Gettin er Done

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1BadDodge71

1BadDodge71

FABO Rice Hater
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
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Location
Fort Collins,Colorado
Ive posted everywhere asking questions for my 72 Duster /6 V8 swap and have gotten tons of good info from great folks here..My goal is to atleast have the 360 in the car,and able to fire it up by summers end.Heres a before of the engine compartment with the /6 still in it before tearing it out.
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After 2 cans of gunk, cussing, scraping, an hour with the pressure washer,and a 2 liter of pepsi(sorry,i dont drink anymore,but this project makes me want to slam a 12 pack,lol)I finally got 2 layers of 40 yr old grease off of the steering box,crossmember.scuffed it up,treated the metal that was exposed while sanding,primed and painted the engine compartment and painted the crossmember with VHT Epoxy Black.I also painted pieces like the horn,windshield wiper motor,heater motor.Since the engine wire harnesses were out,I went ahead and inspected them ,cleaned the connectors with a wire brush and squirted some dielectrical grease to prevent any future corrosion.The front turn signal bulb sockets were so rusted,I had to break them out.but the sockets cleaned up good and I put some bulb grease in them.The wires all looked really good,not brittle so I wrapped them up in new tape.I learned that I will also need
a longer positive battery cable since the one for the slant six is too short.I also forgot to mention the 2 nests that some wasps decided to make under the battery tray.Note the bent lip on the transmission tunnel,lol.
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I really hate that you have to disconnect suspension pieces to put the driver side header on but it wasnt too hard thanks to a pitman arm puller(it went POP!)I was told it is much easier to set the headers into the engine compartment before putting the engine in.I remember doing this to my 71 Duster(my failed v8 swap,but hey,i was only 16 and wasnt very bright then,lol)and it was a PITA!Hopefully 15 years later ,this goes easier.:violent1:If you can see,I also wired up the electronic ignition.
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I was amazed how much the front raised after removing the slant six and that motor sure looks bigger out of the car than inside of the car.I will be picking up the engine and tranny tomorrow.I probably wont work on it Sunday since its the 4th Of July.Monday,Im going to somehow try to hunt down a 8 3/4 ,radiator,and bigger brakes.
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Well,the weathers been crappy the past 2 days but hauled the engine and transmission home today and put them under some tarps so they wont get wet.I took advantage of the bad weather to do some more research and call around for parts.Still cant find a rear and brake set up,but I did locate a radiator.I also had to go to NAPA for various nuts and bolts I have to replace,a thermostat,look for a dustshield for my transmission,get some anti-freeze,tranny fluid,and oil and filter so the day wasnt too wasted.I swear,this car is on my mind from the moment I wake up,to the moment I go to bed,thats how focused I am,lol.When my g/f asks me whats on my mind,Im almost afraid to tell her,lol but shes been supportive of it it keeps me out of trouble. Ill post some pics tomorrow.
 
Looks like you are making good progress. Amazing what a little degreasing will do....Keep up the good work....
 
Nice job on the underhood detailing.Looks very similar to my one car.LOL.Your gonna like having the extra VVrrrooomm,just not the gas mileage.
 
Thanks everyone!And yeah 2 cans of Gunk took care of it.I figured I might as well get it cleaned up while the engine is out.Well,the weather turned crappy(sux when you got to do this sans garage but got some things done.I learned something and hopefully this helps out other members and that is aligning the flex plate to line up on the torque converter correctly.I took a couple of pictures showing the arrows on where to align it.I marked on the outside also to make sure it aligns right.Im really really glad the transmission guy showed me this,saved me a huge headache.And I also noticed Im missing the damn dustshield.Another part I need to track down.:banghead:Does this ever end?LOl
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Heres the A-727 going in the car.I compared the size of it to my slant 6 904 and it is longer,hence Im going to have to shorten the drive shaft.Im going to wait until I can find a 8 3/4 to do the drive shaft mod.The column shift linkage will work,but found I had to trim some metal off of the part that attaches to the transmission.
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And heres the heart o the beast.It was painted an ugly green color(not a Chrysler color)and gave it a more appealing blue.I was going to go with orange,but nahh.I heard this 360 run before I bought it and it sounds like a beast.I payed way less than what was put into the motor because he included all of the reciepts of all the parts,machine work,and labor that was put into it.It was just sitting in a Dart that was used as a parts car for his 340 Demon and wanted to just sell it.Heres a breakdown of what is on the receipts,but Im very curious as to what camshaft it has in it.It was for sure a smog motor because of the plugged up AIR injector holes on the heads.
077866869 Aluminum Roller Rockers w/ Shaft SBCHR

