73 duster project, low buck weekend racer.

[DartorDemon]

This is the project i'm working on. Its a 73 duster 340 clone w/ a 360 auto under the hood.

Good:
Got it dirt cheap for 4500$
Looks very clean inside and out from a distance.
No rust, so next to know body work/restoration is needed.

Bad:
Prior owner did a half-assed clone/restoration
Needs work in a lot of little places.(the little stuff that adds up)
The engine is worn, and feels sluggish.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/07/DSCN03001-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/07/DSCN0270-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/DSCN0276-1.jpg

The first problem i found was the rear end. A 360 car sporting a 6cyl rear end w/ highway gears. No bueno

Solution: picked up this 8.25, added 3.55s and a trac lok LSD(oem jeep LSD). This axle is currently in the car and i'm just waiting on my driveshaft so i can go for a ride.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/DSCN0298-1.jpg

I should have a new picture or two later tonight from the axle swap.

Plans: lowered, side exhaust, 17s, painted bumpers, go wing, and some other misc.

[CruizinKev]

looking good! :twothumbs

[DartorDemon]

So recent update from thursday:

Out with the old 6cyl rear end:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/P1010028-1.jpg
In with the new 8.25:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/P1010027-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/P1010026-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/P1010025-1.jpg

All total it took about 4hrs to do the swap, now i'm just waiting on my driveshaft. It was 2.7x open diff, now its 3.55 W/ LSD

[dusterbd13]

not a bad looking car. i like the grey. you should match that with the centers of the 17's. also, question:

on your power bake booster, you have two ports. the smaller looks to be open. is this correct?

michael

[DartorDemon]

not a bad looking car. i like the grey. you should match that with the centers of the 17's. also, question:

on your power bake booster, you have two ports. the smaller looks to be open. is this correct?

michael

It looks open in the picture, but it is blocked off. That top black part is a cap.


Got to drive it with the new axle today. Well worth the time/effort. :cheers:

Next up will hopefully be some new track times this sunday.

[DartorDemon]

Need some opinions, side exit exhaust?

I came up with this little chop to try and get an idea of how well it would work:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/carconcept-1.jpg

[CruizinKev]

looks good so far! chop also looks great but wouldn't do side exhaust

[dusterbd13]

ive done the side exit on these cars.

don't.

run ut out the back. youll be a lot happier eing abl to hear yourself think, roll down the windows, and not get soot all over your paint.

[DartorDemon]

Got some new times after a track visit:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/DSCN0320-1.jpg

My last trip to the track with the 7.25 rear end gave me a miserable best of 16.7 with an average of 16.8-17.0

first pass:
r/t: .068
60ft: 2.162
15.988 @ 85mph

Second pass
r/t: -.108(redlighted)
60ft: 2.167
15.85@89mph

Not bad for having to launch lightly on 215/60/14s.

[78 Type-LT]

clean car...

[dusterbd13]

you know late 90's jeep grand cherokee rear disc brakes are a bolt on, right?

also, you can clear 275/60/15's on a stock diplomat 15X7 steelie. should hlp the traction issues at the track.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Looks like a very clean car to start with..

[DartorDemon]

you know late 90's jeep grand cherokee rear disc brakes are a bolt on, right?

also, you can clear 275/60/15's on a stock diplomat 15X7 steelie. should hlp the traction issues at the track.

yeah, i was gonna do that disc brake swap before i installed the rear axle, but i was pressed for time and money and figured that i would do the swap down the road.

[DartorDemon]

A little update. My gas gauge went south about a month ago. Needless to say, this is a pita whenever i want to take the car on a trip. I found an article yesterday that looks to be the exact problem i have: http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/engine/mopp_1002_yearone_fuel_sending_unit_replacement/index.html

In the article it describes the gas gauge due to a filled float, and hard starting after long drives, but year one fuel senders start at 125$, local units start at 80-90$(if you want the low-flo 5/16 or hi-flo 3/8)

Enter ebay, oem style hi-flo 3/8, 40$
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/a2998297c6-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Did some free mods today. Slowly ridding my car of the tacky:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/DSCN0334-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/09/DSCN0333-1.jpg


I was pretty shocked. That chrome fender trim was all beat up, but the paint/body underneath was perfect

[Bjkadron]

Cool! Looks good!

[DartorDemon]

Thanks.

So far the next plan of action is to fix my gas gauge this weekend, and then pick up a front end suspension rebuild kit.

I nailed the gas after taking those pictures to kick the back end out(middle of nowhere mind you) and the car just has way too much roll. Almost felt tippy on those tires.

[dusterbd13]

check the sway-bars (it does have them, right?)

also, the tires may have a lot to do with it. older, cheaper tires are really bad about the tippy feeling. my 10 year old dunlops were that way (275/60/15 rear, 235/60/15 front)

if the bushings are not actually worn, spend the money on shocks and good springs.

Michael

[DartorDemon]

check the sway-bars (it does have them, right?)

also, the tires may have a lot to do with it. older, cheaper tires are really bad about the tippy feeling. my 10 year old dunlops were that way (275/60/15 rear, 235/60/15 front)

if the bushings are not actually worn, spend the money on shocks and good springs.

Michael

All things i need to check on wednesday.

The shocks are fairly new looking kyb's. The springs will have to wait. My plan is to do a mix/match setup using hotchkis parts and PST drop spindles. Which will hopefully give me the same stance as the duster from this site www.70duster440.com (http://www.70duster440.com) (though he used blocks out back)


If the bushings turn out to be fine up front, then i may just look into that firm feel pitman arm setup to atleast get rid of the nearly 4 turns lock-to-lock steering ratio.

[DartorDemon]

Got a new part on order:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

hopefully this will be a nice improvement over those 318 manifolds.

[Mach Par]

Nice. What brand?

[DartorDemon]

Nice. What brand?

They're hedmans. Its the only budget header that will work with power steering on these cars. Otherwise i have to spend 600$ for them.(kinda fails the budget title. lol)

[DartorDemon]

I need some opinions, do these mustang mach1 wheels fit my car(style wise)?? I posted on a local board looking for the typical bullit/gt wheels, and someone offered a set of mach1 wheels for 200$ for the set.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/08/wheelsidea6-1.jpg

^a quick P/S i did when i was looking for some inexpensive pro touring wheel ideas.

[dusterbd13]

i say do it. it will look really righteous with the right tire sizes and spacer packages. think about a 255/40/17 front and a 255/45/17 rear.

3/8 front spacers, and 1 inch rear will really fill the wheelwells right.

and i like the propsed paint scheme. even if it was based off a 71.

michael

[Bjkadron]

They look pretty stinking cool. I almost got a set before I found my Bullets.

[DartorDemon]

i say do it. it will look really righteous with the right tire sizes and spacer packages. think about a 255/40/17 front and a 255/45/17 rear.

3/8 front spacers, and 1 inch rear will really fill the wheelwells right.

and i like the propsed paint scheme. even if it was based off a 71.

michael

well for now thats not a purposed paint scheme, but who knows down the road. That is Kenny wayne Shepard's car, i found a good side shot and made a bunch of no-skill wheel chops and found that when i changed the landscape to black&white it matched my car's current paint job well enough to give me an idea on each wheel.

[DartorDemon]

Wheels may be on hold for short a bit, which is probably good considering how often i change my mind. Anyhow, i bought something new:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif
*not actual photo

It's a "crosswind" intake from Professional Products. IE: Air gap knockoff. I bought it because its a little cheaper then an edelbrock air gap, and has holes for both the LA & magnum engine. So if i kill the 360, i can do a magnum engine swap and my intake will work.

So hopefully on my vacation in december i can do the headers/intake and wake this 360 up a bit. As of now its wheezing through 318 exhaust manifolds and an intake that(according to my google search) was offered by dealers as an upgrade manifold for a 318.

[DartorDemon]

Got my intake today. I cant wait to get it on the car :D

And now i keep thinking about building a megasquirt efi system for the car using a modified high-flow gm tbi setup.

I may have some new pics tomorrow or so.

[Bjkadron]

If you are going to go to the trouble of EFI you might as well go multipoint. Especially if you are going to use the Megasquirt.

[dusterbd13]

biggest problem with GM TBI injection is the horsepower thats under it. after having messed with it extensively, i will mae a few suggestions.

1. dont bolt it to anything over 325 horse at the wheels.
2. Dont bother with megasquirt. The factory GM ECM is quite advanced, cheap, and very tunable.
3. its very finiky about fuel pressure and wiring connections.
4. use the 454 TBI unit, and port/polish it. also reccomend an injector pod spacer.
5. do the heated o2 sensor upgrade if youre running headers.

have fun. when done right, its a wonderfully reliable, tunable, and drivable injection setup.

[SRT-68]

[QUOTE=DartorDemon;740123]I need some opinions, do these mustang mach1 wheels fit my car(style wise)?? I posted on a local board looking for the typical bullit/gt wheels, and someone offered a set of mach1 wheels for 200$ for the set.

Do it! How can you go wrong. They look great and you can't beat the price. Nice car!

[DartorDemon]

biggest problem with GM TBI injection is the horsepower thats under it. after having messed with it extensively, i will mae a few suggestions.

