A-Bodies...Big Motors / New Hemi Duster - FINAL ASSEMBLY
- Thread starter HemiDenny
- Start date
-
I have some goodies to pick up in Cleveland that Saturday (8th) and from go to Summit for more too big to ship stuff.
Was hoping to drop by and see Ross....if he doesn't have Guard that weekend.
What ya plannin' ?
Was hoping to drop by and see Ross....if he doesn't have Guard that weekend.
What ya plannin' ?
Last edited:
Text sent. And Saturday is the 8th.
HemiMark
Well-Known Member
They are never done Jim!
Job security!
The aluminum case Dana 60 fits....tight, but fits. Likely will have to fab a slightly different panard bar, easy-peasy
first photo is the front 4-bar attaching location (no Dana 60)
first photo is the front 4-bar attaching location (no Dana 60)
The black portion is the Gear vendor bracket for the A-body 4-speed. Of course, I slightly modified it from the original GV bracket. The aluminum adapter plate mounted to it moves the shifter up and over to allow the HD Super Shifter arms. The bracket not attached is the Hurst bracket that has been on the car for a decade.
all three bolted together ready for install.
all three bolted together ready for install.
68GSS440
Well-Known Member
another year gone by, what's new with the silver Ghost? you get any driving in this summer?
drove down to the Crowne hotel parking for their Saturday afternoon / evening gathering / barbeque as they co-host for the Good Guys event held in Columbus, Ohio. Been doing it for years and luckily this year did not conflict with Carlisle. Always a blast to meet up with my old friends (now living in the Columbus area) and the new friends I have meet along the way. Just a nice little 180 mile round trip returning just in time (around 10:15) to make a pass down Findlay's main street as their cruise night was coming to a close.
BTW.... I love my Duster.
BTW.... I love my Duster.
Last edited:
SpikeWills69
Live Free or Die
Thanks for the update. I think we ALL love your Duster, LOL.
Halfway thru the 180 mile Columbus trip my clutch pedal started only returning 2/3 of the way back with my foot on the underside finishing the upward stroke. I didn't say much about about it until we got back. Didn't want the wife to think I would leave her stranded.
Monday I put it in the air for a visual inspection and re-adjusted the clutch pedal and went for a short ride. While it engaged and disengaged, I could tell it wasn't right so I checked the air gap....and there was maybe .20.
Late Tuesday after the HDK builds I put it back in the air
Today the transmission came out and and I could look inside. Just as suspected, pressure plate failure....all three fingers (Borg / Beck)
Tomorrow the rest (bellhousing , starter , flywheel, clutch) comes out for a quick inspection before we head off to Carlisle around 1pm. Likely the eye bolts took a chit. If I can't rebuild it, I will buy a new one.
I've been fighting the prick (pressure plate) for years always struggling to get .60 of air gap. now I know why.....and the squeaking sound from last summer, pretty sure I got that pegged too. I think the first eye bolt broke several years ago....the second last year...and finally the third on my way to Columbus.
Monday I put it in the air for a visual inspection and re-adjusted the clutch pedal and went for a short ride. While it engaged and disengaged, I could tell it wasn't right so I checked the air gap....and there was maybe .20.
Late Tuesday after the HDK builds I put it back in the air
Today the transmission came out and and I could look inside. Just as suspected, pressure plate failure....all three fingers (Borg / Beck)
Tomorrow the rest (bellhousing , starter , flywheel, clutch) comes out for a quick inspection before we head off to Carlisle around 1pm. Likely the eye bolts took a chit. If I can't rebuild it, I will buy a new one.
I've been fighting the prick (pressure plate) for years always struggling to get .60 of air gap. now I know why.....and the squeaking sound from last summer, pretty sure I got that pegged too. I think the first eye bolt broke several years ago....the second last year...and finally the third on my way to Columbus.
Last edited:
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Be sure to eyeball the bracket inside the bellhousing that the pivot fork clips into. I've had more than one of those things bend due to using more aggressive style clutches.
Jamie (Passon) took one look at the McCloud pressure plate and said....Yeah, the finger heights are low....McCloud had an issue with them. Give me the disc too (which I just happened to bring with me to Carlisle) and I will send it to them for a rebuild.
Butch thinks the eyebolts have not yet broke, but likely due to poor metallurgy, stretched. if re-adjusted and continue to drive, breakage was next.
Butch thinks the eyebolts have not yet broke, but likely due to poor metallurgy, stretched. if re-adjusted and continue to drive, breakage was next.
Last edited:
on the way to Carlisle, Weeb and I stopped by HemiMarks for a custom built Somma Pizza and an evening of BSing at his hot rod garage. A visit from Poncho Todd was a welcome bonus. Mark joined us at Carlisle for a full day of action!
