I'm not hip, Daddy-O, but what's a "Dropout?"

[Tom and Vipers]

It must be some kind of New Age VEGAN lingo since non of my buddies in the business have heard about it.

Could it be "what" you Drop In?

 

[GreenVenom]

?? I know what a dropout is on bicycle and motorcycle frames. And the school type too.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

Yeah, I'm with you, Green

There's gotta' be sum Hipsters here that know...

 

[bluesrt]

a dropout is someone that quit school... hahahaha

 

[speedracervr4]

What does this have to do with RT10/GTS Discussions?

 

[gb66gth]

The guy I used to buy *** from in high school.

 

[Allan]

does beavis and butthead have a forum?

..........they might know.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

What does it have to do with Vipers?

Well it turns out that most all the complete Viper engines on eBay are "dropout" engines.

I don't like the sound of the word - it never meant anything good in the past and I don't expect it to mean anything good in the future.

I would never buy a "dropout engine" if I could buy an "engine."

Like I said, I have a good friend that has owned a body shop all his life and buys every possible component/assembly from junk yards and he never heard of the term. Nor have any of my friends who range from other auto professionals to people with massive car collections.

So what does "dropout" mean?

Thanks
Tom

 

[bluesrt]

i have been around cars and wrenches for about 38 years, i can tell you i have never heard of it, so its either a region name term or a made up name from someone

 

[Tom and Vipers]

I know, its frustrating.

Just do an eBay search for "dropout engine" and there are 78 out there right now and most are Viper, then Corvette, but all pretty much high end engines.

I also found the "Complete Dropout" variant of the term too.

While I have no information at all, I'm thinking a Dropout is "read to Drop In" but I'm only guessing.

 

[MoparMap]

Not that this is it, but a lot of cars load the engines in from the bottom now (at like old Chryslers of the past with the K frame). It might just be a reference to an engine that was "dropped out" of the body as opposed to plucked out from the top. Are all the ones on Ebay from one vendor or a bunch of different ones? Might just be a their term for it if it's just a few sellers.

 

[Bugman Jeff]

Like MoparMap said, with many new cars, particular FWDs, it's much easier to remove the engine/trans by dropping the front subframe instead of trying to pull everything out through the hood. In fact, some cars are so space limited that the drivetrain must be removed this way.

 

[Tom and Vipers]

I know the GM LS engines are "poured" into the K-member.

But Viper with 2 old-school frame rails and no crossmembers in the way - do people take them out the bottom ??? (It never occurred to even consider that. Engines that go out the bottom are simply not worth working on in my book.)

 

[MoparMap]

Some can go either way. I know on my 67 Dart that you can actually build up the whole K frame and lower the body over the assembly, but I don't have a lift to be able to do that with, so I plucked it from the top. Generally speaking I think the majority of cars load from the bottom now, probably because of OSHA stuff or something and being easier to reach overhead to do up bolts than to bend over a fender and hurt backs. The Viper loads from the top based on the factory show they had.