Thought I’d go ahead and throw my current project up on here. A long story short, I built what should be a nice street 354 Gen 1 Hemi a couple of years ago with plans on putting it in a 55-56 Dodge or Plymouth.

CVC by M Patterson, on Flickr

Engine build Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzFdDWr1XcY

Over the last year the degenerative arthritis in my lower back got a lot worse, to the point where I have problems driving a manual transmission car. I decided I needed something that could serve both as a daily driver and a toy. 50s cars draw too much attention for me to feel comfortable leaving it in a box store parking lot while I shop so I starting looking for something a little newer/plainer than the 50s Mopars I’d been looking for as a home for the HEMI. I’d always liked the late 60s A bodies and came across 3 possible candidates. I ended up buying a “street/strip” 68 Valiant 2dr Post car.

valiant 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

valiant 8 by M Patterson, on Flickr

It’s a normally aspirated 11second car that’s far more race car than street car. It has a 508 440 based stroker motor with stealth aluminum heads.

Valiant 5 by M Patterson, on Flickr

The paint has issues, but what sold me on the car was the suspension work that was already done. The car was a rotisserie build and already has sub-frame connectors, been converted to 5 on 4 ½ front suspension and disc brakes. It has an 8 ¾ rear end hung on coil-overs and ladder bars. It currently has 4:10 gears (that were improperly set up) that will be changed out for 4:30s. It’s also been mini-tubbed which is nice for the wide tires.

Rear end by M Patterson, on Flickr

In order to finance the car I ended up selling my 37 Dodge pickup…..neat toy and a fun build but not real practical or comfortable.

In addition to the green car I also bought another 68 Valiant 2dr post car for parts. When they were new the only difference between the 2 cars is the green car came out of Michigan and the red car was built in California. This will give me a stock hood and I’ll probably also use the trunk lid. It also gives me a heater, gas tank hardware for when I replace the fuel cell, and a bunch of little odds and ends you always seem to need.

1968 PC by M Patterson, on Flickr

After thinking and planning for a little while I’ve decided to do the engine/transmission mock-up on the red parts car so I can leave the green car complete and moving under its own power while I figure everything out.

Fortunately I had a builder Hemi block and heads I could use for the mock-up and was able to borrow and empty 46RH case and overdrive housing from a friend at the transmission shop.

mock up parts by M Patterson, on Flickr

I When I built the HEMI that will be going into the green car I used a rear sump pan…..unfortunately to clear the cross member drag link that needs to be changed to a center sump pan (57-58 392 Hemi and 354 Poly only). I did manage to find one, not real cheap but still easier than building one.

The old Hemi just fits and I think I have the motor mounts pretty much figured out. I still need to crawl back under the car and do some trans tunnel modifications to properly fit the 46RH.

MU2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

The last issue will likely be exhaust. I have a few different options on hand to try (manifolds and headers), but it might come down to building custom headers to clear the steering box.

Anyway that was where I left off when the weather turned cold and it became too painful to work in the shop. Now that it’s warming up again it looks like I’ll get a chance to get back to work on it again.

That's a pretty clean little parts car! I am heading out to San Diego from Oklahoma this weekend to get my 69 Valiant. I had it in a body shop and made the mistake of feeding them money (15k) before it was done and as a result I have a stripped out Valiant that looks worse than your red car. I almost want to leave it out there but it's the last thing I have to move from leaving there in Jan 2023.

If you ever want to part with it let me know!

".....I had it in a body shop and made the mistake of feeding them money......"

Yeah I made that mistake once on another car. Finally got all my parts back, but the paint job was so bad I sanded it back own and redid it myself. It actually came out pretty nice but the year in body shop purgatory is something I never want to go thru again.

As far as the parts car, the current plan is to finish the mock-up, then I'll probably swap the K frames between the 2 cars. The Green car has appears to have an aftermarket K frame with spool mounts and I'm building the mounts for the HEMI off the 6 cyl mounts in the red car. Once I get to that point, I'm looking at packaging the red body with the left over parts from the green car including the engine and transmission and see if I can find someone who wants to build a race car to get rid of everything at once.

If I was a bit younger and in better shape I'd probably keep it and throw a straight axle under the front with some fender well headers and turn it into a gasser LOL.

Well, you may have a buyer when that time comes!

I was living in San Diego. In 2018 I got my VA disability figured out and got a back payment and a monthly amount. I decided with my new found extra income I would build my dream car. They quickly tore it down, I took the suspension home and put it together using a spool k-frame and all the Firm Feel and other go fast suspension pieces. Well, they quit on it a few weeks later and would only work on it when I raised heck every couple of months.
Short story is 4.5 years later, $15,500 later, a move from CA to OK, I almost don't even want to spend the diesel money to go pick up the shell of the 69 Valiant and the few associated parts. I'm just sick about it and only picking it up from them so they see I still care. I feel like abandoning the car and putting a bullet in my head.

BTW, I have just been diagnosed with Spinal Stenosis so I know all about the back pain. I'm only 43 and only have manual vehicles and I'm also thinking about automatics. Life sucks, nobody cares, and it only gets worse.

Sounds like we have a bit in common. I retired from the Army after 20 years. The initial VA evaluation after I retired was 20% disabled. Over the years as the degenerative arthritis got worse I’ve been reevaluated a couple of times. The last evaluation was in Oct and the rating went to 50% …….of course their holding the payments and back pay till they do an audit.

My 2 favorite cars are my 57 Plymouth with a 4 speed and a little Dodge Ram 50 I put a Small Block Chevy and 5 speed in a few years ago. Love driving both of them……unfortunately I can’t drive either, especially in town.

