6.1 Hemi into 72 Demon March 2018

[Sublime one]

So I finished out one side of the strut support. See attached pix. I utilize heli arc and run a 2% thoriated tungsten. As always when welding 1/8 or smaller be sure and heavy tack both edges prior to welding as the metal heats rapidly being thin then you end up with a crater on the edge. The heavy tack reduces that. To radius the tops I just took a large socket to trace around. Slashed them then welded em up and got them tacked in place. I am welding to both the shock tower and the inner fenders. I think this will actually lead to cracking on the inner fenders but we will see. I may end up welding to the shock tower then being creative with the inner fender. You can see in the pix I notched a V in the base plate to distribute more welding area. Note: I welded the brace completely ahead of time so I did not have to do yoga positions in the car to weld it in place. This seems slower as a result of all the tacking fitting take it in take it out but it will save time in the end and look nicer. (my opinion). One thing for sure about welding there are a lot of different ways to do it. Often times multiple routes achieve same objectives.
GO JETS

 

[Frodee]

So I finished out one side of the strut support. See attached pix. I utilize heli arc and run a 2% thoriated tungsten. As always when welding 1/8 or smaller be sure and heavy tack both edges prior to welding as the metal heats rapidly being thin then you end up with a crater on the edge. The heavy tack reduces that. To radius the tops I just took a large socket to trace around. Slashed them then welded em up and got them tacked in place. I am welding to both the shock tower and the inner fenders. I think this will actually lead to cracking on the inner fenders but we will see. I may end up welding to the shock tower then being creative with the inner fender. You can see in the pix I notched a V in the base plate to distribute more welding area. Note: I welded the brace completely ahead of time so I did not have to do yoga positions in the car to weld it in place. This seems slower as a result of all the tacking fitting take it in take it out but it will save time in the end and look nicer. (my opinion). One thing for sure about welding there are a lot of different ways to do it. Often times multiple routes achieve same objectives.
GO JETS

View attachment 1715171851

View attachment 1715171854

View attachment 1715171855

View attachment 1715171856

View attachment 1715171857

View attachment 1715171858

looking good sure wish I could weld that good.

 

[Sublime one]

looking good sure wish I could weld that good.

So all you guys that do your own work will understand what I mean when I say I went back out in the shop this morning after thrashing on the car all day yesterday. I walked in and thought to myself this is like walking in to the scene of a crime! Welding leads still attached to the car grinder dust and slashed pieces of metal on the floor, clamps slung everywhere, hammers on bench and stuck in car ledges. 1/2 burned rods all over the floor. And the whole shop had that burning paint and old metal smell. Nirvana for us gear heads.
Anyway back to point at hand it dawned on me I did not really show or explain the underside of the strut supports. The frame rail skin is lapped and spotted together and has a subtle arch. You can't just drop a piece of flat stock on and think it is all good. I took some pix of the detail showing the arch and tacks on the frame rail skins. It is a tuff weld as it is thin and there is no graceful way of getting it clean to weld. Paint and goop bleed into the welds. And in the trade we call it heat and beat! Heat it up and force it where you want it to go. I also included a picture of two of the heaviest used tools in my shop, a 4-1/2 inch grinder and my handy dandy makita nose sander. I think I will take advantage of the sunny day and go for a putt.

 

[Frodee]

So all you guys that do your own work will understand what I mean when I say I went back out in the shop this morning after thrashing on the car all day yesterday. I walked in and thought to myself this is like walking in to the scene of a crime! Welding leads still attached to the car grinder dust and slashed pieces of metal on the floor, clamps slung everywhere, hammers on bench and stuck in car ledges. 1/2 burned rods all over the floor. And the whole shop had that burning paint and old metal smell. Nirvana for us gear heads.
Anyway back to point at hand it dawned on me I did not really show or explain the underside of the strut supports. The frame rail skin is lapped and spotted together and has a subtle arch. You can't just drop a piece of flat stock on and think it is all good. I took some pix of the detail showing the arch and tacks on the frame rail skins. It is a tuff weld as it is thin and there is no graceful way of getting it clean to weld. Paint and goop bleed into the welds. And in the trade we call it heat and beat! Heat it up and force it where you want it to go. I also included a picture of two of the heaviest used tools in my shop, a 4-1/2 inch grinder and my handy dandy makita nose sander. I think I will take advantage of the sunny day and go for a putt.

View attachment 1715172841

View attachment 1715172842

View attachment 1715172843

View attachment 1715172844

looks like Hemi has had enough work for one day.
You know what your doing with your welding most guys would over weld and we both know that's not a good Idea.

