sup folks - here's pics of my truck - it's an 02 Dakota Quadcab: 440, 46rh, Atlas4, Dana 60 front, 14b rear, and 40" Toyos. It's been in work for over 3 years and is just recently rolling under its own power. It was built to be a 100% streetable rockcrawler/camping machine - I call it a 'Rocklander'.

How it looks right now -



The 440 is a 78 block from a 79 Winnebago motorcoach, and besides a stock 9-1 rebuild has these upgrades: Holley Sniper EFI and Hyperspark dizzy/ignition on a Performer RPM intake, MP valve covers, CVF serpentine conversion, Fast Fish rear main seal, Engine Pro MC1787 RV cam (278/288 advertised, 204/214 @ 50, .420/.443, 107/117 lobe sep), OE truck manifolds, Milodon 8-qt off-road pan, RV water pump housing and 180* Milodon RV skirted thermostat. Oh and yah it and the tranny are painted Cummins beige for an extra 10 lbs of torque...





The 46rh was pulled from a 94 Dakota 4x4 with a 318, and got a full diesel rebuild and a Hughes towing converter -



Did a solid axle swap up front and bolted up a high-pinion kingpin D60 from an '89 Ford F350; it's got 5.38 gears, Grizzly locker, Crane cover, RCV shafts, Reid knuckles, Yukon spindles, SpeedHouse GM brake conversion kit (enabling use of OE Chevy 3/4-ton discs), and Warn lockouts. The rear is a 14 bolt FF from an '03 Chevy 2500 gasser with 5.38s, Grizzly locker, Crane cover, and stock shafts for now.

I surgically out-boarded the frame 3.5 inches per side just aft of the front cab mount and boxed/reinforced it from tip to tail. Outboarding the frame provided the room for a second Dakota 24 gallon tank and...my 40" spare tire





boo-yahh



With a big gas tank along both the insides of the frame the exhaust runs underneath - the cab and tanks make a 'tunnel', with the rear driveshaft underneath, all protected by a massive up-armored belly cradle. To keep the exhaust from melting things the exhaust went to Jet Hot and the underside of the cab got several dozen square feet of DEI floor and tunnel shield - it looks like a satellite under there -









Made a clean dash to monitor everything 'old school' -



There's a ridiculous amount of 'more' done to the thing, and I'll keep this thread updated as the shenanigans progress.

Here is a link to the big build thread in case anyone would like to see the whole transformation - https://www.ramchargercentral.com/t...rocklander-field-service-ability.291969/

- Sam

Wow! I don't think "impressive" is an adequate enough compliment. Looking forward to the updates...

WOW just doesn't seem enough!

Love the fabrication and attention to detail!

Very nice! I like it!

Yep, that is a great build.

Very nice!


Tim

thanks all. This build started out being pretty basic, but like most soon gained a mad mind of its own involving lots more voodoo than I'd planned, but it seems to be working out pretty well. I've been slowly addressing the bugs and it's getting better and better. Hoping to have it 'ready' for the trails in a couple months, and I'll post up more along the way, and video's of it in action. Meanwhile, Happy Holidays!

- Sam

...been working diligently on a nice clean way to get the truck 'quiet' while also not melting the spare tire, and this is how I did it. There's now another big 3" in/out Walker QuietFlow 20146 muffler under the spare tire well, with three nice strong and rust-proof 1/8" aluminum heat shields linked together to keep the heat under control...I hope. 3" downpipe from the center exhaust routes into the muffler, and I have a simple turn-down tacked in place until I get the bed on and fab up the actual tail pipe. Main shield bolts up to the spare tire crossmembers, and the muffler bolts up through slots in the shield to the same crossmembers. Measurements indicate the rear axle has a full 6 inches of compression before it will contact anything, and in my experience that is 'plenty'. Look under any pickup - there's lots of empty space under there, and I'm usin' all of it.

Is the shielding overkill? - maybe, but this aught to keep my spendy Toyo from wearing out due to heat. I got the muffler and shields as close to the chassis as I could without hitting under articulation - testing will confirm or deny if my calculations are correct. Pics -



















the two connecting shields - one a 'wall' the other connecting to the main shield above the tire -



the three heat shields bolted together making a nice barrier between the 'heat' and the tire -

our club had a UHF/VHR radio clinic at our place, and I took the opportunity to line up the hardware from tallest to smallest - some interesting comparisons. Also...yah the Dak sounds niiiiice with the 3rd muffler

...been a while since I've posted any updates, and I got one now. After months of deliberation I made me a Command decision: The 440 is coming out, and my original low-mile 360 is going back in, where it belongs. Everything gets 'simpler', plus it'll be lighter, quieter, cooler (more 'room'), with plenty of power, and 88 less cubic inches to feed when crawling the trails. The 360 will be set up basically be the same as the 440 was - I'm bolting on an Edelbrock 7577 intake, and a 2bbl 570 cfm Holley Sniper with HyperSpark ignition will top it off. The 2bbl Sniper will be SO much simpler, and for this truck that was a major part of the decision to swap engines.

I'm considering a cam upgrade while it's apart. While nice and smooth the cam in it now is 'tiny', and I'm looking at the following Hughes grinds to help it breath a bit better without sacrificing the nice smooth low end (probably #2 or 3) -

HUG SER9703ALN-14
SB HYD RLR CAM 197/203 -114ºLSA NEW CORE

HUG SER0814ALN-14
SB HYD RLR CAM 208/214 -114ºLSA NEW CORE

HUG SER1418ALN-14
SB HYD RLR CAM 214/218 -114ºLSA NEW CORE

HUG SER1822ALN-14
SB HYD RLR CAM 218/222 -114ºLSA NEW CORE

The 360 will be 'plenty' for this truck, especially with the 2bbl Sniper and HyperSpark ignition, and the 2bbl Sniper will easily handle a stroker kit if I choose to go there down the road. But since I'll have it literally down to the cam that's a perfect time to employ some natural gains there. I'm waiting to hear back from Hughes on recommendations, and welcome anyone else's too.

What about the 440? Well it's really a cool story - one of my best friends is buying it at cost, complete with the Sniper and HyperSpark ignition, just less the truck oil pan and manifolds, and even more perfect is it's goin' under the hood of a car he got from me a few years ago... - this car :cool2:



So yah - it's a grand plan and it's gonna be great

ok, at Comp Cam's recommendation I'll be installing their 20-745-9: 212-218 (264/270), .480/.480, on a 114* LSA. The next cam down was their 20-744-9, which is a 206/212 (258/264) also with .480.480), but on a 112*, and with my intended use he indicated the 114* of the taller cam would make my idle a bit better while still giving a real nice mid-range and upper end, and that sounded good to me.

Hughes recommended a 210/216, on a 110*, and both Howards and Bullet had similar recommendations...but none were available at either and no end in sight for backorders, so Comp Cams it is.

Appreciate any/all thoughts about how the Comp bumpstick will 'perform' in my 360.

OBTW, I think the stock/OE cam is 184/194, .410/.410, 112*...

https://www.compcams.com/xtreme-ene...ulic-roller-cam-for-chrysler-magnum.html

- Sam

so as many know, one of the inherent 'issues' with using a carbureted intake on a Magnum engine is whether or not the owner wants to retain the factory a/c and...more specifically...the big bracket the a/c compressor bolts to. There is a big aluminum bracket that houses the factory a/c compressor and alternator - nicely up out of the way, but the Edelbrock 7577 intake has what is presumably the intended heater port directly under the factory bracket...which...if you want to retain the factory bracket will require some custom work to either actually use the port for a heater hose, or use it for something else - I went with option 'B.