As far as automatics go I ended up really liking Mopar’s 46 RH/RE. The OD lets you get way with a lot deeper gear than you can with a non-overdrive unit. I was running one in my 37 Dodge truck with 4.6 gears and it would comfortably cruise at 75 MPH. Unfortunately they are a SB bolt pattern so you would need something like an ultra bell to mate it to a BB. There are also trans tunnel mods required to fit it in an A body (that I’m planning covering in this thread).

I don't want to linger on the Veteran thing but if you get help with your claim through a Veteran Service Organization they can surely help with the process and even appeal the rating. DAV is a big one but they are cumbersome and take time and more of your involvement. I am working with a small group called Dale K. Graham Foundation. An important note is that when you start the claim process with a VSO you have to stick with them. Once the process is final you can switch VSO's if you want to start a new claim or appeal.You just can't switch VSO's in the middle of a claim.

Back to the Valiants, I think yours is a radical. Only way I can see it getting better is doing a straight axle front. These cars are almost almost like an AWB from the factory, just need to straight axle it an jack it up! Have you thought about the 8HP80 or 70? It's in just about every LX and Ram platform from the last decade or so. Very tough and great gearing. I know you're probably so far down the path your'e on to change the transmission plan.

My son and I are going to leave for SD tomorrow or Saturday. I usually drop down from I-40 and go through Payson to PHX to SD. Are you on that route? I would love to see your projects and meet you. The Flagstaff to PHX route is nearly the same so we could go that route as well I just like stopping in Payson to trout fish at Christopher Creek.

John, your correct I'm pretty set on the 46RH as I already have a rebuilt one on hand along with the aftermarket cross member to install it. I'm also familiar with them having used one in the 37 Dodge.

In my mind the boxy style of the 68-69 Valiant 2 door sedans lend themselves very well to a straight axle style Gasser build (there are a couple videos of such builds on You Tube). The problem with me building one is I'd need a box to climb up in to it with my back in it's current shape LOL. Maybe the next owner can built the parts car, at least I saved it from it's planned fate by the previous owner, which was to swap in an LS motor.

By the way I sent you a PM.

The darn weather and my back have pretty much been keeping me out of the shop for the last couple of weeks. Rather than sit around and wait for better weather I started on a couple of small projects that I would normally do much later in the in the process. One of those projects was to figure out the wiring for the MSD 6A and backup Chrysler Electric Control Unit (ECU).

After I build a car the big test is usually to drive it from Arizona to Illinois and back (normally around 4000 miles or so), something I hope to do in the Valiant. About half of the trip is done at night and anybody who has driven through the Southwest knows there are section of the trip where there is nothing for miles and miles but miles and miles. I usually carry a box of “just in case” parts with me, the usual things like belts, hoses, bulbs and fuses ect ect. I also carry things that might be not be on the local parts store shelf that would a show stopper if I couldn’t find a replacement. Sitting in a motel in downtown nowhere for a day or 2 while I wait on something to be shipped in is not fun so I usually also carry a spare complete HEMI distributor, wiper motor and switch, alternator (1 wire 10SI) etc.

I like running a MSD 6A on these old HEMIs (which I have convert to Chrysler Electronic Ignition), it really helps with cold starts and drivability as the engine warms up. To me the 6A boxes are a bit pricey just to have one sitting in a box in the trunk “in case”, their also PIA to change out along the side of the road at 3AM. The compromise I came up with on my 57 Plymouth was to mount and wire both the MSD box and a Chrysler Electronic Ignition Module to separate plugs that can be connected to the cars wiring harness. If the 6A box goes out it’s a simple matter to unplug it from the wiring harness and plug in the Chrysler module. I’d usually run the car on the Chrysler module once in a while just to make sure there are no issues if I ever needed to use it.

I built the 57 Plymouth almost 20 years ago and used a 6AL box. I’m using a new 6A box on the Valiant and there is a bit of difference in the wiring between the 2 so I basically had to redo my wiring diagram. Of course the wiring on the Chrysler ECU hasn’t changed in decades, although I have noticed there have been changes in the color coding of the wiring harness that plugs into ECU depending on where you get the harness from. You might also notice that there are some circuits on my diagrams that don’t show a color code. That’s because I haven’t built the wiring harness yet and the color(s) I use will depend on what wire I have on hand (I’ll pencil in the color on my copy of the diagram once I get it all wired into the car).

These are the wiring diagrams for the 6A box and Chrysler ECU I started with.

wiring MSD CHRY org by M Patterson, on Flickr

And these are the diagrams that show the 6A and Chrysler ECU wired to the 8 pin plugs I used. I actually only needed a 7 pin plug but 8 pin plugs seem to be a bit easier to find.

wiring MSD CHRY 8 by M Patterson, on Flickr

Finally the wiring harness plug that connects either the 6A or Chrysler ECU to the cars harness.

Wiring Harness by M Patterson, on Flickr

If someone decides to use this as a guide for building a backup ECU system keep in mind IT IS ONLY A GUIDE. There are differences in the wiring between the 6A box I’m using and other MSD boxes depending on the model and probably age. As I noted there are also differences in the wiring color coding on the Chrysler ECU plugs depending on where you source them from. From my experience the wiring/plug that goes into the distributor have always been orange and black wires, but you never know what’s out there in the aftermarket if you use a replacement pickup assembly. Basically it’s up to you to verify the wiring for your specific car/components.

Anyway for me it’s worth the extra effort to go I through if for nothing else than just for the peace of mind when I driving far away from home and shop. It was also a good mind exercise on a cold rainy day LOL.