1. dont bolt it to anything over 325 horse at the wheels.
2. Dont bother with megasquirt. The factory GM ECM is quite advanced, cheap, and very tunable.
3. its very finiky about fuel pressure and wiring connections.
4. use the 454 TBI unit, and port/polish it. also reccomend an injector pod spacer.
5. do the heated o2 sensor upgrade if youre running headers.

have fun. when done right, its a wonderfully reliable, tunable, and drivable injection setup.

From my understanding, isnt the problem with the gm tbi the flow rates on the oem ones? I think i read somewhere that even the 454 tbi's don't top 500cfm. However, there are modified one's you can pickup that have been altered to flow at a fairly high rate.

Also, In theory, wouldnt i be able to swap to a larger holley/fast tbi for when i hit the point that i have more then 350rwhp while using that same megasquirt(or gm ecu)?

[dusterbd13]

and typically, the mods that you can dp to the factory TBi setups like the injector pod spacer, the porting, etc, are what are done to the high flow aftermarket units. and yes, you can upgrade with either the GM ecm or the megasquirt. most aftermarket units work off of GM sensors.

[DartorDemon]

Completely pwned my self today. I went to put on my crosswind intake and it went smooth until the intake mounting bolts wouldnt line up. I thought i had a bad intake. Until, i looked online and realized that cork gaskets are no bueno with my intake.

[DartorDemon]

Also, did another group of wheel ideas. At some point i will choose one(i swear). Jegs had a cool little program so i could see a few wheel ideas that i havent seen before.

17inch cragar eliminators and cragar S/S:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/jegsconcept1-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/jegsconcept2-1.jpg

[shortrack]

Are you from Oshawa?.....I saw a Duster yesterday exactly like yours.

who is eric cartman?

[DartorDemon]

nope, i'm in california. Unless someone took my car to canada in the last few days.

eric cartman is a South Park character. That was a quote from an episode where he tried to becme a nascar driver.

[shortrack]

nope, i'm in california. Unless someone took my car to canada in the last few days.

eric cartman is a South Park character. That was a quote from an episode where he tried to becme a nascar driver.

Oh haha...same car I swear!

Maybe your Eric should have tried a little harder.....any of the top Nascar drivers make over 30 million a year.

[DartorDemon]

Oh haha...same car I swear!

Maybe your Eric should have tried a little harder.....any of the top Nascar drivers make over 30 million a year.

The joke has to do with how people get started. His view was that they are poor & stupid so they find a way to make a living by driving in circles.

Personally, i love any joke that takes a stab at nascrap. Afterall, it is easily the most boring "sport"(stretching the definition) in existence.

[shortrack]

"Driving in circles" So are you a drag racer or F1 fan?

You remind me of my mother when I started playing High School football, she said, "OMG! why do you want to do that??....all they do is everybody stands up then everybody falls down......"

Needless to say (God Bless her Soul) a very simplistic and ignorant view of Pro Football....

[DartorDemon]

"Driving in circles" So are you a drag racer or F1 fan?

You remind me of my mother when I started playing High School football, she said, "OMG! why do you want to do that??....all they do is everybody stands up then everybody falls down......"

Needless to say (God Bless her Soul) a very simplistic and ignorant view of Pro Football....

I can't really say i'm a fan of any sport. Watching professional sports to me is the lowest form of entertainment.(well, almost lowest considering network reality tv has set the bar way lower then before) Take your beloved football for instance. I can't stand it in an organized form first is that its just not that interesting, and secondly playing it in an organized form can lead to head injuries that ruin the last years of your life. As opposed to screwing around with a football in a backyard setting.

I put the big high dollar NHRA style drag racing in the same category as Nascrap. F1 is cool, but i have little interest in watching it, but atleast it takes more skill then turning left for hours on end and the sport itself doesnt take high end race cars and piss away the potential on an oval.

[DartorDemon]

Small update: Murphy's law has kicked my ass.

So i posted earlier about the cork gasket, i got the intake on, but got rained out before i could torque the bolts. So this morning i get right to putting it together. First i find that because my intake has LA& Magnum bolt holes, the LA intake brackets wont work without mods. So i bent them. Then i go to torque my bolts and find that one of the bolt holes shredded. It didnt cross thread(no damaged to the bolt threads), but the metal shavings came out when i removed the bolt to check things out. I havent figured out if its even feasible to repair that bolt hole without removing the intake.(really don't wanna do that again)

I got almost everything bolted on and together and i was just about ready for a test fire. Luckily, i accidently put pressure on my main radiator hose and found that i needed to insert a set screw in the intake to block a hole where coolant would spill out. This required removing an intake bracket for space(damnit!). I got that done and went to finish reconnecting my carb linkage, but the cable stuck and it took me a few frustrating minutes to get it all clear. Got that done, time for a test fire....

It fired right up and ran great. No signs of any problems, so i let it warm up(planning to go for a ride) while i was putting away tools. Only to notice that my car was taking a leak all over the driveway. It was pouring out in massive quanities. I couldnt completely tell, but it looked like it could be coolant and my dad spotted a place where it looked like coolant might be leaking. It was here that i was done. Going to fill the car with coolant and limp it to a friend's shop, pissing "coolant" the whole way.

It was only later that we noticed the smell. Its looking like my fuel line is leaking badly from somewhere. Atleast i'm hoping thats the case. So i don't have to shell out some cash to get my friend's shop to find the leak and finish what i started.(sorta defeats the "low buck" part if i pay people to fix things)

[Bjkadron]

Well that is no fun. Keep at it though!

[DartorDemon]

Well that is no fun. Keep at it though!

well, i hit the wall. The fuel line was that cracked was replaced and it turned out to be dripping a little coolant out of the back. So i said screw it and drove the car over to my friends shop to have him fix my mistakes. He's gonna tap & helicoil to fix the threads on that bolt hole, and redo the seals.

[Bjkadron]

Well, If it is any consolation, Fixing threads is kinda hard. Really hard if you are comparing it to how easy they are to mess up!

[DartorDemon]

Well, If it is any consolation, Fixing threads is kinda hard. Really hard if you are comparing it to how easy they are to mess up!

yeah i'm not too bummed. At this point its more of a relief because fixing the seals and tapping that thread would take atleast a month or more because i don't have a garage or covered area to use.(assuming i could even fix the threads myself)

[DartorDemon]

Got a good update this time:

So taking my car to my buddy's shop turned out to be a good use of my money. First off is that i got the car back in two days. I goofed on my seals and coolant was getting into my oil. So even if i hadnt had that intake leak, i would have grenaded the motor shortly after.

He managed to fix that intake bolt hole without much difficulty and went the extra mile to clean out every intake bolt-hole thread as well as the run all the bolts through a die. He got the intake installed and then tuned up my carb so it would run better. There were also issues with the kickdown bracket. He modified it and made it work with the new intake. It runs so much better then it did before.

I did what i call my "burnout test" to judge the difference. The test consists of stopping at a stop sign(middle of nowhere), putting the car into 1st gear and nailing the gas.(very scientific....lol)

Before: spins, grabs traction after a short time
after: does not grab unless i let up.

I'll have to get some pics of the intake tomorrow. Also i may reconsider the magnum heads for the time being. Maybe add the headers, a small cam, and a nitrous kit and i could be in the low 12s range that i want

[DartorDemon]

new pic:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/DSCN0337-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Ordered wheels today. I thought these wheels were discontinued, but an ebay store i found had them for a good price and free shipping.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/torqlites2-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/torqlites3-1.jpg

America racing torqlites 17x8

[Bjkadron]

Those should look pretty good! Should help the handling a lot too!

[dusterbd13]

i saw a set where the guy painted the centers gunmetal and left the hoops polished. really looked trick.


reccomendation on tires:
255/40 front, 255/50 rear. clear good, look right. check my build thread for the fitment pics.

Michael

[DartorDemon]

i saw a set where the guy painted the centers gunmetal and left the hoops polished. really looked trick.


reccomendation on tires:
255/40 front, 255/50 rear. clear good, look right. check my build thread for the fitment pics.

Michael

Yeah i've seen that same gun metal design. I think American racing use to offer them in that color, but discontinued that option. I'm gonna eventually look into getting these ones painted in the same way, but for now the polished look will work. Atleast with this and a new steering box it'll be in some shape to do some autox in the spring.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/28190450015_large-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Brown santa came early. They were suppose to come anywhere from the 5th to the 11th. Instead, they showed up 5 minutes ago:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/P1010282-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/P1010283-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/12/P1010281-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Update, it finally looks like a pro-touring car now. I went out and picked up a set of 245/45 riken raptor zr's(cheap tires) and got the wheels mounted.

It became pretty obvious that my rear springs are sagging. It wasnt as noticable on the 14s, but the 17s really showed a problem. So for the time being we dropped the front end down using the torsion bars. Unfortunately the tires rub a little. I cranked it back up a little and next week i'm gonna drive it to my folks house and we're gonna bend in the inner fender lip that is rubbing(un-noticable from the outside)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/P1010291-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/P1010290-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/P1010289-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/P1010288-1.jpg
Rear shot, not crazy wide, but decent enough:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/01/P1010292-1.jpg

The nicest thing is that the smaller tire allowed me to fit the wheels without any spacers. The other person running these tires(pics above) used a 255 wide tire and needed a small spacer to clear the leaf spring out back.