In my case I needed three ports - heater hose, EFI water temp sensor, and dash water temp sensor. The idea of using a 90* fitting under the a/c bracket for the heater hose would have worked, but I preferred not to snake the heater hose out and around. All said n done I ended up with three 3/8 npt ports. I drilled the two 1/8 npt ports open to 3/8 npt for the heater hose and EFI temp ports, and using an adapter used the port under the a/c bracket for my dash 1/8 npt port (via an adapter). Pics tell the rest of the story...





...original intake ports -


...and how mine ended up -

...heads are off, rockers/rods/lifters are out, and far as I can tell all look good. A few of the rear-most lifters had some caked/waxy oil built up in the middle which made them a bit more difficult to remove, but they eventually came out. I'll be disassembling the lifters next to give them all a good cleaning and inspection, keeping them each labeled to their respective holes. As usual...pics, including my shop helper this morning helping me unbolt the rockers -









and the cylinders looked great -

Got about half of the lifters disassembled - wow were they stuck - no 'springiness' to the plunger, but after some brake cleaner/internal cleaning/working them back-n-forth they have come apart. Made a quick trip to Harbor Freight and picked up an ultrasonic cleaner, filled it with a mix of purple power and water, dropped in all the bits, gave them a final cleaning with brake cleaner, and reassembly with fresh oil, and now the first few have their 'boing' back and feel good.

Meanwhile, taking full advantage of the holidays online sales and have a bunch of the reassembly hardware coming, including a 'longer' Wix 51515 oil filter, and I'll be using Lucas Classic and Hot Rod (high zinc) Conventional 10W40 oil at least for the first few thousand miles. I know the cam doesn't 'need' the high zinc, but with all the fresh internals I figure it won't hurt, then at the first oil change I'll go with regular off-the-shelf conventional 10W40.

I'm also going to try a thermostat with a rubber gasket vs a paper one - I figure if these work other engines it should work for mine - the OD and ratings are all the same so why not. This is the stat I'm gonna try -



https://www.oreillyauto.com/detail/c/plus/murray-plus-180-degree-thermostat/mcs1/4698?q=thermostat+Flange+Diameter+%28in%29%3A+2-1%2F8+Inch+Gasket+Material%3A+Rubber&pos=1





Here's my early morning 'office' for the next several days -



- Sam

here's a good example of the utility of an ultrasonic cleaner - bottom line = worth every penny ($80 from Harbor Freight). Plug it in, I filled it with 1/2 purple power and 1/2 water, turn on the heater and let it get all nice n happy, drop in a set of 125k-mile untouched rockers and hardware and push rods right off the engine, and here's a few pics of just how well the thing works - I literally did nothing except drop 'em in the tank and pusha da button

Lifters are almost all restored and so far so good, oil pan is off, timing chain and cam are next, then I'll pull each main and check the bearings, and roll in a new rear main seal, and that's about as far 'down' as I'm planning to take the engine. Meanwhile, here's another example of how well the sonic cleaner works: the dizzy drive shaft - took it straight out of the engine and dropped it right in the tub; the difference and 'cleaning' capability is truly impressive - wish I'd discovered the utility of these things years ago.

Before -



after -

Thank you for sharing your experience with the cleaner. I need to invest in one for carburetor and hardware along with some other things.

yup my pleasure - and hey if y'alls wives like jewelry the thing is great for making it all super clean n shiny too! (great 'selling' point)

...so based on lots of intel I'm planning to 'bolt it up and go', but here's some gee-wiz info regarding lifter preload...

My 360 ran nice and quiet before pulling it, and I want it to be just as silky smoove this next go. I wanted to get a 'baseline' for my OE lifter preload - it seemed to be just right before, so may as well try to determine how it 'was'.

With the OE cam still in, I reinstalled two of the restored lifters, laid on the old head gasket and bolted on one of the heads (tightened down 'snug' but not torqued), installed the rods n rockers loose, tightened the rocker bolts to 'no-slack', then measured how many turns the bolts needed before hitting 21 lbs. And a pic 'cuz that's how we roll -



Both exhaust and intake rocker bolts made 1.75-1.8 turns before hitting the spec of 21 ft/lbs. The question thus is..."ok...but how much pre-load is that"? Apparently it was just right - the engine was quiet at all times, so I can only presume it was 'good'. Not very scientific but there it is. I've been told that between 1-2 turns is 'good'.

My new Comp cam is a new core (not a re-grind), and has just a bit higher lift...and I think that is achieved by grinding the base circle 'down' (compared to the OE cam that was in it), which means the lifters will be 'further away' from the rockers than with the OE cam, so with the same push rods there'll be more distance between the rocker cup and base circle, so that means I'll have less pre-load, and according to Hughes Engines the lifter pre-load spec for a 5.9 magnum with hydraulic roller lifters is 0.080-0.095". In theory I'll have even less with the new cam (presumed lower base circle, but maybe not if there was 'room' for a taller lobe - don't know), possibly going the full 2 turns.

At any rate, IIUC the hydraulic nature of the lifters can 'absorb' minor inconsistencies like this, and based on several sources I'm going to bolt it up as-is, but I figured I'd just pass on what I'd found.

If you are turning the bolt down on the rocker to get 21lbs with the stock ground cam and IF the aftermarket cam has a smaller diameter then the OEM cam, but you still tighten the nut until you get your 21lbs, the bolt you are tightening is accounting for the smaller base cam diameter. It may take another turn or two on the bolt to get the pressure you are seeking, but is the 21lbs you putting on the bolt that is setting the preload on the lifter, not the number of turns of the bolt. As long as the rocker isn't binding or making contact with the head when you get to the desired pressure, its all good. You are over thinking it.

all I was saying is that it took 1.8 turns to go from zero-lash to 21 lbs, that amount of bolt thread being the preload on the lifter. Whether or not that is enough or too much is the question. With a shorter base circle it will simply take more turns, and therefore push the plunger that much further down...by a couple thou...and I'm told between 1-2, maybe 2.5 turns, is 'good to go', which...with my OE push rods...is very likely within where I'll end up. I'll know for sure when I get it all back installed, and I'll report back.

the math is 1.000 [inch] divided by 18[threads per inch]. that equals .055555 per thread for a 5/16-18 bolt.
no matter the size of nut or bolt, threads per inch spread is determined by dividing 1" by the thread count.

geeze, whoops yup that's right . I edited the silliness from my earlier post. Well either way I'm gonna bolt it up and go...

rear main cap, oil pump and pickup all tanked, and that's as far down as I'm going. Rolled in a new rear main seal, and all reassembled - can definitely see the difference from the others. Oil pump looks brand new - the internal tolerances were all right in spec, reassembled it with fresh oil and bolted it back on with new G8 bolts and blue locktite.







Meanwhile, cleaned the decks, removed the grunge off the pistons, and now chasing the head bolt threads. Noticed there is barely any ridge wall. Should be installing the cam in a couple days, then bolting on all the fresh hardware

Before -



After -

so...a small block magnum oil filter plate - set it in place, and noticed that there is a decent gap between the plate and the mounting hole that 'looks' like it would just love to have some sort of durable round 'seal/gasket' between the two...but none of the books say so. I cranked down the double-ended bolt to 30 lbs to secure it in place, and it took quite a lot of tightening before it clicked - meaning that after making 'contact' it took a bunch more tightening to make up that gap. Now, it may be engineered to be there and requires a lot of pressure to seal everything up...or...is there supposed to be a round gasket between the two right at that main bolt? Anyone have solid gouge on this? Just seems to be 'too much' gap...but maybe it's supposed to be that way(?). I googled it to with no solid results, so...I'm asking here.

i have seen some of those plates with, and some without. however, my experience has been with early 318's and 360's. who knows what went on with those engines before i got them.
as a side note, i always drill extra holes between the ones drilled in the original plate if i have the plate off.
i read that in a direct connection manual one time, and i figure it can't hurt.
make sure you deburr the extra holes thoroughly, so no metal gets a chance to be ingested.

ok

I thought about drilling more holes; if it only had 4 I'd drill 4 more, but with 6 I'd be a little bit curious if 6 more might weaken the plate itself...and I figured 6 holes is plenty...plus I already have it bolted up n sealed tight...