 

[Sublime one]

Well sadly I ran out of gas, no really I ran out of Argon! Thus I had to focus on some odds and ends. I finally have all the K frame the way I want it so I stripped it down for powder coating. I included a pix of a very cool socket from Joes racing that lets you remove spindles gracefully. Then I moved on to the mess that in theory was a wiring job. Pix reflect before and after, I am going with a Dakota dash thus the yellow cardboard template. Then I shot a bit of Sublime in the engine bay just cause! Yep pure motivation for me. And a subtle hint to all of you that have commented on how good the Blue looks on the Demon! Rest assured it will be Sublime when the fat lady sings! Not sure how that Jets jersey got in the shot but it is NHL playoffs for all of you that follow hockey. And in actual fact Winnipeg is the nearest city to us. The Canadian boys may as well adopt me as I have played a lot of hockey North of the border! And as always this year.... Humbolt! Have a great week all!

 

[Frodee]

Well sadly I ran out of gas, no really I ran out of Argon! Thus I had to focus on some odds and ends. I finally have all the K frame the way I want it so I stripped it down for powder coating. I included a pix of a very cool socket from Joes racing that lets you remove spindles gracefully. Then I moved on to the mess that in theory was a wiring job. Pix reflect before and after, I am going with a Dakota dash thus the yellow cardboard template. Then I shot a bit of Sublime in the engine bay just cause! Yep pure motivation for me. And a subtle hint to all of you that have commented on how good the Blue looks on the Demon! Rest assured it will be Sublime when the fat lady sings! Not sure how that Jets jersey got in the shot but it is NHL playoffs for all of you that follow hockey. And in actual fact Winnipeg is the nearest city to us. The Canadian boys may as well adopt me as I have played a lot of hockey North of the border! And as always this year.... Humbolt! Have a great week all!

View attachment 1715175585

View attachment 1715175586

View attachment 1715175587

View attachment 1715175588

View attachment 1715175589

Gotta lot of blue to get rid of before the green goes on, but I think that will happen.

 

[toplscuda]

Looking good

 

[Sublime one]

Looking good

So even though it was opening weekend at our local track I squeezed in some work on the Demon. I have been thwarted by a vendor who keeps promising some parts I need to no avail. I decided I needed to make some progress on interior. I got the Dakota dash delivered and am starting to figure out how on earth tomgracefully integrate it into the dash and I looked at some different ways to perhaps make the Diablo tuner more a part of the dash rather than the typical "bolt on look" if anyone has pix of that I would love to see them. I don't care if it is on a Mustang....... no wait scratch that, no Ford pix please! Hah! Anyway then I went at the pedals. Pure D chaos there I got to tell you. Since I am utilizing the OEM Challenger pedals the frame work is huge. I had to remove the E brake and anything else to make room for the dumb thing. Not sure I have enough yet and may abort on the frame and create a more slender version. Likely end up making a backing plate and then mounting all three pedals to it then welding the whole mess to the fire wall. When you work alone you invariably take that into consideration on your design process. Fancy is nice but ya only got so many clamps and hands. Under the dash you need to be a yoga master. Did I mention I am not a small guy? So I will make it clean and functional with an eye on how on earth do I get this in place. My Winnipeg Jets just got eliminated so my hopes and dreams are crushed. Go knights? That don't even sound right. Have a great week guys.

 

[Sublime one]

View attachment 1715178050
So even though it was opening weekend at our local track I squeezed in some work on the Demon. I have been thwarted by a vendor who keeps promising some parts I need to no avail. I decided I needed to make some progress on interior. I got the Dakota dash delivered and am starting to figure out how on earth tomgracefully integrate it into the dash and I looked at some different ways to perhaps make the Diablo tuner more a part of the dash rather than the typical "bolt on look" if anyone has pix of that I would love to see them. I don't care if it is on a Mustang....... no wait scratch that, no Ford pix please! Hah! Anyway then I went at the pedals. Pure D chaos there I got to tell you. Since I am utilizing the OEM Challenger pedals the frame work is huge. I had to remove the E brake and anything else to make room for the dumb thing. Not sure I have enough yet and may abort on the frame and create a more slender version. Likely end up making a backing plate and then mounting all three pedals to it then welding the whole mess to the fire wall. When you work alone you invariably take that into consideration on your design process. Fancy is nice but ya only got so many clamps and hands. Under the dash you need to be a yoga master. Did I mention I am not a small guy? So I will make it clean and functional with an eye on how on earth do I get this in place. My Winnipeg Jets just got eliminated so my hopes and dreams are crushed. Go knights? That don't even sound right. Have a great week guys.

