Tech Q and A
I live in France and I’m rebuilding a ‘78 440 to swap with the factory Slant-Six in my ’70 Challenger convertible. I’ve had the opportunity to get a great brand new pistons/rods combo here in France. They will fit perfectly in the block and I even get the comp ratio I want for this engine. The trouble is this combo is much lighter than the 440’s old pistons and rods (a little more than 3 kg). So, I was wondering if an internal balancing of this engine will be possible (with eventual work on the crank’s counterbalancers), as the factory cast crank will be much less stressed than originally intended. I’m aware of the special damper and converter with this cast crank. But, as they are both worn, I would install standard ones for internal balance. The fact is, I know someone in a good specialized machine shop near home and I might save a lot of bucks if this modification on the cast crank is possible (so I don’t have to buy a new forged crankshaft). Thanks for your advice and time.
MM: The combo that you have can be internally balanced. You are also correct in the fact that you will need to change the converter and the balancer to a “neutral balance.” We recommend that you use a forged crank when you bump up your compression ratio. If you decide to switch to a forged crank, consider using the available Mopar part (P/N P5007251 – 3.75 stroke, 8 bolt, forged crankshaft, shown below).
I have a 2007 Dodge Charger with the 3.5L V-6 and 32,000 miles on the vehicle. The engine has burned two quarts of engine oil since its last oil change, which was 2,000 miles ago. I have my Dodge dealer change the oil every 3,000 miles and I keep all my service invoices. There is no evidence of any leaks. The invoice from my last oil change says SAE 5W-20 was used. Is there a Chrysler service bulletin available pertaining to this condition? Your advice as to the possible cause(s) of the engine oil consumption would be appreciated.
MM: There aren’t any TSBs pertaining to this type of condition. As far as what’s causing the issue, it could be a number of things. We recommend that you take your vehicle to a local Dodge dealer to have it looked at.
Over the last 10 years I have been looking for rear window trim for my ‘70 Superbird. Do you know where I can purchase a used or reproduced piece? I am a member of the Daytona-Superbird Club and they have not been able to find this item either.
MM: Check out www.wildcatmopars.com and www.texasacres.com. These two salvage yards specialize in early Mopar parts, if they don’t have it, they might know someone who does.
I own a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 short bed 2wd with the 5.9L V-8 and automatic trans. I’m looking to swap in a V-10 from a 1999 Ram. Do you have any tips for this swap? Has anyone at Mopar ever performed this? Any tips for getting more performance out of the V-10? Thank you for your time in this matter.
MM: We recommend building the 5.9L; by the time you’re done swapping the 5.9L to the 8.0L, you could put a good set of aluminum heads, cam, intake, and headers on your current configuration and get more HP and torque than the 8.0L. The V-10 is a good towing engine, but you should consider two things: the engine and transmission weigh a lot more than the 5.9L powertrain and all of the electronics from the ’99 truck would have to be swapped over to your ’96.
I am wondering if you can fill me in on what it would take to put a Neon 2.4L turbo SRT4® engine in my 2008 Dodge Avenger that is equipped with a 2.4L engine. Would the Avenger’s 40TES 4-speed automatic transmission bolt up to the older block and would it hold up if the line pressure was increased? I am just curious because I really like the sound of a Dodge Avenger SRT4.
MM: The current 2.4L (World Engine) is a completely different block than the previous 2.4L, so the engine will not bolt to the transmission. The other (very large) issue would be the electronics. Since the World Engine is a completely different design, the electronics will also be different. Although we agree an SRT4 Avenger would be cool, from a cost and complexity standpoint, we don’t think it’s practical.
I have a 2005 Dodge Durango with the HEMI® engine and 17,000 miles on the vehicle. I would like to use Mobil 1 synthetic engine oil for my HEMI’s next oil change. Would that void the warranty? Thank you for any information regarding this.
MM: Synthetic engine oil may be used as long as the container has the American Petroleum Institute (API) starburst symbol and the correct SAE viscosity grade on the label. For more information about engine oil selection, refer to the May/June 2007 issue of MM, pages 44–45.
On page 21 of the January/February 2009 issue of Mopar Magazine there was a picture of a Plum Crazy 1970 ‘Cuda going down the drag strip. On the front of the ‘Cuda was a cool looking one-piece air dam. Since then, I’ve seen two more ‘Cudas with the one-piece air dam (no contact info). Do you know who makes this piece? I can not find one online.
MM: Harwood Aero Scoops offers one-piece air dams. For more info, visit www.jegs.com/p/Harwood/748444/10002/-1. Another good source of information and Mopar networking is moparts.com.
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Reply #1 on : Tue October 06, 2009, 00:04:02
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Reply #2 on : Thu October 08, 2009, 09:08:45