5.7 Hemi Dart project

[MoparMan]

Update..

Friday (Sep 30) I was able to finally order the engine mounts and headers, from TTI, for the 5.7 Hemi Dart project. They should arrive on Tuesday (Oct 4).
In the next week or two I will start pulling the 360 out of the Dart. The engine compartment will be painted Silver before the Hemi goes in.
I'm still waiting on engine parts from Direct Connection (Mopar Performance).
They have a kit (part# 5153339) which is supposed to have all of the performance goodies they put on the 5.7 Hemi crate engine (the 4bbl-style throttle-body, intake manifold, computer, wiring harness, etc..).
The kit is not available yet. Only a part# exists. It is almost $4800.

Stay tuned..
MoparMan
(Bob)



 

 

[gn300]

From what i understand the 5-speed auto from a 300c or magnum will fir with out cutting the floor like you would have to with the truck tranny, think of the gears you coulr run with with the 5-speed od an the auto stick too cool in an old car!

[MoparMan]

gn300,

 That's interesting.. I assumed the truck and car transmissions were all the same for the Hemi. I may look into that.

Thanks..
MoparMan
(Bob)

[gn300]

From what i know the trans is from father benz $4800 for a install kit wow they only want $ 7800 for a complete 5.7 ant computers ,trans , alt ,ac unit etc,etc an ebay from a 300c or magnum.

[MoparMan]

gn300,

I know what you're saying about the price..
I could use the stock intake manifold, etc., that I already have but it just doesn't look good for a resto-mod car. I like the pieces that Mopar Performance has on their 5.7 crate engine. Thier parts (electronics)are all plug-n-play, in a closed system. I don't need to hack any stock cables. The stock wiring harness that I have from a Ram truck, has many plug-ins that my Dart doesn't have.

Once my engine is dressed out it will look like sort-of like a carb engine (it will be EFI though). I want to use an original-style 426 Hemi Chrome Air Cleaner on it; which I think I can do with the 4bbl-style throttle-body.
I'm trying to watch my budget to an extent but I want to do this without having to re-do stuff later (stuff I'm not happy with).

Also, since I'm not using the stock computer, the 5spd-auto trans will not work. 
The stock engine/trans would be a nice setup if someone wanted to use all of the stock equipment.
Street & Performance (Mena, Arkansas) has custom wiring harnesses to use the stock engine/trans/computer in an older car.
I'm choosing to go with a non-stock (performance) setup.

After starting this project, I think one is better off just buying the crate engine (By the way, it comes with all of the electronic stuff).
Once you get a salvage engine ( I got mine cheap at $2800) and then buy the Mopar Performance stuff it costs about the same. So I'm not any worse off than the price of a new crate engine.
Hey, I (and hopefully everyone else) learned something from this already.

Oh yeah.. I got my engine mounts and headers from MoparMecca (TTI distributor) today. The headers are beautiful!
You need to buy rubber insulators from Schumacher to install the engine mounts.

 
Thanks for your input gn300.. it helped me define the project some more..
MoparMan
(Bob)


 





   

[gn300]

Are you saying that the wire harness you got plugs into the dart? too cool at any price

[MoparMan]

No. The wiring harness I have (from the RAM truck) will not work because everything you can imagine on a new vehicle plugs into the computer. I don't have all of those things on the Dart to plug in to it.
The Mopar Performance computer and wiring harness is made to work in any vehicle you want to put it in.


MoparMan
(Bob)
 

[MoparMan]

5.7 Hemi Dart update..

Monday 10/31, I took my Dart over to a friends shop to take out the engine/trans. The engine and trans are now out. You know what happens when you start taking things apart? Well, you start saying stuff like: "this isn't going to look right" or "I might as well do this right while it's apart". The whole engine compartment is now bare. The wiring, firewall items, grille, front bumper and everything is off.
This project is going to be almost a full-blown restoration along with the Hemi swap. You end up with a lot of things to do that you didn't think there would be. Anyway, we've pretty much figured out what we're going to do.
Along with the Hemi swap we're going to put in a A-body 8 3/4 rear. The spring perches are already moved inward, on the axle. I will need to relocate the spring hangers. Now I can fit some bigger wheels/tires on the rear. I'll need them with the Hemi. Remember.. a stock 5.7 Hemi with only headers (no cats) is going to be around 380-390hp. With one of the new CompCams camshafts you looking at 400-450. Easy, streetable horsepower!! That's with no computer tweaking yet.
 I'm waiting on new torsion bars so we need to pull the '74 k-frame out and put the '69 k-frame in. Once the body work is done in the engine bay, we're planning on test-fitting the Hemi the first week of December. Once test-fitted it will come back out so the body/paint work can can continue. The whole car will be re-painted.
Hope to have the project complete by late Feb or early March.
Hopefully the Mopar Performance engine kit will be here in about a week.
The mid-sump oil pan arrived from Street & Performance the other day.
I've also ordered new wiring harnesses (all of them), various body gasket kits and new brake lines.
I've been in discussions with other guys on Moparts.com who are doing the 5.7 Hemi swap.
It's starting to catch on.

Stay tuned..
MoparMan
(57HemiDart - Moparts.com)
Bob

[Street_Challenged73]

Bob, that's awesome news!  That car is going to be such a cool resto-modern cruiser!!!!!!

[whitesatinmopar]

Great news update there Bob,.........uh? This gem going to be at Carlisle 2006? Now that would be super !

[Mr. 6pak2go]

wow good news!! get-er-done! lol

[MoparMan]

Thanks Guys !

WSM,
 I have every intention of driving the Resto-Mod Dart to Carlisle in 2006 !

MoparMan
Bob
 

[whitesatinmopar]

Good news Bob, I sure hope it all works out for you to do just that. I can somewhat understand the cost and labot of getting this project done, you will have a lot of people looking at her and I know you'll be quized with a thousand questions, but having done the project yourself, you'll have all the answers. Who knows, perhaps even Rob Wolfe will want to take a few pics for a certain mag. Looking forward to seeing the Dart. - Jim

[Mr. 6pak2go]

got any new pics?? id love to see her again!

[MoparMan]

6pak2go,

 Here are some engine pics..

MoparMan
(Bob)