Uncle Tony says Mopar engines have a fatal flaw

[lyndondb]

You did nail it. I had a 440 six pack set up in 71 (still have it today on the left) and I did exactly the same as you described. Got into and spun a bearing - twice. Finally before ruining the engine I put a chrome steel crank and 8 quart pan and stayed out of it a little more. Still in there running fine today. I however, do not stand on it as I did as a 19 year old.

 

[66Satellite47]

I had my drag cars spinning 7,000 plus RPM and never spun a rod bearing. The steel crank would wear out, rod bearings never did.

 

[RemCharger]

I had my drag cars spinning 7,000 plus RPM and never spun a rod bearing. The steel crank would wear out, rod bearings never did.

Exactly. I'll even throw out "3/8 pickup"

 

[Michael_]

He's part right and part full of **** on that point...
True, the original a-body design was not intended for a V8.
False, that the b-body (and subsequent e-bodies) weren't meant to have a V8 either.
Both were designed from the get-go to handle any factory engine Ma manufactured - which they handle
fine, of course.

Complete rubbish and an insult to the Chrysler engineers.
All the manufacturers were stuffing bigger and bigger engines into their cars during the horsepower wars. There has to be some compromise in any automobile between styling, handling, acceleration, top speed, ride, noise etc and it might mean you struggle to change your engine mounts on your driveway with a Swiss army knife and a screwdriver but to say the platform was never intended for V8's is ludicrous.
Meanwhile us "pitiable creatures" (as you referred to us in your last rant against Chrysler) continue to work on our cars with the right tools, patience and understanding of how things work in the real world.

If you have to change spark plugs on a 440 equipped b body it's not far fetched to think that the engine was an afterthought in this chassis. It reminds you of a well executed engine swap.

Try using one of these devices with your big block equipped mopar:

They should have written "the easy way as long as you do not own a big block chrysler"

But again i'm not trying to bash mopars, i love them. Otherwise i would have sold mine, made a big profit and bought something else, right?
Working room is just the one big drawback for me. Otherwise i have nothing to complain about really.

 

[Runcharger]

Change plugs on a 428 Mustang and get back to us on that.

 

[dadsbee]

Ever try changing the plugs on a V8 Monza Spyder...

 

[66Satellite47]

A BB Mopar may not be the easiest to change plugs, but once you get the right tools and a little experience not too difficult.

 

[440 PHIXX]

Ever try changing the plugs on a V8 Monza Spyder...

I’ve heard the FSM recommends removing the motor mount bolts, and lifting the engine 6”.

 

[66Satellite47]

Ever try changing the plugs on a V8 Monza Spyder...

Have to laugh, almost pulling the motor to change a spark plug!!

 

[moparedtn]

If you have to change spark plugs on a 440 equipped b body it's not far fetched to think that the engine was an afterthought in this chassis. It reminds you of a well executed engine swap.

Try using one of these devices with your big block equipped mopar:

View attachment 1382931

They should have written "the easy way as long as you do not own a big block chrysler"

But again i'm not trying to bash mopars, i love them. Otherwise i would have sold mine, made a big profit and bought something else, right?
Working room is just the one big drawback for me. Otherwise i have nothing to complain about really.

I've been doing plugs in my 440 cars most of my adult life - with headers!
Lookit, it's a big-assed engine. So was the 396 in the Chevelle I had in HS. so was the 455 Pontiacs
both my brothers had when we were young - and they all presented certain challenges when working
on them.
Why?
Because they're big-assed engines.
By way of comparison, I greatly dislike working on most anything built in the last 15 years.
Why? All the hoses, wires, sensors, plastic vanity (useless) covers - all of that gets in the damn way,
not to mention the engine bays themselves get smaller each year too.
If you have adult male hands, they're ready to slice and dice your digits.
Might explain why most of the mechanics I see in dealerships anymore are skinny little fellas...

 

[Michael_]

Change plugs on a 428 Mustang and get back to us on that.

I know. Uncle tony mentioned their drawbacks in a couple of videos I've seen in the past.
But i'm not a ford guy so i can live with that. I like some of their body styles, though.

