Projects 52 Dodge B3B Hemi Project

You can see that the truck sits very low which is what I was going for, time will tell if this was a good route but it looks cool so there is that...

 

Here are some more pictures. I need a little help here; as you can see the intake has an outlet below the thermostat and of course the water pump has an outlet on the top. I was thinking initially that this is where I would connect the heater hoses but the intake also has 2 outlets (one on each side), so then I thought I would feed the heater with one of these and the outlet under the thermostat, however now I am rethinking it all again.

The intake also has a PCV inlet provision which I will plump to the PCV in the valley tray I made.

 

on another note; Gary - I went to install those washers on the spark plug tubes as we discussed but they slipped right off the end (hole too big or tube too small), I ended up peening over the lip of the tube slightly to capture the washer but I am not sure if this is what I was supposed to do or not.

 

the 426 boot will not grab onto the washer as there is a fat lip underneath but I do think the wasker does help some.

 

a couple more for fun.

 

The washers work good holding the seals down if you use the OEM tube covers, not sure how well what you did will work in the long run. A little RTV under the seals tends to work w/o the tube covers but seeps a little on long runs on the Interstate.

 

i am pretty sure I have OEM tubes, I was just surprised that the washers slipped over them. The washers I have are OEM as well so I am not sure if the tube lips deformed over time or what.

 

Apparently I 'lost track' of what parts you were planning to ***emble. The large washer is an oem part that is held in place by the wire cover. Yes, the washer should easily slip over the tube.
With the 426 boot there is nothing to hold/compress the ring against the rubber seal. The 426 boot relies 100% on the friction of the wire to stay put. If you try to force it against the washer/rubber it will just pull away from the spark plug.
Some folks will roll the top of the tube over to such a point that it contacts the washer and is held by tightening the plug. Here, again, the 426 boot is then held by the wire.
I have re-formed 426 tubes such that the boot has a lip to fit on/over but then the rubber seal is not well sealed. Here, some folks will wipe a very thin bead on silicone around the rubber to make a seal against the tube and the valve cover.
Most of the 'usual' fixes are strictly a matter of personal preference.

.

 

ok, that makes a lot of sense. So to recap, if I am not using the wire covers the washers are of little value?

 

Bingo!

 

got it. appreciate the information.

Now, I have to figure out the water pump/heater hose deal.

 

Just a matter of if you wan t a heater or not. On one of my 331s I ran a BBC W/P & 392 crossover. Blocked off everything except the radiator hoses, no problems. On my current hemi, OEM W/P, the heater hose is just looped.

 

i guess my question is if I should pull the heater lines from the 2 loctions (water pump and Tstat housing). Or perhaps a better question is if I block these 2 ports off is there any down side to it? I read on the Hemi colloing tech thread that it will mean that the water doesnt flow until the Tstat opens (which I understant), but is this a bad thing?

 

I don't know if it would be a 'downside', but using the W/P and stat housing will allow a bit of circulation in the block before the stat opens, probably reducing 'hot spots'...

 

thats a good point and one worth considering. I had originally thought about connecting the WP and Tstat outlets but the angles they are to one another makes it a little difficult. I do want to run a heater, more for the defrost function, however I need to seal it up first, I think the core has some small leaks.

 

Yeah, a defroster is pretty much a must-have around here.... LOL...

 

you should stop over sometime and look at the truck in person.

 

I would connect the fitting below the thermostat to the fitting on the water pump as a byp*** so coolant will circulate through the motor before the stat opens.
Heater hoses will connect to where the plug is in the intake manifold in front of the carb near the thermostat and to the fitting in the head.

The original 331 had the heater hose run off the fitting off the water pump housing and returned to the rear water port in the head on the p***enger side. The fitting in the front of the head was sealed.

In the 1st picture, the hose running across the motor just above the valve cover connects the two heater hose outlets (we also had a core leak).
The 2nd picture shows how the water pump byp*** hose (connected between the stat housing and the water pump) and just left of that is the heater hose connection in the pump housing. Gene

 

thanks for the information, I will see what I can make happen. I dont have another outlet near the Tstat other than the one below it. The inlet/outlet to the head occurs at the rear of the engine on the instake, there are 2 ports (one on each side). i am a little concerned about how to connect the intake and WP, kind of tight.

 

Common problem when swapping non-oem parts.

Agreed.

Check the NAPA store supply of molded heater hoses. You may have to buy a 'big-something' and cut a chunk out of the middle, but something to ponder.

.

 

Comon Gary... its called hotrodding.. yes I know using non OEM parts cause these problems, but I guess that is the fun of it... (or pain if you like). If it was easy everyone would do it.... LOL.

In all seriousness, I appreciate all of the comments. If I were to connect those two ports to the heater, it would serve the same purpose and perhaps be easier to plumb (asking here).

 

If it were me, I'd install a 90 degree fitting in the intake pointing to the p***enger side and use these as the heater connections. That's where you'll find most heaters connected, gives easy access for replacement, and keeps the hoses off the top of the motor for a bit cleaner look visually.

 

I think that is my plan.

 

Steve - good meeting you tonight, good to know there is another gear head nearby (even if you are a Ford guy...)

 

Hey, who can't like a Hemi.... LOL

 

very true, just something about them.

 

...sorry, just a personal issue here. I just can't get past the shiverlay thing.
I'll go see the chaplain now.

.

 

LOL I completely understand and it weighed heavily when I went that direction. As you know, I am not a chebby fan even a little bit, but when I looked at all of the issues in total, it made more sense for me to go the way I did (plus you needed all of my old parts....).

 

...but if it doesn't run 8 second quarters, we can blame it on the water pump...

 

lol true that!!! I will be happy if it is relaible..