hemi swap rear end

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Stone Runner

Stone Runner

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I am planning on restoring my 72 duster and adding a 5.7 L hemi and have a couple of questions. Currently I am collecting parts and working on the body.

I may cut down a rearend from a truck for a dana 60 or 8.75. Would there be any advantage in changing the axle offset or stay with the stock configuration? Still penciling it out at far as cost and advantages.

Would a salvage durango have the truck motor and proper auto trans?

What is used for the gauges and speedometer could I make a dash from the gauges in the salvage vehicle?

I want to make this a budget build so I am not planning on the alterK at this time. Currently I have the slant six K frame, will this work or is there a better K frame to utilize? I have the control arms off a 74 valiant and the front spindles and brakes from a volare. The duster currently has power steering and I may try adding a rack instead. I am hoping in the year or so it takes to finish the body they will have a good option for an A body rack. I would prefer power steering if there eventually is a way with the stock K frame.

Thanks for the help.
 
Don't know about the truck axles.
Yes, you can use the durango, jeep,or ram stuff----or get the truck based trans and use any engine you want.
Get youself some electronic gauges, you'll be set.
Not to sure on the /6 k frame---how about some help guys?????
 
Stone Runner said:
I am planning on restoring my 72 duster and adding a 5.7 L hemi and have a couple of questions. Currently I am collecting parts and working on the body.

I may cut down a rearend from a truck for a dana 60 or 8.75. Would there be any advantage in changing the axle offset or stay with the stock configuration? Still penciling it out at far as cost and advantages.

Would a salvage durango have the truck motor and proper auto trans?

What is used for the gauges and speedometer could I make a dash from the gauges in the salvage vehicle?

I want to make this a budget build so I am not planning on the alterK at this time. Currently I have the slant six K frame, will this work or is there a better K frame to utilize? I have the control arms off a 74 valiant and the front spindles and brakes from a volare. The duster currently has power steering and I may try adding a rack instead. I am hoping in the year or so it takes to finish the body they will have a good option for an A body rack. I would prefer power steering if there eventually is a way with the stock K frame.

Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

Unless proven wrong, the hemi conversion mounts are only for small block V8 K frames. If you have a /6 k you are going to have to swap it. And yes. unless someone comes out with a power rack and pinion conversion for an a body, you will have to run manual steering. Hope I helped?:cheers: Joe
 
Thanks, I figure I could buy a cam and a new controller for the price of the alterK. I'll give one of the suppliers a call about the k frame.

My thinking is with a salvage vehicle I can see how it is all put together as it is dissambled. Plus have extra parts that may be re-purposed for the build. I'll probably be a shoe-in for the neighborhood white trash award with all the dissasembled vehicles and parts.

I have seen where some have shaved off pieces and welded back in plate steel on the stock k frame for fitment issues like with the AC. Hoping some one comes up with other stock K frame modifications that could help. There are some really good fabrications going on in FABO restorations.
 
What I am thinking is would it be possible to move the gear box over an inch or two or move the engine over an inch or so? The linkage would have to be changed and the inner fender well modified. Just thinking out loud. That is why I was asking about the rearend offset.
 
Unisteer supposedly has a rack and pinion for a bodies now.
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/parts/suspension/mopp_0803_parts_department_unisteer/index.html
There doesn't seem to be much info on it though. It is listed in their catalog
8010930-01 A Body With Big Block Motor $1599.00
8010930-02 A Body With Big Block Motor (Chrome) $1699.00​

8010940-01 A Body With Small Block Motor (Black) $1599.00
According to Jegs and Summit you can buy one based on the part numbers. I'm not sure if a hemi pump would work or if you would have to get a reduced pressure one. I considered buying one at one time, but they were advertising it before it was actually ready so I bought a flaming river manual box.
 
Unfortunately Unisteer never released those items.
I was told by a company rep that the extra cost
of custom headers killed the project.
 
With the stock K frame is there room to raise the engine any higher than the TTI mounts? Modifying the transmission hump is not an issue to me.. Is there much room before hitting the hood?

Another option I was considering is TIG welding my own headers. Time consumimg but could be worth the effort.


