This kit looks like a new harness and a programmable ECU for the ignition and injection and a manifold and throttle body setup to do away with the entire factory injection setup. Probably not cheap, but looks like it may be a good setup to do this swap and still be fuel injected and distributorless.
I am a lot less puritan than most of the folks on here. Mark at Street & Performance in Mena Ar. can fix you up with a harness & answer many of your questions. Street Rodder mag tech guy Ron Ceridono has been doing some articles on a similar car he did a frame stub on.
I have found that Tony Squire at HotWireAuto knows the Chrysler ECU's and wiring harnesses backwards and forwards. He will spend the time with you answering your questions and offering some good suggestions. Tony is also in Mena and supplies harnesses to Street Performance. A lot of the problems with ECUs that have been mentioned in this thread can be side stepped by using the harness and computer from 2004-2005 trucks. The only 2005 that you should avoid is the Durango - it was the 1st Chrysler to offer the CAN bus which added the front body controller (FBC) to the system to handle all of the non power train computer control issues - like the security system. I didnt know this when I got my 2005 Durango donor. I solved the problem by buying a reflashed computer and harness from Tony - Excellent quality and workmanship - Tony wanted to know where I was going to mount the ECU so that he could adjust the wire lengths so that it would fit properly. I chose to mount it in the passenger kick panel, but he would have made the harness long enough to mount it under the rear seat. The 2003 used a seperate computer to control the transmission and it would be the one to use if you decide to use either a manual transmission or a 727 or 518 both of which bolt up to the 5.7 bell housing. As far as gauges go, my stock guages were in pretty bad shape so I chose to replace them and you do need to use the guage sending units in addition to the ones that the ECU uses - not a biggie. Oh, and the Amps guage had to go in any event - the Chrysler alternator puts out around 140 - 150 amps. I also used the fuel module from the Durango as well. My station wagon fuel tank was tall enough to allow the module to fit. The nice thing about the Chrysler module is that it doesnt require a return line, it is internally requlated so you only need to run one line up to the fuel rail. The module does have a fuel level sensor but it is digital and wont work with an analog guage - I solved the problem by installing a analog level sensor in the tank. I also bought an AutoEnginuity Chrysler enhanced scan tool that reads all factory codes and also allows you to data log any of the power train sensors. It makes trouble shooting a no brainer. and I am 66 yrs old and lived 'back in the day' as Bob said "I have the time and it's a SPORT!" Once I get my '56 wagon done, I am going to redo my '39 Ford and get rid of my 400 SBC in replace it with a 4.6l Ford SOHC modular engine and AOD. Hope this helps some!
And, to think that I was looking at a '55 Pontiac prior to getting this...I could be puting an LS7 into that.
Thanks to Conrad_AZ and papastoyss...you guys really do get it. As far as the transmission, the motor came with the stock 5 speed auto and I plan to stick with it. Right now I need to focus on mocking up the install and see what has to be done to the frame. Paul from Welder Series has a kit for the Desoto and having been a certified pipe welder, I think I can handle the fabrication. Like I said, it is about the sport. If I don't finish it in my lifetime, one of my kids will.
I'm helping a friend put a 5.7 from an 07 truck into a 1970 Plymouth Satellite. So far we have the engine installed. It has a wire feed throttle pedal. Am trying to figure out how to install it and have a way to drive the throttle kickdown lever on the 727 trans. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Street Performance has a throttle cable adapter: http://hotrodlane.cc/09 catalog/sp2010/index.html Its located on page 161 of the online catalog. As I recall the 5.7/6.1/392 hemi stuff starts around page 158. WARNING: They have perhaps the most bizzare commercial website on the internet. It is really hard to navigate and find anything. Or, if you have a late model truck bone yard near by, try to locate a 2003 Dodge truck with a hemi. As I recall Chrysler wasnt sure if the drive by wire pedal would work, so they used a cable operated throttle that connects to a box like SP sells for $249. Or, if you are a DIY type, you can probably can disassemble your drive by wire pedal and pull the electronics out and build your own converter box. I would guess that at most it would be some sort of variable resistor and possibly an analog to digital converter. I havent tried this because I am using the stock 545 RFE trans which uses the computer to provide the kickdown signal, so the drive by wire pedal works great for me. Unlike the pre 60's 'Classics' there is a wealth of support available for putting a late model hemi in the 60-70 Mopar muscle cars.
www.forabodiesonly.com and www.forbbodiesonly.com. On the FABO site, there are a few people who put them in Darts and a guy who put one in his 'Cuda. On the FBBO site, somebody put one in a '64 Polara. Lots of pictures and information on both sites.