[Bjkadron]

Very nice! I encountered the problem with the rears too, that is why mine is still running 14s.

[mjds]

thats soooo nice, good old Plymouth for the sleeper look.

[DartorDemon]

So newest update, the duster's engine is KIA.

I was really hoping that my engine would run fine so i could get the hotchkis suspension on it and wait until next year for an engine. It started 3 weeks ago when i went to take it to a local shop. I had gotten frustrated with the gas gauge issue and figured that a shop could deal with the headache. So i started it up in the early morning and it ran like garbage. After about 10 minutes it finally warmed up and ran "ok". 10 minutes later i hit the highway and my father told me that it was pouring blue smoke. A week later while at the shop, it took a good 15min to get started, ran like crap, and got 6mpg on the highway.

So now its parked and hopefully i'll have a new engine in 2-3 weeks. I'm gonna take a risk and buy a recycler 360 from a late 90s dodge truck with 80-90k and run it. Then maybe build a 408 stroker in a few years with that busted ass 360 thats in it.

[Bullockracing]

Great project!!! That is a really clean (and rust-free) Duster - not many on the road at all these days.

I loved my '73 Duster - 318/2bbl/A904, orange paint... Broke 3 of the 7 and 1/4 rear ends, so I finally ended up with a 8 and 3/4 out of a '69 Dart with 4.11 Sure-Grip in it. Wish I still had that car...

[go-fish]

So newest update, the duster's engine is KIA.

Trying to be cheap and lowering your car via torsion bars and using an 8 1/4 rear will lead to problems in the future too. Just do things the right way and forgo the trailer park lowering method and "weak-link" rear end. They do make drop spindles and adjustable A-arms you know. I just don't see how you can claim Pro-Touring when you knowingly put an inferior rear end in your car when there are millions of 8 3/4 cores in junkyards. Try Moparts for 8 3/4's. You may even get lucky and find one in A-body width. You're eventually going to need one if you plan on driving the car with any kind of enthusiasm.

Also, just be patient and figure out that easy stuff like fuel sending units on your own. It could have just been the float was stuck or the little bit of wiring it has (two wires and one goes right to the fuse block). It is a very easy wire to trace down. The sending unit is on the driver's side if you didn't know. It comes out pretty easy too. Mancini Racing, a very good Mopar vendor, has 1/2" pick-ups too. If you are going to buid a 408" stroker you are going to want to go with a 1/2" pick-up.


Just be patient and next time you get the urge to pay your friend to work on it just sit on it and do a little research and troubleshooting. It looks to me that you are getting parts right now that are meant to be cheap substitutes but they are parts that you are going to HAVE to upgrade later. By being cheap you are spending more money.

Save up for the right parts. It may take a little longer to get to the end goal but it will be better on your wallet.

[go-fish]

Great project!!! That is a really clean (and rust-free) Duster - not many on the road at all these days.

I loved my '73 Duster - 318/2bbl/A904, orange paint... Broke 3 of the 7 and 1/4 rear ends, so I finally ended up with a 8 and 3/4 out of a '69 Dart with 4.11 Sure-Grip in it. Wish I still had that car...

Hey Bullock. I used to live in Long Beach. I wonder if you have seen my old car running around there. I sold it right before Katrina hit. Gold 73 Duster with a Gator Grain top and Brown 340 stripe. It had the Weld Pro-stars (looked similar to the above wheels mentioned.)
I always wondered if it got washed away. The guy that bought it lived in Biloxi or OS.

[go-fish]

Dartor Demon,
Don't know your real name. Try adding it in your sig line.( https://www.pro-touring.com/showthread.php?50566-Who-the-heck-are-you-people-%28everyone-please-read.%29 )

If you are not going to use that 340 block and just go with a junkyard 360 are you going to part with it?

[DartorDemon]

Trying to be cheap and lowering your car via torsion bars and using an 8 1/4 rear will lead to problems in the future too. Just do things the right way and forgo the trailer park lowering method and "weak-link" rear end. They do make drop spindles and adjustable A-arms you know. I just don't see how you can claim Pro-Touring when you knowingly put an inferior rear end in your car when there are millions of 8 3/4 cores in junkyards. Try Moparts for 8 3/4's. You may even get lucky and find one in A-body width. You're eventually going to need one if you plan on driving the car with any kind of enthusiasm.

Also, just be patient and figure out that easy stuff like fuel sending units on your own. It could have just been the float was stuck or the little bit of wiring it has (two wires and one goes right to the fuse block). It is a very easy wire to trace down. The sending unit is on the driver's side if you didn't know. It comes out pretty easy too. Mancini Racing, a very good Mopar vendor, has 1/2" pick-ups too. If you are going to buid a 408" stroker you are going to want to go with a 1/2" pick-up.


Just be patient and next time you get the urge to pay your friend to work on it just sit on it and do a little research and troubleshooting. It looks to me that you are getting parts right now that are meant to be cheap substitutes but they are parts that you are going to HAVE to upgrade later. By being cheap you are spending more money.

Save up for the right parts. It may take a little longer to get to the end goal but it will be better on your wallet.


hmm, where to start.

1. the torsion bar lowering is temporary. My plan would be that it would be lowered that way until about now when i would be getting new hotchkis leaf springs and adjust the front appropriately. However, my engine woes have taken precedence. Surely you can agree that it'd be idiotic to buy drop spindles when my rear springs are sagging? because when i replace it with good springs, the rear will lift and then i'd end up going with a "trailer park" lifting.

2. The 8 1/4 might be inferior, but it will hold. Hell there is a guy on bigblockdart.com with a big block duster running a 8 1/4 on slicks with nothing more than a support cover. The car runs 11s. It's plenty good for what i'm planning with a mild 5.9 magnum. Besides, even if it blew and i needed a new rear end, i wouldnt waste my time looking for an 8 3/4. Despite your opinion that there are millions of them. They really arent that common in A-body sizes. Plus, a ford 8.8 is just as strong and a lot cheaper to do. (screw the mopar or no car nonsense)

3. Apparently you think i went "well my gas gauge doesnt work, **** it, i'm going to a shop" when really i have been chasing wires for awhile now and did plenty of research. In fact the first thing i did was replace that 5/16 fuel sender unit with a 3/8 unit. I found that the gauge cluster was a massive pain in the ass to try and remove and thats really when i hit the point of taking it to a shop. Plus, I'm not fond of wiring and sometimes its just easier to save yourself the headache. Even the owner of the shop commented that it was a giant pita to remove.

4.(from your last post) I don't have a 340. This car was done up as a 340 clone by a previous owner and was passed of as real one at some point. It has a 360 in it right now and



I just don't see how you can claim Pro-Touring when you knowingly put an inferior rear end in your car

And as for this, pardon me if my pro touring build is not an expensive car over built beyond the capability that i would need, but I prefer to build to my needs and if you don't like it then too bad. I could care less what you think about my car.

[go-fish]

pardon me if my pro touring build is not an expensive car over built beyond the capability that i would need, but I prefer to build to my needs and if you don't like it then too bad. I could care less what you think about my car.

Oh no, you're getting me all wrong. I think cheap Pro-Touring builds are actually in the true spirit of hot rodding. I just see you passing judgment on someone else in just about every post you make when it comes to other peoples cars. There was an instance where you said a guy's pick up couldn't be Pro-Touring, because it was newer, even though he was doing some pretty radical modifications that weren't at all "mini-truckin" and more "road race". Another instance was when you said people who use flat paint, hotrod black, or whatever, had no balls because they couldn't "decide" on a paint scheme.

I figured you could take a critical view of your own situation. Really, sorry to ruffle your feathers but, like it or not, I see you chasing your tail on the parts purchasing. Deny it all you want but there is no performance advantage of installing an 8 1/4 rear (nevermind that one guy on the internet runs slicks with one, lol). In fact, if you drive the car with spirit, you would be ahead if you just pony up a few more bucks for a better rear (8.8 or 8.75). Good point about the 8.8 though, could have been ahead further because you could've got a two-fer, good rear AND discs.

Again, sorry to get you heated. I am just trying to explain that patience would do some good. I've taken A-body dashes apart AND tracked down faulty wires on a fuel system. It does take patience. I'm no electrician and figured it out. Even doing a complete re-wire of the whole fuel system takes some patience but it can be done by a novice.

Let's take a step back here and get you on the right track. I'm not trying to flame you but give you some advice. I've worked on A-bodies and E-body Mopars virtually my whole life, at least for the last 20 years. I think you're doing a great job over all. As for you not giving a damn what I think of your car, it's not your car but you not being able to take criticism when you can certainly dish it out.

[DartorDemon]

Oh no, you're getting me all wrong. I think cheap Pro-Touring builds are actually in the true spirit of hot rodding. I just see you passing judgment on someone else in just about every post you make when it comes to other peoples cars. There was an instance where you said a guy's pick up couldn't be Pro-Touring, because it was newer, even though he was doing some pretty radical modifications that weren't at all "mini-truckin" and more "road race". Another instance was when you said people who use flat paint, hotrod black, or whatever, had no balls because they couldn't "decide" on a paint scheme.

