New To Me 74 RR - Engine/Tranny Question

[rt_hawley]

Thanks for all the inputs guys! A lot I understand, some of it I don't. It's a royal b*tch when you lack the knowledge, the tools and the place to do any work. On the bright side, I took the car over to a guy that's totally rebuilt his old challenger. He confirmed that it is the head gaskets. We're in the process of tearing the motor down to swap out the gaskets. We'll see where we can go from there. Being able to help is going to be a huge step up for me so that when someone talks about a PVC valve, I actually know what it is, where it's located and what it's function is. Pictures coming soon. Thanks again. You can bet I'll be on here a bit looking for advice.

RH

 

[Bruzilla]

Welcome to the site from a guy in your exact same spot. I have a 74 Road Runner that was a 318/904 car but had a 360/727 when I got a hold of it. Right now it's in the shop getting a 440 put into it.

I think the first thing you need to consider is money. If you really want a 440 in the car, then every nickle you drop into that 318 is one nickle less that you have for the 440, so be careful what you do with that 318. That said, 3/4ths of the cost of having my 440 rebuilt and installed is being covered by money made from selling the 360 and small block 727 that are coming out (I sold them to a guy who's putting them in a '66 Valiant). So if I were you, I would get the 318 fixed as cheaply as possible so you can sell it to offset your costs if you go for a 440. Also, you do not have to change the K member to go from a 318 to a 440. You just need different motor mounts.

To YY1's point, if you've got a blown head gasket, most likely you'll see coolant in the oil. This is easy to identify. While coolant and oil can somewhat mix when hot, they separate when cold. When your engine is cold, pull your dipstick and look at the oil. If it's 100% dark brown, you probably don't have a bad head gasket. If you see streaks of white or light brown on the stick, you do have coolant and water getting together somewhere.

All you have to do to check your freeze plugs is lay down where the coolant is leaking, and look up along the engine. If you see the water is coming from what looks like a round indent about two inches wide, that indent is a freeze plug, it's leaking, and you need to replace it. If it's coming out from the head, that would be a bad head gasket.

 

[old tired rebel]

Welcome rt_hawley and thank you for your service. If you want another 318 for your RR here is a build of one, the member that did this build also has it for sale.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?38510-My-Frankenteen-build

 

[rt_hawley]

Welcome rt_hawley and thank you for your service. If you want another 318 for your RR here is a build of one, the member that did this build also has it for sale.

http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?38510-My-Frankenteen-build

Thanks very much for the info!!!

 

[luther]

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

Hey RT:
This is a bit late (just logged on after a long absence). But I replaced the 318 in my 74 RR about 18 months ago. I found it on line at Auto Parts Warehouse--it was a Marshall Engines rebuilt long block. A mechanic friend helped me do it on my driveway. Runs like a champ!
Good luck, Luther

 

[65affair]

Well RT looks like you found the right spot to learn stuff about your car...

 

[Coronet 14]

Get a manual like this

 

[kb67mopar]

Hey RT:
This is a bit late (just logged on after a long absence). But I replaced the 318 in my 74 RR about 18 months ago. I found it on line at Auto Parts Warehouse--it was a Marshall Engines rebuilt long block. A mechanic friend helped me do it on my driveway. Runs like a champ!
Good luck, Luther

Just a quick note about marshall engines.

I bought a marshall engine from a guy who had bought it and run it very briefly (5000 miles) in his truck before the truck was rear ended. It was a re-man 360. It had sat in a garage for a few years so I tore it down to freshen up the seals and bearings only to find they rebuild a block that had been blown up. there was a chunk missing from the bottom of #7 cyl with a crack that lead up the cyl farther into the bore. Very clearly something they just let slide. Personally, I will never buy a marshall engine again. Ended up having to scrap the block and sell the heads. it was 0.060 over already and not worth any time.