Cracked 6cyl head

[NepentheSea]

greenmeanie- Id love some pics of your old setup. Id like to know more about how you did the swap to power steering, and why you got rid of the 6cyl with the Scottys. (If there are any reasons besides the obvious- 292 power and reliable transmission to match!) Was the 250 6cyl too much power for the stock trans
Thanks for the info on inliners.org, I'll have a good look around there.

Michael- I would very much like some more info on the 4cyl. Have you got some experience with it? Its looking like (hopefully) either the 4 or 6cyl Chev will work with the Scotty's adapter. I was originally looking for the 151 4cyl, but a quick look on Craigslist gave me 3 local options for the 250 6cyl. Two for $100. I havent found a local 151 yet.

[Cutter]

Great thread- I've got the same engine in my 109 (the euro 2.6) that needs new main bearings, I've decided to spend the considerable money to get the crank pulled and ground and the bearings replaced, but there's still a voice in the back of my head that is asking the same questions as you. If the bearings and crank are the only issues with mine then I'll probably stick with it, but if anything else is amiss I might consider a swap more seriously. I like the power and smoothness that the engine has, and while I don't care too much about it, it is nice to keep it stock.

[NepentheSea]

Cutter-
Youre right, it is nice to keep it stock. I was planning on that until I became a crackhead. Let me know if you need any 2.6 parts in the future. I'll keep mine around the barn until it gets in the way.

[swingkeel]

109 engine swap

Nium,
Not curious at all. Its an L head design, quite common once upon a time. That was a Rover car engine designed in the 1930s. A flathead engine has intake AND exhaust valves in the block.

Nep,
Yes my 109 has an RD 3 litre Mercruiser engine in it. The block is Mercruiser which is a stouter bored out version of the GM 2.5 (151). The head and manifolds are from a 1977 Chevy Monza - it is a NON cross flow setup. Pontiac used that engine too. I understand the attractive aspects of the 6 but it has more issues to deal with too. First you need to figure out what setup (cross flow or non-cf) you would want with your RHD truck. Look at pictures of both and talk to people more familiar with RHD. If I had to guess I would think that you could use either. Its mainly clearance issues with the steering. I would think that a 151 cid pontiac engine with a cross flow arrangement would be easy to find. You'd need an adapter and you could get the other peices (mounts, etc) from Robert. From the pictures you may get a hint of why I recommend NOT buying an engine from RD.

All the best, Michael

[NepentheSea]

Thanks for the photos! and OUCH. I get the hint. I'll steer clear.
The 4cyl fits in nicely. The 6 cyls were easy to find, but Im going to prowl a few junkyards and see what I can come up with before I make a choice between the two.

[NepentheSea]

A Scotty's adapter is on the way, thanks to Linus T!

I'll post photos when I get the 2.6L anchor out and decide where to go from there.

[NepentheSea]

Took the left fender, radiator and engine out tonight- my first time ever pulling an engine. Took about 3.5 hours in all, from starting on the fender to having the engine out. Next time I think I could do it in an hour or less, now that I have an idea of what Im doing.

Taking off the fender is great for access. When I put it back together Im planning on making it a flip up front end, I cant go back to leaning in over the fender!

Now its cleaning up the engine bay and looking for a new engine to go with the scotty's adapter. I haven't found a 151, but have found a few 250's. Looks like it may end up with a 250.

[yorker]

i think if it was me i'd happily go with the 250.


BTW Have you seen this site?

http://www.turtleexpedition.com/vehicles/turtle1.php

[NepentheSea]

Very interesting site! I really enjoyed reading about their different vehicle setups. Their experience with the 250 in their Rover was good to hear

[SafeAirOne]

Hmm...It almost looks as if you removed all the bellhousing fasteners without taking off the floors/center bulkhead assembly. Nicely done! On my rover, you would have come away with black arms up to your biceps if you didn't remove the floors & center bulkhead!

[NepentheSea]

Ze photos have deceived you!

I couldnt have done it and kept the small speck of sanity I cling to if I didnt remove the floorboards and tunnel. It was just too easy to remove those panels- I had taken them out before and put them back in with the minimum rivets needed; a few shots with the drill and they were right out.

And black to the biceps...tell me about it! I was black to the shoulders even with taking the tunnel off. And I never remember touching my face when my hands are black with gunk..

[Cutter]

Looks fun, I think if I did that I would keep taking things apart until is was down to the frame. Maybe while its so easy it might be worth it to degrease/rust and put some paint on the bulkhead.

[swingkeel]

looks familiar

Good work! Yes the Chevy Stovebolt is a great engine. A 250 cid 6 cylinder will work fine if thats what you can get easily. Here are a couple of pics in an even more dismantled state. Scotty's adapter in second photo.





good luck and keep posting! All the best, Michael

[yorker]

Back in the 1990's there were some peope who wanted to swap in a Dodge Slant Six engine- I don't know if any of them ever did but today with the NP-435 transmission adapters out there it could be easily done. Just another engine/tranny possibility.

[NepentheSea]

Cutter, I'll be cleaning up the bulkhead for sure. Ive been working on it since the pics.

Michael, thanks for the pics! Hopefully my bulkhead will be something close to as clean as yours when Im finished.

Yorker,
Ive heard that those slant sixes are good engines. I like most anything thats inline.