I figured you could take a critical view of your own situation. Really, sorry to ruffle your feathers but, like it or not, I see you chasing your tail on the parts purchasing. Deny it all you want but there is no performance advantage of installing an 8 1/4 rear (nevermind that one guy on the internet runs slicks with one, lol). In fact, if you drive the car with spirit, you would be ahead if you just pony up a few more bucks for a better rear (8.8 or 8.75). Good point about the 8.8 though, could have been ahead further because you could've got a two-fer, good rear AND discs.

Again, sorry to get you heated. I am just trying to explain that patience would do some good. I've taken A-body dashes apart AND tracked down faulty wires on a fuel system. It does take patience. I'm no electrician and figured it out. Even doing a complete re-wire of the whole fuel system takes some patience but it can be done by a novice.

Let's take a step back here and get you on the right track. I'm not trying to flame you but give you some advice. I've worked on A-bodies and E-body Mopars virtually my whole life, at least for the last 20 years. I think you're doing a great job over all. As for you not giving a damn what I think of your car, it's not your car but you not being able to take criticism when you can certainly dish it out.

Sure that guy did a lot of road race parts for his pickup, thats why there is the "sport truck" genre of car enthusiasts. I believe i even said that in the post. That's why i said its not protouring. And i stand by what i said for the "murdering out" cars. Its tasteless and in 5-10yrs its gonna be looked back on in the same as way the people who go and buy cheap hondas and slap on "pep boys" spoilers.

As for not taking it? Obviously i'm taking it, i'll just quickly defend my position especially when someone goes off about my car without knowing enough about it justify their position. You seem to be quite hung up over the fact that i saved myself some frustration by having a shop fix the problem. WTF is your problem? Is it so horrible to go to a shop when you're stuck or frustrated? And more importantly, why the hell should you care how i choose to spend MY money?

Clearly there IS a performance advantage because my car had a crappy 7 1/4 rear end with i believe 2.73s for gears.

[go-fish]

The truck thing? Meh. The flat paint thing, we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't think it's tasteless and can in fact be very tasteful given it's not spraybombing over door handles or on the "wrong" car. My personal opinion is that it can be very menacing on certain cars. I, for one, am thinking of going with Hotrod Black with a Ferrari red AAR stripe laid under it. They painted the hood in Organosol from the factory. I don't think they lacked balls when they came out with that on 69 6 Pak Road Runners and 70 T/A and AAR's. Dartor, there's another thread for this topic.

Not too hung up on the wiring issue. I was just suggesting patience so you can stick with the low budget thing as much as possible. Nothing the f#@k is wrong with me. Just trying to pass along advice about getting caught up in making it streetable and throwing a part at it that you will replace if you want to make the car better, later. It's the whole idea of not having to spend the money twice. That is all. If the car is not a sole source of transportation, I merely suggest patience in the planning process for the sake of sticking with your goal of going low budget. Don't blow up about it. Simple?

I can tell you're heated about this in the tone so I'll leave it at that. End of discussion.

[DartorDemon]

The truck thing? Meh. The flat paint thing, we'll have to agree to disagree. I don't think it's tasteless and can in fact be very tasteful given it's not spraybombing over door handles or on the "wrong" car. My personal opinion is that it can be very menacing on certain cars. I, for one, am thinking of going with Hotrod Black with a Ferrari red AAR stripe laid under it. They painted the hood in Organosol from the factory. I don't think they lacked balls when they came out with that on 69 6 Pak Road Runners and 70 T/A and AAR's. Dartor, there's another thread for this topic.

Not too hung up on the wiring issue. I was just suggesting patience so you can stick with the low budget thing as much as possible. Nothing the f#@k is wrong with me. Just trying to pass along advice about getting caught up in making it streetable and throwing a part at it that you will replace if you want to make the car better, later. It's the whole idea of not having to spend the money twice. That is all. If the car is not a sole source of transportation, I merely suggest patience in the planning process for the sake of sticking with your goal of going low budget. Don't blow up about it. Simple?

I can tell you're heated about this in the tone so I'll leave it at that. End of discussion.

good, because constantly reading your posts where you miss the point is getting old. The idiotic "murdered out" is a matter of painting the car and its wheels flat black as well as blacking out the headlights/taillights alltogether. It always looks cheap and ghetto.(since anyone with 50 bucks worth of spray paint can do the same) What you're suggesting and suggested in the other thread where you got all pissy would not be a "murdered out look".

Let me point out the key to your second paragraph:

later

So the 8 1/4 isnt the best rear end, but it will last quite a while with a mild magnum engine. The research i did prior to buying suggested that this would be plenty.

What next, piss and moan because i'm keeping the 904 and not racing out for a 727?

[JJEH]

Nice looking car. I guess you will have a lot of fun with it, will ya?

And why not doing the side exhaust? It just looks right :)

[go-fish]

What next, piss and moan because i'm keeping the 904 and not racing out for a 727?



What? You're keeping the 904!!! Jeezus!



J/k

[varlo]

MOPAR OR NO CAR glad to see plymouths getting some love.

[DartorDemon]

Small update:

Bought a 5.9 magnum today. Was hoping to have pictures, but i havent gotten the engine yet. The recycler i bought it from is pulling out of a 99 durango w/ 74k. I should have it next week(weather permitting)

[LV42DAY]

suscribed. keep it up, its coming out great so far

[71duster]

nice ride. wheels made a big difference! nice to see some more mopars on here!45116

[DartorDemon]

So update is that i have my engine now and i'm starting to take some parts off and check out what it looks like on the inside. I pulled the valve covers and the valve train looks solid
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010311-1.jpg

I'd post the rest, but i borrowed a camera doesn't take good photos and that was the only good one.

My only concern is what I noticed for the oil pan. It appears to have been patched a few times.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010307-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010312-1.jpg

I guess i'll know more when i pull the pan& intake tomorrow.

[dusterbd13]

i dont think you can use that pan anuway. so i wouldnt worry too much about it. if i were you, id just call kevco and get one of their pan. well worth the money.

[DartorDemon]

well its not the pan i'm worried about, its what caused the pan to need the patches.

[dusterbd13]

i had one that looked similar dur to being hit with a rock, pulled out, rusted, and leaking. (all on a 60000 mile junkyard motor)

let us know what you find under there.

[DartorDemon]

So some pics of the engine:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010317-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010318-1.jpg
good news, the bottom end looks pretty good:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010314-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010315-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/03/P1010316-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Update: The engine is on hold for a little bit. Mostly because my front suspension has completely crapped out. I picked up new bushings and balljoints that will hopefully be here next week.

[craigs73]

cool andy cant wait to see the magnum swap

[Josue]

Haha....still the same old ZQ8Dude!

Car looks good with the rims! GL on the new motor venture...

[DartorDemon]

Haha....still the same old ZQ8Dude!

Car looks good with the rims! GL on the new motor venture...

pretty much, i back my decisions up with logic and rational thing, and it riles people up. Go figure.

anyhow, moving on. I wish i would've snapped some pics of the suspension rebuild, but with the way things went, it probably would've somehow tacked another day onto the project. However, i did grab a few shots today after a quick wash/wax.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/08/DSCN0375-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/08/DSCN0374-1.jpg

I may have to raise the front end just slightly because it seems to have a very light rubbing issue under certain conditions.

[Bjkadron]

Looks good!

[OldMechanik]

Do you have the 5.9 built yet? What times is it running at the drags?
Nice looking ride, I love the 70s Duster/Demon.....I feel they were overlooked as performance cars.

[DartorDemon]

Do you have the 5.9 built yet? What times is it running at the drags?
Nice looking ride, I love the 70s Duster/Demon.....I feel they were overlooked as performance cars.

Well there was a big snafu with the 5.9. The salvage yard sold me one hell of a lemon. It had 73k, and maybe one oil change. And cylinder 6 had a build up of rust. After a bit of arguing, they took back the engine in exchange for store credit and i really haven't had the time to go get another one. Plus i'm thinking of springing for a boroscope so i can check the engine inside/out before any disasembly occurs.

I may have the next engine is september/october and hopefully have it in the car around the 1st of the year. On top of this delay, i have a lead on a nearly complete 4spd setup for the car.

IMO the duster/demon/dart sport was overlooked because of the packaging. The actual 340 cars are the minority, and the majority of cars were 6cyl/318s which are kinda gutless in stock form. So they didnt have the best reputation. Even if you could get your hands on a rare & insanely fast GSS demon(340, "factory" supercharged)

Its kind of strange that they're overlooked since they're basically the previous generation barracuda chassis with a different body, but then again, the prior barracuda had a lot more performance options(hemi, big block, 340) and had a racing history during its production.

Oh well, i don't mind, it just means that i have a "cheap mopar"(if such a thing) that could go up if the dusters/demons ever become popular.

[Bjkadron]

Just a note about the overlooked performance aspect..

did you know that in 76 the duster was the second fastest American car? it trailed the highest performance corvette by about 2 mph on the top end.

[DartorDemon]

Just a note about the overlooked performance aspect..

did you know that in 76 the duster was the second fastest American car? it trailed the highest performance corvette by about 2 mph on the top end.