.

It’s finally warmed up a bit in the last couple of weeks and my backs doing a bit better now so my grandson’s been coming over to give me a hand on the car. We spent yesterday clearance the transmission tunnel for the overdrive unit on the red car (we’ll have to duplicate this on the green car but wanted to see what we we’re in for and needed it done to get everything in straight so I can finish building the motor mounts).

OD 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


By this afternoon we pretty much had it figured out and the transmission is resting on the USTC 46RH crossmember.

OD 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

We have a bit more trimming to do and I’ll need to weld some flat-stock in to gain the strength back before we call it good. We were able to adjust the engine bit more. We’re not quite there yet but we’re close to getting the engine and transmission to the sweet spot they will live at.


A while back I had looked at the dash/gauge cluster in the Green car. It might have been OK when the car was mostly on the strip, but left a bit to be desired for something that gets driven on the street on a regular basis. The factory cluster behind the tach actually looks pretty nice, it even looks like they installed new gauges in it…..unfortunately nothing appears to be hooked up.

68 Cluster 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr

Oh well that’s what I built a parts car for. I didn’t mind using this for a basis to an aftermarket gauge cluster. And I could pretty much just work at the bench when my back bothered me.

68 Cluster 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

I already had the speedometer, tach and 1 ½” gauge trio. I could not find a 1 ½” fuel gauge however and finally settled on a 2” gauge. Although not exactly the placement I would have liked had I found a 1 ½” fuel gauge this is what I came up with.


68 cluster 3 by M Patterson, on Flickr


I’m using the original locations for the headlights, wipers and hazard flashers (plus added a new switch for the fuel pumps) so I needed a portion of the original back plate.

68 dash 4 by M Patterson, on Flickr

I’ve still got a little to do/re-do on it but overall I’m pretty happy with it.

z GC by M Patterson, on Flickr

Over the weekend we got finally got the transmission located in the transmission tunnel. We had run into an issue with a boss located on the OD housing that wouldn’t allow the transmission to be centered where it needed to be. After talking to my friend at the transmission shop that I had borrowed the case from I found out that on the 46 RHs, the boss really didn’t really serve a purpose, it was cast into the case but was really just a blind hole that was plugged at the end. On the 46Res, the hole is threaded for and an electrical connector threads into the boss. I didn’t need to trim much, just the corner off of it.

z OD int 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

That gave us just enough to do the trick and get the transmission to fit on the aftermarket crossmember.

OD Trim by M Patterson, on Flickr

The transmission is pretty much dictating the location of the motor. Back any further and we start running into transmission tunnel interference issues. Forward and we’ll run into fan/radiator issues.

Early on in the project I ordered a set of Schumacher small block to /6 K member A body conversion mounts. I knew these were a Bolt-on to the 1st Gen Hemi and I figured and I figured it would give me a head start on building the mounts rather than starting from scratch.

When we set the motor down it’s about an inch too far forward to allow the motor mounts to fit into the holes in the frame mount (we cut the bottom studs off mounts for test fitting……no big deal the mounts are available and cheap). Anyway set down on the mounts the engine centers into the body where it belongs and if it wasn’t for the wide heads would be in a good location. As it is looks like the motor will have to be raised a bit, both for head and exhaust clearance. And that’s where we stopped on Sunday.

S mounts by M Patterson, on Flickr

Yesterday it was back to finishing up the gauge cluster. I had gotten the headlight and wiper switches in it and overall was pretty happy with the way it turned out.

z dash d by M Patterson, on Flickr

I have 2 grandsons, the oldest one is out on his own and is a mechanic now, actually turning into a pretty good one. He’s been coming over on Sundays and helping me with those things that my back won’t let me do. I don’t think the younger grandson (13 yo) will ever be a mechanic, his interests lie in different directions (but you never know). He has shown an interest in electronics however. I’ve been working on that a bit with him just the DC stuff right now. He’s progressed where he can do wiring diagrams so yesterday we started on wiring the gauge cluster.


z aust wiring by M Patterson, on Flickr

It was a lot of repetitious work but for his first time he did pretty good. We bench tested everything we could (everything but the tach and speedometer which needs a running engine/transducer connected to a driving car for) and everything works as it should. Actually seeing things light up and work was probably the best part for him LOL.

z AW2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

The wiring could stand to be bit neater but it’s functional.

.

With the transmission in place we could start on the motor mounts and exhaust. I had 3 sets of factory manifolds (1 pair of 4 bolt flange truck manifolds, 2 pair of 55-56 manifolds) and a set of shorty headers.

exhaust by M Patterson, on Flickr


We tried the shorty heads first and as I suspected it was no way/no how. Next was the 4 bolt truck manifolds (the ones I really wanted to use). No matter what we did we just couldn’t get the exhaust pipe flange to clear the steering box.

We finally tried a pair of the 55-56 passenger car manifolds. It’s tight but they do clear adequately. I’d really wanted to use the truck manifolds because of the 2 ½” exhaust outlet and the 55-56 manifolds only have a 2” outlet. That being said I ran a pair of the 55-56 manifolds on the 354 (364 CI with the overbore) in my 57 Plymouth. Even with the dual quads and 4 speed the engine always pulled strong with no issues. Frankly custom building a set of headers would not be too hard and if it weren’t for my back I’d probably do it. As it is I can live with trading off the HP I’m leaving on the table for the extra time I can use to get the car on the road.