View attachment 1715178048

View attachment 1715178049

 

[toplscuda]

Any progress is good progress. Keep chopping at it and it will come together. At least that’s what I tell myself. I cut down the factory lower radiator mount from the donor Charger and tacked it into place on mine today. Radiator sits in there nicely now.

 

[75slant6]

Following! Although kind of grudgingly since you’re a jets fan... GO PREDS!!

 

[Sublime one]

Following! Although kind of grudgingly since you’re a jets fan... GO PREDS!!

Hah! We are both now saying go Knights? That don't even sound right.

 

[75slant6]

Hah! We are both now saying go Knights? That don't even sound right.

Honestly I have no idea who’s even still in the playoffs. I never keep up with hockey until the playoffs, then I only keep up with the preds. Realistically I can’t be considered a hockey fan.

 

[Sublime one]

Honestly I have no idea who’s even still in the playoffs. I never keep up with hockey until the playoffs, then I only keep up with the preds. Realistically I can’t be considered a hockey fan.

Should any of you get bored this weekend and are surfing you might check out Fargo drag racing on FB. Kind of like getting your picture on the cover of The Rolling Stones only different! Mopar rocks! Not that I have a bias towards Sublime but the picture is very cool! Have a safe weekend and to all our Vets on this site sincere thanks to you and your families.
Semper Fi!
2nd Marines lead the way as we ARE the tip of the Spear!
And yes I fully expect to get torched mercilessly by the other branches! Be safe guys!

 

[Sublime one]

Should any of you get bored this weekend and are surfing you might check out Fargo drag racing on FB. Kind of like getting your picture on the cover of The Rolling Stones only different! Mopar rocks! Not that I have a bias towards Sublime but the picture is very cool! Have a safe weekend and to all our Vets on this site sincere thanks to you and your families.
Semper Fi!
2nd Marines lead the way as we ARE the tip of the Spear!
And yes I fully expect to get torched mercilessly by the other branches! Be safe guys!

 

[Sublime one]

So it is a long holiday weekend and in theory I should get a lot done?

Went for a putt all day yesterday and got my arms burnt off! Hit the Demon today and decided to drop the fuel tank so I can give it to a great neighbor I have, who also has an A body and needs a fuel tank. Figure I am not going to use it so why not give it to somebody that can. Likely cost him an adult beverage someday! As previously mentioned I work alone most all the time so I am creative with rigging and rope, dropped tank with a couple of straps no issues. I included a pix of the modern fuel cell which fits in the trunk so I will repurpose it. I also got my super cool HDK front end parts back from powder coating. Not sure if it is a gift only bestowed upon millwrights or not but in The reassembly process I managed to get antiseize on everything I owned and my clothes. That stuff jumps on me and I cannot tell you how careful and sparingly I apply it. It just doesn't matter I always end up wearing it. Hate that stuff but you got to use it! A big Woo Hoo to all the military families out there!

 

[Sublime one]

So it is a long holiday weekend and in theory I should get a lot done?

Went for a putt all day yesterday and got my arms burnt off! Hit the Demon today and decided to drop the fuel tank so I can give it to a great neighbor I have, who also has an A body and needs a fuel tank. Figure I am not going to use it so why not give it to somebody that can. Likely cost him an adult beverage someday! As previously mentioned I work alone most all the time so I am creative with rigging and rope, dropped tank with a couple of straps no issues. I included a pix of the modern fuel cell which fits in the trunk so I will repurpose it. I also got my super cool HDK front end parts back from powder coating. Not sure if it is a gift only bestowed upon millwrights or not but in The reassembly process I managed to get antiseize on everything I owned and my clothes. That stuff jumps on me and I cannot tell you how careful and sparingly I apply it. It just doesn't matter I always end up wearing it. Hate that stuff but you got to use it! A big Woo Hoo to all the military families out there!

View attachment 1715180675

View attachment 1715180676

View attachment 1715180677

View attachment 1715180678

Thought I would add this pix for all you guys thinking to yourself wonder if this idiot painted his bike Sublime as well? Hah! You betcha!

 

[Sublime one]

Thought I would add this pix for all you guys thinking to yourself wonder if this idiot painted his bike Sublime as well? Hah! You betcha!