Well i don't know if thats the best endorsement though. What did the 76 vette have? maybe 200hp? The late 70s was a sad sad time for performance.

[jfreakofkorn]

Sharp little car there. Keep it up =)

[Bjkadron]

Well i don't know if thats the best endorsement though. What did the 76 vette have? maybe 200hp? The late 70s was a sad sad time for performance.

I know.. but still, second fastest american car is second fastest american car. I just thought it was an interesting tidbit.

[The Stickman]

Well there was a big snafu with the 5.9. The salvage yard sold me one hell of a lemon. It had 73k, and maybe one oil change. And cylinder 6 had a build up of rust. After a bit of arguing, they took back the engine in exchange for store credit and i really haven't had the time to go get another one. Plus i'm thinking of springing for a boroscope so i can check the engine inside/out before any disasembly occurs.

I may have the next engine is september/october and hopefully have it in the car around the 1st of the year. On top of this delay, i have a lead on a nearly complete 4spd setup for the car.

IMO the duster/demon/dart sport was overlooked because of the packaging. The actual 340 cars are the minority, and the majority of cars were 6cyl/318s which are kinda gutless in stock form. So they didnt have the best reputation. Even if you could get your hands on a rare & insanely fast GSS demon(340, "factory" supercharged)

Its kind of strange that they're overlooked since they're basically the previous generation barracuda chassis with a different body, but then again, the prior barracuda had a lot more performance options(hemi, big block, 340) and had a racing history during its production.

Oh well, i don't mind, it just means that i have a "cheap mopar"(if such a thing) that could go up if the dusters/demons ever become popular.

Your car is looking great. But I have to know more about the " rare & insanely fast GSS demon(340, "factory" supercharged)" car.

[DartorDemon]

Your car is looking great. But I have to know more about the " rare & insanely fast GSS demon(340, "factory" supercharged)" car.

http://vintagesupercharger.com/2010/03/mr-norms-1972-dodge-demon-gss/

Info is kinda scarce on these cars. Even if i could find some hp ratings, i would be skeptical of posting them because mopar kinda fudged the hp numbers for lower insurance on the 340s to begin with. If i remember correctly, they rated it at X hp at X rpm, but the car revved higher in stock trim and made more power. lol.

W/ that supercharger, it having 400rwhp is not out of the question. which is a hell of a lot for a light little car like that. They probably ran high 12s in stock trim, maybe faster.

[DartorDemon]

Update:

Several weeks ago while looking for bushings i ran into an employee at a parts store who said he had a mopar 4spd from a 340 duster just sitting around in his garage and that he would be willing to sell it :D

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/08/P1010324-1.jpg

I got the 4spd, the bellhousing, the shift fork, and an original hurst shifter for....well it'd piss some mopar people off if i said how cheap i got it for.

All i need now is the tunnel piece, the hydraulic clutch actuator it, and the clutch/flywheel. And some bolts for the case cover/linkage as its missing a lot of them

[Bjkadron]

Nice score!

[DartorDemon]

New update:

My starter has been a pita for awhile not. It would fail to crank often and was a headache. So I went out to the junkyard and grabbed a starter from a 96 dodge ram for 30 bucks. It bolts right in and is basically a mini-high torque starter for a fraction of the price of the summit/jegs/etc. ones.

Another bright side is the weight savings. The junky oem starter weighed in a 17lbs. While the new starter is only 7lbs.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

[DartorDemon]

And another new update. I finally got my hands on a rear lip spoiler. Some guy on Ebay is reproducing them in small numbers and changing the design to look a little bit better.

Here is a pic of what the wing will look like:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/08/DustAARfinishassembly6-1.jpg

[RS_Customs]

Looks good Andy!

Robert

[craigs73]

looking good andy what happen to the other wheels? these look good to just need to get chrome ring installed but looking good as always... when you instaling the 4spd

EDIT: damn thats not your car but very close just seen it was grey and thought it was yours lol

[dusterbd13]

got a link for the spoiler? im really digging it, may be what im after for mine as well. id been keeping my eyes open for an old direct connection piece, but they NEVER turn up.

[DartorDemon]

looking good andy what happen to the other wheels? these look good to just need to get chrome ring installed but looking good as always... when you instaling the 4spd

EDIT: damn thats not your car but very close just seen it was grey and thought it was yours lol

well like the new engine, the 4spd is on hold for awhile.

Yeah its an odd coincidence that my car is the same color. I'm not fond of the AAR stripes though. It sorta works on the cudas, but it never looks right on the duster.

[DartorDemon]

got a link for the spoiler? im really digging it, may be what im after for mine as well. id been keeping my eyes open for an old direct connection piece, but they NEVER turn up.

I don't really have a link because this person is just on ebay. This was the link to the auction:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270805854437&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME%3AL%3ACOSI%3AUS%3A1123#ht_500wt_11 82

If that doesn't work, the guy is cnsmoparparts.
http://myworld.ebay.com/ebaymotors/cnsmoparparts/?_trksid=p4340.l2559

Even these repro's are hard to find and winning the bid is a pita. Last time one came up i got into a massive bidding war and lost out at the last second. check your PM's btw.

[go-fish]

http://vintagesupercharger.com/2010/03/mr-norms-1972-dodge-demon-gss/

Info is kinda scarce on these cars. Even if i could find some hp ratings, i would be skeptical of posting them because mopar kinda fudged the hp numbers for lower insurance on the 340s to begin with. If i remember correctly, they rated it at X hp at X rpm, but the car revved higher in stock trim and made more power. lol.

W/ that supercharger, it having 400rwhp is not out of the question. which is a hell of a lot for a light little car like that. They probably ran high 12s in stock trim, maybe faster.

Info isn't scarce if you are looking in the right direction but you are looking for information for a "factory" supercharged Mopar. There was never such a beast. However, Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago had a conversion division where the built many insanely fast customs and sold them on the lot with a WARRANTY. How cool is that. All in all, it's a dealer add on or full on conversion, depending on what you wanted. Mr. Norm would do you a 383 Dart, or a 34o Demon w/ a supercharger, or .......... really whatever you wanted. Never was it "factory" though. Mopar would have NOTHING to do with a factory supercharged car.

Check this "official" sit out for real info. http://mrnormsgarage.com/mr-norm/about.html

They still produce cars too! Need a 2012 Little Red Express Truck with a Supercharged 6.2 complete w/ dual vertical side pipes? How about a Pro-Touring Demon? They even have classic iron http://mrnormsgarage.com/vehicles/1971-demon-pro-touring.html

Norm Kraus and Don Yenko were cut from the same cloth and had similar dealer add on's that made a car that was prepped by them legendary.

[DartorDemon]

Info isn't scarce if you are looking in the right direction but you are looking for information for a "factory" supercharged Mopar. There was never such a beast. However, Mr. Norm's Grand Spaulding Dodge in Chicago had a conversion division where the built many insanely fast customs and sold them on the lot with a WARRANTY. How cool is that. All in all, it's a dealer add on or full on conversion, depending on what you wanted. Mr. Norm would do you a 383 Dart, or a 34o Demon w/ a supercharger, or .......... really whatever you wanted. Never was it "factory" though. Mopar would have NOTHING to do with a factory supercharged car.

Check this "official" sit out for real info. http://mrnormsgarage.com/mr-norm/about.html

They still produce cars too! Need a 2012 Little Red Express Truck with a Supercharged 6.2 complete w/ dual vertical side pipes? How about a Pro-Touring Demon? They even have classic iron http://mrnormsgarage.com/vehicles/1971-demon-pro-touring.html

Norm Kraus and Don Yenko were cut from the same cloth and had similar dealer add on's that made a car that was prepped by them legendary.

I think that's really splitting hairs. If Joe blow in 72 or 68 could walk into a dealership and pick up a Yenko Camaro or GSS demon, its factory enough.

Everything about that demon is awesome except the wheels. So tacky.

[go-fish]

Dartor, it definitely wasn't splitting hairs for any of manufacturer of automobiles in that era of impending regulations due to the power of the insurance companies and their influence on the DOT during the late 60's and 70's. FFS, they had to sell the 426 "Street Hemi" as a 425 horsepower engine when in reality it had more HP than displacement. Why would any mfg., with all the hubbub over "performance", want to put their stamp of approval on a "a super high performance muscle car that offers big block power in a small package".

Even the legitimate "factory" conversions, the "Body in White" 68 Hemi Dart GTS, wasn't street legal due to, in part, insurance reasons.

When the Demon left the factory it was a Demon. Only when it came out of the conversion shop at Grand Spaulding Dodge, with it's then acquired supercharger, did it become a GSS. So, whole hairs or split hairs aside, there was no such thing as a factory Demon GSS.

Agreed, wheels suck on the new Mr. Norm's Demon.

[DartorDemon]

Dartor, it definitely wasn't splitting hairs for any of manufacturer of automobiles in that era of impending regulations due to the power of the insurance companies and their influence on the DOT during the late 60's and 70's. FFS, they had to sell the 426 "Street Hemi" as a 425 horsepower engine when in reality it had more HP than displacement. Why would any mfg., with all the hubbub over "performance", want to put their stamp of approval on a "a super high performance muscle car that offers big block power in a small package".

