413 Engine, Pro's & Con's

Yes it has 516 heads, they are okay but small valves and goofy bump in exhaust port. Not something I would call a match with that intake. It is a forged crank engine, cast did not show up till 70s. I would be suspect of cam break in (ran a few minutes?), also ? the forged pistons, pistons in general aren't just everywhere for a 413. If the trans is a 67 up and the shiny stuff on the top of the engine it is probably worth 750-850. I would not buy it with the intention of stroking it, bore size is too small.
 
70bigblockdodge said:
Yes it has 516 heads, they are okay but small valves and goofy bump in exhaust port. Not something I would call a match with that intake. It is a forged crank engine, cast did not show up till 70s. I would be suspect of cam break in (ran a few minutes?), also ? the forged pistons, pistons in general aren't just everywhere for a 413. If the trans is a 67 up and the shiny stuff on the top of the engine it is probably worth 750-850. I would not buy it with the intention of stroking it, bore size is too small.
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The stroker will be with one of my 440 blocks. Yeah the intake doesn't match the heads, I'd put something more practical on.
 
Go for it, if you feel like rolling the dice. The price seems fair if it works, but the advice from others mirrors my own... with engine work, it is way too easy to do wrong and invest many $$$ into what becomes a boat anchor. The mismatch of parts, like the intake can cause it to drive poorly... but screwing up with the bearings, the bores, the rings the cam... seems like an endless list of potential disasters waiting to be found.

Shame is, this could be a good engine, but without a way to run it... no way to prove it. All you can do with it on the stand is a cylinder leakdown test (on an unbroken in, sitting for 2 years engine) and try to convince the seller to let you pull the heads to assure the bores haven't turned to rust.

I personally don't consider a previous rebuild a good bet... unless I can check it out running. Too many folks with credit cards and ambitions, but lacking the knowledge and tools to really do the job correctly. Too many seem to want to remove maximum amounts of materials to bump displacement a few numbers, but don't understand they have removed all that was there to compensated for wear in the future.
 
Ok, so say the guy let's me tear it down, what all would I check? The obvious signs of rust in the cylinders, bearings, where else? (Yeah I know, pretty optimistic someone let's me do this.) What other things to check?
 
I don't think that this question has been asked. The engine was allegedly started and run for a few minutes. Why wasn't the motor run to break in the cam? I see that as a red flag.
 
FURYGT said:
I don't think that this question has been asked. The engine was allegedly started and run for a few minutes. Why wasn't the motor run to break in the cam? I see that as a red flag.
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"Wanted to hear it run" was the answer I was given. I have another cam I can put in, but if the cam that's in there got damaged, would the bearings also be damaged?
 
Do you have a trusted machine shop/engine builder? If so ask them their opinion and estimate for you. Then do your comparison and go forward.
 
So the general consensus is that I should treat the 413 as a core, and maybe it has some useful parts in it. It should probably be taken down to as bare as possible with all clearances checked, and fitment of all pieces, assuming the worst, hoping for the best.

The motorhome guys got back to me, 1000 for the 68-69 with an aledged 50,000 miles, and 1800 for the 75 Titan (use it as a hunting rig) with 72,000 miles. And then get it out, then get rid of the carcass, while living in town and having enough cars already.

I'll talk to the seller and see what we can work out.
 
You can do most checks just pulling the pan and intake/valley pan. If the seller seems true/honest I would probably just pull pan and measure bearings, you can see if they are new pistons from bottom (will still be clean) with such little run time. You can see the chain past front main cap make sure slinger is on correctly( for some reason this confuses a lot of people). Up top(valley pan and valve covers off) pull rockers make sure they are on shaft correctly, pull lifters look for straight rub marks put back in same hole. If all that looks good I would snug rocker shafts down, leaving push rods out fill with oil, prime oiling system while rotating to get oil to rocker shafts. Set it at about 10° BTDC on compression/power stoke#1.cyl. Lube cam and under the lifters with molylube not that BS cam grease, then reinstall push rods, button it up, and put it in your Dart and break it in.
Then run it as long as you need to get your stroker done.
That's my 2 cents FWIW.
 
So everyone is focused on the engine for whether it is in good mechanical repair. There's another issue. If it runs perfectly, was it built with components that are any good?

It's got a single plane intake and a cam that's noticeably lopey at idle, indicating a lot of duration. With that, it's got small-port heads. Since the guy isn't bragging about lots of port work, I'm going to infer that they're stock. So that means you have a cam and intake that favor high end, and heads that can't support it. What you lose in torque, you make up for in a flat top-end!

I'd say that the reason you don't pay much more than a core price is because my best guess says it's a bad amateur build.
 
Well, I just got back from picking up the engine. I took the approach that the engine was a core, and the seller was cool with that. I paid $850 for the engine and trans (think it came out of an RV, it's got a short tailshaft, but not like I've seen) and an extra $100 for a 3 core aluminum radiator. He threw in a couple extra alternators and a bunch of misc parts. I'll take the intake off, probably seap to a set of 452's I have laying around, and if the cam is toast, I have one waiting to go in. Considering the cheapest running 440 i came across was $1000 and an hour and a half away, in an RV that the driveability was in question, and the hassle of removing it and getting rid of the hulk of an RV, I think I did ok. Turns over, nice and firm. Might get the Dart mobil this year yet.
 
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IMG_20170902_213430.jpg

The shifter might actually find it's way into my 72 W200, maybe.
 
Well bought.

If you know what your cam is and like the grind, I'd go ahead and swap it in now. Why put it in your Dart and find you don't like it?
 
bajajoaquin said:
Well bought.

If you know what your cam is and like the grind, I'd go ahead and swap it in now. Why put it in your Dart and find you don't like it?
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Agree 100%. Be a couple days before I can tear into this and see what all it has.
 
I think the 413 may have came from a motorhome also or at least the exhaust manifolds did.
 
LocuMob said:
View attachment 141166
The shifter might actually find it's way into my 72 W200, maybe.
Click to expand...
Sitting as she is, you could do a leakdown test easily, and if you're brave... you could block up the engine and try a compression test.

I still cant get over the RB situation up there, I had thought you guy's had more cars and junkyards left.
 
Mopar = money.

I cut right to the chase and asked what he was thinking for price and I heard, "I have over 2 grand into this" and I just repeated what a coupke people said here, its going to have to be tore apart and gone through, and I'm basically buying parts. The shifter is almost $300, the intake another 300, carb almost 400, Chinese radiator 150, air cleaner 50, so I got my moneys worth. Now to see what shape it's in.
 
Last year this time, I was struggling to get an Edelbrock Performer RPM to use on th Dart, I got it but the rest didn't work out. This year buy a while damn engine and transmission.
 
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