Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Yes, Gates makes an equivalent for the application, but I literally saw and held the Gates hose and the flared half of the hose that you would use is not shaped the same as the Good Year hose. :banghead:
Cuda SRT8 392 Gen.III Hemi
- Thread starter Hellcat Cuda
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Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Yeah, the same parts guy helped me who helped me a couple of years ago. By the number, he told me the Jeep application and said there were several others. He got the Gates hose for me to look at and the half that you would use didn't look at all like the Good Year half. It wouldn't get you to where you need to be (radiator outlet). I'm going to pursue getting another Good Year hose while they make them so I have an extra. It'd be bad if Good Year quit making it when other manufacturer's hoses aren't shaped the same. I'd hate to have to resort to a flex hose! LOL
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Toplscuda,
I just opened your link and realized it doesn't look like the picture I posted (or the Good Year hose that I started with and cut down). If the link pictured hose is of the actual hose they are making now, it's not going to work. It says Good Year "engineered" hoses. I'll bet it's a cheap Chinese knock off. :wack:
I just opened your link and realized it doesn't look like the picture I posted (or the Good Year hose that I started with and cut down). If the link pictured hose is of the actual hose they are making now, it's not going to work. It says Good Year "engineered" hoses. I'll bet it's a cheap Chinese knock off. :wack:
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
I'm pretty happy with TTI exhaust products, although I don't think they engineered their Hemi conversion mounts too well. They should probably stick to exhaust. I like the headers I got from them and the rest of the pipes as well.
I didn't use their mufflers, but rather some old school, crimped mufflers similar to the "chambered exhaust" pipe (off road) option that was available of '69 Z28 Camaros. On the Z28s, there were long sections of pipe that had a louvered, inner pipe inside and the outer pipe was crimped every so often to hold the inner pipe in place. Essentially there were no mufflers. This style of pipe was also used for side pipes on Corvettes and Cobras.
Pictures below...
I didn't use their mufflers, but rather some old school, crimped mufflers similar to the "chambered exhaust" pipe (off road) option that was available of '69 Z28 Camaros. On the Z28s, there were long sections of pipe that had a louvered, inner pipe inside and the outer pipe was crimped every so often to hold the inner pipe in place. Essentially there were no mufflers. This style of pipe was also used for side pipes on Corvettes and Cobras.
Pictures below...
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
The headers have now been coated by Jet Hot in their silver ceramic color. I didn't buy them coated from TTI so that I could do all the mocking up of the car without worrying about screwing up the coating. Their hanging on my garage wall now, waiting for final assembly.
I put flanges on the ends of the mufflers so I can easily remove the tail pipes and install some "turn downs" if I want it louder or for driving to and running at the strip if I don't feel like uncapping the headers at the strip.
I had the exhaust system high heated coated in a dark charcoal color (almost black) so from a side profile of the car, you'll notice the headers and the rest of the system will kind of just go away...
I put flanges on the ends of the mufflers so I can easily remove the tail pipes and install some "turn downs" if I want it louder or for driving to and running at the strip if I don't feel like uncapping the headers at the strip.
I had the exhaust system high heated coated in a dark charcoal color (almost black) so from a side profile of the car, you'll notice the headers and the rest of the system will kind of just go away...
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
The exhaust tucked up pretty well, except I had to cut a very thin "pie" shaped slit into my right tail pipe over the axle; bend it a little; weld it and grind it down. I also had to cut the rear tailpipe hanger bracket loose, grind and re-weld, but got the pipes running straight and consistant on both sides.
My whole exhaust fits like a glove now. I went to extremes to make sure of it, as I hate exhaust rattles and vibrations against the body, etc.
My whole exhaust fits like a glove now. I went to extremes to make sure of it, as I hate exhaust rattles and vibrations against the body, etc.
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
So I'm ready to order up a Dana 60 "style" rear end now. To my knowledge, Moser and Strange are the only manufacturers of these? I'd love to know of any other contenders and also what experiences anyone has had with buying one of these new rear ends. Any recommendations for which vendors are good and which ones should be avoided? Would appreciate some advice here...
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the input Stew. I know at one time, only one of the manufacturer's offering was set up for a snubber (don't remember which). Now it appears they both offer it. They both have different pricing structures with what's standard and what's optional. I'll have to work out a straight, apples to apples comparison and see how differently they're priced. I do wish one had a much better reputation than the other, but so far I've heard / seen nothing in that regard.
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Wow, I called both Strange and Moser in the last few days to ask questions about their product packages / options to be able to spec them / price them as close to an "apples to apples" comparison as I could. VERY interesting discussions.
