6.1 Hemi into 72 Demon March 2018

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Not yet! Jodi is still just talking smack! Miss ya buddy! Winter is on her last legs!
You got time for a visit?
Would like to stop by when it works for ya and if you need some help other than drinking all you good booze or maybe drinking all your booze and helping work on your car I'm ready.
 
So tonight I have been sorting out the final mechanics of the steering wheel install.the chrome clamshell parts are from flaming river if I remember correctly. The inside is concave. What I did was make a insert alignment bushing out of some black Delron I had laying around. Chucked it in my lathe and bored the center to 2 inches the OD of the steering column. With needing the outside convex to match the inside concave of the metal parts initially since I was using soft metal I just hit it with the file while it was turning in the lathe. It looked like crap so I ended up making a ghetto redneck cutting tool out of a scrap piece of tool. That is the flat part in bottom right corner of pix. It cut the delron like butter once I got radius correct. The steering column hangs at 23 degrees approx and the bracket does not as it mounts to the firewall, thus the male female insert and clamshell. Hope this makes sense. FABO Fred with the righteous Scamp is going to stop by the shop this week to drink my hootch and spoil Hemi. I will likely get him to help me install steering column and measure couplers and associated shafts as ya just can’t be on both sides of the firewall at the same time.

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So tonight I have been sorting out the final mechanics of the steering wheel install.the chrome clamshell parts are from flaming river if I remember correctly. The inside is concave. What I did was make a insert alignment bushing out of some black Delron I had laying around. Chucked it in my lathe and bored the center to 2 inches the OD of the steering column. With needing the outside convex to match the inside concave of the metal parts initially since I was using soft metal I just hit it with the file while it was turning in the lathe. It looked like crap so I ended up making a ghetto redneck cutting tool out of a scrap piece of tool. That is the flat part in bottom right corner of pix. It cut the delron like butter once I got radius correct. The steering column hangs at 23 degrees approx and the bracket does not as it mounts to the firewall, thus the male female insert and clamshell. Hope this makes sense. FABO Fred with the righteous Scamp is going to stop by the shop this week to drink my hootch and spoil Hemi. I will likely get him to help me install steering column and measure couplers and associated shafts as ya just can’t be on both sides of the firewall at the same time.

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More than happy to help I plan on trying to keep up with you all the way to Mopars in the park this summer and your local car shows.
Tell Hemi treats on the way and you best hide your expensive booze. LOL
 
So today I cranked up the music, poured a nice Bourbon and attacked putting the grill back together and hanging it on car. I also set and tightened up the bumpers. Like many on here I shave the brackets to get the bumper to fit snugger to the car. Is snugger a word? Dang I may need another bourbon! Anyway after much cussing and understanding sequence of events I got it all together. Heck I tore it apart 4 years ago, no wonder I did not remember to put the beauty rings on the head lamps first! Hah! Pretty happy with how it looks, even the hood closes correctly, oh crap perhaps I should try and open it before I start running my mouth about how it all went pretty well! The Iowa whiskey is my reward!

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I also got the steering wheel oriented and final hung. I am sure there is a better way but I just marked the steering coupler at four points then I cranked it all the way to the left, then cranked it all the way to the right and counted rotations of coupler. Then divided that by two and cranked it back the other way to the 1/2 way point. In theory finding the true center of steering range of motion. Hung steering wheel and now just need to solve a linkage issue. Not really satisfied with it. I think I am going to add one more knuckle. We will see. It is a flaming river tilt wheel. It is tilted up so I can get under dash to tidy up wiring. I will need to design and fabricate some kind of a kick plate to hide fuse box. Not this weekend I am done!

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I also got the steering wheel oriented and final hung. I am sure there is a better way but I just marked the steering coupler at four points then I cranked it all the way to the left, then cranked it all the way to the right and counted rotations of coupler. Then divided that by two and cranked it back the other way to the 1/2 way point. In theory finding the true center of steering range of motion. Hung steering wheel and now just need to solve a linkage issue. Not really satisfied with it. I think I am going to add one more knuckle. We will see. It is a flaming river tilt wheel. It is tilted up so I can get under dash to tidy up wiring. I will need to design and fabricate some kind of a kick plate to hide fuse box. Not this weekend I am done!

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Looking good John can't wait to see the carpet and seats in.
 