Cool - since magnum heads are apparently notorious for developing cracks I had my machine shop check 'em out, and horray! - no cracks!, and the guides were good too! - double woot!! . While they had them they gave them a thorough cleaning, light re-surfacing, installed the fresh valve seals, and the new Comp Cams springs.

Note - being a magnum ya haveta drop in the lifters before bolting on the heads...a rather important step I completely neglected to remember ...

But...in the process of sourcing another head gasket ( ) I discovered that Fel-Pro has a 'Severe Duty' version of their magnum 360 head gasket, pn# 519SD (as opposed to the standard duty # 9898PT), so I opted for the SD gaskets for my engine. Chased all the threads, cleaned everything spotless, lubed the bolts with a light brush of assembly grease, sprayed the cylinder walls with a light coating of Amsoil Engine Fogging oil (to make sure the rings remain 'happy'), and bolted on the heads and valve train this morning. About 1-1/2 turns to secure the rockers and everything's looking good .

Note #2 - the Fel-Pro severe-duty magnum 318 head gasket is pn# 540SD

so I wasn't overly thrilled with the OE Dakota (and Durango) oil pan - instead of having a nice big deep sump to contain all the oil they instead have a smallish sump combined with a 'deep' middle section, which combined 'contain' the 5 quarts of oil. Strange concept but I guess it works if the engine is 'flat n level'.....but of course for me and everyone else that take their magnum engines off-road and experience fairly steep downhill angles...well that's no bueno. On any sort of downhill descent the majority of the oil would rush right towards the front, leaving the pickup tube nearly exposed almost immediately - not awesome. I don't remember it being a problem when I wheeled the truck before the buildup and others have not indicated there being a problem either, but, still, as I was pondering this 'issue' I naturally started checking around for an 'off-road' magnum 360 oil pan, and discovered something interesting.

First off, turns out the oil pans for the magnum 318 and 360 share the same 'fitment' and bolt pattern - meaning the bolt pattern up to the block(s) and the front/rear timing chain cover(s) and rear main(s) are all the same 'size' - essentially using the same oil pan from the 318 to the 360, which is not true for the LA-series engines (360 is its own animal). I also discovered that...while the Dakotas and Durangos (with a mag 318/360) share the same oil pan...the Rams and Jeeps with the 318/360 mags use a different oil pan...with a way better sump. Huh, that's cool- wait!

See, lately I've been looking for a running magnum 318 for eventual awesomeness under the hood of our 71 Demon, and I recently found/procured one still inside a derelict but complete 94 Grand Cherokee parts Jeep for the wife's own 94 GC off-road toy. When I discovered the Jeep pans were the same as the Ram pans with their nice big deep oil sump I quickly ran out to peek under the Jeep and hot diggity damn - there it is! (insert happy dance!).

Since the Jeep is going to get a car pan (LA 360) I rapidly unbolted the Jeep's pan, hit it with some cleaner and the pressure washer, and brought it into the shop for 'comparison and analysis'. This is what I found -

This pretty well sums up the differences between the Dakota/Durango vs Ram/Jeep Magnum v8 oil pans - note the 'depth' of the Dakota pan vs the Ram pan - this additional depth is 'part' of the overall oil sump -









Pulling it out of the Jeep - nose-to-nose with it's bigger and much more intimidating brother -



With the pans side-by-side, I wanted to 'see' where 5 quarts (of water) came up to in both pans -



Dakota pan, with the oil level marked on the outside (strange design) -





Ram/Jeep pan -



In order to use the other pan the respective pick up tube must also be used, but the Dakota/Durango dipstick can be re-used - just have to re-mark where 'full' is -

pt 2:



So - Ram/Jeep pan for me. But not to be outdone, I fabbed up a nice baffle and had Wayne TIG it in place, all the way around - no seepage aiming downhill. Now, with 5 quarts in the pan, tipping it forward retains about 75% of the oil in the sump vs over half of it rushing towards the front - even if I shut it off and park it for an hour, meaning less potential for air getting into the oil system, which is way more awesomer 👍. I used a bore scope to peek through the drain plug to see how much room there was between the pickup tube and baffle, and the baffle is as close as I deemed appropriate.

All cleaned up after a few days soaking in the tank at my machine shop, and a final clean with a scotch pad and WD-40, then rinse with brake cleaner -







Filled with 5 quarts of water - just at the baffle line -



and finally bolted on -

maybe it's just me, but i would have left a couple of small areas open about 1/2 way on the sides of the baffle so when going down hill and the front of the pan fills, it would get back to the sump easier.
especially if it was 60 degrees or more nose down at times.
maybe i'm thinking wrong ? wouldn't be the first time i didn't understand things.

not sure what you mean about 'it would get back to the sump easier', but my main goal was to try to retain as much oil in the sump as possible at all times, and going downhill is the only time that's an issue, so no holes anywhere along the edges otherwise it would leak through the holes when aimed downhill. Going flat or uphill all the oil will settle back into the sump...at least that was my thinking

outSTANding! - filled the engine/filter with 5 quarts of Lucas 'Hot Rod & Classic' (high-zinc) 10w40 conventional (#10683), plumbed in an old oil pressure gauge, dropped in the driveshaft and spun it up with the drill, and after about a minute all 16 rockers were flowin' oil, with ~70 psi showing on the gauge :thumbsup: . This confirms a magnum indeed does not need to spin the cam in order to get oil up to the rockers, instead it flows into the lifter galleys, through the lifters, out through the top into the pushrods, then out the tip, down onto the rocker pedestal, and ultimately, the valve tip. Cool design - fun to watch

Yah I know with a roller cam I don't technically 'need' the high-zinc oil, but I know it won't hurt, especially for a fresh break-in.

retaining as much oil in the sump as possible at all times is a worthwhile goal, however, that retained oil will be pumped through the system, but it then needs to be able to return to the sump.
if it collects in the forward part of the pan due to to the degree of nose down attitude, [with a rear sump] it will need a way to be able to return to the sump and pickup.
this may be an extreme example, but possibly worth noting ?

I hear what you're saying and it's certainly worth noting, tho I stand fast that, at those steep angles having the baffle fully welded to retain more oil is more important than having holes to allow some oil (if any) to get back into the pan at those steep angles. The majority of the oil can't return to the sump until the engine levels out no matter which pan or baffles are used - it has to level out at which point all of whatever is sloshing around up front will just return as normal. However, I imagine there may be 'some' of the oil shedding out of the bottom end that is diverted 'away' from the sump, but I think that is less a problem than having the sump nearly uncovered. If the baffle isn't fully sealed (welded) all the way around then at steep downhill angles that much more oil would just seep out, leaving less in the sump for running/start-up - in my mind having those holes won't allow enough oil back in to warrant having them. No oil can return directly into the sump until the engine levels out, and to me...while having holes in the baffle weld might enable oil to return into the sump a little bit sooner, the fact those same holes would allow oil to escape outweigh the benefits of the majority of it being retained in the pan.

woot! Followed the Edelbrock instructions to the letter and used Gasgacinch and a front/rear bead of RTV to seal everything up, and torqued the bolts to a meager 12 lbs, but the intake is 'on' . Tomorrow I'm hoping to hoist it into the engine bay and bolt it up to the tranny to finish motor mount and exhaust mock-up -



And used these nifty devices to confirm TDC - a compression whistle and a simple gauge -

alright - got a set of 2wd engine mounts bolted up to the block, and the engine is in place :thumbsup: . Now I can fab up the frame brackets, exhaust, and extend the shroud a couple inches, and it's pretty much ready for 'final assembly'.

so this was kinda cool - pun intended . I was checking out water pumps for my 360, and I noticed something interesting about the Gates replacement pumps for the magnum engines - they have a really nice, 'better' bypass nipple in their pumps...at least in the pictures of their pumps. The original nipples are 1" NPT (I think), and they have two slots in the edge...the edge that is supposed to seal the nipple to the hose...and I just thought what a stupid way to design a nipple. But the Gates pumps have a nipple that is solid all the way around...and so I picked up the phone. Talking with the tech guy at Gates, I asked...hey can I order just the nipple? Long story short, he took my info and a few weeks later I found a small box with 4 of their full-ring nipples at my doorstep - they didn't even charge me which was just extra cool. In case anyone would like to upgrade their magnum bypass nipples, the pn is #43034.