At Strange, I first got a gal on the phone and I asked who I could talk to about their S60 assemblies. She said "I can help you, what do you need to know". I'm pretty much a chauvanist(sp?) when it comes to girls or women helping me with any kind of car stuff. They usually just don't know what they're talking about and often try to just fake it.
However, I was pleasantly surprised with this gal. She really knew her product(s) and knew cars pretty well in general. I was very impressed. Also, she was very patient with me; took all the time necessary to answer my questions, without ever showing any hint of annoyance or impatience.
The next day I called Moser. What a difference. Got some guy that had the attitude that I should just already know their product or assume that because this was Moser, that's really all I need to know. I HATE this kind of attitude from any employee of a company. His attitude alone, turned me off from Moser.
The sweet, end result from these calls was the Strange assembly was less expensive than the Moser, by 700 bucks. That part gets me all the more, because the Strange assembly is not cheap, but at least the sales/tech gal had a great attitude and took the necessary time with me. The Moser rear end is significantly more expensive and the guy was clearly annoyed with my questions.
I figure there's really only one choice here. I'll be ordering up a nice S60 shortly. Booyaah!
At Strange, I first got a gal on the phone and I asked who I could talk to about their S60 assemblies. She said "I can help you, what do you need to know". I'm pretty much a chauvanist(sp?) when it comes to girls or women helping me with any kind of car stuff. They usually just don't know what they're talking about and often try to just fake it.
However, I was pleasantly surprised with this gal. She really knew her product(s) and knew cars pretty well in general. I was very impressed. Also, she was very patient with me; took all the time necessary to answer my questions, without ever showing any hint of annoyance or impatience.
The next day I called Moser. What a difference. Got some guy that had the attitude that I should just already know their product or assume that because this was Moser, that's really all I need to know. I HATE this kind of attitude from any employee of a company. His attitude alone, turned me off from Moser.
The sweet, end result from these calls was the Strange assembly was less expensive than the Moser, by 700 bucks. That part gets me all the more, because the Strange assembly is not cheap, but at least the sales/tech gal had a great attitude and took the necessary time with me. The Moser rear end is significantly more expensive and the guy was clearly annoyed with my questions.
I figure there's really only one choice here. I'll be ordering up a nice S60 shortly. Booyaah!
CichliDart
Well, where is it now?
Always good to hear feedback like this! :cheers:
I called a parts house to ask some questions about a part and the guy referred to my 99 Dakota R/T as a Dodge Decrepit. Let's just say I have not bought a single thing from them since then.
Mike
I called a parts house to ask some questions about a part and the guy referred to my 99 Dakota R/T as a Dodge Decrepit. Let's just say I have not bought a single thing from them since then.
Mike
Joe Dokes
Well-Known Member
Cuda SRT8,
Glad to hear your initial contact with Strange was so positive. Some people should not be in sales.
I have never bought anything from Moser or Strange. I've surfed both their sites and I like Strange's website a little better than Moser's. They have a downloadable catalog that is fairly easy to navigate and pricing seems pretty straight forward, though I wish they didn't use a Flash based catalog.
Moser's website is a disaster with products spread out all over the place it is nearly impossible to find anything, it could be that since Moser caters to the off road crowd, and has a wider variety of products that it is more difficult to create a straight forward website.
All that being said, in this day and age of instant opinions made, the person who answers the phone needs to be pleasant, knowledgeable, and respectful. Yes, they have to answer the same dumb questions fifty times a day, but for us this is a significant purchase that we want to get 100% right the first time.
Here's a little thought experiment, Strange was cheaper; but, imagine if instead of being $700.00 cheaper it had been $200.00 more expensive, and the customer service continues to be top notch. Would it have been worth $200.00 to not have to talk to a know it all A-Hole?
Keep us up to date and the follow through of Strange. Personally, I've not heard any real complaints about Strange. Let's talk up the good customer service stories as much as the bad ones.
Regards,
Joe Dokes
Glad to hear your initial contact with Strange was so positive. Some people should not be in sales.
I have never bought anything from Moser or Strange. I've surfed both their sites and I like Strange's website a little better than Moser's. They have a downloadable catalog that is fairly easy to navigate and pricing seems pretty straight forward, though I wish they didn't use a Flash based catalog.
Moser's website is a disaster with products spread out all over the place it is nearly impossible to find anything, it could be that since Moser caters to the off road crowd, and has a wider variety of products that it is more difficult to create a straight forward website.
All that being said, in this day and age of instant opinions made, the person who answers the phone needs to be pleasant, knowledgeable, and respectful. Yes, they have to answer the same dumb questions fifty times a day, but for us this is a significant purchase that we want to get 100% right the first time.
Here's a little thought experiment, Strange was cheaper; but, imagine if instead of being $700.00 cheaper it had been $200.00 more expensive, and the customer service continues to be top notch. Would it have been worth $200.00 to not have to talk to a know it all A-Hole?
