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Hi Steve - Thanks for putting this thread together
It's pretty well too late - I have today ordered up a short block B from Amayama, along with a bunch of miscellaneous bits & pieces - they should be here before the end of the month. Even though I haven't yet taken the engine out of the truck, I have been down this road so often that I know I will need a new crank, bearings, possibly rod(s) and / or possibly a block. This is a real shame, because the current block has new sleeves, pistons, rods, cam bearings etc.
I will have a lot of surplus stuff to give away should anyone be interested ... I don't yet know what that stuff will be, but ...
Did Amayama confirm they have stock? I've ordered hard to find stuff from them before only to be told they actually didn't have it in stock.
I have found that when Amayama quotes a price and delivery date, it is generally in stock - but you never know. Megazip also claims to have a B short block, too, but for significantly more bucks,
Did Amayama confirm they have stock? I've ordered hard to find stuff from them before only to be told they actually didn't have it in stock.
You were right, Amayama cannot supply the B short block.
I did find a dead 3B in Delta that I might be able to fix (water in Number 1) but I don't know about compatibility issues with engine mounts, bell housings, transmission, etc. Does anybody have experience swapping out a B for a 3B ?
See you all this evening ... Glenn
I believe the one in Delta is an 81; my BJ40 is a 1978Only hiccup is aluminum vs cast iron bellhousing, where the starters are a little different, but that's only if you found a much newer 3b. 85 maybe?
All the s*** from your B will swap right over even if you did hit that snag tho so it's not a big deal.
The 85's are arguably a bit better so it's worth it if you found one. 5 bearing cam is the biggest difference I think?
You definitely need to take some beer over to Steve's place and go shopping