Hat's off to Gates - I sent this schematic...and they did the rest 👍



...I don't know how a nipple with two giant slots in it is supposed to seal to a hose...but the full-seal Gates nipples should definitely seal 'better'. Note the internal hex slots to install them -



and speaking of 'how to install them', I used a 1/2" bolt with a nut that fits perfect, and just crank it in -







oh yeah, it's painted

Nicely done.Does the side gutter send oil to the sump when the truck is nose down?
I have a 99 2wd, and the 51515 filter won't clear the frame, looks like a dimension is different. I have to run a 51068 instead.

no the side gutter is actually the dipstick 'tunnel'. There isn't anything to 'send' oil from the front to the rear sump - it's all 'gravity'.

I meant to say when the nose returns to level, will that channel a certain amount to the sump quicker.
The dipstick part answers why I sometimes have resistance when reinstalling it.

I don't think it would be any quicker than through the pan itself, but yah it does show why the dipstick would have 'resistance' sometimes when shoving it back in

horray - it's in...I think for good this time. Ultimately went with a pair of nice simple p-side motor mounts from a 94-98 Grand Cherokee (same # for each side), which gave me plenty of room for center dump manifolds 👍 . BTW, the Wix 51515 is the 'longer' oil filer, which according to my research and talking with Wix is the same filter spec for the magnum...just longer, and hence 'more better filterage'...







Pics of the motor mounts and frame plates -

alright - in order to 'match' the exhaust configuration I had with the 440 I settled on a nice set of Lil Red Express center dump exhaust manifolds, 4041466, that I got from a friend in my local Mopar club. These were the OE pre-smog center dump units on the mid-late 70's truck 318s and 360s, with the same 1-7/8" collector exit port size that are on the 71 340 center dump manifolds and the 02 magnum manifolds, and should work perfect for the truck. I have a pair of the 71 340 p-side center dump manifolds, but I decided on these because they have smaller port sizes (still bigger than the magnum cylinder head exhaust ports but smaller than the giant 340 inlets) have a bigger 'interior' and should flow every bit as good as the 340's, and have more cooling fins. I removed the p-side heat riser hardware, will have the holes welded closed, and just like the 440 manifolds the center sections had both warped 'away' from the head face, so also just like the 440 manifolds I flat-planed the head face to get everything nice n flush, and clean. Then I'll have them sand-blasted and I'll coat them with POR-15 Manifold Gray paint - should make for a long-lasting and leak-free seal for another 100,000 miles.

Meanwhile, the radiator is at C-fab (with my local TIG guru Wayne) getting a couple mods, and I'm whittling away on the remaining items before firing it back up including: ram-assist hoses, pwr steering pump mounts and plumbing, fuel lines and Sniper linkage, trans cooler lines, alternator wiring, air cleaner...and of course, exhaust.





using a nice flat steel plane and 36 grit paper and the majority of the elbow grease focused on the outer ports, after several hundred 'back n fourths'...the center section(s) went from no contact at all...to this -



...and ultimately to this -

...crossing off the list of small stuff. Bolted on the Jegs "Magnum" thermostat housing (#53251), sensors installed in the intake, and got a 45* heater hose fitting to make connecting to the heater hose a cinch. Have a nice HVH "Super Sucker" 2bbl carb adapter ready to bolt on, and used a children's Tylenol syringe to pre-fill the ram and ram hoses - worked awesome, very little mess, exhaust is nearly done, fuel lines done. Getting close to plugging in the EFI wiring...and firing it up.

45* heater hose fitting from Discount Hydraulic Hose (3/8 npt x 5/8 hose) - https://www.discounthydraulichose.com/product-display.html?Product_Code=4503-10-06

Jegs Magnum t-stat housing - https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/53251/10002/-1#

...just like I wanted, the 360 turned out looking pretty much just like the 440 :thumbsup:







...the 2bbl getting plumbed up -

...had the manifolds sandblasted locally for $60, and not surprisingly upon close inspection noticed some minor cracks in the outer fins. Didn't appear to be too deep, at least not that I could see naked eye, and in light of trying to prevent further damage I ground out the cracks and cleaned up the channels. I was going to use POR-15 High-Temp exhaust paint, but the same place that blasted also does power coating, including Cerakote (essentially very high temp powder coat), and for just another $60 I opted to give that a try.

Modified the 440's y-pipe with 2" mains to match the manifolds (also the same OE size for a magnum 360). Considering the 'low-rpm' nature of this engine I can't imagine the design of these manifolds will induce any realistic performance limitations, and being center-dump I gain all the clearance I wanted 👍 . All torqued to spec and ready to go -

blasted, showing where the cracks were in the fins -

trans cooler brackets and fan shroud extension are figured out and ready for paint 👍 . Trans cooler brackets keep the lines away from the exhaust and engine pulleys, and the shroud is a 2-part unit that extends the tunnel to the now-further-back fan. I still need to trim the back edge of the tunnel extension to allow about 1/4 of the fan to be 'exposed' to allow the fan to 'expel' the air and not force all of it onto the front of the engine and accessories (alternator, pumps, etc) - should work great.
















Also relocated the radiator outlet port down a bit - should allow for cooler coolant back into the engine -

what are your transmission cooler lines made of, and how are they terminated at the ends ?
i have always used steel lines, thinking they add a bit of heat transfer to outside air along their path to the cooler and back.
i do like the look of your lines, however.

I used this trans cooler hose -

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B089S88HKP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

...and these aluminum Push-Lock ends (straight and 90*) -

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F3QSW7...d_r=2e0cb520-83d7-4c32-80c4-1b2039fbe005

well shoot. Started to refill my cooling system this morning only to discover that despite my best efforts to keep it safe the radiator somehow got a small pinhole...and coolant is leaking out (bottom pic). I've decided to go back to a stock off-the-shelf radiator and make this one available for $200 (normally an $800 radiator). I figure there may be someone out there who can use a super-high-capacity Dakota/Durango radiator and knows a good radiator repair place to fix the small hole and can take advantage of this one.

[URL unfurl="true"]https://wizardcooling.com/series-3965-2000-2004-dodge-dakota-2000-2003-dodge-durango.html#!model%3DDAKOTA%7C%7Cmake%3DDODGE%7C%7Cyear%3D2002[/URL]







- Sam

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 -

every fan with any kind of a shroud has to have the fan somewhat outside of it, else the air can't be pulled through efficiently.
yours looks pretty good. it should work as it should.

thanks for that feedback

The "old" general rule was 1/2 the fan blade depth has to be outside of the fan shroud. The motor side of the shroud should be at, or close to, the center line of the spinning fan. More or less fan blade inside the shroud was considered as not as efficient. The fan blade completely inside the shroud tends to block air flow at higher vehicle speeds, and a fan completely outside of the shroud allows too much air to escape around the fan blades and doesn't pull as much air during low air flow conditions.

