alrighty - the previous (OE) radiator is back in place (the same one the 440 first used), coolant has been filling the system all weekend, and no leaks . The lower rad hose is an OE unit, and the upper is from the next earlier gen Dakota 98-99 ish (which does not have the rad cap 'insert' inline with the hose - the rad cap is in the radiator), I spliced the OE 02 rad cap insert unit inline, and worked perfectly to get around the A/C compressor - worked awesome.

I'm not worried about the OE radiator cooling the engine - it did so effortlessly when this engine was between the fenders before the buildup began and I'm sure it will do so again, not to mention the 440 initially ran 'warm' because I had the wrong thermostat in it, which is why I got the big Wizard rad to begin with. Plus, honestly I'm happy to have an off-the-shelf (read - easy to replace) radiator back in place - raises the reliability/maintainability factor to the very top .

Made the necessary mods to (re)position the fan shroud back in place to centerline on the fan, the extensions are in place, trans cooler and lines are all in position and connected, and I'm giving everything a close inspection and once-over, and cleaning up the shop in preps for firing it all up. All systems "Go".

I decided to swap engines 4 months ago (Nov 29th), and after working ~1.5 hrs nearly every single morning since I'm happy to say the swap is 'done'. The original 360 had ~125k miles on it and ran perfectly, so instead of a full rebuild I decided to refresh/restore it down to the rear main seal. Here's a quick recap -

Bottom end: Original bearings and rings, nearly no ridge, new rear main seal
Heads: Tanked and fluxed - no cracks, and even the guides were still good; surfaced, new seals and springs to match the Comp cam, and Extreme Duty head gaskets #519SD).
Cam: CampCams 20-745-9: 212-218 (264/270), .480/.480, 114* LSA, with matching springs
Valve train: Restored the lifters/pushrods/and all hardware (sonic cleaner is awesome)
Oil Pan: Ram/Jeep magnum (not Dakota/Durango) with custom oil baffle, matching pickup tube, and OE '02 Dakota/Durango dipstick (required new 'full' 5-quart mark scribed on dipstick)
Intake: Edelbrock 7577, with HVH Super Sucker 2bbl carb adapter
Induction: Holley Sniper 2300 2bbl with matching HyperSpark ignition
Motor mounts: 94 Jeep GC (pass-side x2)
Exhaust: pair of mid-late 70's pre-smog center dump truck manifolds (4041466), Cerakoted
Alternator: OE 02 Dak, with old-school voltage regulator
Power Steering: PSC pump with remote reservoir
Valve Covers: Mopar Performance

Now it's time to see if I got it right











stainless bolts and nylon washers hold the shroud extensions in place - looks good, won't rust or mar the paint -



trimmed the back edge of the extensions to allow the back of the fan to be about 1/3 'out', which should help evacuate the air. Jury's out on whether that was a good decision or not, and I'll know soon -