'68 318 to carbed Magnum 5.2: Check my checklist

More fun with Dick and Jane tonight, courtesy of the Mopar Performance P4876850 Magnum conversion throttle bracket, at right:



Granted, seeing as anything associated with a Mopar kickdown that is not cable operated bearing the name "Lokar" is suspect, I should have known that I was walking into uncharted territories here (not to mention that there isn't any record online of anyone actually trying to use this bracket on their Magnum conversion).

That doesn't mean I'm going to knuckle under that quickly. Someone at MP designed this thing to work (we hope), and I'd like to put the part to its use.

Problem #1:
The P4876314 bracket has provisions for a bellcrank pivot stud, but the original stud is swedged to the throttle bracket. It's not serrated and press-fit - trust me, it's impossible to push the stud out and reinstall it with a hydraulic press (ask me, I tried).

The new bracket is obviously designed for a press-in or bolt-in piece, but I don't know the part number to find it, and Googling has been of no luck (nobody else references this part other than a few retailers).

Question is: Did MP ever issue a manual for this stinkin' little part? I bet they didn't, and I bet they forgot the stud too.





Now if the stud doesn't show up, I can always cut the swedged end off the stud and weld it into the MP bracket - which is probably the only option, but I'm not going to take guessing as an answer until I've exhausted all possibilities (yes, even sending an email to MP - bet that'll help! :banghead:).

Which brings me to problem #2, which is the reason I suspect a manual might actually exist for this thing:

There is no indication which factory donor kickdown linkage (at the carb-to-bellcrank location) is supposed to be used with this piece. And, of course, this has been a black art mystery ever since Mopar ever invented the concept of designing a kickdown linkage that has a drawn reciprocation dingle arm built into it (I wonder if I got the optional turbo encabulation?). In short, I'm left wondering whether I need a 340 kickdown arm at the carb, or whether I can stick with the 318 unit.

My guess is the 340, just by virtue of the MP conversion bracket's design vs. the stock 318 bracket vs. the stock 340. Almost certain the 318 arm would interfere with the throttle cable if mounted to the conversion bracket:

318 2-barrel Carter:




340 4-barrel Edelbrock/Carter:


-Kurt