Starting a BB Duster project

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I'm going to see if the Milodon road race pan will fit with the DC K-frame. I'm pretty sure it will require some mods to make it work but from what I can see so far the mods aren't too difficult. I'm also going to see if I can get this big anti-sway bar from Hellwig to fit. It also won't be a bolt on but I'm sure with some fab work I'll have a nice street/strip setup. The Duster isn't going to be a road race car but I'd like to be able to come around a freeway off-ramp without having it feel like a greased pig.
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Working on mounting the front spoiler. Trying to figure out the best place for it and then I'll weld some tabs to the lower radiator support to hold it in place.
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A Moparts member helped me out by locating a set of lower control arms that had the anti-sway bar tabs so I got those mocked up on the K frame. I've tried a couple different oil pans with limited success. I have another one on the way that should work.

Also finally got the Weld wheels for the front. I guess they had to build them since it took about 5 weeks. 17 x 6.5 with clearance for the Viper calipers and the correct backspacing.
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I bent up some tabs to mount the spoiler to the lower core support. I made the tabs longer and wider than the factory tabs since I wanted them to come out and support the front of the spoiler as well as just the top. This spoiler came from Spoilers by Randy. He supplies some mounting hardware with the spoiler but I tossed his hardware in the recycle bin and built my own. I don't want to drive over this spoiler at 130 mph!
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Here are the four pans I checked on this build. The black pan works the best so it is the one that I'll use. It is the MRE547 pan which is advertised as a Hemi pan but it really seems like a deeper version of the factory 187 pan. The orange pan in the picture is a factory 187 C body pan. It fit and would've worked but I'd rather use the Mancini pan since it is 6 qts. The Milodon road race pan didn't fit with the spool mount K frame and the long green Hemi pan doesn't have a notch for the idler arm.
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I welded small plates onto the end of the K frame. The plates box the K frame ends and provide a good place for a hold down strap.
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Here are the four pans I checked on this build. The black pan works the best so it is the one that I'll use. It is the MRE547 pan which is advertised as a Hemi pan but it really seems like a deeper version of the factory 187 pan. The orange pan in the picture is a factory 187 C body pan. It fit and would've worked but I'd rather use the Mancini pan since it is 6 qts. The Milodon road race pan didn't fit with the spool mount K frame and the long green Hemi pan doesn't have a notch for the idler arm.View attachment 1715266214 View attachment 1715266215


Andy, is your K frame cut for clearance to use that 547 pan?
 
My K frame is cut back a bit but I don't think it needs to be for the Mancini 547 pan. The K frame would need to be trimmed back for the Hemi pan since the sump in it is longer.
 
It looks like I can squeeze the big radiator out of a Cordoba into the space available. It is a tight fit between the frame rails but it clears. The Cordoba shroud also fits just fine and I think I can make the hoses work also. This is an old stock radiator but new ones are available from Rock Auto for $300 so I should be good to go. I'm going to take this radiator over to a shop in the morning and see what they say.
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You just squeezed a Cordoba radiator into a Duster?!?! I had no idea that was possible and I have a Magnum and a Duster sitting right here!
DANG!
 
It looks like I can squeeze the big radiator out of a Cordoba into the space available. It is a tight fit between the frame rails but it clears. The Cordoba shroud also fits just fine and I think I can make the hoses work also. This is an old stock radiator but new ones are available from Rock Auto for $300 so I should be good to go. I'm going to take this radiator over to a shop in the morning and see what they say.
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Something looks weired with the fan ? How big is the fan ? keep it coming !
 
That is an 18 inch fan. It looks like I could use a 19 inch fan with this shroud, not sure about going any bigger than that though.
 
You just squeezed a Cordoba radiator into a Duster?!?! I had no idea that was possible and I have a Magnum and a Duster sitting right here!
DANG!

Yeah I've had this radiator sitting in the shop for a long time and I never thought it would fit so I didn't try it. The car came with an aluminum radiator but it was hacked up and kind of ugly so I decided I needed to find another radiator. I figured I'd try the Cordoba one just to make sure that it didn't fit and it slid right in place. I'll need to trim the brackets a little bit and I'll have to have the outlet on the lower tank moved from the passenger side to the driver side but then it should work. It is only a two row radiator but it is big so it should keep the engine cool. If it can't keep the engine cool then there is room to go with a three core radiator the same size.
 
That is an 18 inch fan. It looks like I could use a 19 inch fan with this shroud, not sure about going any bigger than that though.
you probably know but that fan was about the worst horsepower killer of all the fan types tested on the dyno in one of the engine masters episodes. something like 30 hp lost from memory.
neil.
 
Which fan? The one in His pic of the 19" ?
Nice project and nice work. The fan in his pic eats a lot of power. If your going to use a mech. fan use this one. I just ordered the 19" to replace it as it will fit my 69 charger schoud that I used in my A body better.

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you probably know but that fan was about the worst horsepower killer of all the fan types tested on the dyno in one of the engine masters episodes. something like 30 hp lost from memory.
neil.

If anyone knows anything about making power with the BB Mopar, it's AndyF. He wrote the book on it - literally. IMHO, it should be required reading for anyone posting in this subforum.
 
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