I'm swapping a running 400 into my 1979 F-250 that had a barely running 400. The donor motor had a front sump pan and the 79 motor had a rear sump pan. I swapped the rear sump oil pump and pan onto the donor motor. The rear sump pan has the dipstick in the pan and the donor motor has the dipstick in the block. I had to take the donor motor's block dipstick out to get the rear sump pan to fit so now I have a hole in the side of the block I need to close up. Any suggestions? I figure a gobber of RTV would work but I'm wondering if there is a specific plug I can get for an application like this.

Also, what is the best way to clean a greasy fingerprint off of a clutch disc I intend to reuse? I should have been more careful but it's done now. I figured a shot of carb cleaner and a clean rag would clean it off I just don't know if carb cleaner would damage the friction material.

 

There is a threaded plug with the square hole....look in your old rear sump block for it, and match it up with the same size from the local part store. ( I say that because, it would be easier than trying to remove the plug from the other block)

 

Do all of these blocks have that hole?

Ie; Could i remove the pug from my block and convert to having the dipstick in the block instead of the pan?

G.

 

The pan is rear sump, so the pan dipstick is made to reach to the level it needs to be for the rear sump pan. Using the block dipstick will likely bottom out on the front part of the rear sump pan and give you a false level reading. As for the plug, I'm not positive if all of them had them. I'm guessing you had an early 70's car engine, and since the timing cover is non-removable on the 400, then the plug was the only way to "fix" the block to allow the pan type dipstick to work.

 

The other 400 block is sitting all clean and lightly oiled and bagged up so I didn't want to open it up to see if their was a plug I could scalp. I don't recall seeing one during teardown anyway. I just wiped down the hole and gobbered some silicone on it yesterday and put the motor in the truck. It really only has to keep moisture and dirt out and the motor will only be in the truck for about a year so I figured it was okay that way. I still need to bolt in the clutch and transmission so does anybody have any home remedies for getting a grease smudge off of the friction plate?