In the process of fitting the exhaust we ended up raising the engine a bit.

install 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


Besides giving the exhaust clearance we needed, it also allows enough clearance to run the aluminum valve covers I want to use. I’d already decided I was going to use an aftermarket AC/Heat combination evaporator under the dash (this works well as there is currently no heater in the green car and the fire wall hole for the blower motor was filled when the car was built). The master cylinder won’t be an issue as I have the brackets to raise it above the valve covers. There is adequate clearance to get the distributor in and out under the wiper motor. I may actually be able to run the steering shaft on a straight shot to the steering gear, but if not, it won’t be too difficult to build a 2 piece shaft with U joints to get the steering hooked up.

Next was to tack the frame mounts together, of course that was when the welder started to act up so the welds aren’t real pretty but as we’re going to remove the K member anyway I’ll be able to do some grinding and final welding before it goes into the green car.

After we got the mounts tacked in we decided to take a break from the car and start getting the 354 on the engine stand ready to install in the Green car.

The engine had a very minor oil leak from the valley cover and of course the manifold had to come off to access the bolts. The leak appeared to be oil wicking up around the treads on one of the bolts.

At some point I am still looking at trying aftermarket EFI on the car (after I get a few thousand miles on the motor). I’ve been leaning towards the Holley Sniper, and reading some of the forums on them it appears that there is an issue getting a good idle out of them with if you’re using a dual plane manifold with a full-length divider. The cure appears to be milling the divider down. Now was a good time to do this so it went over to the machine shop to have about 3/8” removed.


HHI2 by M Patterson, on Flickr



divider by M Patterson, on Flickr


When the manifold came back from the machine shop I decided to set it on the mock-up engine and see where I was going to be as far as hood clearance went. The Hot Heads intake is tall and even before we raised the engine I suspected we’d need a hood scoop of some kind. With the engine raised it will be mandatory …….and would require a taller scoop than I would like to use.


zz HR by M Patterson, on Flickr



I had a factory single 4 BBl intake laying around so I tried that one. It’s better (a bit over an inch lower), and push come to shove I can use that one with a couple of minor modifications.


zz Factotry by M Patterson, on Flickr



The lowest intakes I’m aware of are the 57-58 392 dual Quad units. That with a dropped base air cleaner may even let me use the stock hood without a scoop. I started putting the word out that I’m hunting for one of those or a Weiand 7263 which appears to be basically an aluminum copy of the factory intake.

DQS by M Patterson, on Flickr

.

Then it was getting the engine off the stand to change out the rear sump pan for the center sump 392 pan. The pans aren’t reproduced so I had to find a good used one. The fortunately that wasn’t too hard.

zz Pans by M Patterson, on Flickr


Unfortunately the pickup is no longer available new, and even decent used ones are hard to find. The profile of the 392 pan is similar to the 64 and up small block pans. I’m also using one of Hot Heads High Volume oil pumps (a modified 340 oil pump with a spacer). The SB pickups are readily available new I decided to see if that could be made to work.

pickup by M Patterson, on Flickr

Turns out it actually fits pretty well.

zz PU 3 by M Patterson, on Flickr

.

You down near Sierra Vista area by chance.?

Yeah I am.

I found an intake……small world, but the guy I bought it from is the same one I got a 392 oil pan from last fall. He had a Wieand WC2QE which was the one produced before Holley bought out Weiand. He was more than fair on the price so we made a deal on it. As I figured, it’s the lowest of the 3 intakes.

DC1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


DC2 by M Patterson, on Flickr


I had originally thought about running the pair 550 AFBs I have, but I had shelved them in favor of the pair of 650 AFBs because of how much better the old 57 ran with the bigger carbs. This 354 is built pretty close in specs to the one in the 57 so I ordered a second 650 AVS2 to go with one I already have.

Building fuel lines and linkage was pretty straight forward.


intake carbs by M Patterson, on Flickr



That left starting on the air cleaner. Modifying the base got it reasonably low, and for now this is the way it sits. I’m going to have to wait to finalize it until we get the engine in the car and a hood back on (I may run into wiper motor interference with it as far back as it is). I can possibly go 1 to 1½” lower by changing out the top and dropping the base a bit more but that remains to be seen.


DQ AC by M Patterson, on Flickr


The big project for today was to get the mock-up motor and trans out of the car and get the K member out. The next few day will probably involve final welding the mounts and grinding the mounts, cleaning and painting it to get it ready to go in the green car.


K Member by M Patterson, on Flickr



.

I got the K member cleaned and painted last week, so that’s ready for next weekend.

Hemi K member by M Patterson, on Flickr


Yesterday my grandson and I actually started on the Green Valiant. Turned into a long day but by the end of it we had an empty engine bay.


EB by M Patterson, on Flickr


And the 508 and torqueflite sitting on the engine cart.


508 by M Patterson, on Flickr


As expected fighting the headers to get the engine out was the biggest issue and a giant PIA. Fortunately, the HEMI swap should be a lot easier. Having already done the mock-up will save a bunch of time when we start putting the car back together. I’m sure glad we won’t have to fight those headers when we put the car back together…….so is my Grandson LOL.


A body BB by M Patterson, on Flickr


With the car up in the air I was able to get the casting number off the carrier and order a set of gears. I ordered 4.30s which with the overdrive will have an effective ratio of 2.97. I’ll probably spend the rest of the week cleaning and sorting parts so I can put the parts car and parts up for sale in the next couple of weeks.



.

Nice project! I wish my grandson would help me...

