Unchewable, the D170

[kingcrunch]

Farewell from the old venerable 225. In preparation of modifying the frame with the front crossmember of that '05 Ram...
Unfortunately, the person i aquire the frame pieces from does not have SRT-10 lower control arms.
And the person i knew had a set, cut them up for my initial idea of modified VAN lcas... sometimes i have less sense than a bag of hammers.

[Tincup]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think all the dodge lower ( and upper ) control arms are the same.

[kingcrunch]

According to the parts manual for that year, they have different part numbers. I may pick up a pair of "regular" arms anyways. I don't think it makes much sense to go hunting for unobtainium.
The same applies to the '05 SRT-10 spindles... i still could not manage to find a passenger side spindle but have a few aces still up my sleeve.


In the meantime i contacted HotWireAuto for a wiring harness, after i drug out and layed out the factory challenger harness.
The challengers harness is massive and confusing but absolutely complete and undamaged. There's even the LF-antennas for the key-fob included. If i can, i would like to install these in the vehicle.

Turns out that HotWire wants me to use a 09/10 computer, which i can't, because i have to use the original computer to pass emissions testing.

I guess a subscription for TechAuthority is in order. Or at least a FSM for a '15 Challenger...

[Tincup]

According to the parts manual for that year, they have different part numbers. I may pick up a pair of "regular" arms anyways. I don't think it makes much sense to go hunting for unobtainium.
The same applies to the '05 SRT-10 spindles... i still could not manage to find a passenger side spindle but have a few aces still up my sleeve.


In the meantime i contacted HotWireAuto for a wiring harness, after i drug out and layed out the factory challenger harness.
The challengers harness is massive and confusing but absolutely complete and undamaged. There's even the LF-antennas for the key-fob included. If i can, i would like to install these in the vehicle.

Turns out that HotWire wants me to use a 09/10 computer, which i can't, because i have to use the original computer to pass emissions testing.

I guess a subscription for TechAuthority is in order. Or at least a FSM for a '15 Challenger...

I still have the rt spindle, you can have it if you want to pay the shipping, it would be an easy repair.

[kingcrunch]

Don't get rid of it yet. I found a passenger side spindle but it comes as a part of a complete passenger side suspension drop-out for 750 dolares.
I need SRT-10 LCAs anyways, but maybe i can find a set here in Germany.

[kingcrunch]

Obviously, my 6.4 came without a power steering pump. Looks like the donor car had EHPS or Electro Hydraulic Power Steering.
This is an electric pump providing the hydraulic pressure for a "regular" hydraulic assisted steering rack. Yay.

So instead of a pump my engine has an idler where the power steering pump would go on a similar engine:



You can see it very clearly on the drivers side of the motor (right side in image) above the A/C-compressor.

I know how to fix this: Mopar RL181778AB 2011-2013 Challenger with 6.4L, just like 340 USD ... used ones seem to be scarce and Rockauto already has the best price for a new OEM Mopar part.
I could sink several tenthousand dollars into this thing right away. I'll try to avoid that...

[Tincup]

Obviously, my 6.4 came without a power steering pump. Looks like the donor car had EHPS or Electro Hydraulic Power Steering.
This is an electric pump providing the hydraulic pressure for a "regular" hydraulic assisted steering rack. Yay.

So instead of a pump my engine has an idler where the power steering pump would go on a similar engine:



You can see it very clearly on the drivers side of the motor (right side in image) above the A/C-compressor.

I know how to fix this: Mopar RL181778AB 2011-2013 Challenger with 6.4L, just like 340 USD ... used ones seem to be scarce and Rockauto already has the best price for a new OEM Mopar part.
I could sink several tenthousand dollars into this thing right away. I'll try to avoid that...

Just an FYI, Be careful using a Mopar PS pump, they put out too much pressure for a Ford rack & pinion, or a stock mopar box...

[kingcrunch]

Thanks Mike,
i want to use a modern steering rack, if i can from a Ram, if i can't i'll look into other late model steering racks or even a custom made rack...
And i strongly believe that even these pumps can be decreased in pressure, although this would be the last route i would want to go.
I prefer to be able to use unmodified parts, so i can just replace a damaged unit with a remanufactured part without the need to modify it before usage...

[kingcrunch]

Removed the SRT-10 axles diff cover last night and checked what i got myself: Absolute mayhem in a can!
4.56 gears with a limited slip differential.

There's zero wear on the teeth, no debris on the magnet. That combination should result in a rocket sled. Probably undriveable in the rain...

[Tincup]

I have the rack from the srt-10, not sure if it's worth shipping...

[kingcrunch]

It's probably too wide but please don't throw it away yet.


