Vynn3, if you do not know what a big, smiling one of these means, and you're gonna start huffing and puffing about differences of opinion and such, then about all I can do is have one last try before shaking my head over your apparent lack of a sense of humor.

Y'see, on the internet, when there are two big grinning smileys and a silly fake accent ("I think you crazy, maybe"), it's a pretty safe bet the poster is attempting to behave towards you in a friendly, good-natured manner and not in an abrasive, combative manner.

Now try this one:

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一期一会
Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

Well, I too had to remove the fan shroud. I hope I don't have to do the other stuff. Would it be OK to leave the driver side bolted and use a hoist on the passenger side mount? I am thinking that would concentrate the force on that side only as opposed to a jack on the pan. It may also be a bit more secure and I could have a jack under the pan as a safety.

It does seem now that it is stuck on the frame below at the torsion rods. It also appears that perhaps someone had already slightly ground a "notch" in the mount, or does it come that way? It is only on the bent "lip" around the edge in one small area. I am beginning to wonder if when whomever put this engine in maybe the mounts were not 100% correct. the car is a 73 Duster and the block is from late 70's early 80's.

Thank you everyone.

Well, I am certainly not an expert but my sons 72 Dart did have an oil pump failure and I pulled and replaced the pump in the driveway. What I did was Drain the antifreeze a little, removed upper hose (no fan shroud) removed both motor mounts, and oil filter and distributor. Then jack up under pan and lift as far as you can. Then I placed a simple scissor jack between the passenger side fender and the Alternator and pushed the engine towards the drivers side. This gave me enough room the get out the pump. I may have pulled the Alternator and pushed on the bracket. I can't remember for sure.
I think I had the oil pump out in about 1 hour, maybe a little longer. This car did have 6 into 1 headers on it too, so they restricted the movement a little.
Hope that helps a little, Rick

Many years ago on the old MML, I made the claim that of the 3 Mopar engine familes of the 60s and 70s (G/RG, LA, B/RB), the big-blocks were far and away the easiest ones to work on for general maintenance. 10-odd years later, I still stand by that.

Oil pump: Big-block is front driver's side, tight but doable without lifting the engine. LA is inside the pan, G/RG you all know and love. Big-block wins.

Oil pan: The big-block is a deep-skirt block with all 4 pan gasket surfaces FLAT. No 4-piece gaskets, no curved sections that have to be glued to the pan to hold them in place, etc. Big-block wins.

Distributor: Front passengers side on the B/RB, way in the back on the LA, buried on the pass. side for the G/RG. The G/RG is the big loser here because of the 3 its the only one you can get off by a gear tooth. The B/RB and LA are both slotted drives in the top of the intermediate shaft, so you're either exactly right or 180 out. Just remember which general direction the rotor was pointing, and you'll get it right.

Water pump: 4 bolts plus the 4 pulley bolts for a B/RB, don't even have to remove but 1 belt. The slant is almost as easy, just a few more bolts. The LA loses big-time, since many of the accessories have to come off.

Oil filter- right up front, horizontal, on driver's side. Big-block wins.

Intake manifold- no coolant passages on the big-block or slant, but the big-block doesn't have the alignment issues with the exhaust manifold. The LA requires draining the cooling system (and making sure you get all the cooling passages re-sealed).

The slant certainly wins starter replacement, steering gear service/ replacement (LHD only- sorry for our Aussie pals), carb adjustment, and valve adjustment (on those equipped with mechanical tappets) so it isn't exactly a slam-dunk for the B/RB. But overall, the big-block seems very well organized.

Can't think of anything the LA wins outright- but its still not exactly "hard" to work on. I love 'em all!

Want a car that'll make you cuss the air blue (and bruise your knuckles blue too)? Try an 80s GM. Try an 80s Cadillac with the POS HT4100 in particular. Or pretty much any Japanese car.

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hey msz,
you need your rig set up like this.
walk right in !




regards,Rod

Well, bad weather in Dallas kept me home until tomorrow....bummer. So, I may try this evening with these ideas and get something going. I think Walpolla is on the right track. My 50 Chevy Pickup is like that even with the fenders on. Nice and easy, need no jacks to slide under, plenty of room in the engine area. 440_Magnum is right too, I can't stand the new cars or the rice-burners. No manly man with manly man hands can get around in those. I'll let y'all know how I finally make out on this.

I must admit, I was delighted to see that it was on the outside with 5 bolts. Then even more delighted that a part was on hand in town. I was thinking I could knock it out in a few minutes. I realized I needed to pull the distributor to even get the bolts out........it was downhill from there.