Tearing It All Down

I sit here with old motor oil in the pores of my hands, but happy!  I spent today tearing the engine apart and sent the block to Dale at DG Machine in Auburn, WA.  It is going to get a nice warm bath, a shot blast massage, and some magnaflux treatment.  If everything works out (no cracks), it will get bored out and prepped for the build.

I have attached some pics to show the teardown.  Two of the cylinders had a little bit of standing water in them, and a few had signs of previous water but the surface rust came off nice.

Pictures of donated organs

So we (read I) have been searching for the perfect organ donor.  The heart of my Scamp is a strong but limited slant-6 225 cid engine, and to do what we are wanting, the car needs a heart transplant.

I will spend some time detailing every step of the process in the hopes that others will be inspired to attempt AND COMPLETE similar heart transplants.  You don't know it, but you could be a heart transplant specialist after reading this!

I won't spend too much time on this post, but after searching for a suitable 440 block, I have found an excellent donor for an amazing deal.  The engine with attached 727 transmission was available in OREGON!  I talked with the owner about it over the phone and after thorough description by the owner, my wife and I hopped in my van to drive the 3 hours to check it out.  Once we arrived at the location, we got to meet a very nice man who had been completely honest and up-front about what he was selling.  THEY ARE OUT THERE!  With the additional items he threw in for our troubles, we were on our way back home.

I have attached a few pictures so you can see what the whole thing looks like now.  It won't look like this for long, so stay close for updates and pictures!

Help with a 440

After considerable thought, I decided to put a 440 in the Scamp.  I looked at all the articles, researched the good and bad aspects of having such a large engine in the bay, and well, basically daydreamed my way into convincing myself that Plymouth did the world an extreme injustice by not offering it as a stock option on the Scamp.

The real challenge was in deciding what buildup to follow.  There are nearly as many opinions on how to build a 440 as there are people in the world.  I don't like to put together a hodge-podge of thoughts, ideas, and vague memories from uncle so-and-so's best friends second-cousin who told me that a Ford 460 or was it a Oldsmobile 455 crank would fit perfectly and make 10 bazillion hp running on 87 octane pump gas, or slightly oily water in a pinch.  I prefer to build things once and have them work properly.  My research quickly led me to a retired (that's what he claims!) man of vast knowledge regarding the 440 engine.  In fact, as he once pointed out "I wrote the book on it!"  Really, he did!  Don Dulmage wrote a book called "Old Reliable The Practical 440 Race Motor".

I was tremendously disappointed to find that the book was no longer in print, and with several thousand copies in circulation, no one wanted to get rid of their copy.  Fortunately, a few emails later, and Don has been gracious enough to allow me the opportunity to pick his brain for this build.  I promised not to veer from his directed course and recommendations (WHY WOULD I WANT TO?) and he offered to guide me through the building of an "Old Reliable" 440!

This is an exciting time for us and I hope it will inspire you as you watch this journey.

It all started with this.

In the beginning...

This blog is a journal of the process my family is going through as we bring new life to a classic car.

We recently purchased a 1971 Plymouth Scamp in the northern Seattle Washington area. It was a stately car that had been relegated to a used car dealer's back lot. When we looked at it, the salesman didn't even try to negotiate or talk the car up. His first comment was that he didn't know if it ran, and didn't trust the brakes. Oh, and by the way, it's definitely a project car! WOW, with sales skills like that, it is hard to imagine why it hadn't sold already.

The truth is we watched it almost sell on e-Bay, except it never made the minimum bid. After waiting a few months, we were finally ready to invest in a car that would run, but also be ready at a moments notice for a complete upgrade. My wife and I drove to the north end and looked at the car. It definitely needed some help, but there was just something about the lines of the car, barely noticed by the casual observer, that hinted of raw power and strength. Mind you, the original slant-6 225 cid engine with the automatic was still there. The drum brakes were still there. But the beast of a car that could launch 10 second 1/4 mile times is there too.

I don't want this to become a trailer queen ride. I also don't want this to be a high-school project that never completes. I want to build memories with my children that are growing up, way too quickly in case you didn't know! I remember sitting in the back seat of my older brothers 1970 Plymouth Road Runner as he and I and his girlfriend drove all over the back roads of Wasilla Alaska. I remember singing at the top of my lungs "Get your money for nothin', and your checks for free!" until he informed me that with money for nothin', checks weren't really that necessary... I still didn't see any value in "chicks" at that point.

I want my kids to have memories of when they helped dad rebuild that engine, or put the interior of the Scamp back together. I want them to talk about going to their high school prom in the Scamp that they had a part in building.

This project will not be a 7 day build like Overhaulin' (I wish it were, but in the same breath am thankful it won't be), nor will it be another started then forgotten distraction from everyday life. It will take some time, but it will be completed, and it will bear the mark of our family. Hopefully YOU will get to be a part of this project; as you read and comment, I look forward to sharing and learning from all of you.