Here is a shot of the boys.........pictured left to right is Weeb, Todd, and Mark
Here is a shot of the boys.........pictured left to right is Weeb, Todd, and Mark
68GSS440
Well-Known Member
so Carlisle is over, can we expect some pictures of the vehicles you saw and maybe of your other adventures while there?
only took a few personal pictures, Was just too busy BSing with Mark, Weeb and a few of my HDK friends I ran into. Did manage to deliver a new Callies (4.245 bore) Hemi block to a NY customer and an A/C component from Joe Pappas to Jamie Passon. We stayed busy.
instead of waiting any longer for MCloud to rebuild my pressure plate / clutch, I decided to buy a new Ram package and when the McCloud shows up, I'll keep it as a spare. Since the transmission is such a PIA to install with the Gear Vendor attached, I decided to mock it up and check air gap and fitment BEFORE I bolted the trans / GV back on. Glad I did, I discovered I have had the wrong pivot bracket on this hot rod for over 12 years causing the throw-out to not be centered. When the clutch pedal was being engaged the offset became compounded and made the problem worse.
No surprise to me.....I had the correct bracket in my stash of trans / clutch parts. Since I put this package together more than 12 years ago, I always fought for air gap, struggling to get even .060.....a quick test (still in mock up) before I headed out of the shop tonight gave me .065.
The 7" tower is definitely going back on.
No surprise to me.....I had the correct bracket in my stash of trans / clutch parts. Since I put this package together more than 12 years ago, I always fought for air gap, struggling to get even .060.....a quick test (still in mock up) before I headed out of the shop tonight gave me .065.
The 7" tower is definitely going back on.
Summits wholesale division / Atech invited it's customers to free track time (9am-3pm) yesterday at Norwalk Raceway Park....so Brother Weeb and I drove our Dusters for some fun.
Only about 30 cars there when we arrived so we headed right to the staging lanes. We lined up side by side....let the fun begin!!!
First and only launch (@3500) something went BANG in my differential. My hunch....the spider gears took a ****. Weeb went on to made 5 passes (could of made 50) before he and I headed home with my car on the flat bed (no worries, I have AAA Gold)
Weebs 440 Duster built in the late 80's clicked off 12.92 / 12.89 /12.88 / 12.89 / 12.88 with all @ 108 except one @ 107. His duster is a torque flight / 3:23 / 8-3/4 differential with street tires on 14" rims. Track prep was awesome, you would have thought John Force was gonna be next up.
anyways.....nice drive there (61 miles) with a flatbed return trip. I rode with Weeb on the return trip, still sweet after 40 plus years.
No complaining, could of been worse, no sheet metal damage or fluid drips and still had a blast.
Only about 30 cars there when we arrived so we headed right to the staging lanes. We lined up side by side....let the fun begin!!!
First and only launch (@3500) something went BANG in my differential. My hunch....the spider gears took a ****. Weeb went on to made 5 passes (could of made 50) before he and I headed home with my car on the flat bed (no worries, I have AAA Gold)
Weebs 440 Duster built in the late 80's clicked off 12.92 / 12.89 /12.88 / 12.89 / 12.88 with all @ 108 except one @ 107. His duster is a torque flight / 3:23 / 8-3/4 differential with street tires on 14" rims. Track prep was awesome, you would have thought John Force was gonna be next up.
anyways.....nice drive there (61 miles) with a flatbed return trip. I rode with Weeb on the return trip, still sweet after 40 plus years.
No complaining, could of been worse, no sheet metal damage or fluid drips and still had a blast.
Last edited:
HemiMark
Well-Known Member
Dude, I wish I could have been there, other than breaking it looks like you boys had a ball.
next up.....get the Hellcat for Woody's Road Runner fired up. I like it to operate with all the components I will be using in whatever car it is going to be installed in, including the fuel tank, fuel pump /etc and cooling.
It helps keep down the surprises.
It helps keep down the surprises.
Last edited:
New HDK facility under construction, conveniently located right next door to Fog's (HDK's sub contract welder / fabricator) shop. The concrete in the picture is Fogs southside driveway. The building is a joint venture with Fog.
Fogs shop, originally owned and operated by Mike Streicher with Fog as his right hand man, was Jeff Gordons race base when he and his step dad started sprint car racing in the Findlay area around 1986. He was in my Honda / Yamaha / Kawasaki dealership a few times. His step-dad, John Bickford bought their Honda 4x4 for pushing their sprint car from us. Jeff got kicked out of the local go-cart track for rough driving.....fun times.
Fogs shop, originally owned and operated by Mike Streicher with Fog as his right hand man, was Jeff Gordons race base when he and his step dad started sprint car racing in the Findlay area around 1986. He was in my Honda / Yamaha / Kawasaki dealership a few times. His step-dad, John Bickford bought their Honda 4x4 for pushing their sprint car from us. Jeff got kicked out of the local go-cart track for rough driving.....fun times.
Last edited:
-