Good question but it happens, ask GM about why the grand national was nearly a full second faster than the flagship corvette of the time.


Even the legitimate "factory" conversions, the "Body in White" 68 Hemi Dart GTS, wasn't street legal due to, in part, insurance reasons.

When the Demon left the factory it was a Demon. Only when it came out of the conversion shop at Grand Spaulding Dodge, with it's then acquired supercharger, did it become a GSS. So, whole hairs or split hairs aside, there was no such thing as a factory Demon GSS.

Agreed, wheels suck on the new Mr. Norm's Demon.

You can be firm on your position, but i really don't care. As far as I'm concerned, if Joe Blow could buy it from a dodge dealership with the warranty in 72', its factory to me.

[go-fish]

You can be firm on your position, but i really don't care. As far as I'm concerned, if Joe Blow could buy it from a dodge dealership with the warranty in 72', its factory to me.

Alright Dartor, you win. It's your world.

[DartorDemon]

Alright Dartor, you win. It's your world.

You know, there's this amazing concept, where when you see something in my build thread. You can just go to another page and not start yet another useless pissing match that detracts from the very point of this thread.

Or maybe i should find your build thread and flood it with topics where i disagree with you?

[DartorDemon]

Update, my repro-ebay spoiler came in and today i had a chance to do a quick mock up. Its rough around the edges, but i think the shape works. Mind the painters tape. I couldnt get the wing to stick cleanly for mock up so i did a simple tape-up. Also as you'll see, i painted the front grill. Although i'm wondering now if i should've painted it gloss black:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/DSCN0396-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/DSCN0397-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/DSCN0395-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/DSCN0394-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/DSCN0398-1.jpg

^ the back view seems to have a real "amx" look imho

[NOT A TA]

I like the spoiler! Rarely does gloss look good on a grill so you're good on that I think.

[DartorDemon]

Small update, though it doesn't have much to do with my car. I've had a GoPro camera on my list of things to buy for awhile now and a few months ago there was a little contest to win one. So I entered for S&G's and look what happened:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/DSCN0401-1.jpg

So today I went to do a test video
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/09/th_goprotest-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v661/ColoradoZQ8/?action=view&current=goprotest.mp4)

I guess the wide angle makes things seem faster. I was doing the speed limit more/less and I didn't even "get on it" until i hit the middle of that curve. But atleast you get a sense for how the car sounds going down the road.

[Josue]

That's awesome! Does it video too?

I might be getting into tracking my Protege5 more next season, going on my first lapping/open track day this Sunday, and it'd be cool to get in-car video of my runs!

[DartorDemon]

That's awesome! Does it video too?

I might be getting into tracking my Protege5 more next season, going on my first lapping/open track day this Sunday, and it'd be cool to get in-car video of my runs!

That is a video, click on that in-car pic. I guess it just doesnt look it because its uploaded on my photobucket account.

It has some pretty bitchin features. There are 3 levels of video quality, there's a single picture mode, and a timed picture mode where it takes a picture every X seconds(forget how many)

[ALLstrokedOUT]

Congrats! Looks good! I've been wondering about those cameras, what model number is that? ..that's one of those things that I want that will probably never get around to buying (too much on that list, not enough $$$)

[DartorDemon]

Congrats! Looks good! I've been wondering about those cameras, what model number is that? ..that's one of those things that I want that will probably never get around to buying (too much on that list, not enough $$$)

I'm not sure on the model number, but there's only two variants of this camera. There is the HD Wide lense(the one i have) and the older non-wide lense camera. The one I have is the Motorsport package so it comes with a nice suction cup stand.

I don't blame you on the $$$ issue. I've wanted this camera for awhile, but they're expensive enough to where I always want to spend my money on something else. Like a car/truck/atv part that will be used more often.

[Josue]

That is a video, click on that in-car pic. I guess it just doesnt look it because its uploaded on my photobucket account.

It has some pretty bitchin features. There are 3 levels of video quality, there's a single picture mode, and a timed picture mode where it takes a picture every X seconds(forget how many)

Oops...I guess I didn't see where you said you did a test video. LOL

[DartorDemon]

So newest update,

I just bought yet another part for piecing my engine/tranny setup together. After having several different ideas, i settled on doing a T5 swap into my car. I had purchased a nice 833 mopar 4spd and planned on doing an original tranny setup with a gear vendors overdrive.

The only problem there is the cost. A gear vendor's unit is 3k alone, plus the give/take 3k this whole engine change/swap is running me and i'm in to this thing for 6k.

T5 seems to be much much cheaper. The needed odds/ends are the same except a lot of the T5 stuff can be had at junkyards.

I was worried about the strength, but a standard late model T5 has a power limit in the area of where my car is and its relatively inexpensive to buy an upgraded version to suit my needs.

This setup plus an efi setup should yield a pretty quick and drivable car.

50161

[Bjkadron]

looking good!

[DartorDemon]

Well this build is finally getting back on track.

Update is as follows:

-scrapped the T5 swap idea. I asked around on mustang sites and universally got "don't do it!". Which in a way is a little relieving because it was good be a massive headache to do.
-Keeping the 904 for now and adding a manual valve body.
- Still have my mopar 4spd in case i decide to change up in a year or two.
- Gonna look into a used gear vendors unit if its possible to trade up adapters through gear vendors.(not many used mopar GV's, but plenty of ford/chevy one's)
-Picked up a new 5.9 magnum today. This one has more miles than the last one, but held 160psi in every cylinder, looks cleaner, and it has clean maint. parts on it to suggest that it was taken care of. The last one had mostly oem stuff, despite the 70k


Here is what i have left to do for preparation/parts gathering:
-buy a 2800 stall converter for a 904.
-find out which manual valve body is the best to use
-get the appropriate ratchet shifter.

-Have my friend with his shop do the heads/cam on the engine(above my current skill level)
-buy misc. engine pieces(freeze plugs, seals, etc)
-Decide if i want to continue to use the "crosswind" ebay intake i have or go for a mopar M1/Edelbrock air gap.
-Decide if want to keep the serpentine belt system or swap to the older style. Newer style is nice, but doesnt fit as well as the stock style.
-Buy a center sump oil pan
-Buy a new distributor.
-Consider whether i should keep my longtube headers or buy the expensive shorty headers that *might* allow me to use a fast ratio pitman arm(2 1/2 turns lock to lock)

Hopefully, the car will have its new engine by mid-febuary.

[craigs73]

awesom andy i will be watching as always.... sounds like you got it all figured out

[DartorDemon]

Small update, got myself an early Xmas present. I have the engine at my friend's shop, but his nice borescope was recalled and hasnt heard back on if/when he's gonna get it. And the first order of business is to check the cylinders to make sure its all good down there.

So i bought this from harbor freight:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2011/12/image_11494-1.jpg

It's a simple design, but it should do the trick nicely. The head maybe a little too wide to get into the cylinder head, but it has a mirror attachment that will reachin there.

Ideally, once i inspect the engine, i'll just need to order a few parts: gaskets, freeze plugs, lifters, pushrods, timing set, rockers(if the oem one's are junk). And then the top end can be done. Thanks to rockauto, all that looks like it'll be under 100-200 bucks in parts. then i just need an oil pump/pickup, maybe a pan. After that it'll just be little stuff.

[DartorDemon]

Things are quickly coming together and hopefully the car will be on the road with its new engine by the end of january. I've never built an engine and engine replacing is still somewhat above my skill level so my friend w/ his shop is helping me get this car done in a timely manner.

First off, i've been saying this lately and I'll voice it again, WOW, at the shipping speed of summit racing.

Here is where I'm at with my parts list:

1. EQ Iron ram heads(higher flowing replacements for the crack prone 5.9 magnum heads). Arrived
2. Custom ground cam, slightly less agressive than the most you can reasonably have with my valve springs/planned converter.(works for fi/nitrous) arrived
3. New timing set. arrived
4. New head gaskets. arrived
5. New head bolts(arriving next tuesday)
6. new hydraulic lifters from summit(actually arrived before paypal could charge my account)
7. New rockers/hardware(arriving tomorrow)
8. New shackles for my leaf springs.(will have pics when i change these)
9. 3000 stall torque converter, bought slightly used, arriving next week
10. brass freeze plugs.(again, arrived the very next day before paypal charged me)
11. Misc. seals.(gonna buy locally)
12. Water pump(locally)
13. Oil pump (locally)

Gonna rob the old engine of its timing cover, oil pan, and oil pickup

Only thing left to order are the pushrods after we measure to get the right size.

[DartorDemon]

Went out and washed it today after its been sitting for close to a month now. I'm still mixed as to whether i should paint those headlight buckets or not.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/01/IMG_0003-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/01/IMG_0005-1.jpg

[dusterbd13]

i wouldnt paint tham.

i would grab some spacers for the rear wheels, though. they look a little too tucked in back there.

hows the parts gathering coming for the T5 swap?
need a good trans?

michael

[DartorDemon]

i wouldnt paint tham.

i would grab some spacers for the rear wheels, though. they look a little too tucked in back there.

hows the parts gathering coming for the T5 swap?
need a good trans?

michael

Yeah spacers are gonna probably gonna happen after the engine is done.

