Doc's 76 Four Door Valiant

[jjsende]

:salute:

Interesting way to mount your pump! rayer: Did you cut a hole in the trunk floor that was just barely big enough for the pump head to protrude thru? I know you used braided hoses, but since they are inside the car....please cover the whole thing with a sheet metal cover just tall enough to protect the hoses and top of the pump. We don't want you to go KABOOM if something should leak or short out!:burnout:

I did cut a hole in the trunk to clear the pump and you are right, a cover is needed, no "BOOM Like That" for me! :violent2:

Once I figure out how to do it, I plan to vent the covered area outside of the car/trunk should there ever be a leak and to dissipate fumes.

Almost done with all the fittings for the fuel system, but the wiring is my main focus now.

 

[4speeds4me]

I believe if the car ever has to go through a DOT safety inspection, or pass tech at a racetrack, there will have to be a solid "firewall" to prevent fumes from entering the passenger compartment of the car.

 

[jjsende]

I believe if the car ever has to go through a DOT safety inspection, or pass tech at a racetrack, there will have to be a solid "firewall" to prevent fumes from entering the passenger compartment of the car.

You are probably right, I've never been to the track so I don't know what requirements they have. No plans to ever go to the track either, but I don't want a safety hazard of my own making. I've seen photos of fuel cells in trunks with braided lines routed out of the trunk, is that a whole lot different than what I'm doing? I'm thinking about adapting a metal box with a watertight lid to fit over the pump/lines that would seal out any fumes and protect that area but still give access. This is my first attempt at something like this, I'm open to any advise...

 

[4speeds4me]

I've seen photos of fuel cells in trunks with braided lines routed out of the trunk, is that a whole lot different than what I'm doing?

They have to have a solid firewall too, if memory serves...

 

[Joe Dokes]

Yes, you need a solid metal firewall between the gas tank and the passenger compartment, it can be either steel or aluminum. If it is steel it must be 22 gauge or thicker. If it is aluminum it must be 20 gauge or thicker.

Regards,

Joe Dokes

 

[jjsende]

Here's a link to a short video of the hemi turning over: [ame]http://youtu.be/PKsCL4dZfP0[/ame]

Now that the electrical is all sorted out (beyond tidying it all up and moving the Powertrain Control Module inside) it’s back to finishing the transmission cooler lines and the fuel line fittings.

Once that is done I will setup the exhaust to dump out before the rear axle (just for the startup).

Video to follow!

 

[jjsende]

Routing the PCM connections inside to minimize the wire that will be seen under the hood.

 

[jjsende]

The wires running down through the ammo box are routed through a large grommet that was on the original 2009 RAM 1500 harness. They snake up under the power steering pump and then go under the intake manifold and out the back where they end up at the PCM mounted on top of the trans tunnel. I'll wrap the looms in black cloth Tessa tape and also cover the sections under the intake with a heat shroud to protect them from radiant heat.

All the wires in the photos that are routed down through the ammo box are required to start/run the hemi. The rest of the wires seen coming up and away from the ammo box are for headlights, horns, blinkers, wipers, door locks, etc. I will sort through those to weed out functionality that is not needed for the Valiant and find a way to route the rest so that very little of it will be seen in the engine bay.

 

[ralphie361]

Nice job, that will look really clean when done! I especially like the ammo box, that is a neat touch. I didn't make mine nearly as nice, but another option is techflex loom, either in split or Chinese-finger type. It looks pretty nice and I was happy with the quality and look of it. You can get it on amazon or at electrical supply houses. Again, nice work, making the mass of wires look good is hard, and I gave up, lol!

 

[jjsende]

Nice job, that will look really clean when done! I especially like the ammo box, that is a neat touch. I didn't make mine nearly as nice, but another option is techflex loom, either in split or Chinese-finger type. It looks pretty nice and I was happy with the quality and look of it. You can get it on amazon or at electrical supply houses. Again, nice work, making the mass of wires look good is hard, and I gave up, lol!

Thanks Ralphie361, it IS hard/tedious work and I will be happy to be done with the worst of it soon. I'll be sure to check out the techflex stuff.

 

[joeboy]

I ran all my stuff under the intake too, it sure does clean it up, lookin good as usual. You sure seem to be makin good progress

Joe

 

[jjsende]

Thanks JoeBoy, going to be a nice weekend in Houston, time to lock myself in the garage and see what I can get done (my wife will slide a plate of food under the door when it's time for me to eat).

 

[jjsende]

Here's some more photos, of what else? More wiring, of course! I've succeeded in cleaning out the rats nest and concealing the majority of the wires and can still remove/service the harness and connections. Can't say that I'd ever look forward to doing this again.

 

[72BBSwinger]

Very slick, im about to start the wiring on my pig.

 

[Joe Dokes]

How did you snake the wires through a square tube?

Looks neat and tidy.

Regards,

Joe Dokes

 

[toplscuda]

That is slick

 

[jjsende]

Very slick, im about to start the wiring on my pig.

Thanks fellas, took a six pack before I had my square tube epiphany, used an old speedometer cable to snake the wires.

 

[jjsende]

Used the last of my Tesa tape on the injector/coil harnesses and took some photos with the engine cover in place. Hiding the wires was worth the extra effort.

 

[67 Power Wagon]

Jeffro,
First time in this area but damn! A lot of work went into this one to get the ole 5.7 Hemi under the hood and look good doing so...........

ANY work done to the internals of the motor or did you leave it stock as far as running gear inside? And just "freshened" it on the outside?

AMAZING at the amount of sheet metal work you did just to get this engine to fit in the car!

 

[mcat]

just my opinion, but lose the cover

 

[jjsende]

Jeffro,
First time in this area but damn! A lot of work went into this one to get the ole 5.7 Hemi under the hood and look good doing so...........

ANY work done to the internals of the motor or did you leave it stock as far as running gear inside? And just "freshened" it on the outside?

AMAZING at the amount of sheet metal work you did just to get this engine to fit in the car!

John,
Nothing has been done to the internals of the engine or trans (from a 2009 Dodge RAM 1500 that had 32k miles), I want to see how it performs like it is with the 3.9:1 sure grip, it’s intended to be a weekend driver/cruiser. Got to be an improvement over the venerable slant six that the car came with!

I've gone overboard on the sheet metal mods, they were not all needed to fit the Hemi/Trans in there. It's all that damn rotisserie's fault, once you have one of those it opens up the doors to all sorts of possibilities :cheers:

 

[jjsende]

just my opinion, but lose the cover

Would you like the cover better if it had some awesome artwork on it?

 

[MileHighDart]

Amazing job your doing man, keep up the good work.

Cant wait to see this thing running.

 

[jjsende]

Amazing job your doing man, keep up the good work.

Cant wait to see this thing running.

Thanks MileHighDart, I lived in Denver a long time ago, the first picture of the Valiant in these threads is at Eagle Lake near the Overlook Hotel where they filmed the Shining.

Been getting up at 4 am to squeeze in a couple of hours before I head off to work, burning the candle at both ends to get this thing fired up.

 

[jjsende]

The Challenger fuel filler neck adapted perfectly to the Valiant's original fuel filler tube after a bit of surgery.