Newbie with a 400

[SuperK]

Hi everyone!
New to this forum but no stranger to Mopars of the RWD kind.
I towed home a 1983 Dodge 400 Coupe on Friday.
Black/silver,with silver landau top and red velvet interior.Buckets and floorr shift console.Classy Super K IMHO,LOL!
It was running but the 2.2l crapped out on my initial look see visit.
The car was never winter driven,thus in excellent shape body and interior wise.
I decided to buy it anyways since the mechanicals on the K cars are so easy to fix--if you know what you are doing.(Follow up on this later )
The previous owner may be a member here--not sure.
He stated the 400 coupe is a rare beast with very few survivors left in existence.Anybody here able to confirm that?
Hard to believe it when I first started working in the auto service industry every other car on the road was either a K car or Phord Tempo.I am more aware how scarce these thing are now.Wrecking yards never have any--all got crushed.
I must admit I totally ignored the FWD cars since I was knee deep in 440's,383's and drove a number of daily grinders with 318's and slant sixes for many years.
I still love my 68 Newport 383,73 Satellite wagon with 318/3 on da tree,and 2006 300C with the HEMI!!
Gaz is not coming down in price and the 400 (known as the Super K)fit the bill just right with the combo of cheap to fix,cheap on gas,and cheap to insure.
Now I can get good MPG and still get my Mopar fix.
Cheers!!

[bret signorelli]

welcome , I hope you can get your 400 running soon so you can save on gas. what area are you from? I'm from santa maria ca with a 84 new yorker 2.2L turbo.

[SuperK]

Now for the engine...
Just for giggles at my shop on my day off,we tore into it under the hood.
She would not catch,sounded like out of time.
Mind you the car sat for six months,and the Holley 2bbl was not in a good mood..
Got fuel (too much actually!) and got spark.
Removed the timing belt cover and the cam sprocket came off in my hands.
The was no washer behind the bolt.
The sprocket pulled through,and the key way on the butt end of the cam was destroyed.
Hence,the crank was turning the belt,but no turning of the cam.
The previous owner had paid good money for a head gasket job along with a replacement cam and new belt.
Not his fault, but it was obvious the technician who worked on this car overlooked a simple ten cent washer that cost a day's worth of repairs.
Just to get the Super K running, my good mechanic I work with welded up the end of the camshaft,and fabricated a slot for a new keyway.
With a couple washers and a key way laying around in the shop,he jammed on the cam sprocket and timing belt.
With all the messing around prior to finding the problem,it was obvious the timing was way,way off and with several attempts,we finally got her to run.
Boy! She was loaded up! Lots of backfiring and bangs as the unburnt ignited!!
After 20 minutes of running and some laps around the garage parking lot,she settled down,idled on her own and fired up on her own.
very happy that I do not have to replace the entire motor.
Ultimately,I will have to replace the damaged cam,but there are no knocks bangs or clunks from the Trenton built 2.2L
The front rotors and rear tires need to be replace for inspection,and repair a small exhaust leak in the extension pipe.
With a fresh battery,everything inside the car works perfectly.
Hoping to take some pics tomorrow and post them here when i get a chance!
Hoping to have her on the road within the next month.
Ta ta for now!

[Pete in NH]

Hi,

Welcome to the club! I'm looking forward to seeing some pictures of the 400. I too go way back with Chrysler products and still have my 1971 Charger with a 383 which I bought new in 71. Interesting find on the engine cam shaft issue. Many k car owners here claim its getting very difficult to find knowledgable people to work on these cars. Sounds like the previous mechanic Was either in a hurry , sloppy or didn't understand about the thrust washers on the cam.

[SuperK]

Thanks for the warm welcome.
I took a big gamble buying the car not running--but it paid off in spades.
I can now focus on getting it ready to pass safety inspection and get it in the road.

[bret signorelli]

it's good to have a knowledgable mechanic like yourself

[SuperK]

Thanks! It also helps to have great co-workers working as a team and share similar interests.
The guys were determined to get her going,LOL!!
Well,hare are some pics I took today..

[SuperK]

Car was garaged all its life and never winter driven-despite showing a scant 90,000 kilometers on the odometer.
The well appointed interior was posh in its day.
It is absolutley mint,mint,mint.

[SuperK]

She is still wearing two of her original 1857014 Godyear Arriva wide whites!!
A third is in the trunk for spare.
They are toast and have to be replaced to pass inspection.
Plans are to buy portawalls and install over the new blackwall tires.

[SuperK]

I know this may be no big deal for members who live in the southern states where there is snow..
But for an Ontario car,the belly of the beast is unbelievable.
I will get better pics once i put her up on the hoist at my shop.
Factory paint still lives here.Some road rash,but I can take care of that.
Note the solid line between the silver over the factory black.
Still has the original exhaust,brake and fuel lines.
This is the cleanest K I had ever seen in 25 years.
Typically,all three mentioned are rotted beyond recognition up here in the salt belt.