Yesterdays quest:
I feared i would have to re-wire the engine harness, to move the ECU to the driver side of the engine compartment.
The LX-cars have the engine computer on the passenger side.
On the passenger side in a truck there's the heater box on the firewall, heater hoses (heat!), wiper washer reservoir and not really that much space for a large ECU.

Jumping into cold waters i decided to tear into the engine harness and begun unwrapping it to understand wire-routing and have a look how good my chances would be, to relocate stuff.



It turns out to be a major pita.

But then, solutions came right around the corner.

Measuring from the center of the engine bay to the passenger side inner fender i found a distance of about 31".
Which means that the piece of engine harness that connects the engine to the ECU has to be around 30-31" long.
It was not from the factory, because the wiring takes a strange down-and-upward-route.

Unwrapping helped understanding why it did that and showed that it was not really necessary. Unwrapping also disclosed, why the harness feels so stiff:
The glue from some of the shrink-wrapped connections seeped out and glued some of the wires together. Realnice.
I also had to physically move some of the wiring on the passenger side valve cover further to the back of the engine, there's enough slack in the wires to do that.
But you will have to move the harness-mounting-pins:



For that i ground a needle point on a piece of hard steel wire, so i could lift the zip-tie-like retainer.



It's mostly untangled by now and ready to be re-wrapped.
I now have the required length of wire and can place the ECU on the passenger side inner fender.



During that process i also found a solution for the heater hoses.
These would make a loop right where the ECU will be located and the heat from these hoses does not play too well with any kind of computer i think.

To my fortune, the engine brought all the necessary parts with it to do this:



Routes the heater hoses neatly over the heater box to the backside of the engine, where the heater hose connections are located. Win!

[kingcrunch]

I decided to try and keep the original crossmember (relieved of the UCA mounts).
The LCA mounts would have to be relocated on the crossmember (or redesigned) to accept the '05 1500s LCAs and act as the front mounting point.
This way all i would have to do is finding a way to install the rear LCA mounting point which could be transferred over from the 1500.

Incidentally the frame rails (well, really thick square tube for the 1500) are the same height... but not much more.
I'll go hunting for some D150 frame rails, from the cab forward.
I need to box the frame in a few places and i need to do it in a fashion that will work with German regulations.

[linkstar69]

Neat build, i also know the challenges of finding performance suspension for mopars

[kingcrunch]

So i began cutting that 1500s chunk of frame and after two hours i got me something to make something else from:



This is one of the control arm mounts, that will be welded to a piece of plate which will be welded to the frame.



And this is the brace, that will be modified quite a bit.



About 2.56" will be cut from the middle and the bolt holes need relocating by 1.38" each.
This way the control arm mounts will fit inside the frame rails, just like on the 1500.


And there's more cutting ahead:


I need at least one set of the UCA mounts from that hunk of metal. And if all else fails, the crossmember as well.

[kingcrunch]

For F***s sake, it doesn't work out like that! Dammit.

[kingcrunch]

I don't any more think it will fit.

The track width on a 1500 is 68". Add 2" of wheel offset and you get the front axle width of 70".
Substract 5.3" (total shortening required to get the rearmost of the front suspension crossmembers between the frame rails) and you get
a one inch smaller track width (64.7") compared to the original setup which is 65.7".

All in all it leaves me with a front suspension almost 6" too narrow.

Moving the lower control arms outboard will probably move the location of the spring out of reach of the upper spring cup on the factory crossmember.
Argh!

[Guyt699]

I bet that is aggravating but you'll get it figured out!

[kingcrunch]

After hours of taking measurements and doing calculations (simple stuff) i figure i might have a way to make it fit, IF the spring perches are lining up close enough.
Failed to check if they do... and it's not too easy for me to decide what's good and what is not good alignment:

The Dodge Van lca fits no problem and it's spring perch is 1/2" further outboard. But the 1500s lcas spring perch is another inch outboard.
That's no problem with the 1500s frame because the upper spring perch is attached to the frame at an angle. On the D150s frame it's almost at a right angle to the floor.


I will have to make custom mounts for the LCAs and the UCAs, but i end up with about the same track width i have in the rear: 68" with 55mm offset wheels (2.83" backspacing, provided i understood backspacing correctly).
The bad thing is, i just cut my jig apart. Yay.

[kingcrunch]

For those following along thinking "Why doesn't he just buy a SRT-10 shortbed without an engine and transmission and drop his 6.4/TR6060 in there?":

Weight.
1500s are 500 pounds heavier than my truck. Even with a 6.4, there would be a 300 pound difference...

[2ndroundko]

bruh..... i have no patience for that! sucks that your have such sucky luck with he front suspension.