I dumped the t5 swap. I got discouraged after asking around about some general durability Qs on mustang forums where the general consensus was "do TKO or don't waste your time". So i'm going a bit of a different route. For now the auto is staying and i'm gonna play with a manual valve body setup. Then if i get tired of that, i'm gonna rebuild this 833 4spd i have and get gear vendors setup for it.

[dusterbd13]

ok, cool.

what are you gonna do with the quicktime?

and you came to the same conclusion about the T5 that i did. i know im going to break it. so why even bother. now im currently in negotiations with my best friend for the TKO 600 out of his mustang.

michael

[DartorDemon]

ok, cool.

what are you gonna do with the quicktime?

and you came to the same conclusion about the T5 that i did. i know im going to break it. so why even bother. now im currently in negotiations with my best friend for the TKO 600 out of his mustang.

michael

I'm selling the quicktime bellhousing. So just i havent gotten a buyer yet.

[dusterbd13]

how nuch?
should accep a tko too, right?

[DartorDemon]

Finally making some headway on this project. I got all my parts and got them over to my friends shop to start putting together the new magnum 5.9. What we found was way better than we expected.

Pulled off the heads and the cylinder walls looked very clean and the head gaskets were oem replacements. The heads even looked remarkably clean. Pulled the pan and realized that this engine is a rebuilt motor. Everything looks extremely clean. Its looking like the car will be together and running in the next two weeks or so.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/01/IMG2012011300179-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Over at my friends shop today. Unfortunately, the swap couldnt begin yet, but he has mostly finished the engine. Its gonna look pretty bitchin i think. Mopar 340 blue, black headers, and a bright orange mopar air cleaner(yes, that was the factory engine color for a 340 in 73)

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/01/IMG2012011800184-1.jpg

[dusterbd13]

ill make a reccomendation: install the timing chain tensioner assembly that mopar offered for the magnums. iu should have. it will save you aggrevation later on down the road, especially if youre going EFI.

also, kevco makes a VERY nice oil pan for us pt mopar small block guys. worth every penny, especially if i remmeber right and the magnum needs a different pan to clear the a-body k-frame.

[DartorDemon]

ill make a reccomendation: install the timing chain tensioner assembly that mopar offered for the magnums. iu should have. it will save you aggrevation later on down the road, especially if youre going EFI.

also, kevco makes a VERY nice oil pan for us pt mopar small block guys. worth every penny, especially if i remmeber right and the magnum needs a different pan to clear the a-body k-frame.

Those are good ideas, but because i'm on a really tight budget, i'm gonna have to pass for now. Efi is gonna be on hold for awhile. It seems like a low priority until i get my drivetrain/suspension squared away. Plus i need to do the weather stripping on the doors and fix the rust on the doors. It looks like it has developed some surface rust from not having the weather stripping and allowing water to leak into the door.

The pan issue is simple enough. You just need a later 360 pan and the LA 360 gasket. Luckily, my car has a later 360 so we're just gonna reuse the stock style pan and i'm gonna eventually add an accusump to help with oiling in autocross.

[DartorDemon]

Update: home stretch of the new engine project:

That shiny blue engine in its new home:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/02/IMG2012020800194-1.jpg

Originally planned for everything to be buttoned up right after the engine was in, but a packaging error caused us to be sent 1 wrong pushrod. Anyhow, this should hopefully be buttoned up for friday and ready for some around town driving to break in the new cam.

And lastly, since my old exhaust was rotted to hell, it went to the exhaust shop today for a little work:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/02/IMG2012021300196-1.jpg

Its AAR cuda style exhaust w/ magnaflows and no crossover pipe. Originally planned to do the magnaflow dual in/out crossover muffler. Said muffler shop didnt carry it in stock & didnt like crossover setups, but would do an X-pipe setup with standard mufflers and this style. Unfortunately, once he looked at the underside he realized that a traditional X-pipe was no-go for side exit. So it was either lose the crossover or do rear exit, neither of which were appealing, but it left me in a bind because i need to get this car running and out of my friend's crowded shop.

That said, i'm gonna give this a try and hope it sounds better than i'm expecting. Otherwise i'll be picking up a crossover muffler and having it re-done. *fingers crossed i dont need to do that*

[LSxChevelle]

Nice Andy!

[DartorDemon]

Newest update, its alive:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/02/th_GO010013-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v661/ColoradoZQ8/?action=view&current=GO010013.mp4)

This is just a sound clip of the car because it was too dark to get any type of video.

It sounds good and runs good, but i think the carburetor is too small so its not making the power that i'd like.

[DartorDemon]

Update: the car is coming apart yet again. Yesterday I attempted to replace my failing steering box. Well it turns out that some genius installed that box with an impact gun. Breaking the welds on the nut that's inside the suspension k-member. And because the engine bay is small, I have to drop the whole k-member and run it over to my buddies shop to cut open the area and reweld the nut.

Pictures should Follow in the next few weeks. Gotta get it together for the early june Sunday good guys autocross

[ALLstrokedOUT]

Man, tough luck, It was coming along so nicely too! Hopefully the steering wont set you back too long. In case you werent thinking about it, put some blue loctite or something similar on the bolts when your reassembling. After replacing my manual box 2/3 bolts backed out a few threads within a few hundred miles making my steering as loose as with the old box...good luck

EDIT: I also had a scare with stripping one of the four k-member bolts on the demon (against all odds it was the last one i put in). I didnt strip it, but the bolts are kind of hard to start straight IMO.

[DartorDemon]

Man, tough luck, It was coming along so nicely too! Hopefully the steering wont set you back too long. In case you werent thinking about it, put some blue loctite or something similar on the bolts when your reassembling. After replacing my manual box 2/3 bolts backed out a few threads within a few hundred miles making my steering as loose as with the old box...good luck

yeah, Its pretty upsetting. I had a brief hour or two of denial during the whole incident. I knew the symptoms, but would not even suggest that this was the problem out of irrational superstition. I still probably wouldnt have admitted it if i didnt grab my inspected camera and use it to get into a K-member crevice and find the broken nut.

Anyhow, Since i've done front suspension before, my hope is that removing/reinstalling the LCAs/swaybar/etc will be quick. So once that's off it will be a matter of supporting my engine/tranny, loosening the 6 bolts(4 K-member, two mounts) and dropping it out. And yeah loctite is a definite.

I'm trying to look on the bright side, so maybe while its out i'll either POR15 it or just clean it up and paint it.

[dusterbd13]

if youre already cutting on it, id reccomend seam welding the whole unit. theres a thread over on moparts in corners are best on this.

something i wish id done before doing the paint on my k-member.

michael

[DartorDemon]

if youre already cutting on it, id reccomend seam welding the whole unit. theres a thread over on moparts in corners are best on this.

something i wish id done before doing the paint on my k-member.

michael

I'm gonna look that up later tonight then. My feeling is that if i'm gonna yank out this K-member, i'm gonna do anything to make it one time only job.

Update, first days progress. I had a few hours of free time. LCA is only in position because of the torsion bar, pivot pin bolt, and strut bar. My hope is that by friday it will be out of the car.

Note: 3rd picture: The absurdity of this car, the ballpin hammer is a standard size...It wouldn't work, the other hammer is a 4lb blacksmith hammer. That's what would work to separate balljoints.

[DartorDemon]

Update, workday 2:

So this morning i went and bought a carb' lift plate to hold up my engine, loosened the engine mounts, removed the Lower control arms, and dropped my K-member. Shockingly, the whole thing came off in about an hour or so of work. Took it over to my buddy's shop where we found that the steering box mount had cracked clean through as well as 4-5 small fractures at stress points in the K-member.

The k-member got hot tanked at a local machine shop. welded the cracked areas and then for good measure we seam welded the entire K-member at the advice of a post above.

Unfortunately it looks like it will be raining all day tomorrow. So i'm just gonna spend that day painting parts before i go to re-install everything on friday.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/P1010336-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/P1010338-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Update 3:

Well it looked cloudy so instead i figured it would a good time to paint the repaired K-member and let it dry for the day. Then tomorrow i'll get back to reassembling my car. For paint i decided to use the can of bedliner spray i had. I used it on my truck's crossmember, and found that the dupli-color stuff has a pretty good reputation when used on offroad truck skid plates/bumpers. Just as long as you prep the surfaces correctly.

Before:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0061-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0062-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0063-1.jpg

After:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0064-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0065-1.jpg

[DartorDemon]

Update 4, workday 3:

Started to reassemble the car and got reasonably far before decided to finish up the last little bits later:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0066-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/04/IMG_0067-1.jpg

Needs: brake caliper installed on one side, sway bar installed, steering linkage, connect the steering column, reinstalled the driver side header, torque everything down and go for a drive.

[DartorDemon]

The car is back on the road:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/05/front2-1.jpg


It was "drivable" last week, but was still running incredibly rich and fouling plugs. So i rebuilt the carb on wednesday and set up the base calibrations. Its still running a little too lean, but runs a whole lot better than before. Did a short video clip for the exhaust too:

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/05/th_IMG_0079-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v661/ColoradoZQ8/?action=view&current=IMG_0079.mp4)

[DartorDemon]

Well i thought i had this car completely squared away and it threw several curve balls. My signature continues to be right.