Just to close the loop on the stock gauges: The speedometer is mechanical, so as long as your transmission has a place to hook it up it does not care about 12 volts. The oil pressure gauge is mechanical; also does not care about voltage. The ammeter is, well, an ammeter so does not care about voltage (if you are not over the top with accessories the stock range might be OK on the ammeter, since a 12 volt system draws half the amps for the same power). If you electrical system consistently draws more than the full-scale reading of the ammeter, you can wire the car so that, for example, only the lighting circuits go thru the ammeter. The temp gauge is mechanical, so no worries about voltage there. The gas gauge will not care about 12 volts as long as the resistance of the tank sender matches up; you might need to add a series resistor (equal to the max resistance of the sender). So you see the stock gauges care very little about 12 volts.
New transmissions do not have the old speedo cable, so that won't work. The oil pressure gauge is not a problem. I am pretty sure that old amp gauge can't take 140 amps. This retrofit will require a updated fuel tank with the fuel pump in the tank...sending unit will have to be changed. So you see, what would have been simple 40 years ago, isn't now. That is why I am doing it.
Got a little behind... Thought I would attach a couple of pics. Anyway, the wiring issue is resolved, thanks to papastoyss and Conrad_AZ. Anyone need a Flathead with fluid drive?
When you pull the flathead 6 and the transmission you will be pulling out close to 850 lbs of iron. Putting in th new stuff will make the front supension feel like its not working at all. It's and IFS unequal length A arm suspension. The only lacking oiece is the shock mounts. And those are easily addessed. Go to Rustyhope.com and look at HAMBER olddaddys disc brake adapter and shock relocation mounts. the If you want you can use a cavelier center mount R & P mounted on some welded on tabs on the front of the crossmember. Or if you care to do a sub frame look at an early 2wd Dakota and get the whole ball of wax plus factory motormounts. Espo makes springs that will firm up the ride and lower the frot 2 inche is you chose to keep the stock set up. Which after the shock relocation is a comfortable and dcent handling set up.
Hmm - you might be able to run some twin systems. IOW use the new fuel pump etc etc so that the new engine runs and its computer is happy. Retrofit the original sender into the tank along side simply to feed the original fuel gauge. The new computer will not know that you are not really looking at the later, 'computer' fuel gauge, which can be stubbed out or hidden up under the dash. No, the stock ammeter will not handle 140 amps. Two ways to handle it. Add an external shunt across the terminals of the stock ammeter to increase the capabity of the ammeter. Problem with this is that you will get very little needle deflection for small draws, for example headlights only with the motor off. That leads to option 2 which is to wire the ammeter such that it does not see full alternator ouput. It is a bit of a cheat but it can be done.
Bob; glad to read that your wiring problem was resolved. I've been asking the exact same questions you had only mine relate to an 01- 5.2L mag/46 RE combo into a 48 ply. sedan. Anything you can pass on to me, re. wiring schematics, advice, people to contact, etc. will be greatly appreciated. Thanks Cass, alias Littlemo .....
Bob, I would also be interested in any information you would care to share. Being part of the 'over 60' crowd has some drawbacks since my brain is hard wired toward things like carbs......bot, always willing to try new things. .
Still working on it. The motor and front end are installed. I have been replacing all of the floor pans from the firewall to the rear bumper. The wiring harness and ECM issues have been worked out through HotWireAuto in Mena, AR. Thanks Chris. Bob
Putting a carb on an engine that shipped with EFI makes no sense. Might as well convert it to points ignition as well.
You may consider a Megasquirt system. They're low cost and very tuneable. Replaced the motor driven throttle body with an aftermarket manual unit. Go with an A-727 with adapter and you won't have to concern yourself with the wiring to trans issue. You can stay with the stock trigger pickup and I'll bet you'll have plenty of room for the exhaust. A carb is OK, but I think you'll still need a way to trigger the spark. With Megasquirt you can just use the wire from the stock crank trigger and it will do the spark and timing for you.
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