72 Dart Swinger 3.6L Pentastar +T5

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Grnfsh said:
MD360, any updates on your progress with AlfaOBD?
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Yeah It was a Bust. It will do all sorts of cool things for the Delphi sourced TIPM in the Darts, Renegades and 200s but doesn't offer much for the Motorolla TIPM I have from a 2013 Wrangler.

So I went ahead and bit the bullet on a full blown Scan tool. I picked up a gently used Launch PadII last week for >$900. PAD II AE – Launch Tech USA

Launch is telling me it can flash VINs to the PCM, WCM and TIPM, program new keys, ect which should get the ball rolling. I needed a better tool that could flash VINs to used PCMs anyways for my Tuning business, so it's a tax write off. My Pad2 was missing its Bluetooth OBD adapter so I got one ordered last Friday, hopefully be next weekend. Overall I love it so far and its pretty versatile,,Since it's a ruggedized Android tablet, I've been using all this weekend just to websurf, read, stream music, ect, until I can used it on the 3.6l

I also needed a Instrument cluster and its integrated CCN(Cabin Compartment Node) if I want the Headlights,, turn signals, cruise, ect from the steering column to talk to the TIPM, so it'll be here this week too with any luck.

In the meantime, I've been working on the Dash and interior and welded in the front Torque boxes.


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Spent a couple hours cleaning up the test stand, engine, wiring, and mounting the Radiator, so we'll be ready to fire the engine. The Engine has been filled with oil, so we're getting there.

I have a Tanks EFI tank on the way as well. the Pad-II scan tool was showing the Fuel pump relay turning on, so I'm going to have it turn on the pump.

I ordered a Brake switch too so I can test the Brake lights and turn signals. Wiper motor control may be more complicated.

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Front Suspension Redesign
With the engine now running, I've found renewed vigor to get the front end nailed down.

I added a Mustang II front steer spindle to my Dart Suspension 3D model to correct the issues with the Corvette C4 Knuckle I was looking to use. The deal breaker with the C4 was that it required the UCA to be less than 7" long, which made for a fairy steep Camber curve.

I put a M2, 2" Drop Spindle into my assembly and mated it to the 73 B-Body LCA. It's looking much better. The UCA is currently ~9.25" and the Camber curve is much improve. Looks likes it's actually losing camber with 1" dive, which should be good for braking.

I have to double check my model and make sure I have the UCA in the correct spot along with the vehicle "Ride height" ei: ground to Tbar. Then I'll check Bump & Dive with some roll added. I have a new Mustang II spindle with a bolt on steering arm ($100) on its way for mocking up.

NOTE: SPC "Race" UCA are a la carte which is cool. The Weird thing is that when you tally all the pieces on Summit, they wind up being $200 CHEAPER a SET than SPC Mopar arms. Weird.... http://www.spcalignment.com/race


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Next step is to decide what sort of power rack to use.
Standard or Center steer.
Standard rack has fewer parts but the Center steer has really long tie rods(smaller arc length for reduced bump steer) and the tie rod mounting point can be moved around quite a bit.

Packaging around the Strut rods and swaybar may be the limiting factor.

Assuming you all know what a Standard R/P looks like, here's the "Center steer" im referring to:
"Stock" tie rod mounting point
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Modified Tie rod mounting (note this is also a rear steer vs front steer shown above)
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This is what I had in mind in terms of rack placement. This is an old CPA design that the K-Frame was early predecessor to the QA1 I have.
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Got the new SPC upper arm and Mustang II stock height spindles in and mocked up on the stock K-Frame. Fits for the most part. I need to nail down all the details like LCA bushing and ball joint before getting the QA1 Krame installed.

I will also look into testing what effect reducing the Anti-dive has on camber/caster curves. It should reduce roll center, which is a good thing. It appears lowering the front UCA mounting point ~1.0" is pretty straight forward.

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The rack and pinion conversion is really getting complicated. There's just too much other work to be done to try and tackle it too. So I'm going to bypass the AC and avoid that hassle.

Luckily I think I found a factory A/C delete bracket, part number 4627207AB (~$40)

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This pic shows the interference and the circled bolts is were the new bracket should mount.
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myduster360 said:
Finally got it fired up tonight. Cobbled up a fuel system and filled the engine up with water and oil and she started instantly.

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Following this exciting milestone of yours, you gave us the courage, after almost a year, to light the 'touch paper' on our project and a couple of weeks back we started dissassembling the JEEP GC so as to firstly extract the wiring loom. We are continually starting the engine in the car after every short while to see if we have done anything to kill it. It's like walking through 'Tiger Country' wearing a blindfold and without protection.
We soon, before Xmas, hope to drop out the engine, trans, exhaust, fuel tank and everything else we want to use in the '37 Dodge truck street rod project.
Then set it all up on a mobile platform as you did, re-connect the loom and see if we can get it running.
We can't believe the size and complexity of the wiring loom in this and no doubt all other current vehicles.
Sooner or later we are probably going to be looking for advice on electronics monitoring equipment.

