Tioga76 wrote:
Thanks for the advice. I'm glad to hear that I don't need a complete valve job because I don't have the $$ for that this year. I'm curious though... I've heard that using unleaded gas on these old engines can be harmful to the valves. My owners manual says to use leaded gas only, so I add a lead substitute to the gas sometimes but I'm not consistent with it. I'm not old enough to even remember leaded gas - does the use of unleaded harm the engine?:h
I think your engine is okay ... I think it was around 1975 that they started building engines to use unleaded gas. (My 1977 B200 was fine on unleaded gas ... I drove it for 8-1/2 years and 170,000+ miles.) Yes, I remember leaded gas ... and remember the introduction of unleaded gas ... I think I even used unleaded gas in my '49 Int'l Metro and '66 Dodge Polara sometimes, without using lead substitute.
Older engines (prior to early '70s) didn't have hardened valve seats and needed the lead in the gas to make the valve seats last. People who want older engines to last a long time get the heads induction hardened or replace the heads with later-model heads. (I'm replacing the heads on my '69 318-3 with late '70s heads ... already got the heads, built up by Outrageously Vintage in Maine.)
Some people just use lead substitute and some just use straight unleaded gas and replace the heads when the valves beat the seats to death.
Like I said, I'm fairly sure your engine was built for unleaded gas but you could do a little research to determine when Mopar started using hardened valve seats in their engines. (Start by calling the local dealer or search the Allpar.com website.)
