392 in a 70 Duster

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I'm really tempted to do a 426 stroker. Anybody got a good machine shop in Los Angeles that can be trusted with such a job?
 
After almost a year of other projects getting in the way, finally got back to the Duster this weekend. Cut out the spare tire well and got the core support stiffener mostly welded in. Started to put the oil pan on the motor, but realized this motor is not a 2010 as I thought but is instead 2008-, so I need to get a different pick up. Also didn't realize I need new pan bolts and gaskets, so those are on their way. The good news is that the frame can't be bent too much, as the K member bolted right in place without any issue.

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Looks like the alternator is going to hit a small extension off the frame rail. Is it okay to whack that sucker off with a cutoff wheel or do I need a different front accessory drive?

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I have a plan for the transmission mount, basically copying what @Dragger40 did. Going to weld in a couple inches of the DOM tube in the torsion bar crossmember. That will hold the bushings and add stiffness after the center section was hacked out. Still planning to build a floor support over top of the trans.

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1.5 o.d DOM tube fits perfect in the torsion bar crossmember.
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Engine, trans and front suspension all ready to go in
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I've got the transmission crossmember designed and about half done with the fabrication. Expect to finish that up next weekend. I wasn't able to get anywhere near 1 degree of down angle on the trans. 3 is about the lowest I could go without putting the driveshaft in the middle of the cabin.

After finishing up the transmission crossmember, I need to do the inboard relocation boxes and I can put the rear suspension in and make it a roller. The goal is to have it rolling by end of the summer so I can take it and get all the sheet metal professionally done. By the time Glamis season is over, they should be done w/ the sheet metal and I can start building for real.
 
payneinthe said:
1.5 o.d DOM tube fits perfect in the torsion bar crossmember.
View attachment 1715204868 View attachment 1715204869

Engine, trans and front suspension all ready to go in
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I've got the transmission crossmember designed and about half done with the fabrication. Expect to finish that up next weekend. I wasn't able to get anywhere near 1 degree of down angle on the trans. 3 is about the lowest I could go without putting the driveshaft in the middle of the cabin.

After finishing up the transmission crossmember, I need to do the inboard relocation boxes and I can put the rear suspension in and make it a roller. The goal is to have it rolling by end of the summer so I can take it and get all the sheet metal professionally done. By the time Glamis season is over, they should be done w/ the sheet metal and I can start building for real.
Click to expand...
Looks great. I should've took more pics when I was building my trans mount but so far it looks like the same process.
I've got a few miles on mine and a few hard launches. So far everything is still in one piece.
 
Will you have room in your tunnel for the driveshaft adapter? It' hard to tell from pics but you may have to expand you driveshaft tunnel upward.
Just something to consider.
EDIT: I just looked at mine and yours looks about the same hight. I guess I did expand my tunnel a little... I just forgot that I did. Old age is catching up!!
 
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Dragger40 said:
Will you have room in your tunnel for the driveshaft adapter? It' hard to tell from pics but you may have to expand you driveshaft tunnel upward.
Just something to consider.
EDIT: I just looked at mine and yours looks about the same hight. I guess I did expand my tunnel a little... I just forgot that I did. Old age is catching up!!
Click to expand...

It's pretty tight. I think it might need a bit of massaging. Did you go with a flanged driveshaft or did you convert yours to a slip-yoke?
 
payneinthe said:
It's pretty tight. I think it might need a bit of massaging. Did you go with a flanged driveshaft or did you convert yours to a slip-yoke?
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I used a Driveshaft shop conversation. It has a round aluminum adapter. The adapter is about as big as the steel yoke on the transmission. BTW, if you use this setup, make sure that you line up the blue lines when you put it together and you won't have to to it twice. lol
Here are a couple of hard to see pics.
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I'm curious: what's the benefit of the conversion adapter over having a custom driveshaft made? We've got a shop about an hour away that does custom driveshafts. They made a couple for my truck and did a good job. I was planning to just have them make me one when the time comes.
 
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