View attachment 1715180680

So I skipped last weekend and attended the National Mopar show Mopars in the Park it is a huge show and well attended. It is located south of Minneapolis about an hour. Weather was terrible but there was a whole posse there from FABO. I got going on the Demon again as I was out of money, patience and overall enthusiasm as a result of some roadblocks. I finally ended up with a oil pan I can use with tubular K frame. Huge shout out to Denny and his crew at HDK. Whether you like his product or not one thing is for certain, his integrity and all around good guy rep is unquestionable. I will not go into details but suffice to say HDK bailed me out from a poor vendor choice. I included pix with the part numbers on the pan, as it is a new version and may not be readily available yet. It is a full 1.5 inches shorter than the normal pan used in this conversion. I took a close up of the number inscribed in the pan. You will also need a different pickup as then 6.1 Challenger has a front pickup and that is just plain in the way. I also started to "clock" the rack and pinion. Please note I am a farmer not a mechanic so I am sure there are better ways to do it. What I did was rotate it all the way to stop then mark the shaft creating a TDC if you will. Then I marked the housing in quarters. I then simply rotated steering the other way until stop and counted the revolutions. Divided that number by 1/2 then rotated the steering back that amount to create a centerline if you will so that I can start hanging steering parts on it and it is centered in theory. Again the actual mechanics out there likely have a easy graceful way to do it? One item of note the Milodon oil pan sucked in a bit from the welding (aprox1/8) I just gave it a little hammer love to take it back straight, if you don't get the side rails straight you will fight bolting it up.

 

[Sublime one]

Sorting out more wiring tonight. Yes it is a total pain in the butt for someone of my limited electrical knowledge. There is likely a smooth professional way to do it but all I know to do is make a hanger board, seperate them out label then find corresponding plug on engine. I will preconnect all of them prior to putting engine in place for final time then create a bulkhead penetration. I also included a simple snap type ring pictures that goes on the hyd hose from slave to throw out bearing. Went to Dodge dealer and they simply will not sell clip only, frankly I don't think they can figure out how as it does not have a individual part number. They are however more than willing to sell entire assembly for a mere 300 some odd bucks. I will figure out a way to not use the honking OEM clip! Jerkoffs.

 

[HemiDenny]

Thanks for your support, it is pleasure (actually a blast) to work with hot rodders like you. Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress.

 

[Sublime one]

Thanks for your support, it is pleasure (actually a blast) to work with hot rodders like you. Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress.

So thrashing on the Demon again this weekend, please excuse photo of trashed impromptu work bench but Arnold Palmer was my technical assistant so thought I would show a ice cold mug of that delicious beverage!Hah! Anyway so I really struggled with decision on repurpose fuel tank from Challenger or not. Ended up selecting to go with a EFI fuel cell that actually fits A body Mopar vs trying to stuff plastic tank from a Challenger in trunk or under back seat. Premise for decision was going to Mopars in Park National show and seeing the huge selection of modern tanks shaped like old factory ones. The new EFI tank fits as factory and gives me the 58.5 fuel pressure needed for Hemi. Pricey but in the end it simply makes for a cleaner more graceful install. In the pix I show a couple of boxs with part numbers from Aero that make the transition much easier. Typically when I do plumbing invariably I never get what i need first trip so it takes me multiple trips to town and spans several weekends, Aero kits will eliminate that aspect of my ineptitude! I also worked on identifying all remaining elec connectors on Hemi. Suffice to say I hate the modern connections, no two are alike and I end up fiddling with them until they come apart and frankly often times I still don't know what I did to finally release the dumb thing. Make no mistake you have to drop the alternator or hire a yoga master elf to get to the oil pressure plugs! Even then I got so frustrated with it I took a zip wheel to it and won the argument. Perhaps one to many Arnold Palmers? Any way a lot of progress this weekend. I also was able to escort a buddy who just finished a 70 Charger to a car show in Minnesota this weekend. His motor is comprised of several components from my Cuda. He has worked his butt off on the car and like us did it himself and the car is georgous so please don't flame me for the pix of the B body, she is stunning and a reflection of a lot of hard work.

 

[Sublime one]

So thrashing on the Demon again this weekend, please excuse photo of trashed impromptu work bench but Arnold Palmer was my technical assistant so thought I would show a ice cold mug of that delicious beverage!Hah! Anyway so I really struggled with decision on repurpose fuel tank from Challenger or not. Ended up selecting to go with a EFI fuel cell that actually fits A body Mopar vs trying to stuff plastic tank from a Challenger in trunk or under back seat. Premise for decision was going to Mopars in Park National show and seeing the huge selection of modern tanks shaped like old factory ones. The new EFI tank fits as factory and gives me the 58.5 fuel pressure needed for Hemi. Pricey but in the end it simply makes for a cleaner more graceful install. In the pix I show a couple of boxs with part numbers from Aero that make the transition much easier. Typically when I do plumbing invariably I never get what i need first trip so it takes me multiple trips to town and spans several weekends, Aero kits will eliminate that aspect of my ineptitude! I also worked on identifying all remaining elec connectors on Hemi. Suffice to say I hate the modern connections, no two are alike and I end up fiddling with them until they come apart and frankly often times I still don't know what I did to finally release the dumb thing. Make no mistake you have to drop the alternator or hire a yoga master elf to get to the oil pressure plugs! Even then I got so frustrated with it I took a zip wheel to it and won the argument. Perhaps one to many Arnold Palmers? Any way a lot of progress this weekend. I also was able to escort a buddy who just finished a 70 Charger to a car show in Minnesota this weekend. His motor is comprised of several components from my Cuda. He has worked his butt off on the car and like us did it himself and the car is georgous so please don't flame me for the pix of the B body, she is stunning and a reflection of a lot of hard work.