Like many things these days, who knows if that is considered correct anymore.

that was what I'd gleaned from reading the multitude of threads on this topic, and that is how I adjusted the shroud extensions

One of my goals all along is to have as 'clean' an engine compartment as reasonably possible (meaning to be the least bit 'stinky' as possible), and to that end I routed the valve cover breather to the air box.



Picked up this nice stainless steel 5/8 bulkhead fitting -


...secured it in the airbox below the filter because I didn't want the engine intake air draw to be 'competing' with the breathers' intake air draw - probably inconsequential but whatever -


...and clamped on a simple filter just to keep debris out -


So now any valve cover 'inhaling' will come from the filtered clean air, and any 'exhaling' will at least be captured in the airbox...and such vapors should get drawn into the air cleaner and burned...which should help keep things less 'stinky'. I can't imagine it'll hurt...

Along the same vane, I came across some info stating that the Snipers run best with a 'fixed orifice' PCV valve. Many PCV valves...including the OE Mopar one I (was) using...have a variable orifice (and variable rate) based on the spring and plunger under variable vacuum (throttle) loads, but, there are many many many threads talking about how the 'variable' PCV valves can make a Sniper's ability to precisely meter the idle control quite difficult...and the solution from every reputable source including Holley tech and EFI Sys Pro is to use a 'fixed orifice' PCV valve. I am very surprised I'm only just now hearing about this, and it is not mentioned in the instructions anywhere. I only came across it when I was asking EFI Sys Pro about my gas tank vapor hose being routed to the secondary manifold vacuum nipple (no problem there BTW).

A fixed orifice PCV is just as it sounds - no spring-loaded plunger valve, just a permanent, single, small hole, in most cases I've read the hole is to be 0.100", or juuuust under 1/8" (0.125), although I'm told 1/8" is plenty fine so - the main issue being so long as the orifice size doesn't change. I can buy a simple fixed orifice PCV valve...but they're for a Chevy (of course) and bigger than the 1/2" Mopar valve cover grommet I have (of course).

So, I cracked apart my plastic PCV valve, tossed the plunger and spring, filled it full of JB Weld, clamped it back together, and drilled a hole through the epoxy just under 1/8", and stuck it all back together this morning. Problem (allegedly) solved.

Makes me wonder how much grief this issue might have been giving me the whole time with the 440 and the 4bbl Sniper... :unsure: ...

Standard Mopar PCV valve -


...gutted -


Filled with JB weld, drilled just under 0.100", and 're-assembled' (glued together) -


Meanwhile, as best I understand, this is the correct diagram for the front vacuum ports on the 2300 series 2bbl Snipers (and back of the 4500 4bbl units) -


- Sam

Saturday: Woohoo! Fired up the 360 this weekend! - it fired right up, got up to temperature, and idled along just dandy . Bit of the normal fine-tuning to dial in the idle and such, and all seems to be well. Bit of lifter chatter (maybe) on the p-side, so all is not 100% awesome, but I don't know if there is a problem or not, but it seems to run just fine, and I'm just gonna run it.

Throttle response is real nice - no where near as 'explosive' as the 4bbl was, and just like the tech at CompCams said the cam idles niiiice and smooth - ze-ro lope. I'll be running it more and more and just dial it in more and more.

No apparent leaks, exhaust is good, tranny engages, steering works - all in all a great new build start-up 👍 .

Monday: I was really hoping re-using the original lifters wasn't a bad decision, and I think I figured it out. I pulled the valve cover, and everything looked 'good' - all the rocker bolts were tight, and I could just barely spin the pushrods of the valvetrain on the base circle. So everything appeared to be 'good'. Wiped off the Fel-Pro reusable valve cover gasket and bolted it back together - total time to R&R the valve cover about 1/2 hour (Magnum engineering for the major win 👍 ). So...having not found anything obviously wrong, what else could it be.

Remembering that Hemi's are very particular about the oil they use (particularly the lifters), I re-read the owners manual and there in black n white it says the oil viscosity spec for the engine is 10w30...and I had 10w40 in it (specifically Lucas Hot Rod & Classis w/ ZDDP). I don't remember why I opted for 10W40...but I did and there it is (probably an 'old-school mentality' that thicker oil is mo'bettah - not). Now...it was a long shot, but knowing the Hemi's are picky about the oil they use I thought maybe the Magnum's are too - I know the tolerances of the hydraulic lifters are very, very precise, so what could it hurt. This morning I drained the 10w40 and poured in 10w30, regular off-the-shelf Orielly house blend (no high-zinc requirement now 👍 ), and a new filter.

I didn't really expect much of a difference, but I think I can honestly say it is running quieter 👍 . If the lifters indeed require the slightly thinner oil flowing in/around/through them...well this may just be the ideal case study. Now...I think I might have some leak(s) coming from the p-side exhaust manifold - not sure yet...but I didn't do anything to the manifold and that side is now quieter, and as such I think now I do detect some exhaust manifold leak(s), but bottom line is changing to 10w30 might just have been (and resolved) the issue. Lesson learned.

- Sam

Loving this build. Thank you for sharing.

ok - so the welding I had done to the passenger side manifold to seal off the heat riser holes didn't seal completely, so I found another drivers-side (no heat riser) pre-smog 318-360 truck manifold on ebay, hand-planed the port faces flat, ground out the same ribs as before, had it blasted and Cerakoted, and bolted it on. Had the y-pipe blasted and Cerakoted too and now have the exhaust just about reinstalled - now with the exception of the tailpipe/muffler the whole exhaust is coated in either Cerakote or Jet-Hot -











...and I'm fabbin' up a bunch of armor and who doesn't love having a fresh supply of death wheels, flapper discs and sawzall blades for 'doom and destruction' bwwaahaahAHAHAHHAHAHhhhahahahhaaaaaa....

i have found that dewalt "death wheels", while being more expensive [i buy them in boxes of 25] than other brands, will last longer, and they have the benefit of being able to "bend" [] slightly if put in a bind and not shatter like the other wheels will.
your exhaust looks great by the way.

ok - for the first time since the the buildup, drove the truck around the neighborhood loop, and I'm happy to report it drives well and running better and better - the chassis feels good, no bump steer, etc. So yayee.

Initially the Sniper wasn't running the engine 'to my satisfaction' - it 'ran' but had acceleration stuttering and dead spots, but...the more it runs...I'm cautiously optimistic that the more the engine runs and drives around the Sniper is indeed learning how to 'do its job'. I am hopeful that the EFI will tune itself into perfection the more it runs, so that is the plan - drive it every day and let it 'learn'.

LOTS of work yet to do, but...it appears...to be coming together. Oh also, I'd been looking for some sort of 'seal' to put between the exhaust manifold exit and the collector inlets for the two primary pipe(s) - this is the manifold exit -



...and the inlets to the primary pipes just slip over the manifold lip - metal-to-metal, but it isn't a perfect seal, and I wanted to try to get 'something' between them to help seal things up, and so I tried these Remflex gaskets, which juuuust barely fit over the manifold edge lip, and the pipes just capture/compress the gasket up onto the manifold.
Remflex #6006 (2-1/4" pipe flange, 2 hole, 3-1/2" bolt spacing), and after being torqued tight they haven't split out, and it's nice n quiet -



In the meantime, since it was actually out in the sun...took some semi-gratuitous pics -

...finally bolted up one of my favorite accessories





...then tossed the bed on and took a couple pics. Fender trimming voodoo is forthcoming, and after a bit of photoshopping with the rear fender I'm really diggin' how it looks -

here it is untouched -



and after some rear fender photo-trimming -



...and this is the truck that has been my inspiration, and I've just photo-moved the rear axle and rear wheel well back a bit to look like this -

Have you considered a short bed? The contour won't fit the cab, but you should get more storage space.
If your really lucky the wheel openings will be centered

matter of fact I have considered it and actually picked one up at the bone yard. You're right about the contour to the cab, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. The reason there is a big gap between the cab and bed is because I'm placing a full-tilt roll cage main hoop right behind the cab and wanted to anchor it to the frame and still be able to put the topper on the bed.

