Exhaust vs power-steering

Uhcoog1, Super-thanks for those great pictures!!

These pictures are plain invaluable in advancing my plans for a future HEMI swap!

At least the PS box clears the engine block, thats one major uncertainty out of the way.

I can see why any stock manifolds or aftermarket headers will not clear, but I sort of knew that allready.

From how I am able to interpret the pictures, there is room to put something in there.

This is of course assuming that the power-steering box in my '71 dart is simmilar to the one shown in the pictures.. looks similar though..

I don't see any header type design going in there, but it should be possible to fabricate up some sort of manifold.
Granted, with some of the abrupt turns required to maneuver arround the steering box, it will not be the most efficient design, but if the price is sacrificing a couple of horses, I have absolutely no problem with that! The new HEMI has power in abundance annyway, at least compared to what I could hope to acheive with my current 318 LA.

Sure, a really hot build, or a LA crate engine could perhaps get close, but driveability, fuel economy and all the nother niceties of the new HEMI would be well out of reach. And no re-build or crate engine could beat a decent junkyard HEMI in terms of price.

A good friend just bought a super-trick TIG welder, so if anything can be put between the block and the steering box, we'll be able to make it!

I was just over to the states for a couple of weeks, and I took the oportunity to take out a week of vacation hiring a '11 Challenger RT for a road-trip arround the south-west.

You could say it was just as much for the sake of "test-driving" the HEMI as the road trip! :)

Great car, but it was allmost a bit to civilized for my taste, but If I could have that Engine and gearbox in my Dart... oh lord...

And for manual steering.. my concern is really not driving the car arround, but turning the wheel at a standstill or going really slow.. Unlike the USA, Norway is not a very car friendly country, which translates in to tight car parks etc.. I have tried turning the steering wheel with the engine off, and I must say that my fears about having the collapsible stearing stem axle fail in torsion was genuine and probably not entirely unwarranted.

Again, thanks a lot for clearing away this obstacle of doubt and uncertainty!!