View attachment 1715186037

View attachment 1715186038

View attachment 1715186039

View attachment 1715186040

View attachment 1715186041

So we have all done it but it bears repeating. It is Summer it is hot and we decide to stick weld in shorts and flip flops, just don't! I would take a pix of the blister on top of my foot but that would confirm I am an idiot. At this point it is just speculation. So I built a little handy dandy roll cart for the Hemi out of cheapy Chinese stands, tied it together with some sq tube I had laying about and wa la! So I rolled engine and tranny under Demon for the first stab at getting it in place. It simply did not fit first time but was close enough that I called it a win. I will now refine crossmember allowance. Translated I will cut out more cross member to allow the TR6060 to fit. Engine fit but holy smokes was it tight. Clearance issues were with tranny. I also took a pix of the detail with TTI header fitment. Header manufacturers is a hot topic on here virtually any thread. I purchased the TTI and am very happy as you can see they fit quite nicely and snuggled right up between frame rails etc. by no means am I insinuating other brands won't I am just saying TTI is worth the extra money in my book for the ease of fitment. My goal this weekend is to actually get the thing bolted up and in place. Then sort out angle to rear differential. Anyone know what a good target is for degree of pitch between tranny and differential is? Believe I will slip on some boots and head back to thrashing on the Demon!

 

[Dragger40]

So we have all done it but it bears repeating. It is Summer it is hot and we decide to stick weld in shorts and flip flops, just don't! I would take a pix of the blister on top of my foot but that would confirm I am an idiot. At this point it is just speculation. So I built a little handy dandy roll cart for the Hemi out of cheapy Chinese stands, tied it together with some sq tube I had laying about and wa la! So I rolled engine and tranny under Demon for the first stab at getting it in place. It simply did not fit first time but was close enough that I called it a win. I will now refine crossmember allowance. Translated I will cut out more cross member to allow the TR6060 to fit. Engine fit but holy smokes was it tight. Clearance issues were with tranny. I also took a pix of the detail with TTI header fitment. Header manufacturers is a hot topic on here virtually any thread. I purchased the TTI and am very happy as you can see they fit quite nicely and snuggled right up between frame rails etc. by no means am I insinuating other brands won't I am just saying TTI is worth the extra money in my book for the ease of fitment. My goal this weekend is to actually get the thing bolted up and in place. Then sort out angle to rear differential. Anyone know what a good target is for degree of pitch between tranny and differential is? Believe I will slip on some boots and head back to thrashing on the Demon!

View attachment 1715188100

View attachment 1715188101

View attachment 1715188102

View attachment 1715188103

View attachment 1715188104

View attachment 1715188105

I gotta say.... TTI definitely hit a home run with thier HDK / A-body headers. When I did my Demon I was expecting the worst but they fit like a glove!!
Progress looks great!

 

[Sublime one]

So the engine and K frame are all bolted up and in place every thing is groovy! As you can see by pix the tranny is a bugger. I am going hybrid on a tranny support cross member. I did a little farming inside cab to hold up the tranny so I can fabricate support and tunnel components. You can also see how close the headers are to frame rail but it all fit. I am pretty excited that is a huge step accomplished. Sad part of course as we all know, I now get to unbolt and remove for the million and one things left undone. It is the way of mock ups!

 

[Sublime one]

And that boys and girls is what a gen 3 Hemi looks like in an A body! The adult beverage on top is my way of toasting and thanking so many of you who have supported, cajoled, flamed and offered advice to me along the way. My sincere thanks to all for the inspiration to do this. I am not a mechanic by any stretch and this has been very difficult for me. The folks on FABO are genuine in their passion and a wealth of info. Many are opinionated for sure but the criticism is never delivered with malice simply their own passion and years of hard learned lessons. While I obviously am a long way from the finish line I could not have got this far without FABO. A toast my Brethern and Happy Father's Day!
Sublime One