Need help perfecting the budget build hemi swap

[Joe Dokes]

I think you forgot to put a tire on your front rim. ;)

Looking good, like the rims, keep us posted.

Regards,

Joe Dokes

 

[garyfish340]

The next big thing, is wiring. Since I'm removing everything from one car, and installing it to another, I left all the components attached.
One thought is, it would be quicker to wire the engine compartment, and than unplug the MSD hemi 6 box. Than find a way to feed the 3.5" by 3/4" inch plug through the firewall. Thus the box could be mounted in the interior of the car. Since I have no intent on having air conditioning, I though I might feed the plug through where the air conditioning plumbing enters the interior.
On my 69 Barracuda the heater core tubes come through two round holes in a rectangular plate screwed to the firewall. I'm hoping that the air conditioning tubes mount similarly. I don't want to cut things, if I don't have to. The reverse way would mean feeding out several plugs with the labels I marked them with.
In this area, I'm up for lots of suggestions.

 

[garyfish340]

Well Joe Dokes, I didn't forget anything. I'm just smarter than most folks. Tires, are reciprocating mass, centrifugal force cause them to behave 4 x heavier than they actually are. So tires are out of the question. They cost money, and don't come in pretty colors. There's a law of physics known as " Lenz's Law. " If you place magnets around a spinning aluminum spool, it creates electrical current, and also magnetic force. I have my favorite Fords, and Chevy's, but flying Delorean have no place in time travel. I no need no stinking flux capacitors.

 

[Map63Vette]

The next big thing, is wiring. Since I'm removing everything from one car, and installing it to another, I left all the components attached.
One thought is, it would be quicker to wire the engine compartment, and than unplug the MSD hemi 6 box. Than find a way to feed the 3.5" by 3/4" inch plug through the firewall. Thus the box could be mounted in the interior of the car. Since I have no intent on having air conditioning, I though I might feed the plug through where the air conditioning plumbing enters the interior.
On my 69 Barracuda the heater core tubes come through two round holes in a rectangular plate screwed to the firewall. I'm hoping that the air conditioning tubes mount similarly. I don't want to cut things, if I don't have to. The reverse way would mean feeding out several plugs with the labels I marked them with.
In this area, I'm up for lots of suggestions.

Any particular reason you're running the MSD box inside the car? Aesthetically speaking I agree that it would look much nicer (especially with all the extra length they give you in the harness), but it's a weather sealed box, so you can run it in the bay. I had the same quandry when I built my car. I really don't care for the big loop of wiring I have to take up the slack, but it was the least painful option as opposed to figuring out how to get something through the firewall. I've had my box on the inner fender for a few years now with no ill effects.

 

[Buschi340]

i put mine inside under the air box passenger side. The harness thru an existing hole relative deep in the bay so all is out of sight. It is just how you personally like it most....

 

[garyfish340]

Map63Vette you hit the nail on the head. Huge loop of wire, and than the instructions warn you not to shorten, and re-solder. It's probably a warranty offense. Buschi340 Surprise, surprise, my duster doesn't have the cowl boxes on the ends. Weird ha ? Totally different from my Barracuda. I'm still going to check out the area you suggested. I just want it to be 100% fume, and weather proof. Thanks.

 

[garyfish340]

The same engine in my Barracuda.

 

[Buschi340]

if you don't have those boxes, for what reason ever - I cool beer inside in the summer , than you should have even more space...

 

[garyfish340]

Headlight relay, defunct line lock, electric fan relay. Anthrax CD's. Why is tomorrow all about Turkey ? Why not a New York rib eye holiday. I'd go rabid on a cow right now if it was. Hell, if it had sharp teeth, it'd be a carnivore. I bet those Turkey's are giving the middle feather to the chickens in the next coupe right now.

 

[garyfish340]

The area/room for mounting the MSD box isn't too much of an issue. It's just finding a sanitary route to fish the harness into the cars cabin. Besides the unused air conditioning plumbing, there's an oval plastic plug through the firewall, below the steering column, that I think will do the job. I just need to find some sort of fume/water tight oval grommet to replace the plastic one currently there. I'll need to be creative.

 

[garyfish340]

Took me 3 hour to put the gaskets on the header, on the drivers side, and 4-5 for the passenger side. For the drivers side I actually had to lift the engine a bit. As for these little header bolts with the 10mm heads, I needed literally 5-6 different types, of wrenches, and sockets. It was not the funnierest thing I've done so far.

Now I've slapped the front end together( enough for the alignment guy.), and the rear is also not adjuster, just snugged up ( That's what he ask for.). To keep the rear lire off the drivers side rear lower link, I had to crank the T bar up on the passenger side, because of the insane lean.
With a front suspension that is just snugged up, and no attempt has being made at adjusting, I'm still alarmed that everything may not be straight frame wise, and it was before I messed with it. I'm naturally a " worst case scenario guy." I'm sure someone will point out the failings in my thought process, and my non-experience with four link suspensions. EEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!!!!!! Biting my nails.

 

[garyfish340]

I'm sure the leaning business is just a control arm that won't clock correctly. Though, once installed it's really tough to find something to leverage the rock arm all the way down. If I remove the shock, strutrod, key, and knock back the control arm the torsion bar frees up fairly easy, but the frame gets in the way of prying it down. So I'm looking for a trick ?

 

[onig]

Is it normal to take that long to tighten the header bolts on these engines in the Abody.
Or is it something particular to your car.

onig

 

[Map63Vette]

I didn't have much trouble fitting the headers with my 5.7 swap, but I agree that tightening the bolts is unpleasant at best. The main issue with the hemi is that the heads are dang near sqaure shaped as opposed to more of a wedge shape like traditional older heads. This means the exhaust ports almost point down as opposed to sideways, so you have to reach down past the head and then back up with a bolt/wrench. Added the tight tube clearances and you have several unhappy fingers.