Thanks tboomer it’s been enjoyable so far. I’m lucky to have the 2 Grandsons I have. The older one who comes over to help on Sundays has been a big help. He’s been following me out the shop since he was old enough to walk and always enjoyed working with his hands. He’s actually turned into a pretty good mechanic….he’s doing it for a living now. I think one of the reasons he’s so willing to help on this one is he knows it will be the last car I build and I’m glad he and his brother are a part of it.

We got the K members changed over. The BB K member now resides in the red car so that’s back to being a roller now and is about ready to be rolled out of the shop and put up for sale.

z RC2 by M Patterson, on Flickr


One of the main reasons I bought the Green car was that the suspension work had already been done and it would be one less thing I would need to work over. I really figured that with the stroker BB in the engine bay that the torsion bars would have been changed over for heavier ones……nope. When we got the engine out and I could get in there to measure the torsion bars it turns out they were 6 Cyl bars. I decided on a new pair of PST “103” bars and while I was at it also added one of their 20:1 ratio steering boxes to the cart (the steering box in the green car had a little slop in it, but plenty of adjustment. Just for peace of mind I wanted a new one because if there did turn out to be issues with the box it would be a real job to change out once the HEMI was installed. With the new parts in hand the modified K member was installed in the green car.


Z GC by M Patterson, on Flickr


While I was waiting on the parts to come in, I started removing some of the stuff that I won’t be using on the green car and will sell along with the red body. When they wired the car they had installed the wiring for a Terminator EFI system…..I don’t know if they actually tried the unit or not but I won’t be using it, so out that came. I’m also going to remount the battery back under the hood so the cables for the trunk mounted battery also came out.

The hood that was on the green car is also going with the red car so we changed that over along with changing out the deck lids…..(saves me from having to fill the for the power switch that they had on the car).

z RC by M Patterson, on Flickr

With the holiday coming up it looks like a short week, but down times a good thing.

Looks like fun.

Looking forward to seeing the finished car running around

I’ve been getting the parts car and pieces ready to list for sale and finally got everything together (it’s listed on this site under A Bodies for sale).

Z R34 by M Patterson, on Flickr

We still got a little done on the Green car. When I test drove the car before I bought it, the rear end howled like a banshee. The rear end had 4.10s in it, which I knew I was going to change out for a set of 4.30s anyway so that was no big deal. I had already ordered the gears when I determined it was a 489 housing.

Everything I’ve looked at on the Green car had been very well done with quality parts. Tearing the rear end apart was really no different; new brake drums, aftermarket axles, new Green bearings. When we got the carrier out it also had new bearings and had a new ring and pinion, but who ever set it up either didn’t know how to set it up or didn’t care and had ruined a new set of gears. Fortunately, the case and sure grip were still good. Honestly I don’t have the patience to set up rear ends, and I don’t think I could stand long enough to do it anyway so I sent it out to a guy I trust to do them. It came back yesterday and is ready to go back in next weekend.

489 430 by M Patterson, on Flickr


.

The 4.30s made it into the rear end housing a couple weekends ago and the rear end was buttoned back up. So progress I guess.

Z 4.30 by M Patterson, on Flickr

And then there was the ashtray. Both Valiants I bought had the ashtrays removed and gauges stuffed in the hole. Fortunately the dash bracket was still in the parts car and rummaging around in the truck I found the ashtray. Unfortunately the 4 ball bearings and bracket they ride in was missing. I’d already determined I will probably never use the dash ashtray but if it’s not there it leaves a hole that the new center AC vent won’t quite cove and I know it would bug the dickens out of me. So I started looking for a complete astray/brackets assembly. That’s when I found out they are one year only for Valiants and Barracudas, are usually missing the bearings and slider bracket and are usually pretty pricey if you can find a complete assembly.

After some thinking I figured that the ashtray will only need to slide into the dash once. That being the case I picked up an assortment of bearings off Amazon and used 4 (9MM) bearings and tack welded them to the ashtray bracket. I ended up welding 2 in the wrong place and had to relocate them (and forgot to take a picture before I installed the bracket).

Z AT2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

At least it holds the ashtray in the correct position and fills the hole.

Z A by M Patterson, on Flickr


Next on the list was to install the new gas tank. Before I’d bought the new 18 gallon tank, I did crawl under the car to make sure it would fit with the coil-overs and ladder bars. It sure looked like it would….. (I suspect you know where this is going). The factory tank is designed to wrap around the spare tire well and when it’s back far enough to do that it interferes with the coil overs. Yup what was supposed to be a 20 minute job just got complicated. We’re currently in the process of redoing the trunk floor.

We also have just stared on the EPAS Electric power steering unit and are in the process of figuring out where and how to get the aftermarket AC/Heat unit installed under the dash. As none of those projects are done yet I’m going to hold off posting about them until the installations are complete.
.

So back to the gas tank and trunk. This is the trunk/fuel cell I started with. As this will be a street car/daily driver I wanted to have a functional trunk with enough room for a full size spare tire, tool box, jack, tire changing tools, plus enough room for a suitcase or 2.

Fuel Cell by M Patterson, on Flickr

I had decided to go back to a stock tank so I bought a new 18 gallon tank but as mentioned there were interference issues between it and the rear coil overs. It looked like I had a couple of options short of going back to the fuel cell (which ain’t gonna happen). Some guys have cut the spare tire well completely out, plated over the trunk floor and run a Satellite/Coronet gas tank on their Valiants/Darts. I’ve also seen where others notched the spare tire well and moved the tank forward.

I looked at several tanks for adaptability and if I could have gained another 5 gallons or so of capacity, I’d probably would just have bought another tank and sender. Of the readily available tanks I looked at that would work with the flat trunk floor I’d only gain 1 or 2 gallons so the decision was made to notch the spare tire well and use the tank and sender I already have. Of course relocating the tank led to a few “down stream” issues that also had to be addressed.

