical aptitude and therefore rely on the experts). Anyway, I'm told the car has a bad head gasket and it's a pretty pricey fix. I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to purchase a rebuilt motor to put in the car (for about $1000 more than replacing the head gasket(s) would be). I know the purists out there are going to sneer, especially since it's a numbers matching car, but my main concern here is cost. If I have the gaskets replaced, it's very possible that more problems may be discovered and the total cost will be more than putting a new engine in the car. The other consideration is that I'm looking at possibly having a rebuilt 440 put in the RR...my question is...can anyone tell me for SURE that the 74 RR with the 318 came standard with the TorqueFlite 727 3 speed automatic transmission? Will the tranny be able to handle the added torque that a 440 would provide over the 318 that's currently in the car? All advice/opinions are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

RH

 

[PettyBlue72]

Welcome to the forum.

A 74 RR with a 318 would have come from the factory with a 904 auto transmission not a 727. The 727 was reserved for the 360 and BB's. Also you would have to replace the transmission anyway because you need a BB auto for a 440 not a SB automatic.

Also you will most likely have more invested in the 440/727 setup when all said and done because it will cost more to rebuild the 440 and you will have to purchase the BB 727. Also you will need to either change the k-frame as the SB k-frame will not work with a BB or buy a Schumacher SB-BB conversion kit to make the 440 work in your car. You will have to upgrade the radiator and the rearend as they will most likely not handle the 440.

In my opinion, just rebuild the 318 and have fun with the car.

Joe

 

[WP29440SE]

a numbers matching 318 is nothing i ever get excited about. not to be an *** but who cares, its not an original 440 car. a head gasket is less than 100 bucks total if you spend some time wrenching. how do you know its in fact a head gasket? oh , the "mechanic" said so lol
WELCOME to B bodies !

 

[rt_hawley]

As I said in my original post, I'm the first to admit that I don't have any mechanical aptitude, so yes...the mechanic said so.

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Thanks Joe...you've provided me with a lot of insight that makes sense. Obviously I'm going to have to develop some mechanical knowledge fairly quickly. I can do very minor fixes myself, but for the majority of things, I'm going to have to rely on the experts, hence the reason I came to this forum looking for help. Thanks again for the advice...very much appreciated!!

RH

 

[WP29440SE]

As I said in my original post, I'm the first to admit that I don't have any mechanical aptitude, so yes...the mechanic said so.

sorry didn't mean to sound harsh, but you would save yourself a fortune if you picked a Factory Service Manual . i just hate watching people get shafted at the mercy of mechanics who will say anything to get in someones wallet. seriously , taking off a set of heads is really pretty basic.

 

[rt_hawley]

sorry didn't mean to sound harsh, but you would save yourself a fortune if you picked a Factory Service Manual . i just hate watching people get shafted at the mercy of mechanics who will say anything to get in someones wallet. seriously , taking off a set of heads is really pretty basic.

No sweat super...no harm no foul. I sincerely wish I had had more of an interest in mechanical work when I was younger, however, it is what it is. Getting a Service Manual sounds like a good idea...I'm more than willing to learn to give myself a hand up. I'd much rather be able to do some work myself and save a sh*tload of money. I've been told there's an auto hobby shop here on base that has all the tools, a lift, and even experienced people willing to lend a hand or advice, so that's the first place I'll be heading. Hehehe..my brother used to laugh at me all the time because I couldn't tell you the difference between a valve cover and an intake manifold..but in all fairness, he wouldn't know the first thing about air to air combat tactics, so I guess it's all relative. The very first car I ever owned was a 74 RR and I sold it when I joined the military. I could kick myself now, but after all these years, I've finally managed to get my hands on another one..call it a mid-life crisis...whatever. What matters to me now is learning all I can about the car I have and fully appreciating the experience.

RH

 

[MikeyT]

Welcome to FBBO.

The 318 could be a lot of fun, but maybe a mix of both. Why not find a nice 360 and build that? Then you don't have issues with linakge and stuff and can make it fly with a small block?

BTW, let us see the car! Sounds cool

Mike

 

[WP29440SE]

No sweat super...no harm no foul. I sincerely wish I had had more of an interest in mechanical work when I was younger, however, it is what it is. Getting a Service Manual sounds like a good idea...I'm more than willing to learn to give myself a hand up. I'd much rather be able to do some work myself and save a sh*tload of money. I've been told there's an auto hobby shop here on base that has all the tools, a lift, and even experienced people willing to lend a hand or advice, so that's the first place I'll be heading. Hehehe..my brother used to laugh at me all the time because I couldn't tell you the difference between a valve cover and an intake manifold..but in all fairness, he wouldn't know the first thing about air to air combat tactics, so I guess it's all relative. The very first car I ever owned was a 74 RR and I sold it when I joined the military. I could kick myself now, but after all these years, I've finally managed to get my hands on another one..call it a mid-life crisis...whatever. What matters to me now is learning all I can about the car I have and fully appreciating the experience.

