rear main seals can be fixed without pulling the motor.....
start by getting a repair manual for dakotas, Chilton or Clymer, at your autoparts store....it will tell you how to replace that seal.
That, so far, sounds like all you need. Needs come first, any wants are for in the future when you have a job. Cars are expensive to own even when they don't need repair.

The tic noise, make triple damn sure it is internal to the engine before pulling the engine and taking it apart. One old trick, using a wooden dowel, or a 3 foot piece of broomstick (cut with a saw, not broken), place one end on the engine where you think the noise is coming from, place the other end against your ear.

Unless the oil leak is really bad, live with it? Oil is cheap compared to yanking that engine.

But get that compression test first.....then get back to the forum.... we'll help you learn..

 

As an 18 year old I fully understand where you're coming from. Personally, it runs ok? Drive it. Leaks suck, but if you only have a $300 budget and no means of income, don't go looking to blow what you have. $300 will NOT rebuild a motor. I built a cheap *** 403 for my cutlass, it cost me a little over $800 with all used parts except for gaskets and fluids, however it took 3 years of trading and finding deals to do it.

If you open this motor, when you take off the bearings you will need to measure clearances. The crank may need to be polished to make proper clearances and smooth everything out. Re ringing may require more than just a hone. If it is worn and NEEDS rings, it will probably need an overbore to clean up the cylinders which also means new pistons for the larger cylinder bore. Now you will have an expensive but fresh bottom end, with a worn top end. Now you do a valve job on the heads and weld up the common crack in the center divider, you now are at a $500+ machine shop bill, plus the rings, bearings, gaskets, and other assorted parts you should replace. When all is said and done, best case scenario you will have almost $1000 total. Then the day after you do all this work and complete it you'll pop a brake line, or the battery will die and you will have depleted ALL of your money and have no means to fix it. It's Murphy's law.

I work and go to college, still live at home. I do not have the income to do these things, I fix what I have too. My truck had a leaking front seal, when it finally went and was SPEWING oil (literally came out of the case cover) then I did it and replaced all the parts I was near that had to be done to prevent double work later. $250 later, I have a new lower rad hose, new timing chain, front seal, and some other odds and ends. This of course came right on the heels of a $300 parts purchase that I needed that depleted my "Oh ****" fund. So on the credit card the necessary parts went and I had to pay them off. NOT a fun way to do things.
Sorry if I come off preachy but just my humble opinion.

 

Word.

 

ok i am listening to you guys and i decided i am going to take the engine out for fun i don't have to drive this truck ever so it would be a good winter project. When the engine is out i plan on buying a manual trans from a junkyard that guarantees them. convert the truck to a manual then sell the auto and what ever Christmas money i didn't spend on the trans and the money i sell the auto for i will put toward just a gasket set for the engine. What do you guys think about that and remember that the truck only has 128,000 miles on it so there shouldn't be any internal damage

 

If you want to pull this motor and clean it up, I suggest regasketing it only. Get a gasket set, and do valve covers, intake, oil pan, front cover (maybe do a timing chain while you're in there), rear main if its leaking. I suggest NOT pulling it apart if it runs fine, don't go looking for trouble fixing what isn't broken. Do a compression test before you pull it and see where you're at. While its out, clean it up real good, slap on some new gaskets, paint it and drop it back in. That's my humble opinion.
I know what its like to want to work on something, but keep it simple. Not that pulling a motor and regasketing is a simple task everyone can do, but don't make more of the job than it needs to be.

As for your stick swap, research what you'll need. I know I have done the research to swap my cutlass over to a stick and I will someday, but after putting in a race th350 built for way more power than I'll ever have its not the top of my priorities list. I do however understand wanting to do the stick swap. Good luck with it and keep us posted.

 

Thanks marcar1993 that's what i plan on do and i will have all winter and most of spring to research the stick swap but i defiantly want to do a gasket kit and clean and paint the engine

 

i would do the timing chain and gears if i where you if you take the engine out. it would be a hell of a lot easier to do it without the front end in the way

 

Don't go to all the trouble and expense you are talking about and not take the time to thoroughly go through the engine. The added "expense" is far cheaper in preventative maintenance. Don't half *** it or you will be sorry.

 

yeah i will replace the timing chain and sprockets but Shelby fan what else should i do that is cheap im only doing this with money i make on random jobs and my Christmas present

 

Honestly while I agree with shelbyfan, if you're doing it, do it once, however with your budget after you do a compression test if everything checks out, leave the internals alone. It becomes a mountain of might-as-wells that will become more costly than you can afford. If you open it up and do one thing, you really should do everything (as I noted above). If it checks out ok, just re gasket it and clean it up.