The Valiant tank is designed to wrap around the spare tire well, so moving it forward requires part of the spare tire be removed.


Z T 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


Z STW 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


Doing this requires a custom fill pipe and cutting and welding (which thankfully I’m still be able to do). Losing the spare tire well is not a problem as it’s too small to hold a 28” tall tire anyway.
I found a rear cargo floor pan from a Jeep that’s big enough to cover the tire well and has reinforcement ridges rolled into it. By retaining part of the spare tire well and putting a hatch in it, I could have a nice storage compartment for a jack and impact wrench. The new floor was trimmed, fitted and welded in place and sealed.

Z C by M Patterson, on Flickr

Z TF by M Patterson, on Flickr

I used spray on urethane bed liner instead of undercoating on the bottom of the new floor pan. For inside of the trunk I used a tintable bed liner without the texture material. The green is not even close to a match (which I expected) but it’s paintable so that will be addressed down the road.

Now I had to do something with the fill pipe. The factory fill pipe has a piece of metal that runs from below the end of the pipe to almost the top of the pipe. When filling the tank this acts as an internal vent so when the tank is full and fuel runs up the bottom side of the pipe (and hopefully shuts off the pump). The part above the divider vents and allows the gas in the lower half of the pipe to go back down into the tank instead of spitting out on to the side of the car and person filling the tank.

Z PV by M Patterson, on Flickr

When I modified the pipe I lost that feature. Fortunately I’ve been thru this before and knew a fix was to run a ½” fuel line from the top of the tank (slightly above the end of the fill pipe in the gas tank) to the top of the fill pipe (the same system some of the old Jeep Wagoneers’ used).

Putting a fitting for the ½” fuel line in the tank was pretty straight forward as where I located it was a flat area. I used copper washers on either side of the fittings to seal it. Because the fill pipe goes in at an angle the fitting is above the pipe’s end.

Z TV by M Patterson, on Flickr

In order to get the fitting at the top of the fill pipe to seal I needed a flat spot in the pipe. After the hole for the fitting was drilled I used a ¼” thick washer/spacer I had laying around on the inside of the pipe, ran a bolt thru it and used another odds and ends piece with a flat surface I had in the drawer, tightening the bolt gave me the flat spot I needed for the washers to seal.

Z TV2 by M Patterson, on Flickr

If I still had access to a pipe bender I probably would have just bent up a new metal fill pipe but fuel fill hose for a 97-80 Ford F150 gave me the bends I needed to mate the filler neck to the fill pipe (though it had to be extended a bit). With a little tweaking I was also able to also use the original tank vent. It’s not beautiful but then neither was the stock fill pipe and it is functional.

Z FF by M Patterson, on Flickr

I like having a set of tools with me so a tool box was added to the trunk where the battery used to sit. I don’t like a tool box that slides around all over the trunk so I used a pair of Jeep hood hold downs on each end to hold it in place. I like this setup as it allows me to easily move the tool box between my different vehicles.

Z TB by M Patterson, on Flickr

I added a spare tire hold down for the spare that’s the same height as the rear tires. Basically it’s done but I’ll probably be adding a latch for the hatch cover to keep it from rattling, but that’s a project for another day.

Z ST by M Patterson, on Flickr

When all was said and done I have a functional trunk and new gas tank. Overall I’m happy with the way the trunk turned out (I’ll be happier when it’s all painted body color).

Looks good! I like the way you handled the tank issue and the toolbox idea is just simply cool.

With the trunk taken care of my Grandson and I started on the Heater/AC install. Heat and AC are mandatory for this build and of course the Valiant had neither. After looking at various options I eventually settled on piecing together a system for the car. I already have a new Sanden 508 compressor installed on the HEMI so that part’s taken care of. I found a behind/under-dash heat/AC unit on E Bay that looked like it would work so I picked that up.


z ac by M Patterson, on Flickr


It took a bit of looking but I eventually found a set of under dash vents I liked (hardest part was finding ones that were set up for 2” ducting). The Y connectors will be installed in the ducting to the outer dash vents to divert the air to floor air when the heater is used. In order to keep things simple, the Y connectors and in-line water control valve will all be cable operated.


Z Vents by M Patterson, on Flickr


We got the evaporator/heater unit mounted up under the dash Sunday. I’m really pleased with the way it tucks up under the dash.


Z EVAP by M Patterson, on Flickr


And I got the under dash vents installed (I’ll run the ducting later this week). I could probably make the factory controls function with this, but I’m taking the easy way out and will just build a custom control panel and use the switches provided.


Z V by M Patterson, on Flickr


I’m still figuring out which way to go on AC hoses and still have to pick a condenser and receiver dryer but we’ll get to that in time.

Nice work! That is coming along nicely!!

Thanks.


I’ve been working on the EPAS electric power steering. I had purchased their A Body unit a few months ago and the instructions and You Tube video for modifying the steering column and installing the unit seemed pretty straight forward. Also informative were a couple of the threads on the forums from guys who have used EPAS in their cars.

It was one of the threads on another site that I found out that in addition to the A Body Kit, EPAS also sells a kit for “Dodge Demon/Duster”. The “Demon/Duster kit” is actually the one needed for the 67 up cars. As far as components go the only parts difference between the 2 kits appears to be the floor bearing retainer which is triangular shaped on the A Body kit (which also includes an aluminum floor plate that is not used on the 67 and up cars) and diamond shaped on the Demon/Duster kit (which makes it easier to attach to the existing floor plate). The instructions (from the EPAS site on the internet) for the measurements on where to cut the column and shaft are also different.

