Dear Tom and Ray:

I am putting a 1968 383 big-block car engine into a 1973 Dodge pickup truck. So far, I have run into two problems. One is the oil pan. The sump, or deep end, was in the wrong place. The second problem was the motor mounts; they were too small. I have managed to fix these two problems, but I'm wondering what other problems I'm going to run into. Your help would be great. Thanks. -- Jon

Tom: Well, the problem I always run into during engine transplants is my wife's strenuous objection to my leaving the transmission in the bathtub for three weeks.

Ray: Actually, I have no idea what specific problems you're going to run into with this particular engine/chassis configuration, but I know you're going to run into a lot of them.

Tom: Whenever you install an engine that's not the same exact size, model and year as the one you're replacing, you run into all kinds of stuff that doesn't fit. And you're off by FIVE years here, Jon.

Ray: So you can expect to find all kinds of parts that just don't fit the way they're supposed to, like the exhaust manifold and the exhaust pipe. You'll find hoses that are too long or too short, brackets that don't mount in the right places. And basically, you're going to have to do what you did with the oil pump and motor mounts. You're going to have to improvise.

Tom: Right. It's a hatchet job, Jon. You're just going to have to use whatever tools and parts you have at your disposal to make things fit. (Hint: you might want to confiscate your kid's Erector Set for the remainder of this project.)

Ray: The good news is, in the end, it'll probably work. And when you're all done, you'll not only have a newer engine in your truck, but you'll have your equivalency degree from the Rube Goldberg Engine Rebuilding Academy!

Tom and Ray share secrets mechanics don't want you to know in their pamphlet Ten Ways You May Be Ruining Your Car Without Even Knowing It! To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1997 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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