Ever try changing the plugs on a V8 Monza Spyder...

A compact car with a v8, i wonder why? [/irony off]

 

[440 PHIXX]

I know. Uncle tony mentioned their drawbacks in a couple of videos I've seen in the past.
But i'm not a ford guy so i can live with that. I like some of their body styles, though.



A compact car with a v8, i wonder why? [/irony off]

Motion Performance run by Joel Rosen on Long Island put a few L88 427 and LS6 454’s in Vega’s. Basically the same car.

 

[Michael_]

Motion Performance run by Joel Rosen on Long Island put a few L88 427 and LS6 454’s in Vega’s. Basically the same car.

That sounds like a fun car except to work on.

 

[66Satellite47]

It seems to me that Uncle Tony is a dufus. I would not pay attention to much he has to say.

 

[RemCharger]

If you have to change spark plugs on a 440 equipped b body it's not far fetched to think that the engine was an afterthought in this chassis. It reminds you of a well executed engine swap.

Try using one of these devices with your big block equipped mopar:

View attachment 1382931

They should have written "the easy way as long as you do not own a big block chrysler"

But again i'm not trying to bash mopars, i love them. Otherwise i would have sold mine, made a big profit and bought something else, right?
Working room is just the one big drawback for me. Otherwise i have nothing to complain about really.

I don't have the dexterity to play piano.
Therefore; all pianos are built wrong and stupid.

But seriously.. don't compress an air fuel mixture into your tires.
Follow along for more common sense, I mean advice.

 

[#41]

As a generalization, you have to be running around 12.5 in the quarter to get 1G at launch. You have to be going way faster than any stock 60-70's muscle car could go to get to 1.5 launch G. The pan is as full is as it going to get at the line, and max G is only momentary at the launch before it drops off. You still have 1 G of gravity the entire run pulling the oil downward. ... so for stock cars or even moderately hot-rodded cars, I find it hard to believe that the stock pans are flawed. I'm also not buying his equation that this is why there were a bunch of Hemi's with spun bearings. Like any performance car, they spun bearings because they were flogged to death.

 

[moparedtn]

As a generalization, you have to be running around 12.5 in the quarter to get 1G at launch. You have to be going way faster than any stock 60-70's muscle car could go to get to 1.5 launch G. The pan is as full is as it going to get at the line, and max G is only momentary at the launch before it drops off. You still have 1 G of gravity the entire run pulling the oil downward. ... so for stock cars or even moderately hot-rodded cars, I find it hard to believe that the stock pans are flawed. I'm also not buying his equation that this is why there were a bunch of Hemi's with spun bearings. Like any performance car, they spun bearings because they were flogged to death.

Am I naive' to believe if there was an actual oil starvation issue with these engines on the street,
we'd at least see some indication of such on the gauge?

 

[davek]

Sorry Wayne but I have to disagree with you - I blew up my 440 GTX 3 times street racing back in the day……Lol

Albiet each time was spun rod bearings so they weren’t a death nell to the engine…..

that happens when you red line it at 10,000 RPM

 

[padam]

UT not getting enough attention.

 

[GetX'd]

that happens when you red line it at 10,000 RPM

Well you got that right. When I first bought the car it may have been treated a little harshly and spun a couple of rods in the first year. I‘m thinking the guy I had do it - didn’t do me any favors but I was young, dumb and a little poor. The 2nd time I took it to a very highly regarded technical school (Dunwoody Institute) in Mpls. They kept the car all winter and completely tore it down to nuts and bolts and rebuilt the whole engine. The only thing was they wouldn’t do anything that wasn’t pure stock cause I wanted a new bigger cam and a few other things. The cam in there was already a a rumbler so I just had them put the same one back in rather than going pure stock with that. When Dunwoody does something - they do it right - warranties and all. Cost me $500. Zero for the labor. Had zero problems with her forever after - until I restored the entire car - everything 3 decades later.

But you’re absolutely right I street raced the hell out of that thing - strip too. And I did run it up until you could hear the valves floating many times. Only used my factory tach so you were never really sure where you were. You went by sound and feel. You know what I’m talking about. Boy those were the days……..