Z EPAS 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr

I had ordered my EPAS unit thru Summit, but rather than going thru their tech line when I had questions I looked up EPASs number and talked directly to their tech section. I can’t say enough good about EPASs tech support. I called them a couple of times when I was putting the system together. They were quick returning my calls, knowledgeable about questions I had and very helpful. When we determined I needed a different bearing retainer plate they sent it out immediately and I received it in 1 day.

One of the most helpful tips they gave me was that instead of using the supplied measurements for cutting the column that it might be better to reinstall the column and then set the EPAS unit up next to it to determine exactly where it would best index in my specific car and I’m glad I took their advice as my measurements for cutting the column and shaft ended up being slightly different than those recommended in in the instructions.

I was warned on one of the sites I would run into interference issues with the steering and exhaust using a First Gen Hemi in the 68 and he was right. When we went thru mockup on the parts car we were able to clear the steering box using 56 manifolds but the steering shaft to the manifold was really close……close enough that I was looking at possibly having to build a 2 piece steering shaft with U joints at the firewall to clear the manifold.

The EPAS A body and “Dodge Demon/Duster” kits are designed to run a single straight shaft from the power steering motor down to the steering box. If I had been doing a Small Block, Big Block, and probably even a second or third generation HEMI the installation would have been as straight forward as the instructions and videos depict.

I however am the idiot who’s bound and determined to use a first Gen Hemi. When we were test fitting the PS motor/column I noticed a couple of things. The floor plate that bolts to the firewall and supports the end of the original column (and is used to mount the EPAS floor bearing) has oversized holes punched into it. These were probably used to shift the plate as necessary for shaft alignment as the car went down the assembly line. By shifting the plate all the way to the left and even elongating the holes if necessary I can gain the clearance I need for the steering shaft to manifold clearance. Talking to the tech section at EPAS we determined I could use a U joint off the end of motor instead of the straight coupler (shown in the picture) and move where the shaft comes thru the fire wall for added clearance. The shaft coming thru the firewall will be cut off just past the fire wall, then a second shaft with U joints on each end will be used to connect the shaft from the motor to the steering box.

After a lot of measuring and test fitting I had the column modified and the PS motor attached.

Z SC by M Patterson, on Flickr

Will I wish I’d put a new turn signal switch when I assembled it…..probably…. but the old one worked so we’ll see how long it lasts.

We got the column and motor installed yesterday, along with its control box. It’s hard to get a good picture of it, but I’m really happy with how it fits in the car.

Z SCI by M Patterson, on Flickr

I’m waiting on the U-Joint for the end of the PS motor before I can finalize the shaft thru the firewall part of the project and I still need to get the wiring done including extending the wires on the rheostat so it will mount to the dash where I want it but the hardest part of the project is done.

.

A quick update on the AC. I got the ducting run and although the heater hoses and AC lines have yet to be built/connected, I was able to test the unit and check for the volume of air that would come out of the vents. I’m very happy with the results. There’s good velocity coming out of the under-dash vents and the floor air diverters work well. I’m especially happy with the defrosters, they shouldn’t have any problems keeping the windshield clear (this was the major complaint I had with the last aftermarket unit I installed).

Most of the time spent on the car the last couple of weeks has been in the interior. I’ve been sorting out wiring for the accessories I’m adding (electric PS, AC, Radio, GPS, cruise control etc). We also redid the carpet in the rear seat area. I’ll post more on that when I have that part wrapped up.

Yesterday we were at a point where it was time to install the mock-up motor and transmission in the Green car. We’re doing a final mockup basically as a quick check to make sure that no new clearance issues popped up due to any differences in the bodies. I figured that there would be some additional clearancing required but to my surprise the engine and transmission actually seems to fit better in this body than it did in the other 68.


Z MU F by M Patterson, on Flickr


While the mockup engine and transmission is mounted I’ll go ahead and finalize the steering and probably some other little things prior to installing the real engine and transmission.

Just curious, do you have a link for where you got the AC unit from? (I know you said ebay, but was it a company?)

Thanks!

Here's a link to the page that lists them.

I have another project in mind that this unit would work well for so I bought a second one for that project the beginning of the week. The seller had three left so I ordered one at $89. I checked this morning and that seller appears to be sold out. There is another seller that has a couple of the 6 port units listed but for $45 more. .

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2334524.m570.l1313&_nkw=12V+3-Speed+Car%2FTruck+Under+Dash+A%2FC+Evaporator+Assembly+Heat%2BCool+Unit+6-Port&_sacat=0&_odkw=354+Hemi&_osacat=0&_sop=10

Anyway I hope this helps.

Shorter version........ AC Linky

Thank you Mike!

I noticed when I was looking at the units currently available that the listing didn't show this picture. The unit didn't come with instructions other than to say the unit needs to be tilted back slightly to allow the condensation to drain.

The picture somewhat shows the wiring, pretty straight forward, a ground, a red wire with in line fuse that goes to 12V switched and a green wire that needs to run to the compressor clutch. The switches are pre-wired.

Hope this helps.


Z AC W by M Patterson, on Flickr

Lot of cools mods, nice work!

My helper wasn’t available a couple of Sundays this month so I concentrated on the interior and wiring which is now pretty much done.

As I mentioned in a previous post I'm happy with the heater/AC although running the ducting to clear the wiper linkage was kind of a PIA.

Other than the under dash vents the other visual mod for the AC/Heat unit was redoing the factory heater control panel and using the controls provided with the unit.