Thanks
 
Stone Runner said:
With the stock K frame is there room to raise the engine any higher than the TTI mounts? Modifying the transmission hump is not an issue to me.. Is there much room before hitting the hood?

Another option I was considering is TIG welding my own headers. Time consumimg but could be worth the effort.


Thanks
Click to expand...

Try Jeep SRT8 manifolds.
 
Your project sounds familiar. :)

If you get a junkyard motor and want to use the OEM controllers, make sure there is a Diablo tuner available for it, so that you can adjust things accordingly. Look for a Diablo Tuner (custom tune writer) since you will need more than the canned tunes that come with the diablo.

Tincup said:
Try Jeep SRT8 manifolds.
Click to expand...

I am working on using these on the cuda project. It looks like it will require trimming off the heat shield for the 1st and 2nd runners (drivers side) as well as clocking the collector flange a bit as it hits the torsion bars.

We may wind up making some custom (very adjustable) motor mounts, too so that you can use the Cherokee manifolds without butchering them.
 
TxSwimDad said:
If you get a junkyard motor and want to use the OEM controllers, make sure there is a Diablo tuner available for it, so that you can adjust things accordingly. Look for a Diablo Tuner (custom tune writer) since you will need more than the canned tunes that come with the diablo.
Click to expand...

Where are you getting your tuner from and what is the cost? From the research I have done I think you have to get a custom tune to disable the rear O2 sensors, what other benefit is there to a custom tune? Right now my only performance mods will be headers and some sort of cold air intake. I'm wondering what benefits a custom tune will give me over the canned tunes. I have thought about just installing some high flow cats so I don't have to worry about the O2 sensors, but I'm guessing there may be other issues I'll run into.
 
boden said:
Where are you getting your tuner from and what is the cost? From the research I have done I think you have to get a custom tune to disable the rear O2 sensors, what other benefit is there to a custom tune? Right now my only performance mods will be headers and some sort of cold air intake. I'm wondering what benefits a custom tune will give me over the canned tunes. I have thought about just installing some high flow cats so I don't have to worry about the O2 sensors, but I'm guessing there may be other issues I'll run into.
Click to expand...

Yes, you can do better than the canned tune. I would expect that to be more true for a car that is 1000 lbs lighter than anything that comes from the factory with that motor in it.


Now that we have paid our vendor fees for this forum, I guess it is ok to say :)

Inertia Motorsports :cheers: !
Look for our own area over the weekend. :)

My boss, Stu (392Stu) , has them and is a CMR tuner, too. We have 2 A-body 3G hemi projects in progress at the shop. One is his cuda and one is my Duster.

Call Stu (512-964-7724) 2:30pm-9:00pm CST any weekday or pretty much any hour on the weekend as he handles all transactions. Mention you are from FABO for a better price.


I believe you can disable the rear 02's without the custom tune by using the Diablo, but if not, you definitely can turn them off with the CMR and get a tune tailored to your car. We are anxious to get our cars on the road and start seeing what can be done in an A-Body.
 
By custom tune, are you just using the stock pcm and retuning it or is this a completely new PCM?

I'm currently doing a resto and 5.7L install at the same time...lots of time and money.

Riddler
 
Riddler said:
By custom tune, are you just using the stock pcm and retuning it or is this a completely new PCM?

I'm currently doing a resto and 5.7L install at the same time...lots of time and money.

Riddler
Click to expand...


The way this works is that you buy a Diablo tuner and it comes w/ 3 "canned tunes" for factory 5.7 applications. A CMR tune is added to the list of tunes so now you have 4 tunes though it can store up to 5 tunes, I think. Tunes can be emailed from the tune writer to you for loading into your tuner via a USB port. You plug in the tuner to the car and it "records the stock tune and stores it in the tuner. It then installs which ever of the tunes from your tuner into the ECM. It takes less than 5 minutes to put in your tunes. You never remove your ecm or anything. It plugs right into the OBD port and does it all from there. Once the tune is loaded, you unplug and you are ready to drive. A tuner can only load tunes to one ECM at a time. It is smart enough to know. The tuner will data log with assistance of your laptop. You can send the data log to the tune writer and he will tune accordingly.
 
The options and products just get better and more competetive. I better get work on the body. I would like to see those motor mounts for the duster.
 
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