SLP-224-4166V HV OIL PUMP SBM

CCA-7821-16 PUSHRODS SBM HYD ADJ ROC (i popped off a valve cover and was suprised to see blue aluminum roller rockers,lol)

UEM-KB35604-8 PISTONS SET OF 8

ESP-6123CB CONNECTING RODS

CR360MK ENGINE KIT
it says it has new valves,valve guides,seals,springs but the writing on the reciepts is very faded.
it also says the crank was polished,bored to .40 over stock,When I had the fuel pump off,I was able to see the timing chain ,which is a dual roller.The engine was built at NorthEastern Community College Auto Technology in Sterling Colorado and I cannot seem to get a hold of the last owner,or any of the people to find out more about the engine.
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I noticed some green not covered by the blue paint after seeing these pics,so i touched it up,lol but heres some shots of the conversion mounts.They are Trans-Dapt T/D 4695 Slant 6 to 340-360 V8 Engine Swap Kit.it came with all of the hardware and instructions and costed me $81.00 locally.I was going to get Shumachers but decided to try these.Hope they work.:read2:
 
ITS IN!!:cheers::cheers:After some cussing,sweating,pulling,adjusting,I got the 360 in.I tried doing it with the starter in but that wasnt happening because of the header,and learned that I shouldve pulled off the transmission dipstick because it broke.I also broke a pin off the neutral safety switch:banghead:But those are minor.And the Trans Dapt mounts work PERFECT so if the Shumchers are a little too high for you,these will work as well..Im just going to bolt up the mounts,mount the transmission to the crossmember,put the hood back on and call it a day,im beat .Ill post some pics later because my batteries went dead.
 
omg,the passenger side was a PITA to put in,the drivers side went in nicely.I thought it was supposed to be the drivers side that was the hardest.I left the passenger side header off because I thought it would be easier.I guess I was wrong.And for those that want to know,the original /6 904 transmission crossmember and pad line up perfect with the A-727.I was told it would,but was glad to see for myself.Now time for some serious R&R and a nice shower.Tomorrows another day.
 
Well,today,I spent wrestling the passenger side header in and bolting it up.I also had to wrestle the starter in which was difficult due to the header.I now see why the small starters are used because it really sucked and if the starter ever goes out,im for sure replacing it with the smaller one.I made sure I sealed the back studs on the headers so they wouldnt leak and tightened them down.Tomorrow,Im going to bolt on the stuff like the pulleys,belts,hook up the shift linkage,fuel line,alternator and put fresh oil in.Im going to see if I can atleast fire it up tomorrow,I cant let it run long since it will not have a radiator or fan yet.Monday im going to make some calls to track down a stronger rear end,torsion bars,brakes,transmission lines,kickdown linkage,and radiator.Hopefully,anyone that is planning on doing this /6 to V8 swap can use the info on this thread since there is really no step by step info anywhere.This is pretty much "basic" install of the V8,since there is more needed such as stronger rear,driveshaft shortening,bigger radiator,heavier torson bars,and bigger brakes.The stock /6 throttle cable is longer than the V8 ones,but I found a way to make it work until I can get another one.
 
After having to get a new fuel pump and dist. cap and rotor,she fired up!Im trying to find a way to make a video though.Its loud with the open headers and so weird not hearing that ticking /6 in it and hearing a V8 instead.:cheers:
 
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