Projects 52 Dodge B3B Hemi Project

Yes, everyone interested in anything/everyting outdoors and/or firearms related should attend at least once.

Yes, I would love to see some pictures. I have an idea that I am going to try based on the "Krok Lock" (which doesnt seem to be in production any longer).

 

I made it one time when it was in Orlando.

 

this will be my 13th time I think, gets old when you have to work it.

 

For those interested I built my hitch lock, for those following the 52 build I promise I will get back to it.

 

I apologize for the out of focus of some of these pics, it was dark and a bit hard to get. I will take some better ones if anyone wants to see.

 

and finally the mostly finished product.

 

i have been trying to find a hitch for my new truck, the problem is that it is pretty tall and basically I need about a 8" drop. I picked up an adjustable one that goes to 7.5" but it says it is only rated for 5000 lbs, the trailer weights 3k, so that leaves with 2k. I am not sure why that hitch is only rated at 5K, but I am thinking that I could brace it up to make it more HD...

 

Maybe, but that probably leaves you open to lawsuits if something goes wrong, not to mention law enforcement if you get pulled over.

 

***uming it falls apart... I suspect the 5k rating is due to the 2 pins required to use the hitch; one pin allows you to move the ball up and down and the other is the normal one that keeps it inside the receiver. I think that once I determine the height, I could weld it in place as well as use the pin. Another issue is that the hitch is pretty much a 90 degree arm, so all of the tension from pulling a trailer is translated to the 90 degree angles in the design before going to the actual tube inside the receiver; once i establish the height and weld it, then add some gussets to the 90 degree angles dramtically increasing strength.

 

i dod work on the 52 a little today, currently I am trying to sort out the inner fender wells. I am trying to decide how complete I want to make them.

 

Happy New Year to all.

 

I finally got some time to work on the 52 and made a lot of headway. I was able to get the inner fender wells done, the radiator support welded in, new cross member welded up, defroster hoses installed, and the biggest thing of all is the new firewall installed.

 

And some more.

 

It all looks so good it's hard to tell what metal is from which truck! Is the radiator support from the '52, and the vertical angle steel attaches to the Dakota frame?

 

Exactly! the radiator support ****s right against the Dak frame nicely. I added the side supports to help reduce fatigue from the front sheetmetal.

 

Looks like that rad support should work out well, you have lots more support then that 52 originally had, which is good.

How far back into the cab will your motor sit? I did a 54 where the firewall behind the motor ended up 6" into the cab, only left a few inches between the firewall and the bottom of the dash at the center. Pretty much eliminated any feet room for a person sitting in the center of the truck. Gene

 

My engine sits about 4" back into the cab, but with the shifter and all I do not think anyone could sit in the middle except perhaps a small kid.

 

so, i just installed my new Lokar shifter and have to say I am less than impressed. I am mounting the shifter in he forward position (meaning it right at the base of what would be the bell housing) and the angle of the arm is pretty steep. It does shift the trans but not without some effort and it seems very flimsy. I could reinforce the arms I suppose but it just seems a bit hokey. I guess a redesign might be in order. I am concerned with altering the arm to make it less of an angle as in my mind that will change the relationship between the shifter and trans points, meaning the gears will not right on the sifter. It is adjustable, so I might be able to get away with it.

 

Here is a pic. The shifter is in drive here but if you imagine the angle of the rod you should be able to see what I am talking about. I dont have the tail shaft bracket on because their instructions are a bit sketchy, had to watch a you tube video to realize it was in the box.

 

Wow, I agree. That is a verrry steep angle. I would be surprise if it shifted well at all. I'd be tempted to lengthen the arm on the shift mechanism, and maybe rotate it back toward the 4-o'clock position . It should offer better movement.

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exactly what I was thinking, perhaps tonight I can get that done.

 

Got the shifter sorted out, here are some pictures. The 1st pic is obviously the before shot. Not sure what Lokar was thinking but I cannot see how they think that works.

 

Here are the after shots. I also installed my Lokar kick down cable, had to "mod" the arm a little but no issues. The one problem this all does leave me with is access to the transmission cooler lines, more specifically the front line which is behind all of the shifter linkage. There is some room, just not a lot. I am going to run some AN -6 fittings on it for simplicity sake, just have to find the combo that works (45 or 90 degree).

 

So how much did this alter the movement of the top of the shifter? Gene

 

didnt seem to change it all as the shifter has a range and it somewhat compensates for the needed movement. it is much mre secure now than it was.

 

This seems to be an age old issue when trying to make a 'universal-fit-all' for whatever issue is present.

Good to see it sorted out. Maybe 'they' are watching...

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......one size fits none........lol, good job!

 

i did a lot of research on what shifter to use and how I was going to do this early on. I originally wanted to use a column shift but due to space limitations couldnt, therefore I was left with some type of floor shifter. I looked at some of the modern rachet style and in fact even have a quarter stick, but this would have required either some type of consel or putting the shifter way down on the floor which to me ****s. This all led me to lokar or genie shifters; since lokar had a better web site and I was able to better visualize the end result I went that direction. In retrospect, I perhaps should have gone with genie as their linkage method is simplier, however I do not think they support a forward mounting location so that would have caused issues as well.

Building something like this is all about compromises and planning the effect/s of each action or modification you make, item you install, etc. In my younger days I would have slammed the engine in it and conducted damage control afterwards to try and get everything to work; the result would have been functional but probably not as durable or ascetic. I tried hard not to do this on this build and tried to think through each issue pre event. The result of this approach has been a much delayed build, more money spent on different items, etc. At the end of the day, I hope that this project comes out relatively the way I planned it and is a fun rig to drive.

 

Here are some pictures of the shifter and trans, you can also see the kickdown cable installed.

 

Got a lot done today, most notably was installation of the engine and trans... finally. Definitely a tight fit, but I think it looks awesome.