Well the show got rained out - quick soggy pic from us waiting to get in - our silver dually with the Willys and Ben's blue 2500 with the Dak -



Meanwhile, as I'm waiting for the rain date to be determined, it's back in the shop for continued work. This morning I installed a just-sourced radiator from rockauto - found one with a 1.5" core (apparently for the V8 trucks), vs the 1.25" core I had in it apparently intended for a V6.

Filled it with coolant and checking for leaks now. Just this alone might be the sole reason it was running a bit warm, but a 1/4" thicker core is a lot, and I'll know for sure soon. I will be verifying I have the base timing dead nuts, and if that and/or the new bigger radiator don't resolve the running warm issue then I'll go with a stronger (or at least new) fan clutch, then a fan. I'm pretty confident tho that the bigger/thicker radiator might be 'it'.





Rockauto 1.5" rad # FVP RAD13337 - 'https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=13248469&pt=2172&jsn=1'

alright, had a real good day yesterday - after 4-1/2 years (4 yrs, 4 months, and 29 days to be exact) of being apart...and two engines...the Dakota 'went' someplace. We took the truck out to our local Ram Off Road Park and got the truck good n flexed out...and fully heat soaked.

Overall pretty good - couple teething problems but nothing massive. It was a hot day - about 80*, and after about an hour and a half of continuous running and mostly idling the engine never got above 190*!!, mostly hovered in the low 180's, and that was the huge . Had Tracy's Grand Cherokee out with us but didn't need it.

One of the main tasks was to confirm placement of the rear leaf shackles, and in order to get a good suspension test I loaded as much 'weight' as I could to try to simulate a 'full load', so I tossed on the topper, spare tire, tools, rear winch, and an extra battery in the bed box next to the service battery.

Issues:
1) D-side motor mount allows too much torque-flex (up) and the radiator fan was contacting something on the shroud, so I'll likely get a polyurethane version on the drivers side, maybe both.

2) Power steering pump and ram output lines are 'kinda' close to the exhaust manifold and the fluid got kinda hot and was making some noise so I have to do something about that (heat shields n such to shield the pump and ram lines from the exhaust, etc).

Flexes good - didn't get air under any tire, and everything else seemed to be 'good'.

so the engine is still a bit 'noisy' (or at least noisier than I'd like) - it has a very light but very noticeable 'chatter' going on while it's running, and after talking at length with Steve at ScramSpeed I have a set of .036 longer pushrods coming to 'tighten up' the valve train. If I heard right Steve started MagnumSwap.com (his Dart is on the home page), and he virtually guaranteed me that the CompCam I put in has a shorter base circle than the OE cam, which with factory length pushrods is allowing for too much slack, and thus making the noise. He explained that accurately measuring lifter preload without using a solid lifter is virtually impossible - complicated enough that there is no legit need to try to get a measurement, and that their .036-longer rods should do the trick. He also reassured me that having some slack in the valvetrain isn't really detrimental...but it's one of those things that once you hear it you can't unhear it, and I would like to have it right. And, if after putting in the longer rods it is still a bit too noisy for my liking then I'll up to a set of .050 rods, but I'll do these .036s first and hear how I like it.

https://www.scramspeed.com/products/magnum-pushrods-036-longer-than-stock.html

A set of Prothane motor mount bushings arrived today and will go in at the first opportunity.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00386Z1PM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

Swapped out the flimsy OE motor mount bushings for a set of Prothane polyurethane units - these aught to cure the engine-shifting problem :thumbsup:

Smoothed out the outer 8-point corners of my rockwell hub nut socket which fit both the bushing edge and i.d. of the sleeve perfectly



Pressing the poly bushing into the sleeve proved to be pretty much impossible without it slipping every which way except straight in, so I cut the bushing in half which made 'installation' a bit easier...





The beefy center sleeve came with a 1/2" hole, but the OE's (and my main bolts) were 9/16, so a buddy opened them up to 9/16 for me -



Way more awesomer



Power steering heat shield is in work, and pushrods are in the mail. 'Forward Progress'

been doing some minor fender voodoo to 'expand' the edges of the front/rear wheel wells...

before -


after -




cutting from the blue bed to fill in what was strategically removed from the green bed. Drivers-side was the first try - got it right on the pass-side -relocated the green portion 'back' then filled the gap with a chunk from the blue bed -



...then it occurred to me that I can avoid the 'gap' by being smart about where I'm cutting; took this section from the blue bed...



...and inserted it 'here' -



worked great -



Wheel wells are being deleted completely, which will add a ton more room in the bed.

Took it out for more testing and the new polyurethane motor mounts work awesome. But, even after installing a heat shield the power steering is still getting too hot, and the reason (presumably) is a combination of proximity of the pump/plumbing to the manifold and...my #1 suspect...a cooler that apparently is useless. Here are the space constraints I'm dealing with, and this is all OE spacing...

before -




Plus the ram assist lines are 'closeish' to the exhaust...so I made a heat shield, had it powder coated, lined it with the same reflective lining I used under the cab, and while it helped after a while the steering was still getting too hot and 'groaning', so I'm getting a bigger cooler. Meantime, pics -

after with the heat shield -




installed -

what would happen if you put a piece of the insulating material on the other side of your heat shield ? [both sides]
it couldn't hurt.

can't imagine it would have any negative effects...but also can't imagine it would 'help' much either? I dunno. I think tho the biggest culprit is a less-than-adequate steering fluid cooler, and I've got plans in work to fix that, big time

One thing I haven't talked about is the small but critical verification to ensure the timing is correct. Before confirming the timing, the engine/EFI ran 'pretty good' - sometimes a little curious nature to it and stumbling on acceleration etc, but I figured that would just sort itself out as it 'learned'...which was not an accurate assumption.
I was talking with the folks at EFI Systems Pro (who I bought the 2bbl Sniper system from), and Scott recommended I confirm the 'static timing', and I have to say that ever since doing that the engine is and has been running 'right'.

Bottom line is the engine was 15* advanced - I retarding the timing, confirmed the timing in the handheld ECU, and it has been running/feeling like an OE setup ever since.

I simply missed this step (checking static timing), but it is an 'essential step' once running.

Static timing check is pg. 45 of the 2bbl manual,

[URL unfurl="true"]https://documents.holley.com/199r11321.pdf[/URL]

...and pg. 6 (steps 16 and 17) in the HyperSpark manual -

[URL unfurl="true"]https://www.efisystempro.com/image/...ibutor-installation-instructions4-20.pdf[/URL]

In the meantime, I am chipping away on all the small stuff to get the truck fully 'up'. The power steering is still getting hot so a bigger/better cooler is going in, shocks, bed mods, LOTS of small stuff, and so far it's going well. Assuming it's 'ready' I'm taking it down to Caballo Lake, New Mexico in October for a week-long off-road gig known as Chili Challenge where I'll play around with a bunch of other machines on some great trails. Tick tick tick...

ok - I think I have the power steering cooling problem under control. First, I talked with PSC and they informed me that the vertical dual-pass cooler bolted to the back of the fan shroud I was using wasn't doing me any favors, so I eliminated it, and instead got a much bigger cooler which is now bolted up in front of the radiator, using the engine fan to provide airflow. I don't think the old/original fan clutch had much schlitz left in it so I also installed a fresh one of those - not the severe-duty version but just a new HD unit (Hayden 2781). I can 'hear' it but it isn't 'jet engine' loud - just normal loud.