Keep us up to date and the follow through of Strange. Personally, I've not heard any real complaints about Strange. Let's talk up the good customer service stories as much as the bad ones.
Regards,
Joe Dokes
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Mike,
When you consider it's their livelihood, it's pretty ridiculous what some salesmen will say. I negotiated a deal for my father-in-law on a new '99 Dakota with the 3.9 V6. My wife and I were taking delivery of it for him and while signing paperwork, I told the guy I wasn't ready yet, but I would be coming back in a year to buy a 2000 Dakota R/T for myself.
Right in front of my wife, this idiot says "An R/T? Those things are a gas suckin' pig!" WTF? That thought stuck in my wife's head and when I was ready to buy a year later, my wife reminded me of what the guy said! Unfortunately, my father-in-law passed away shortly after this and we ended up buying his truck from my m-i-l. Sweet truck, but it was no R/T! I later sold that truck and bought my Hemi 'tona, so all is well.
Suffice it to say though, I didn't buy my 'tona from THAT dealer! LOL
Quote:
"Always good to hear feedback like this! :cheers:
I called a parts house to ask some questions about a part and the guy referred to my 99 Dakota R/T as a Dodge Decrepit. Let's just say I have not bought a single thing from them since then."
Mike
When you consider it's their livelihood, it's pretty ridiculous what some salesmen will say. I negotiated a deal for my father-in-law on a new '99 Dakota with the 3.9 V6. My wife and I were taking delivery of it for him and while signing paperwork, I told the guy I wasn't ready yet, but I would be coming back in a year to buy a 2000 Dakota R/T for myself.
Right in front of my wife, this idiot says "An R/T? Those things are a gas suckin' pig!" WTF? That thought stuck in my wife's head and when I was ready to buy a year later, my wife reminded me of what the guy said! Unfortunately, my father-in-law passed away shortly after this and we ended up buying his truck from my m-i-l. Sweet truck, but it was no R/T! I later sold that truck and bought my Hemi 'tona, so all is well.
Suffice it to say though, I didn't buy my 'tona from THAT dealer! LOLQuote:
"Always good to hear feedback like this! :cheers:
I called a parts house to ask some questions about a part and the guy referred to my 99 Dakota R/T as a Dodge Decrepit. Let's just say I have not bought a single thing from them since then."
Mike
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Joe Dokes,
A company's website doesn't usually concern me either way, although I try to determine if the company (if distant from me) is trying to make themselves seem bigger and more successful than they really are.
The +$200 cost would be worth it, but part of that is based on Strange having a good reputation. If the other company had the better reputation, then I'd tend to give them some slack for the idiot who happened to take my call.
Quite frankly, I would suppose both companies have their good and not so good representatives. It's probably "luck of the draw" who may happen to pick up the line. Part of the equation is also just differences in personalities between the caller and the company rep.
With all that said though, since Strange does have a good reputation and has been around so long; I did have a good experience with inital contact, and they're substantially less expensive, it's a no brainer. I'll be getting an S60.
I'll definately let y'all know how it goes and will post up pics when it arrives. I'm going to have them powder coat it satin black. Should look super sweet!
A company's website doesn't usually concern me either way, although I try to determine if the company (if distant from me) is trying to make themselves seem bigger and more successful than they really are.
The +$200 cost would be worth it, but part of that is based on Strange having a good reputation. If the other company had the better reputation, then I'd tend to give them some slack for the idiot who happened to take my call.
Quite frankly, I would suppose both companies have their good and not so good representatives. It's probably "luck of the draw" who may happen to pick up the line. Part of the equation is also just differences in personalities between the caller and the company rep.
With all that said though, since Strange does have a good reputation and has been around so long; I did have a good experience with inital contact, and they're substantially less expensive, it's a no brainer. I'll be getting an S60.
I'll definately let y'all know how it goes and will post up pics when it arrives. I'm going to have them powder coat it satin black. Should look super sweet!
Joe Dokes
Well-Known Member
A well laid out and informative website is important to me as I only personally contact a company when I'm finally ready to cut loose with some cash. So the more information I can pull from a variety of sources the better.
I do agree that some companies can look really professional on the web and turn out to be less than stellar, so I think you're right to take a website with a BIG grain of salt.
Finally, I don't like to call a company and ask a bunch of questions unless I'm ready to spend some cash. One of my personal beliefs is that it is unethical to contact a company ask a bunch of technical questions, get a bunch of information and then go and buy it online some where else a bit cheaper.
Regards,
Joe Dokes
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
I've put a deposit on a custom S60, but need to get back to them with what gear ratio I want. Through an internet calculator, the optimum gears would be 3.91. This would put me through the traps at around 5,800rpm in 4th gear, which I think would be just right. However, given the lower 1st gear my Tremec has than a Mopar 4 speed, it would be like launching from the line with a 4.23 rear gear (I'll run wrinkle wall slicks).