 

[garyfish340]

Yeah! what he said, Ouch ! I probably isn't as hard if you have a nice warm garage, and a good jack. I just moved, and I only have this pathetic roller jack. That aside, I'm also a professional-crastinator. I'd rather waste time drinking coffee, and staring at how everything is coming together, than jump in, and get in the zone.
That said, I spent three wasteful days trying to figure out why the passenger torsion bar would not clock correctly, when it was the drivers side that was the actual problem. Yeah, I need a lot of coffee to wake up in the morning.
So we are on the wheel thing, waiting for Christmas to be over to rebuild the bank account, and get more stuff ( front tires.) The rear tire/wheel package looks great, but the little drums have to go. I had a box of 11" drum brake stuff in the basement, that I thought would be a hunk of rust from flooding, but turned out alright to my surprise. ( it's good to hoard parts.) The nicest part is they are assembled, which means I can drink more coffee on that morning.
I will be drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, and probably farting, but thus will be done with cheerful Christmas glee.

 

[garyfish340]

Is it normal to take that long to tighten the header bolts on these engines in the Abody.
Or is it something particular to your car.

onig

Okay, I thought about it, and I'm going to disagree, and say, " Some of the bolts are simple. You would think with the steering column, and starter on the right side, it would be a *****. Nope, the bolts on the passengers side, underneath the the 2 inner primary tubes were the bastards, they suck. I have an older set of TTI headers ( maybe that's why) My hands wouldn't fit between the tubes, the engine mount blocked me from the front, I tried a ratchet, with a 9 inch extension, but the universal kept folding any time I really got any torque on it. I ended up using a long 10mm wrench, and my pointer, and middle finger to tighten it. It really needs to be double checked. On the other hand I taught myself all kinds of new curse words, like FRAGGAnac!!!!!!!, and Vaginasaurus!!!!!!! so it had it's bright side.

 

[garyfish340]

I didn't have much trouble fitting the headers with my 5.7 swap, but I agree that tightening the bolts is unpleasant at best. The main issue with the hemi is that the heads are dang near sqaure shaped as opposed to more of a wedge shape like traditional older heads. This means the exhaust ports almost point down as opposed to sideways, so you have to reach down past the head and then back up with a bolt/wrench. Added the tight tube clearances and you have several unhappy fingers.

Here's a dramatization that pretty much equals what it's like to bolt up these damn headers. I thought it might help anybody that intends to have to bolt these header up in an A body. Sort of a motivational thing.

[ame]http://youtu.be/SE0fhflzoHM[/ame]

 

[joeboy]

So you're saying that when I did my install and had a buddy bolt up the headers while I buttoned up a bunch of other stuff I missed out on all the "fun"? Sure sounds like I owe him a six-pack… keep moving ahead, I like the PICS.


JOE

 

[4spdragtop]

Nice work! That Duster looks frickin CLEAN!!

 

[garyfish340]

So you're saying that when I did my install and had a buddy bolt up the headers while I buttoned up a bunch of other stuff I missed out on all the "fun"? Sure sounds like I owe him a six-pack… keep moving ahead, I like the PICS.


JOE

Well joeboy there are different kinds of fun, as it relates to the people who help out on a project. There's the fun where you buddy is sort of like a slinky, kind of useless, but fun to watch when you push him down a flight of stairs, and than there's the fun where, " DUDE YOU OWE THE GUY A CASE OF BEER. " and some Johnson, and Johnson stock for all the busted knuckle cartoon character band aids he had to steel from his kid.

 

[garyfish340]

It's raining cats, and dogs, and the subzero weather the rest of you are feeling is supposed to arrive Monday. My only garage is a Cabelas baseball cap, and some overalls. Fun Fun Fun...

 

[garyfish340]

Thanks 4spdragtop, and joeboy, but if it weren't for all the posts you guys write, and Wracks71, paulyv.100, Bill Reilly @ Reilly MotorSports, and Welder Dan, plus an endless list of great people, I'd still be unbolting the hood to start the project. Everybody I've meet on here has really stepped up, either offering parts, advise, or just humor, or just understanding that I don't always get it until I actually get my hands dirty. This has been the most fun project I've ever under taken, and I'm still under 10 grand.

 

[Map63Vette]

What's really fun is when you casually look down in your engine bay after lots of miles and notice that some of those header bolts are missing and you get to go through the "fun" again. I think mine has spit out 3 bolts so far, haven't checked it lately to see the newest count.

 

[garyfish340]

I'll be willing to bet if you call TTI and ask about the bolts, they'll just throw some in the mail for nothing, usually first class too. Those guys are good.

What's really fun is when you casually look down in your engine bay after lots of miles and notice that some of those header bolts are missing and you get to go through the "fun" again. I think mine has spit out 3 bolts so far, haven't checked it lately to see the newest count.

 

[garyfish340]

Every one of you guys kick ***. I'm sitting here messing around, posting pure stupidity, ( cause it's raining like mad outside.) When it hit me. When I took the T bar out of the drivers side, for the header install, upon re-installing that bar, I heard a grown, like a binding bushing. Either the adjuster block, or bolt must have stripped. I'm trying to do so many things at once, that it just got blocked out.
I went out in the rain, jacked it up, and loosened the adjuster, and it didn't lower the car much. So it needs to be wrestled, and replaced. I can do that. This is why writing on a forum rules, it's a sounding board to help you mind really think. I'll post more stupid stuff as soon as I locate the box with the other T bar adjusters in it.