Z interior 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr


The new rear seat carpeting also turned out well.

I started by cutting a new divider from 1/8” masonite (if I was still using a fuel cell or planning on seriously racing it I would have built it from metal).

Z Divider by M Patterson, on Flickr

That was carpeted and insulated and a pair of speakers added (I would have mounted them in the package tray but the rollbar braces now go thru those holes. they’re so close together due to the trunk bracing). Then we put new carpet that matched the front carpet down and called it good.

Z interior 3 by M Patterson, on Flickr

Then it was on to the dash and figuring out where to place all the accessories I wanted and do the necessary wiring. I had to do the wiring for the new gauge cluster, AC, OD transmission, electric fuel pumps, stereo and speakers, satellite radio, GPS, cruise control ect ect.


By the time I had added the control knob for the power steering, cruise control, stereo, Satellite radio, GPS and controls for the floor air, it’s a little busy looking (although the GPS and Satellite radio will likely be removed except for long trips). I had looked at using a double DIN sized unit that would have still provide me the GPS, Satellite radio, FM radio, and a bunch of other features I’d never use (although a backup camera while not really necessary with this car, would have been a neat toy till the novelty wore off). I’m capable of doing the dash mods to do a nice installation (including relocating the heater/AC control panel) but it was more work than I really wanted to get in to and the satellite radio and GPS are set up to be transferable to 2 other vehicles I own, so I stayed with that.

I also added a couple of cup holders to the console (had the top of the console been in better shape I might fell a little bad about cutting those holes).

All in all I happy with the way it turned out especially the gauge cluster. The set up when I bought the car was pretty useless for a street car with the tach and aftermarket gauge cluster locations.


68 Cluster 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


The new cluster is a lot easier to see and monitor what’s going on.

Z interior 1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


Yeah I know the metal flake steering wheel might not be to everyone’s taste (I actually thought about adding a Tuff Wheel instead). I was working in a Chrysler Plymouth dealership when these cars were new. At that time K Mart was the first big box store and everyone one of them had an automotive section with a selection of the metal flake wheels in various colors. At least where I was they were a popular add on. It just takes me back to a happy time. On the plus side the horn actually works now LOL


.

Another Sunday come and gone and we made some more progress on the Valiant.
A couple weeks ago I had to put a new set of tires on my wifes’ car and while I was at the tire store I got a quote on a pair of tires to replace the Drag Radials on the Valiant. I had those mounted Saturday and they went on the car yesterday.


ZZZ R Tires by M Patterson, on Flickr


Then it was on to what should be the last thing before we pull the mockup motor and trans out and install the motor that actually runs. We needed to connect the EPAS power steering unit to the steering box.

The original steering column passes thru and is secured to a floor plate bolted to the firewall and the steering shaft is pretty much a straight shot all the way down to the steering box.


column 2 by M Patterson, on Flickr


The A body EPAS unit puts the steering shaft in the original location and the new steering shaft is designed to connect to the EPAS unit with a straight coupler.


Z Coupler by M Patterson, on Flickr


We found out with this built a straight shot to the steering box just barely interferes with the back corner of the cylinder head. We didn’t need much room to clear so the straight coupler was replaced with a steering U joint which would allow the shaft coming out of the EPAS unit to be shifted slightly to the drivers’ side.

The factory floor plate had oversized mounting holes so it can be shifted slightly during the installation. I didn’t know if the factory plate would let me move the steering shaft enough to clear the head so I built a new plate out of aluminum just in case.



ZZZ Floor plate by M Patterson, on Flickr



As it turned out the factory plate gave just enough adjustment to clear the head. The rest was fairly simple, another U Joint on the engine side of the firewall and a shaft and coupler to connect it to the steering box.


ZZZ Steering shaft by M Patterson, on Flickr



Everything turns smoothly with no binding. Like a lot of jobs on a project like this it turned out the hard part was actually just figuring how to it and then collecting the right parts.

.

I would have posted this earlier in the week but I ended up spending most of the time setting up a new computer as my old one is on the verge of dying. I think the only thing I hate worse than setting up a new computer is setting up a new phone.

We’re back to having an empty engine bay. The mock-up engine and transmission have left the building and are back at the machine shop and transmission shop respectively.


eng compartment by M Patterson, on Flickr


The next step will be finishing up the transmission tunnel and mocking up the master cylinder relocation bracket and building a couple of brake lines.

The last thing we did before pulling the mock-up motor was to screw some studs into the passenger head to see if the Moon valve covers could be removed over the studs or if I would have to use bolts to attach the cover. Fortunately, it just clears. The problem with using bolts for the valve covers is the bolt holes go into the water jackets. If you use bolts, you end up having to drain the cooling system to pull the valve covers or make a heck of a mess.

I actually like the old PAW covers I had on the engine, the problem was the gasket lip on the bottom of them is extremely wide (I had to change them out on the 57 Plymouth because they interfered with the steering box). They also gave very little clearance to the passenger inner fender of the Valiant.


intake carbs by M Patterson, on Flickr



The Moon covers were installed on the HEMI. I’m still getting used to them after having looked at PAW covers on the engine for the last couple of years. I like them, it’s just getting used to them. Oh well the PAW covers were sold at the swap meet a few weeks ago anyway.

So the engine is back together and running again.

VC1 by M Patterson, on Flickr


VC2 by M Patterson, on Flickr


I want to play with the idle a little more then it will be moved to a cart and the transmission attached. With the weather being colder now that it’s winter I’m not getting a lot of shop time so that may take a while.


.

The engine looks great!