Initially the PS pump was moaning but it apparently sucked in some air and has since burped it all out, and is now totally silent and by all accounts is functioning nominally. The fluid/system is remaining nice and cool, and I 'think' I have that problem solved 👍 .

Cooler. I got another new replacement Dakota tranny cooler that I re-purposed as a PS cooler, which seems to be working great. I used Russell o-ring power steering adapter fittings (648030) which fit the cooler perfectly, and Allstar 90* hose ends (ALL48273) to connect the hoses.

The PS cooler bolts up to custom mounts which allow it to 'hover' a few inches above the tranny cooler, which fits nicely between the grille and A/C condenser.

















Meanwhile...I have been really frustrated with how much 'noise' the engine is making - just seems to have excessive 'chatter'...and I know the oil pressure hot idling was around 20 psi - not really awesome but it isn't a new engine - the bearings still have ~125k miles on them. So...in a bout of frustration...over the weekend I had the thought about draining out the 10W30 and just dumping in something thicker - I figured what do I have to lose? - it'll either like it or blow up...and at this point I'm fine with either because one version means 'better' and the other means 'will be better'...and since we're (hoping to) keep this truck we'll put whatever investment into it that's required...within reason of course. So...I went to O'rielly and just looked over the oils sitting on the shelfs there...and after a few moments of surfing one in particular just looked 'right', and after pouring it in seems to be just what the engine needed, because after putting it in the engine is now noticeably quieter and has double the oil pressure hot at idle - it now idles at about 40-45 psi hot...and maybe 15-20 psi more cold (maxes out at about 75 psi). This'll be the oil the 360 uses from now on 👍



I'm figuring the low oil pressure was simply allowing too much 'slack' in the lifters, and the higher viscosity enables the system oil pressure to remain high(er)...which by the sound of things seems to be just what it wanted. It still makes some noise but it's now more of a general 'engine running' sound...like a sewing machine, but it sure seems to have much less 'chatter', and hey if it's this easy and will get me by until I do a full rebuild (if ever) then horray . I know I didn't 'need' the extra ZDDP but I figure it can't hurt, and VR1 sure has a very good reputation, so there it is.

There are two columns for projects like this: Needed, and Wanted. Needs include things like engine, transmission, axles, steering, brakes - the things that make it 'go and woah' and cannot be forsaken. Wants are everything else including gauges, two gas tanks, ram-assist, on-board air - I can now FINALLY start to work on those . And finally, the best part is...I think the truck is now 'good' - I think the overall core machine is now where it needs to be...and where I've been wanting it to be since first fire...and now I can finally start jammin' on my 'wants'! Booyah

- Sam

...so also appearing on the long list of 'needs' was a way to fill up the gas tanks (x2)...but there isn't a lot of real estate on the bedside so I had (wanted...ok "needed") to devise a way to easily fill (and vent) two tanks with one filler neck, whilst also incorporating a way to flow fuel from one tank into the other via the fancy filler neck...and this is how I'm intending to do it; keyword = "valves".

Here's the land mass I have to work with...and it ain't a lot -


I picked up a pair of manual fuel-proof valves, IIRC with Viton seals and stainless hardware, that with a simple flip of a lever will allow me to close off one filler hose and open the other...and vice versa. I really wanted to utilize the fuel fill neck in the stock location (no need to turn the truck around to fill the other tank), but needed two outputs, so I grafted another OE output tube onto the original, then added the valve ends so they bolt on; then added a fresh 3/4" port for the main vent and an NPT port for the eventual aux fuel fill inlet. Close the auxiliary (upper) valve and fuel flows into the main (lower) tank...then when the tank(s) fill up the nozzle should (hopefully/presumably) shut itself off, then I'll close the main valve and open the aux, then hit the nozzle again and fuel will fill up the lower neck and then 'should' flow into the auxiliary tank. When both are full I'll close the aux valve, open the main valve (or I suppose I could leave it closed to prevent fuel from flowing out off-roading)...and motor on - at least that's what I'm hoping will happen 👍

For comparison, here's what the original looks like-


Here's the overall main filler neck - Kinda reminds me of something out of a KC-135...and hey I'm retired Air Force so extra kewl points -




Installed; naturally I'll have a flexible 'shield' to keep debris/mud/rain from impacting the plumbing -


Filling the main tank: main valve open (lever in-line)/aux valve closed (90*)-


...and the opposite to fill the aux tank -


Will prolly haul the truck (or clandestinely drive it) to the nearest gas station to test it all out...

speaking of multiple gas tanks....I wanted to be able to maintain both gas tanks and respective plumbing without having to remove the entire bed, so I cut a big hole and using the leftovers from the spare tire trap door made a big access panel to allow me easy access under there -



access to the main tank...


and the aux tank...


bolted up -


Spare tire cover/trap door is in work now...

...got the big hole in the bed covered up -


...and taking maximum advantage of every cubic inch of available space under the bed...this is what it covers...leaving the entire bed open for gear/sleeping/whatever -


Look close - there's an inflated 40x13.5 Toyo in there - the tire edge 'is' the support for the big access door - works awesome -

Nice work, but I think your gonna find that many fasteners will be a royal pain in the ass. Especially on the side of a trail.
btw, good call on that HF parts cleaner. That little sucker has cleaned everything I've thrown at it. Thanks

there may be several fasteners to contend with, but changing tires is not a very common trail necessity...and if I do I have the zip gun to get them out - easy peezy.

...so making brackets from 1/4" plate can be a challenge, especially when bends are involved, and I can really use a way to break 1/4" plate, and I had a decent press, so I made a jig for making up to about maybe 4" breaks, which worked great (so far) for making the rear upper shock towers. I used a sanding flapper disc on my grinder to shape the wedge, and used a death wheel to cut/shape the grooves - worked great

Harbor Freight 12-ton press as the core -


Carved a 90* punch & die set - primitive but effective -






Rear shock towers nearly ready to weld on -

so...progress is going good...and I think the truck will be ready for Chili Challenge in October...and I'm going through all of the '...gee I wish I'd have just done this or that...', and I'm just pondering what's coming up for the truck and posting my thoughts - nothing more.

Electrical. The key switch starts the truck and it'll run until I turn it off, so that's really great :thumbsup: . What I do not know is if the lights will turn on, if the wipers will work, if the door locks will work, if the HVAC will work...or if they will come on for 5 minutes and then turn themselves off after 5 minutes of 'no engine rpm signal' or other such nanny sensor not telling the OBD2 system what's going on. I have no idea, and we're going to plug in headlights and respective dash controls and 'see what happens'. It's just one of the things I'm dreading is all..., but if this Dakota rolls or gets otherwise destroyed and I were to do another truck...well it wouldn't be another 4-door Dakota...

got the shocks installed. Fabbed up the axle mounts, and a set of Bilsteins are now bolted in place.

Fronts (8 inches of total flex) -








Rears - (12 inches of flex)

ok - lots of forward progress, and taking the Dak to it's first 'o-fficial' trail ride tomorrow to Chinaman Gulch 👍 .

Shocks - done
Fuel filler neck dual-feed leak tested and functional - done
Rock sliders - done
Front winch - done
Bed inner wheel wells tacked in place - done

Drove it on the back roads a few miles to the nearest gas station - tested the shut-off valves and no leaks, then filled up the main tank until the handle shut itself off just like it's supposed to - that was huge 👍 .

Bolting together the space tire/wheel and installing the p-side seat today, and then I'll clean it off, then toss in all the gear for tomorrow's run to Chinaman 👍 .

Steering is a bit 'twitchy' when trying to go straight - seems I may need to check the toe-in to see if the tires need a garage alignment - might be causing the 'twitchy' part, or else there's some other fine-tuning needed - TBD.

