Stupid Thing I missed W/Pic. Pissed at Myself.

[1 Wild R/T]

Looks like I was gonna be 1/2" short.... Seems like I've heard that before.. 

[anlauto]

Much worse when it's a customer's car and you have to do all that labour and gaskets out of your own pocket

[worthywads]

When I was reassembling my T/A and when we first started the engine, I had coolant leaking from a bolt in the front of the engine.  I can't remember which one now, if it was a water pump bolt or something else.  I was freaking out because the bolt was tight and I had no clue why it was leaking or what to do to fix.
Fortunately Mopar Mitch, who is here on the board, was helping me and told me the bolt in question penetrated a water jacket in the block, and you simply needed to coat the bolt with some sort of gasket material or sealer which he had a tube of.  We did that and the leak was cured.   
Maybe someone here can remind me of what sealer you use on bolts that penetrate a water jacket?

Reminded me of putting headers on my brothers 72 340 Cuda back around 1979.  Removed that bolt and coolants leaking out and we had no idea.  Probably stoned while doing it and panicking, thinking something was terribly wrong.  Called our more knowledgeable cousin and got the scoop on that, panic over.

[Chryco Psycho]

The liquid teflon thread sealer works great 

[Scooter]

Heh.. that ain't too bad and I'm all about admitting stupid... many years later. 

Back in the 80's I was in the USAF and had pulled the 383 out of this thing for a rebuild.



This was at the base hobby shop in the middle of summer & that concrete pad was hot as hell. The woodshop was right next door and the blower covered the car in sawdust daily. FFD a few weeks and I get the longblock back. Me and a few friends went at it in the 100 degree heat and wrestled the rebuilt motor in. Had the exhaust and most of the accessories in, probably 90% done with install. We were down to the intake & carb, really close to finished after a long day baking in the sun... we might have been hungover to boot.  I put the intake gasket in place. For those not familiar with the motor the gasket it looks like a big cookie sheet as it covers the entire cam galley. It has 3 small bolts at front and rear to help it seal. One of my buddies laid 3 of the bolts on the gasket while I was not paying attention. I raised the gasket to get the holes lined up better for the intake and we both watched in horror as the 3 bolts roll down the gasket into the motor and disappeared past the cam. I can still hear the noise those 3 lil bolts made as they rolled down the gasket in my mind today. Photo of our faces as we looked at each other would have been "priceless". Dropped the oil pan.. they were not there.

Longish story short.. the motor had to come back out be put on an engine stand and rotated until the 3 bolts fell out.

Would have paid hard cash to have only missed a timing cover bolt.

You're doing fine.