I got the seats and support brackets fabricated and ready to drop in place. The carpet scares the crap out of me.
Mine went right in with little work and did what FOG suggested laid the carpet in and took a pencil solder gun and found the holes for seat belts and seats and the solder gun melted the carpet with a nice clean hole. But still scared me hopping not to screw up. lol
 
Because I had to fabricate a totally new and different size tunnel to accept the fire wall modifications and the Tremec 6 speed plus back seat delete and relocating front seats I can’t purchase a carpet from classic. I will need to start from scratch. My whole tunnel is different size shape and configuration.
 
Because I had to fabricate a totally new and different size tunnel to accept the fire wall modifications and the Tremec 6 speed plus back seat delete and relocating front seats I can’t purchase a carpet from classic. I will need to start from scratch. My whole tunnel is different size shape and configuration.
Crap forgot about that, yea gonna take some time I know I couldn't do it up right.
 
Because I had to fabricate a totally new and different size tunnel to accept the fire wall modifications and the Tremec 6 speed plus back seat delete and relocating front seats I can’t purchase a carpet from classic. I will need to start from scratch. My whole tunnel is different size shape and configuration.
Too bad you can't weld carpet and beat it into submission. But actually they do weld carpet kinda sorta. What comes to my mind is to buy a factory kit and rip it right down the middle and weld in a patch panel.
 
Too bad you can't weld carpet and beat it into submission. But actually they do weld carpet kinda sorta. What comes to my mind is to buy a factory kit and rip it right down the middle and weld in a patch panel.
Oh man I love this thread! Once again a honking brilliant idea from you guys! I have been hesitant to even start due to my complete and total lack of knowledge with regard to carpet. That is brilliant BP! I can do that, I think.......
 
Full disclaimer it is the weekend and I got all my league shooting done, I got Demon where I wanted to be, got pistols tore apart and cleaned after competing. Out in the shop, Dog is at my feet, music serenading me in background. Toddy in hand, slightly tuned up, all good in Fargo. Time for some reflection. Communicating with like minded creatures of this Forum, men and women who simply don’t just get out their check book and buy a car, they build it! With their own two hands, they are creative, they are determined and most certainly patient and tenacious. We sure are fortunate. Have a great week guys and one girl.
 
Full disclaimer it is the weekend and I got all my league shooting done, I got Demon where I wanted to be, got pistols tore apart and cleaned after competing. Out in the shop, Dog is at my feet, music serenading me in background. Toddy in hand, slightly tuned up, all good in Fargo. Time for some reflection. Communicating with like minded creatures of this Forum, men and women who simply don’t just get out their check book and buy a car, they build it! With their own two hands, they are creative, they are determined and most certainly patient and tenacious. We sure are fortunate. Have a great week guys and one girl.
Couldn't have said it better thanks for the encouragement.
 
You good Sir are the epitome of exactly what I was trying to articulate. It is an honor to hang out with you guys. And yes I may blatantly steal your console mold idea!
Knowing you it will be great just let me know if you need anything to make it I have extra fiberglass and a mold.
 
Hey John I want to change my front bumper so it molds in with the car body better. When I come down your way could ya show me how to do that?
 
So this weekend I got the steering wheel linkage sorted out, makes me very happy! I can now take the car to an actual alignment shop and get the front end finalized. I have it close enough to drive but not really accurate. I ended up with two knuckles, I have a little u joint bind but not much. I may end up adding a third, just not sure yet? I want to drive it a bit and see what the bind actually feels like thru the steering wheel. On plus side I did not need to hammer mod the headers at all! No bind there. My angle is just a little severe for only two u joints. May need to add a third. Flaming river stainless knuckles.

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So this weekend I got the steering wheel linkage sorted out, makes me very happy! I can now take the car to an actual alignment shop and get the front end finalized. I have it close enough to drive but not really accurate. I ended up with two knuckles, I have a little u joint bind but not much. I may end up adding a third, just not sure yet? I want to drive it a bit and see what the bind actually feels like thru the steering wheel. On plus side I did not need to hammer mod the headers at all! No bind there. My angle is just a little severe for only two u joints. May need to add a third. Flaming river stainless knuckles.

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Looking good John can't wait to check it out.
 
Dang, getting close SLO. I forgot or did not know what rear is in that thing. We did an old chevy pickup that was real tight on the steering shaft. Used a little dychem to find the rub and ground a hair off in that area. I think we had three on that one. maybe two and a heim joint. Any way I hope you get it sorted out. Oh ya... is that a Flaming River rack?
 
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