- Sam

alright - we had a successful trail run to Chinaman's Gulch this past Saturday. Had a couple issues but the truck wheeled itself onto and off of the trail under it's own power, and overall is 'felt' really good. It crawls every bit as smooth and sure-footed as its predecessor...and I'm very tempted to carry over the name Big Ugly Dodge...or Blue Uber Dodge...or Big Uber Dakota - a.k.a. "Bud" - I think that's just the name for my truck

So - how'd it go. First thing I noticed was after a half hour or so the steering was getting 'sticky'...'jerky'...and it turns out one of the things I apparently overlooked was...and don't laugh...but I apparently forgot to grease the kingpins/bearings on my front D60 knuckles. Yah yah I know. But, fortunately for me, one of our gang just happened to have a mini-grease gun and two extra cartridges...and we pumped it all in and that alleviated most of the sticky knuckles, but they still may need more. Gonna pull the caps and have a look and I won't be surprised if I roached the bushings, but I might have got lucky and caught it before causing irreparable damage. I know I lubed the bushings on assembly, but (apparently) didn't pump it all full of grease - might be some other problem altogether, but in the meantime use my silliness and remember to grease yer joints!

Next - fuel pressure. It appears my decision to place the EFI mini fuel tank under the hood was a mistake - seems it's absorbing too much heat, and the crap ethanol fuel nowadays is simply boiling in the tank and lines...which caused all sorts of havoc on the requisite 60 psi for the Sniper. Probably had to stop a couple dozen times to let the low-pressure pump try to fill the EFI tank with cooler fuel, push out some bubbles, and give the EFI pump enough fuel to run the engine. It took many many many many stop/refuel/go moments but the truck did drive itself off the trail under its own power.

My solution is going to be to relocate the EFI tank under the bed, which should eliminate all of the heat problems, leaving only the actual high-pressure fuel lines along the cab/up the firewall to the Sniper, which I will additionally shield from engine heat...and hopefully that'll solve that problem.

In the meantime, I've tidy'd up a few items, including tack-welding the bed fender wells together, eliminating two giant holes in the bed so my gear won't disappear. I think I'm still good for the mega-trail run called Chili Challenge next month, but that'll all hinge on curing the front axle and fuel pressure issues.

Here's a couple pics, and some from the trail - it's amazing how much room is in the bed now without a giant spare tire taking up all the space...













Anthony's lifted F150 on 35s did the whole trail without issue - his first time out -


Thomas' buggy does whatever he/it wants -

I'll add that overall the truck 'felt' really good, and of course not having the loud 'diesel' 6BT sound was not missed at all - the diesel rattle was awesome...but wanting/needing to put in ear plugs to make the trail run more enjoyable got old pretty quick.

One of my #1 goals was to have the engine 'behave' just as well as it did before taking it all apart, and I'm extremely happy to report that goal was achieved. The Sniper felt "OE" - just how I wanted it. I never noticed any 'hick-ups' with the Sniper or any of the associated components - not once - it acts and does what my brain 'expects' it to do, which was outstanding.

The tranny also felt 'perfect' - again doing what I expected it to do.

The Atlas...lemme just say that having LOTS of gears is fantastic. I have two gearing options available: 3.8 in the main case and a 2.72 doubler - it's a 'similar' setup to a 203/205 doubler. I was in 3.8 most of the day, and when the steep descents came along I'd throw in the doubler, and the total of 10.34-1 double-low gearing made the steep descents effortless - the engine would just 'hold' the truck back even coming down the other side of big rocks - all under control, and all I had to do was steer. It's awesome.

Meanwhile, I've got the surge tank relocated to under the bed and I'm redesigning the fuel lines - should have it all done in about a week. Then on to check a couple other items, and continue prepping for Chili Challenge...which I hope to be heading back from one month from to-day.

reinforced both sides of the front bumper with another tube and added a chunk of 1-1/4" plate (which also serves as the D-ring mounts), and the front lights are bolted on. Fuel lines are almost done and I'm hoping to re-test it this weekend.

short video of Budd's first trail run, going over a small rock - this is the 'Wall' on Chinaman Gulch -

[MEDIA=youtube]oh2EUACK8G8[/MEDIA]

Horray! Took the Dak back out to the Ram Off Road Park for its last-and-final heat-soak test, and the newly re-designed fuel system passed with flying colors - no fuel system/pressure/vapor-locking issues at all 👍 .

The surge tank is now located under the bed -



So, the main tank supplies low-pressure fuel to a surge tank, and the surge tank contains the fuel for the high-pressure EFI system. The main tank supplies fuel to the surge tank via a basic low-pressure 4.5 gph/30 psi fuel pump, and that return side now has a simple but very effective 'sight gauge' (a 5/16 fuel filter), which...if it's full then so is the surge tank, which is exactly what I want. If it's not full then neither is the surge tank, and that's bad, so the little fuel filter is my quick-visual-reference to ensure 'all is well'. The angle with the below pic is without the shield in place to protect the surge tank and plumbing from rocks and road debris, and I can 'peek' at the filter between the cab and bed - works awesome.



All the fuel lines are now 5/16". The two high-pressure fuel lines are now the only fuel lines going up into the engine bay, and both lines are double insulated - first with DEI 3/8 Vapor Lock insulation wrap, and then again with 1/2 heat sleeve, all secured in place with clamps and plastic blocks to keep the lines away from the frame and firewall (a black cutting board works great for making 'spacers', btw) -

And it wasn't just me out at RORP - at 0730 that morning I'm out at the barn loading up the Dak and I hear "Hi Dad" coming from my 5yr-old - she wandered out and found me, and asked 'what are you doing'?, and I said I'm taking the truck out to the off-road park for a test, and she asked 'can I go with you'?, and I thought about it and said 'sure'!...but as I thought about it some more I thought...maybe we can all go - asked the wife and sure enough we packed up everyone in both the Dak and the wife's new trail machine; we just picked up a really nice 08 Wrangler JKU, and between it an the Dak we were able to very comfortably bring the whole family, including the 5, 3, and 2 yr-old's, and we all had a genuine blast. The 2 and 3 yr-old's rode with mom in her new Jeep, and the oldest rode with me in the Dak, and it was the very first time the whole family wheeled a trail together...and I gotta say it was absolutely delightful . The whole point of being in this silly sport has always been to have the whole family infected...I mean influenced by extraordinary fun that comes from this silly sport, and so far the evil plan is working!

Sadly, one of our club members owned/built up this JKU, and he had very tragically passed away, and long story short his Jeep became available, and as it turns out we were simply at the right place at the right time, and we were able to pick up the Jeep at a good price. I am really happy that I don't have to spend years building it up - it's already 'there', and it is nearly exactly what we would have built for the wife, and she loves it. It's an '08 JKU, not a Rubicon (no loss there), with a Dynatrac ProRock 44 front and a ProRock 60 rear (with 5.13s...and ARBs - yuck...), on 37s, and a full host of armor. We're intending to swap out the ARB's for Grizzlys asap, but other than a base unit GMRS radio that'll probably about the only thing we'll change...potentially for a long time. Meanwhile, pics -

doors are on...and the electric windows go up and down n everything, even after 15 minutes of ignition-on - I can be dry and warm - woot! 👍



Door locks and mirrors aren't working but that may be 'fuses' - hey one miracle at a time!

...been getting lots of small stuff done, including the uber-reinforced belly cradle extension (specifically designed to protect the Atlas) 12v power port works, and the HVAC works! - hot/cold, defroster/vent/footwells, fan speed - all work normally even after 15 minutes of running 👍 .

Just a quick trip gas station to fill it back up and it's ready to load for next weeks big gig 👍

The lowest part of the whole truck is a single piece of 1/2" plate steel...which 'should' be strong enough to support the truck in the event of it slamming down or teeter-totting on it...I hope :oops:

that looks like it will do the job !
however, the transmission pan looks vulnerable. any protective ideas for it ?