Seized slant six 225 1965 Plymouth Belvedere II

[hoffdude]

Hey guys, first post for B Bodies Only, I recently bought a 1965 Plymouth Belvedere II. It was quite the barn find, it only has 62k miles on it and everything on it is original, all the VINs match etc. However, it is going to need a full restoration. I have made great progress with the interior, but I have run into a brick wall so to speak. My engine is seized, not sure where I haven't gotten through the whole tear down yet, but it is going to be a serious pain. Anyway what I'm asking you guys is it worth restoring the engine, for the sake of originality or should I just swap another one in? Mind you I'm a 20 year old college student, who barely has a budget for parts and I do all of the work myself. So time and money are of the essence. I really haven't decided whether I am just going to flip the car or keep it. Is it worth the time and money to restore the engine? Thanks for your time.

 

[hammond472]

You can always swap it with a date coded block. No vins prior to 68 on motor and trans.

 

[Badvert65]

If you just want to have a little fun driving it, just find another slant six (shouldn't be that difficult-they made millions of them) and put that in. You can always hang onto the original engine but I am not certain it will be worth the hassle of saving. I am currently driving around a slant 6 powered 65 Belvedere I and it actually moves pretty good for a six. Car only weighs in at 3200 lbs so that really helps.
I am just working out all the chassis and body kinks before dropping in a big block. But even with the six, it is a blast to drive.

 

[mr. b]

welcome to FBBO I would just drop another motor in it and drive the wheels off of it

 

[Darter6]

Unless the car is a 10 out of 10, making it completely original will cost big bucks.If it is a 4 door for sure don't bother. If it is a 2 door maybe but again you would have more in it than you will ever get out of it.Find a good used Slant( sometimes they are free to a good home) and have fun.

 

[HawkRod]

Welcome to FBBO! Neat car you have!

I agree with the other guys to see if you can find a cheap replacement and throw that in. HOWEVER, given the poor college student status with likely no budget, the question is if you can get this one running. You state it is seized. But the fact that you can't get it to turn over can be all kinds of things. Anything from (no offense meant) that the starter doesn't work and the assumption is that the engine is seized, or, at the other end of the spectrum, it could have had water inside the engine for years and be a totally rusted up piece of scrap iron. Have you taken the plugs out and tried turning it by hand? It is a manual or automatic? If manual, the clutch could have rusted to the flywheel, etc. ...all kinds of possibilities.

Depending on what you have done to determine that it is seized, you might want to try to confirm the issue first. That costs nothing other than a bit of time - and if you get lucky, you might get the 'ol girl running! There are lots of really knowledgeable car guys (and gals) on the forum who can help you out.

Good luck

 

[WileE]

Welcome, lad, & best of luck with your cool find. First, don't get ahead of yourself. Is the engine actually seized ? Know why its not rotating ? Yep... ^ what he just said while I was writing !

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

Slanties were plentifull at our club meeting on Sunday!!


This one sounds like a 340!!

 

[hoffdude]

It is a four door. It is also immaculate condition zero frame rust, the body rust and very minimal floor pan rust, this car is almost perfect, and the paint job is also in fantastic condition. I also ran the VIN and it is a retired detectives car from Virginia. I figured as far as collecting goes and all original 50 year old detectives car with only 62,000 miles on it might go for a pretty buck. The engine is actually seized. The starter was making contact with the flywheel, and just to make sure I took it to a local auto shop and had the starter tested.. it was working perfectly. Then I put a tire iron down on to the flywheel to see if i could get it to crank that way, there really weren't any leverage points. So finally, I removed the radiator and fan to get to the crank pulley. Strangely there was no center bolt on the crank pulley to twist. There are 3 bolts on the front of the crank pulley, I backed them out and used a tire iron on a metal rod to turn the crank pulley, in short it bent the tire iron which I have never seen before. The engine is most definitely seized. I even sprayed PB blaster through the spark plug holes into the cylinders, and still no dice. It is in the best condition that I have ever seen for a 50 year old barn find. If I end up having to swap a new engine in I would love to shoot for a 360 or 383. It has an 8 and 3/4 Posi rear end and a 391 gear, if I am going to spend the money on a different engine I figure go big or go home. Besides I would love to give my brother, AKA Mopar-Charger, some good competition. This is the first mopar I have owned, but I have been surrounded by the greats my whole life.

 

[69roadr]

wow, that car is clean! if you're on a budget, pull that motor and replace with another /6. there's always time in the future (when more funds are available) to put that big block in. congrats on your sweet ride

 

[WileE]

That's a sweet ride ! On a budget, Id try to see if the engine can be done, may only need the crank turned & new bearings. Swapping a V8 into a /6 car opens up a whole can of worms.

 

[HawkRod]

I say since you have gone this far, take the head off and see what you have. If the engine is a rusted pile of crap, then you have lost nothing, but if there is just one cylinder that is sticking, you may be able to free it after some soaking. Will it then burn oil and have poor compression? Probably, but if you have no budget quarts of oil may be cheaper than a donor engine!

The car looks super!!! Nice find!

 

[hoffdude]

*facepalm*

Is this what you mean by a rusted pile of Sh... junk? Or do you guys think I can put new pistons in, hone, and bore it? I have access to a machine shop, so it wouldn't cost me anything.

- - - Updated - - -


Here is a picture of the cleanliness, and shine of this car.

 

[HawkRod]

Wow, talk about opposites. As nice as the car itself is, the engine is the polar opposite.

I'm sure other engine experts will chime in, but as soon as you start tearing the engine down you will then need to buy gaskets, pistons & rings, bearings and on and on and before you know it you will be doing a complete rebuild. I believe you are far likely to have much more in that rebuild than if you find a cheap donor engine.

My vote: Find a cheap donor engine to throw in the car. This is ideal because if you then want to slowly rebuild the original engine you can do so while still driving your car. When the original is rebuilt you can just swap them. If you want to buy a V8 instead you can still do the same thing and swap it when you have all the parts and everything ready, all while keeping the car on the road.

 

[hoffdude]

Alright. Know of any place that I might find a donor engine? Also where would you say the best hoist points on a /6 are?

 

[69roadr]

i was just looking on cl near your area. here's one in NC for $350. better check the trans too. still, sweet looking car. http://eastnc.craigslist.org/pts/4936391016.html
here's some hoist areas you might consider.

 

[WileE]

Yep, I agree.. just get another good /6 to swap in.

 

[hoffdude]

This is such a great group of guys. Thank you all so much for your help. I really appreciate it. There ain't nothing like a good Mopar family. First post in and I already feel apart of it. Do any of you guys go to Mopar Nats?

 

[Bb70charger500]

I'd say slap a new set of pistons and hone it probably bearings too looks like it got stuck someone was trying to free it up by beating that piston with a hammer beings it was closers to the top I'm shure once you free it it will be a good motor the other pistons look new still . Good luck ,

 

[Garys1969RR]

How did you determine that the engine was seized? I thought I had a seized 440 once, turns out the starter was bad and wouldn't turn over the motor. Try putting a socket on the crankshaft bolt and turning it over with a breaker bar. Also maybe squirt some PB Blaster or similar type lubricant into the spark plug holes. Then try rotating the crankshaft.