We were working on the Binder Monday night and a Redline customer stopped by to visit. He told me that he knows a guy that works on Scouts and this guy recommends taking the 345 out and replacing it with a 383 or 440 Chrysler engine since they already have a 727 Torqueflite transmission and IH engines are so expensive to rebuild.

I want to set a couple facts straight right here.

First off, the 727 in my Scout is not the same as a Dodge and will not bolt up to a 440 or 383. IH had their own distinctive bolt pattern for the bellhousing.

Second, the 345 is not more expensive to build than the 440. Currently on Northern Auto Parts’ website a 345 engine kit is $717 while a 440 kit is $843.

A 440 or 383 might be more powerful, but they are not cheaper and they won’t just drop in to a Scout II.

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There was some discussion this weekend about 1st gear ratios in a 4L80E transmission. I just wanted to make sure everyone noticed the transmission gear ratio chart for offroad and performance vehicles available on Bob’s Bad Binder.com.

Also, if anyone sees any additions that should be made to the list, please feel free to post them in the comments.

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This is actually a trick I found while working on my Warrior, but might be handy for any Scout guys working on their rigs.

From the American Welding Society forums.

When you have an internal bearing race that is being stubborn and not wanting to come out, or you don’t have the correct puller, you can run a weld bead on the internal bearing surface of the race and as it cools it will shrink and fall out in most cases (this is only for the removal of bearings that you aren’t trying to save for future use). the welding process can be any of them except for possibly oxy-acet due to the peripheral heating of the area, GTAW, SMAW, GMAW, or FCAW will all work. You do need to consider how weld spatter can impact the area surrounding the bearing pocket. For sensitive areas GTAW will work the best without causing damage from spatter contamination. You also have to take great care with where you place the ground as improper grounding can cause damage to other bearings that may be part of the system or to other machined surfaces.

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