The Dodge Challenger Message Board

Here's some new pictures with that sad little 318 finally out. I cracked the top of the radiator support when the crank pulley bumped it on the way out, unfortunately. I will definitely have one of those engine balancers on the chain next time. Now it's down to putting dummy screws in threaded holes and such in prep for sandblasting the interior.

Excellent! It's in great hands. keep em coming Dylan!!

yeah, looks great...

So now I'm committed...I have the car up in the air with a 2004 corvette IRS and 6 speed transaxle setup mocked up underneath it, first cuts are done. This stuff cost me less than 1800 to get together. Compared to 700 for just a disc brake kit for the stock rearend, and 3500 for a keisler 5 speed, I am pretty happy with the bang I'm getting for my buck.

Now it is time to spend all that money I saved to buy sheetmetal and weldwire!

Pictures coming very soon!

WHen you put the engine back in...put it in from the bottom like the factory did and you won't have any issuse with bumping into things.

I agree. It is much easier to lift the body up and slide the engine under on a dolly.

If I have enough clearance in my workshop, I definitely will do that. I'm trying to pour concrete in the indoor riding arena of the barn so I can actually work out there with lifts and things. It was a hack job getting the engine out the way I did, and I am definitely not doing that to get it back in. Thanks guys.

You don't need very much height if you take the intake off. Maybe take the hood off too if you have a low ceiling.

Moparman1972 wrote:So now I'm committed...I have the car up in the air with a 2004 corvette IRS and 6 speed transaxle setup mocked up underneath it, first cuts are done. This stuff cost me less than 1800 to get together. Compared to 700 for just a disc brake kit for the stock rearend, and 3500 for a keisler 5 speed, I am pretty happy with the bang I'm getting for my buck.

Now it is time to spend all that money I saved to buy sheetmetal and weldwire!

Pictures coming very soon!

what engine are you using?

Hopefully a fuel-injected 340 or 360 with aluminum heads, water pump, etc. Eddie put me onto a Mass-flo EFI kit, but after researching it a bit more, I figure I'll take the headaches and get an Edelbrock Pro-Flo that I will have to map myself. And it wouldn't do to put so much work into a transaxle and weight balance and then have a 440 anchor up front. The engine is one of the last things to think about, in any case. Have to relocate the battery, build a rear frame for the IRS, half-cage, trans tunnel, cut up my gas tank for a pump, etc. It is certainly keeping me busy!

yea i was wondering how you are gonna mate the IRS to a 440,the vettes have a tube or something dont they?

Yes, a torque tube. Basically, the actual transmission is mounted to the rear end, not the engine. This shifts the weight to the rear. The corvette transaxle is not a transaxle in the true sense, and it is not as effective as something like a porsche transaxle that hangs the weight BEHIND the rear tires, but it is cheap, tough as nails, and much more friendly to work with than a true transaxle from an audi or porsche. The driveshaft is replaced by a smaller diameter shaft that spins at engine RPM all the way back to the rear. The clutch is retained up front in the bellhousing.

The only thing I am not a huge fan of is the transverse leaf spring setup in the vette IRS I bought. While this is used in big buck, high performance vettes, I am probably going to fit coilovers on there, to get the adjustability and the true independence from the other side.

take some pics as that will be a tough job!

I will have pictures up soon of the cutting and the rear end and such.

I'm pretty sure I'll lose the back seat, as I don't think I can split it with an enlarged tunnel going in between. The transmission will end around the front of the back seat, and it needs quite a bit of clearance.

If it wasn't a plain-jane 318 auto, I'd feel a lot worse cutting the old gal up.

Here's some old pictures right after the 'vette IRS came in. Pretty, ain't she? And remember! Not much more than a disc brake package for the original rearend!

Did you measure the original distance between the upper arms bushings?
You're probably going to have to replicate that as close to the original as possible. How is camber set?
Will you have enough clearance in the upper arms once they're in to install coilovers?
Can you find aftermarket uppers that would give more space for coilovers?

I'd says if there are coilover kits for the donor vettte, you're OK; if not, I might stick with the spring...

In order:

1. No. I have found numbers online but I intend to check them on an actual vette.
2. The camber is set by eccentric bolts on the LCA's
3. The clearance will be tight, but there are coilover kits that are bolt-on to these vettes, so it has to clear with stock mounting location and A-Arms. It might not be fun to get at them later, though. When I get everything more or less in their final positions I'll make the decision to stick with the spring or get coilovers.

Fun stuff!

Just an update-- no pictures, still don't have a way to upload them.

I got the vette torque tube over christmas break, so I have all the drivetrain pieces and I'm able to mock things up fully now.

I picked up an original TA hood from a man in Massachusetts. The owner of the TA went down the road back in the 80's without the hood pins in and the ensuing hood parachute maneuver separated the hood top from the structure in the rear. And a rather thick branch fell on it in storage and broke a 12"x12" chunk off of the rear passengers side. So some extensive fiberglass repair work. I got what I wanted, though.

Question: Did the TA hoods originally have springs? Then must have, I guess, but were they enough to hold the hood up? I had no springs on my fiberglass hood originally, because I was afraid any pressure great enough to hold the hood would be enough to bow it when I tried to close it.

Looking forward to the follow up, and pic's of progress!

Is this a fiberglass hood?

Yep! TA hoods were fiberglass from the factory. I hope to have new pictures soon!