RH

it is NEVER too late to learn , we all started somewhere. i live just north of the springs. im here on the front range myself . thank you for your service. don't be intimidated by a measily 318 LOL there really is nothing to them, its really a matter of diving in and getting your hands dirty, taking pics of what you are taking apart and keeping your nuts and bolts in order. a FSM is the bible for these cars. not the chiltons or Haynes junk , but the actual Service manuals. of course having the right tools for the job lol. there is so much knowledge here on this site its incredible. i thoroughly enjoy doing everything myself not to mention it costs me nothing but my time and parts

 

[rt_hawley]

Thanks Mike..that may be an option as well. I've got a buddy here that's pretty knowledgeable about cars (he has his own 65 Chevelle that he does all his own work on). I think my best option at this point is to tear down the motor to replace the head gaskets and get his opinion as to whether he sees anything else that may be a major fix. If it's going to be a lot of issues, then I'll look at replacing the motor. I'll get some pics up as soon as I can.

RH

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it is NEVER too late to learn , we all started somewhere. i live just north of the springs. im here on the front range myself . thank you for your service. don't be intimidated by a measily 318 LOL there really is nothing to them, its really a matter of diving in and getting your hands dirty, taking pics of what you are taking apart and keeping your nuts and bolts in order. a FSM is the bible for these cars. not the chiltons or Haynes junk , but the actual Service manuals. of course having the right tools for the job lol. there is so much knowledge here on this site its incredible.

It's certainly seeming that way Super...which is what drew me to this site to begin with, although I'll readily admit that reading through some of the posts have me scratching my head wondering what the hell was actually said... ;)

 

[WP29440SE]

It's certainly seeming that way Super...which is what drew me to this site to begin with, although I'll readily admit that reading through some of the posts have me scratching my head wondering what the hell was actually said... ;)

you and me both LOL

 

[YY1]

So what were the symptoms that led to you taking it to the mechanic, and him diagnosing a head gasket?

 

[rt_hawley]

So what were the symptoms that led to you taking it to the mechanic, and him diagnosing a head gasket?

There were two small pools of green coolant on my garage floor underneath the engine and I could smell oil after I shut the car off. I took the car into the mechanic and told him what I had found. He put it up on the lift and we looked underneath. With a flashlight he showed me where the coolant had been leaking from and told me that the head gaskets were bad.

 

[YY1]

So, do you know waht he was pointing at?

I've got a 73 318 that has bad freeze plugs. It leaves a small puddle of coolant and is a WAY cheaper fix.

Not to be disrespectful, but you smelled OIL, and not coolant?

Was it running rough and/or very hot according to the gauge?

Just to be safe, I'd get a second opinion.

You said you were a novice, right? Do some research on freeze plugs, then look at them.

 

[WP29440SE]

So, do you know waht he was pointing at?

I've got a 73 318 that has bad freeze plugs. It leaves a small puddle of coolant and is a WAY cheaper fix.

Not to be disrespectful, but you smelled OIL, and not coolant?

Was it running rough and/or very hot according to the gauge?

Just to be safe, I'd get a second opinion.

You said you were a novice, right? Do some research on freeze plugs, then look at them.

XS 2 , and also , the front and rear exhaust studs or bolts , run right into water jackets. I hear about them leaking all the time

 

[YY1]

...and is there water in the oil, or oil in the water?

Do you know how to tell?

 

[ZR9B]

How does it look under the oil fill cap...if you can take your finger and rub it under the valve cover through the oil fill cap if any dirty milk color .. look in the PVC valve also.....see if the water hoses get rock hard when its running after a short time....also a compression test will tell if you have a bad head gasket.....Ya lets see some pics too!!!

 

[YY1]

Agree.

Let's see if we can save this guy a few hundred bucks.

The works thing that can happen is that it IS the head gasket, which he's already prepared for.

 

[moparmarks]

A leak down test on the water jackets and cylinders would be in order.

 

[YY1]

Also agree, but let's start with the easiest.

Get a flashlight, and a cardboard box, crawl under the car, and follow the water.

It helps if you look at a pic of what the engine looks like without all the grease, brackets, etc, and can identify where the water COULD be coming from (IE, those freeze/expansion plugs), I'd also look closely at the water pump, and all the hoses, especially the bypass hose.

 

[kb67mopar]

Yup a tester would tell the tale for sure. Some leaking coolant could be anything from what was mentioned to a cracked head.