So my gas tank has been leaking from the fuel sending unit making it so i could only fill my tank to 1/4. I finally fixed it by ordering an oem lock ring from a mopar junkyard. Apparently every aftermarket lock ring is made wrong and wont seal on an oem tank.

With that covered i went out to the track last night. 90 mile trip @ 10mpg. No bueno. But that wasnt the worst part as this whole engine swap yielded a fairly upsetting 14.7 @ 91mph.

That is until the 2nd pass where i realized the car only shifted once in the quarter and never revved higher than 4500rpm. I got home and did some looking around and it turns out that my transmission has blown 2nd gear because the last owner had the kickdown set up completely wrong. So maybe 14.7 isnt so terrible if the car is going 1st-3rd down the track.

So now i'm at yet another interesting crosscroads. Do i find another 904 auto and track down a used gear vendors, do the same but with my 4spd, or do a 200r4 swap? I'm kinda leaning towards the chevy, it'll probably last longer. lol.

[DartorDemon]

Wheel spacers are on and now the wheels fit better:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/06/IMG_0092-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/06/IMG_0093-1.jpg
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2012/06/IMG_0094-1.jpg

[454bug]

Looking great Andy!

The spacers did help fill out the wheel wells. :twothumbs

[DartorDemon]

Wow this thread is out of date. So here's a little catchup and update.

Started trying to get my tune squared away with my edelcrap carburetor. Again i thought i had it down and went to the track and even got a dyno pass.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/th_dusterdyno-1.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v661/ColoradoZQ8/dusterdyno.mp4)

But not before witnessing something horrible:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/IMG_0125-1.jpg

The car yeilded 246rwhp/265tq. The dyno guy said it was still leaning out and there was atleast another 40rwhp in the car when tuned right. Then on the track it got worse, the engine was cutting out at WOT(didnt do it on the dyno for some reason)

So then i decide to toss the edelcrap in favor of the summit 750cfm carb.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/SUMMIT_750_VAC-1.jpg

Which had great drivability, but i could never get it do read right on the A/F meter. If i got a good 14ish:1 cruise, it'd lean out like crazy and bog at wot. Or good WOT(still lean), but awful cruise.

So a few days back i'm cruising around ebay, dreaming of adding efi to this dinosaur and as luck would have it, something turns up:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/01/DSCF1034_zpsdd0a8b5b-1.jpg

The price was right and i just couldnt say no.(see: 600-700 under the going rate). All it needs is the appropriate fuel lines and a pump.

[craigs73]

nice..........like that it still looks like a carb.....whats the time line on it now lol

[DartorDemon]

Before its finished? I guestimated another 10k before i'm satisfied with it. But this will atleast make it so i can drive the car around more. And get some time at the track crushing some Novas ;)

[craigs73]

hahahahahaha lol...... no i just was talking about getting fuel injection setup and running

[DartorDemon]

oh, haha. I've got a few things to order first. I've gotta order the fuel pump, AN fittings, some high pressure line, a pressure gauge, finish my hei conversion(otherwise hookup will be a bitch), and put on a small normal sized alternator.

Hopefully the last two will be done next week and *maybe* installing the efi the week after. Then shortly after this(and tuning time), it may be keisler 5spd time :)

[Six_Shooter]

Dynos load the chassis differently than when on the street and is why it "wasn't" running out of fuel on the dyno, but it was on teh track.

I had the very same thing happen to my old S-10, pulled hard through the gears on the dyno, but on the track, once it hit 4th gear, it was all over.

[DartorDemon]

Dynos load the chassis differently than when on the street and is why it "wasn't" running out of fuel on the dyno, but it was on teh track.

I had the very same thing happen to my old S-10, pulled hard through the gears on the dyno, but on the track, once it hit 4th gear, it was all over.

oh, i had no idea it loaded different. That's good to know, thank you.

[go-fish]

I have a few extra -6 and -8 Earls fittings laying around. Let me know what you need and I'll see if I have it.

What kind of pump?

[DartorDemon]

I have a few extra -6 and -8 Earls fittings laying around. Let me know what you need and I'll see if I have it.

What kind of pump?

It didnt come with a pump, which is fine since the Professional products pump is known for being overly noisy anyways. I plan to order a walboro inline pump in a few days:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Walbro-GSL392-6AN-KIT-400-929-400-920-128-3039-KIT-255lph-HP-INLINE-Fuel-Pump-/330713466392?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item4d000f0618&vxp=mtr

I'm certainly interested in the fittings, what do you have? What you see in the pic is all i have, so i've got roughly 6-10 fittings to buy in 8an/6an sizes.(mostly 6)

[DartorDemon]

Wow i let this thread lapse. So here's what's new.

-After buying that efi system, i realized i needed an ignition upgrade because the oem mopar ignition doesnt use a full 12vs and it seemed like it might make wiring the efi a big hassle. So ironically i did an HEI conversion that turned out to be a giant hassle. My parts store distributor had the reluctor air gap set way wrong and it worked for the oem ignition, but not at all for the hei. Nothing 2 weeks of trouble shooting can't figure out.

Once i finished i drove the car maybe a mile and started the efi install. That oddly enough took less time and had fewer hiccups.

-Started with the biggest headache(for me) and installed my fuel pump:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013031400254-1.jpg

-Then ran lines(still working on a more permanent solution than the ties)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013031400256-1.jpg

-Lines fully ran(wires not ran)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013032000270-1.jpg

-Lastly, got everything wired up and had a test fire. Unfortunately, no driving tests until i can get my fuel sender back from the welding shop. My first fuel sender mod/plan had a clearance issue with the rear axle. It's now re-tuned for my engine and just waiting on one little part before i road test it

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/th_IMG_0147-1.jpg (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v661/ColoradoZQ8/IMG_0147.mp4)

[DartorDemon]

Well now that it seems like everything is working out on my car, time for another "Mother F#%$er" update.

I finished the efi a little over a week ago and went for a nice drive around town. With the bugs worked out, the car ran great. Throttle response was instant and it just cruised nice and easy.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013040100292-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130401-00292.jpg.html)

Flash forward to this past thursday. I move the car out of the driveway so i can work on my truck and fix an annoying squeak/death rattle on the highway. Click the key to the on position, pump humms for a few seconds, fails to start, crank again, fails, crank again roars to life....following by smoke billowing out from under the hood.

I kill the engine, jump out and pop the hood, and as i'm lifting the hood my neighbor yells "fire fire!". My hood goes up and the entire firewall is on fire. And proving that Murphy's law exists, the extinguisher in the garage(my parents) doesnt work, and my neighbor can't find his. So last resort was to grab the garden hose and flood my engine bay with water. When it finally went out, the fire had killed my wiring harness, the efi wiring harness and ecu, the distributor, the a/c blower motor and who knows what else at this point.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013041800310-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130418-00310.jpg.html)

Yesterday i set to work picking apart the melted wires:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville20130419003111-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130419-00311-1.jpg.html)

After getting everything clear, i powered up the fuel pump to see where the leak had developed. Immediately the throttle body belched fuel from the rear onto the firewall. So the only question is what caused the fuel to ignite. Because the oem mopar wiring was garbage and no one really makes replacement parts for that bulkhead(see the grouping of 3 plug outlets) i've decided to re-wire the entire car incase bad wiring played a part in this fire.

Today was spent ridding the car of the oem harness:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013042000312-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130420-00312.jpg.html)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013042000313-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130420-00313.jpg.html)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/Vacaville2013042000314-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130420-00314.jpg.html)

Along with this, the car will be getting a digital dash to replace the old oem gauge cluster that mostly didnt work:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/04/5150_1_lg-1.jpg

[craigs73]

man that sucks balls.........i take it there was a electrical fire?

[DartorDemon]

Wow its been awhile since i updated this thread. Well the rewire is nearly complete. I'm just waiting on a few parts so i can put on the new fuel line, replace the distributor guts, wire the ignition, wire the efi and then it will at least run.

I've also got a new gauge pod which will go in once i spring for the gauges.(and complete this happy little nightmare)

[DartorDemon]

The car is nearly back together. Today i mounted my coil and my new speedhut gauges came in. Now all thats left to do is to wire the wipers, wire up the radio, wire the gauges, figure out my reverse lights, and tidy up the interior.

Mock up pics:
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/08/Vacaville2013081500063-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130815-00063.jpg.html)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/08/Vacaville2013081500068-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130815-00068.jpg.html)
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2013/08/Vacaville2013081500070-1.jpg (http://smg.photobucket.com/user/ColoradoZQ8/media/Vacaville-20130815-00070.jpg.html)

[craigs73]

looks nice andy.....hope to see that slopar back on the road lol ;)

[Jetfixr320]

What fuse block or wiring kit is that? Looks pretty nice.

Steve

[DartorDemon]

What fuse block or wiring kit is that? Looks pretty nice.

Steve

It's a Ron Francis kit
Ron Francis Wiring (http://www.ronfrancis.com/)

My only beef with it is that the fuse panel is physically a lot larger than i expected and while i bought a mopar specific kit, some of the intructrions are very generic and GM based. Which caused some hiccups during the installation.