Yesser! Got out the catalogs and sorting through the options! It's pretty simple, lots of newer stuff can be made to fit, so just deciding how far I want to go! Likely a Fat Man Fab. front end kit with later disk brakes and coil overs and rack and pinion steering. The rear will likely be a 4 link set up and narrowed a little with mini tubs, nothing radical, just a nice car that can keep up in modern traffic!
With the power you can get from that Hemi and then add a modern suspension and brakes to match you have something real special. Real magic awaits!
Tomorrow's game plan, we got the steamer all fueled up with Jet-A so it will get super hot, gonna really dive into both cars with mine first while my bro and the kids are tinkering with theirs, do as much as I can with out really tearing into it and then switch gears on to the DeSoto for a good deep cleaning! Then it's back to doing all the new parts and such for both cars and then a really good BBQ and Beers! Got a pretty firm game plan for the Dodge, going to go ahead and pull the engine and transmission, and tear the engine down for a full inspection and build! I get priority at my long time machine shop, being a near 40 year customer gets you to the front of the line, so unless there's a problem, it should be a pretty quick and simple build, I already sourced everything, it's all available, just need to know the final bore size for new high compression pistons and rings and all the rest should ship within a few days! I deal almost exclusively with Hot Heads Research for all my Chrysler needs, they have always been at the very top of the game and are super easy to deal with! For the trans, I gotta find a G.M 200R-4 automatic for the case, and a 700R-4 for the guts and then send it all off to my trans guy for a trick build, including adapting it to take the old school Dodge park brake!this gives me a modern overdrive automatic and will allow me to change the rear end gears for a much quicker set so the car has a lot more punch off the line and allows the Hemi to do what they are famous for, make tons of power! While those are getting done, I came home with a mid 60's to early 70's Mopar 91/4 inch rear end with factory locker and 3/55 gears, all I need to do is re build it and then maybe narrow it a little to fit under this body and fit those Cop wheels I have, should be done and on the ground by the time the engine and trans are done! Changed my mind on the front end, were going full Corvette C-4/5 for the suspension and brakes, however, I'm swapping to AP racing calipers as they will clear my wheels and allow the bigger brake rotors! The rear will get Ford Fox Mustang brakes and rotors, so it's should be pretty much a bolt in deal there! Got the front kit already ordered and the rear parts are in stock here locally! Called up vintage air and ordered up one of their A/C systems specific to this body, they have dash vents that are a dead copy of the original Imperials from this era, so it was a no brainer, and it uses the newer small G.M rotor pump which keeps things small and simple and easy to work on! Plan is to have this on the road and driving by mid spring, just in time for the car shows and summer cruising, and this coming fall, will go in for body and paint and interior work so that next season, it's all done and then we can take it on longer trips and really enjoy it!
Man ,, sounds like you're going the extra mile on this baby ,,, looking forward to pics along the way .
Got the engine out and tore down, nothing wrong with it, just age and wear! Valve guides are pretty worn and the seals are shot! Bearings and rings all look good, just worn, cylinders had very slight ridges which I had to ream to get the pistons out, nothing a slight over bore won't fix! Off to the machine shop for the full meal deal and then will see where we're at! Once we know it's good to go I have all the parts in my cart ready to pull the trigger on! Worst case, I drop my 392 in it and call it done! Lol.
Can you sleeve with harden sleeves and use soft rings like the euro cars do , my rings wear over the cyl. Sloth
So far, no need to sleeve or anything but a very mild bore job, if that! I run chromoly top rings, with Mild Mid rings and three piece stainless oil rings, so wear shouldn't be an issue going forward!
Volvo B-230? Try running Mahl "Turbo" Rings on that bad boy! If ya want to swap it to the B-234 head, I got one I sell ya cheap, needs two intake valves @$23.00 U.S.D. each! You can get the "Conversion kit" that fixes all the B-234F Issues and makes for a super solid and reliable engine that can make some SERIOUS power with this setup! Sell ya the complete head for $400 U.S. plus shipping!