I'm a little concerned about running around on the street with over 550 hp, street tires and an equivalent 4.23 rear in 1st gear. Seems it would be CRAZY powerful in 1st gear on the street. Is there anyone running this kind of horsepower on the street with street tires and pretty low rear gears? What do you think, pretty dangerous? Your input would be very appreciated...
BTW, the next higher gears would be 3.73s, which would launch like a 4.02 ratio with a Mopar 4 speed. I would go through the traps at about 5,300 or so.
I'm a little concerned about running around on the street with over 550 hp, street tires and an equivalent 4.23 rear in 1st gear. Seems it would be CRAZY powerful in 1st gear on the street. Is there anyone running this kind of horsepower on the street with street tires and pretty low rear gears? What do you think, pretty dangerous? Your input would be very appreciated...
BTW, the next higher gears would be 3.73s, which would launch like a 4.02 ratio with a Mopar 4 speed. I would go through the traps at about 5,300 or so.
72BBSwinger
Well-Known Member
I've never even considered something being "to crazy". I pride myself on being in control of my beast. Its you driving the thing.
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
So, no input on gears? I guess it WOULD be a matter of how much I'm able to discipline myself on the street. But I DO want to be able to "get on it" through the gears from time to time. By crazy, I mean unreal, crazy powerful in 1st to the point of 1st being useless on the street if you get on it.
In my line of work, I've seen many late model Vipers, GT500s, LS7 Corvettes, etc owners who have gotten out of control at low speed on the street and ruined if not totalled their cars. I think for me, it would be more a matter of being in control of my "urges" than the car itself. I think that much power with low gears and street tires would be like driving on ice.
In my line of work, I've seen many late model Vipers, GT500s, LS7 Corvettes, etc owners who have gotten out of control at low speed on the street and ruined if not totalled their cars. I think for me, it would be more a matter of being in control of my "urges" than the car itself. I think that much power with low gears and street tires would be like driving on ice.
72BBSwinger
Well-Known Member
What rear tires? As long as you run a tire bigger than a 225 in the back it should be fine. We are talking about a 6.1 right?
I can give 2 examples, my Duster puts out about 330 hp at the wheels however the torque doesn't come on until 3k and I am running a 4.10 on 245-70/14 BFGs. Hammering it with the clutch out I am just on the side of more traction rather than less - very controllable and the car is docile to drive at other than wot. My viper is 505 hp 500 tq at the flywheel with a 3.07 gear and sticky street tires. Lite to moderate application of the throttle is no issue however anything not done smoothly gets ugly fast. I agree with 72BBSwinger, you have your foot. Banging a gear in my duster on the street is generally not a worry, I hit second gear hard ONCE in the Viper and nearly bought a couple of mailboxes! I think you will be fine if you respect it and it will be a scream out of the hole with that gear.
Hellcat Cuda
Well-Known Member
Well, this is a pretty well built 392 stroker motor (550+ hp), and it will see more street use than drag strip, so I don't want to overly build it toward racing.
I made the mistake of getting caught up in a chart for comparing the Tremec against the old 833 Mopar trans. I was torn between the 3.73 gears and the 3.91s, forgetting that Strange doesn't offer 3.91s. They go from 3.73s to 4.10s. The chart shows 4.10s as equivalent to a 4.44 and I just can't imagine that for the street, so 3.73s are what I've selected. They show them as equivalent to a 4.03 and I'm fine with that. I'll still get into 4th gear in the quarter mile and I believe the calculator showed around 5,400 through the traps. That'll do. I'm fine with that.
Thanks alot you guys who responded. I really appreciate it...
I made the mistake of getting caught up in a chart for comparing the Tremec against the old 833 Mopar trans. I was torn between the 3.73 gears and the 3.91s, forgetting that Strange doesn't offer 3.91s. They go from 3.73s to 4.10s. The chart shows 4.10s as equivalent to a 4.44 and I just can't imagine that for the street, so 3.73s are what I've selected. They show them as equivalent to a 4.03 and I'm fine with that. I'll still get into 4th gear in the quarter mile and I believe the calculator showed around 5,400 through the traps. That'll do. I'm fine with that.
Thanks alot you guys who responded. I really appreciate it...
72BBSwinger
Well-Known Member
Are you using a 5 spd? If so which 5th gear? If its the .80 I'd go with a 3.54 gear.
Good choice on the rear. I bought a complete Strange S60 for my 1970 Dart. Detroit locker, 3.73 gears, with wilwood brakes, etc. Came out beautiful. They are awesome to work with.
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