Thanks again for your leadership and quality publishing.
Cheers Jim
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
 
myduster360 said:
The rack and pinion conversion is really getting complicated. There's just too much other work to be done to try and tackle it too. So I'm going to bypass the AC and avoid that hassle.

Luckily I think I found a factory A/C delete bracket, part number 4627207AB (~$40)

View attachment 1715109202

This pic shows the interference and the circled bolts is were the new bracket should mount.
View attachment 1715109204

View attachment 1715109205View attachment 1715109206
Click to expand...

That aircon compressor may well be a problem for us. It may not clear the Dodge truck LHS chassis rail … and that will be a bummer.
Thanks again for your research info.
Jim
 
THe new AC delete bracket won't be in until next week but I threw the Borgenson on the Kfame to see how it'll fit with the engine mounting brackets.

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The engine mounting brackets($30each) part numbers are

68161224AB-BRACKET-ENGINE MOUNT
68089045AA-BRACKET-ENGINE MOUNT

They're for a 2014 Ram 1500.
They're the only type of 3.6 mount that wasn't a giant cast iron/rubber beast. They offer greater versatility and i just have to then built UP to them with new frame brackets and insulators/bushings.

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Wish I wasn't in NW Ohio....so far away, I would love to throw my test fit HDK under your car and see how well it works and plays with your project.



JayinMi.....Fixed it...Ohio ain't so bad, we have paved roads.
 
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myduster360 said:
The engine mounting brackets($30each) part numbers are

68161224AB-BRACKET-ENGINE MOUNT
68089045AA-BRACKET-ENGINE MOUNT

They're for a 2014 Ram 1500.
They're the only type of 3.6 mount that wasn't a giant cast iron/rubber beast. They offer greater versatility and i just have to then built UP to them with new frame brackets and insulators/bushings.

View attachment 1715109462

View attachment 1715109464
Click to expand...


GOLD GOLD GOLD … The MOPAR Olympics ?

Damn ! My iPad won't upload photos here.
I'll have to get onto the iMac sometime later and give that a try.
 
myduster360 said:
The engine mounting brackets($30each) part numbers are

68161224AB-BRACKET-ENGINE MOUNT
68089045AA-BRACKET-ENGINE MOUNT

They're for a 2014 Ram 1500.
They're the only type of 3.6 mount that wasn't a giant cast iron/rubber beast. They offer greater versatility and i just have to then built UP to them with new frame brackets and insulators/bushings.

View attachment 1715109462

View attachment 1715109464
Click to expand...

So, courtesy of the web parts resource by
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this is your engine mount I think, pressed in steel . . . now see the next photo
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. . . have you seen this engine mount, it's the standard LHS mount I'm using sourced from my 2015 Jeep GC 2WD donor wreck.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think it is alloy, and will certainly fit my '37 truck chassis mount requirement when I fabricate it . . . I hope.

Whatever, I am impressed with all the MOPAR stuff I've been exposed to lately.
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Scammell said:
That aircon compressor may well be a problem for us. It may not clear the Dodge truck LHS chassis rail … and that will be a bummer.
Thanks again for your research info.
Jim
Click to expand...

Magically the A/C compressor will not clash with our LHS chassis rail . . . although just above the chassis it will poke maybe an inch or two into the under fender cavity behind the left front wheel and above the beam axle. We will just make a neat little housing to go around it. The alternator on the RHS side is going to be close but OK we think. These vintage 1930s truck chassis are pretty narrow up front and get narrower the closer to the radiator.
There will be quite a bit of space in front of the Pentastar engine and the radiator. Plenty of room to fit the standard electric radiator fan housing, but the fan housing will need to be rotated through 90º, as our space is high and not wide. We need to rotate the radiator through the same 90º which may not be successful, so for that it may be better to seek out a suitable replacement radiator.
The standard 'A/C condenser/auto trans cooler' unit will also rotate 90º and fit in front of the radiator . . . and the power steering cooler will fit in front of that, all basically as per original Jeep GC. It's great having a complete low mileage, like new donor vehicle to work with. Makes you feel good.
It's also great working with this stuff so far, sort of mixing and matching.
Unlike your A-Body, we have plenty of vertical space to play with and could probably hide half the Chrysler Building under the hood.
The compactness of the Pentastar 3.6 is fantastic . . . and we are confident it and the 8-speed trans will pull the truck along at 70mph on the flat with the race car loaded on the back, no head wind and the A/C operating. We don't have too many mountain ranges down here. Most of our hills were once mountains, but are now so very old that they have been flattened by wind and rain over many many millions of years . . . and that's true.
Excitement continues to build on this project.
 
There it is. Its close but technically it DOES clear the Borgeson by <1/2". The bracket is beefy enough to allow additional clearancing if needed.




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I'm going to use the matching idler pulley too, 53034002AA ($40). I thought I had one that could work, but no.
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