So, update time! Engine is back from thea machine shop, everything came out perfectly. She got a .10 over bore which is pretty standard, and the heads got all new guides and seats, again, pretty standard. We fitted it out with new Eagle Pistons with a 10/1 compression ratio and the Hot Heads Hot street grind roller retro fit cam, so it should have a nice rich rumble and still be nice and drivable. Very minor porting to the heads along with the right valve grind and hand fit piston rings for a good deal. Everything went back together and got a fresh coat of paint, just waiting in the trans, but will be dropping her in and hooking up all the goodies. The factory dual quad intake I sent out to Diesel Cast West to have some welding and grinding done, and they spray welded all the work so it all looks factory cast. Got a pair of 430 CFM Rochester's all dialed in and installed with the proper linkage, this thing should really screw now, were all kinda on the same page, estimated power should be in the low 400's, I'm thinking around 415ish while some are guessing mid 450's, so we will see, ether way, as long as it can light off the rear tires and makes that legendary Hemi Roar, that's all that matters! The front suspension went in in less then a day, despite the severity of the cutting and grinding, proper measurements insured it went super smoothly, all I had to do was go back once I had it all fine tuned and burn out all the welds and fit the steering rack and then get all the measurements for new tie rod ends which I now have and just need to install! Has a brand new set of eagle1 coil overs with heavy springs and an over sized Vette sway bar, so it should handle pretty good once it's all set up and adjusted right! Also waiting on the rear axle, having it shortened 4 inches each side and new axle shafts made, the Infamous Dutchman has a full plate, but he pushed mine to the head of the class, so he should be dropping them off this next week, all else is going pretty quickly, but then again, this ain'ty first rodeo, and this car isn't all that complex, so, I'm very happy with how it's coming together!
Just looking at the pictures I can smell the interior, feel the tiny diameter of the steering wheel and hear the starter. That brings back loads of memories.
This is one of those few cars that really gets my heart racing, and I haven't even driven it yet! This car has soul, personality, attitude, and she wants the road, needs the road! I close my eyes and can see the endless miles stretched out in front of us, just going for the sake of going! Even the little ones are really into it, I caught the youngest sitting in the driver's seat with his little greasy hands on the wheel and his eyes closed, dreaming of that day far off when he can take the wheel and let that car have it's head! There are cars, and then there are cars like this that really grab a fellers heart, this is one of those!
Update time, She LIVES! We were able to take it for the first drive yesterday and boy, does she run! Messed around the last few weeks trying to find the right mufflers for that Famous Hemi Sound, took three tries but ended up settling on the Borla Loud Mouths exiting just behind the rear wheels and turned down so the sound reverberates off the underside of the car and the road, she sounds amazing,, especially when you stomp on it and that glorious Hemi Screams, as an added bonus, the dual carbs and air cleaners make their own sound which really adds to the whole experience! Got a pretty good tune on it after driving it around a while, she spins the Goodyears pretty easy, and will spin them every shift if you really want them to, and while it's no match for the modern muscle cars, it wins in sound and looks, which is way more important! Brother also got the Desoto out and running, she sounds mean as hell, compleatly different, but still amazing, and while Mine is lighter, his makes more power, so the drag races we had to run, Cause BROTHERS were super fun and pretty damn close with mine getting the edge at the launch but his catching me at speed! Pretty damn cool if you ask me! So, other news, because i'm pretty close to done for now, I picked up a 1953 Willys Jeep Pickup for a fun crawler project, no real purpose, as I have 4X4 pickups, but a Crawler is super cool! She is all original and running, though in need of a major overhaul of the entire drive train, none the less, she has the Hurricane 6 cylinder flat head, a whopping 220 Cubic Inches worth with T-18 4 speed and factory transfer case and 3/4 ton axles! Plans are, (and I am already gathering parts), she is getting 1 ton axles all built with Yukon parts, a 1970 Cadillac 500 ( I scored complete with TH-400 Trans for $450) a Eaton 5 Speed truck trans with compound low and over drive, and a NP-205 transfer case! Once I have it all mocked up, it's getting 4 linked front and rear, and a set of Micky Thompson 40 inch Baja Claws! Here she is as of today! I really LOVE this color, so I am keeping it, just cleaning it up and spraying a metallic satin top coat . Will also likely two tone it with an egg shell white to kinda break it up and give it a little more class! It needs EVERYTHING gone through, but it's in super good shape! Paid $8000 for it and drove it all the way from way north of Seattle, including through Seattle's Infamous FUCKED UP Traffic, all the way to Salem with ZERO hickups, though it took a FULL tank of gas to do it! LOL
I wasn't going to hijack your thread on you, but then you posted your Willys. I picked this 55 Wagon up a year ago and it is my summer time every day driver. 6cyl Super Hurricane 226 with factory 3spd and aftermarket overdrive. Guy two towns over has a pickup that he can't decide if he wants to sell or restore that I am trying to talk him out of.
Really LOVE the Wagons, Buddy just scored a nice project 55 Panel Wagon and is really going all out on it, should be an amazing rig when done! I could have bought a wagon but this pickup just ticked all the right boxes for me, so I couldn't pass on it! Willys REALLY Nailed it with the design and build quality of these first gen rigs, the very definition of COOL!
