A couple questions

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prd2bdf

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Happy thanksgiving everyone,

I had a couple questions:

1. my uncle who has had a quite a handful of Mopar cars (GTX, Valiant, Barracuda, Omni GLH etc) has swore up and down that if I attempt to do a burnout in the Newport, I’ll rip the motor mounts out. Valid or not? (Mopar cruise next year, gotta plan ahead)

2. has anyone ever attempted a EFI conversion that’s floating around here (fitech etc)

3. in damp weather, it’s annoying trying to drive because it’ll be peg-legging for miles. Is installing a limited slip easy on these cars?
 
Oh yes. One more question. My family is of the philosophy that if the car shifts fine, leave the fluid alone whereas I’m along the lines “if it doesn’t look red anymore, change it” what do you guys do regarding tranny fluid changes
 
prd2bdf said:
Happy thanksgiving everyone,

I had a couple questions:

1. my uncle who has had a quite a handful of Mopar cars (GTX, Valiant, Barracuda, Omni GLH etc) has swore up and down that if I attempt to do a burnout in the Newport, I’ll rip the motor mounts out. Valid or not? (Mopar cruise next year, gotta plan ahead)
Only if they are old and tired (oil soaked)...

2. has anyone ever attempted a EFI conversion that’s floating around here (fitech etc)
Several have and most seem happy..

3. in damp weather, it’s annoying trying to drive because it’ll be peg-legging for miles. Is installing a limited slip easy on these cars?
Either add the LIMITED SLIP to your current rear end or get another third member that already has it... Very easy...

One more question. My family is of the philosophy that if the car shifts fine, leave the fluid alone whereas I’m along the lines “if it doesn’t look red anymore, change it” what do you guys do regarding tranny fluid changes
A loonngg time ago Chrysler said trans fluid should last as long as the car under normal conditions..
But to answer your question,, it doesn't hurt to change the trans fluid and especially if it smells off or is discolored..
Click to expand...
 
prd2bdf said:
2. has anyone ever attempted a EFI conversion that’s floating around here (fitech etc)
Click to expand...
I have heard of many people doing the EFI swap.
Many of them were satisfied with the installation and results.
Some had installation issues.
Some had less than stellar results.
All of them say, "I'm still dialing it in".
I haven't heard anyone say, "Easy install, great results, runs better than a carb."
 
prd2bdf said:
. my uncle who has had a quite a handful of Mopar cars (GTX, Valiant, Barracuda, Omni GLH etc) has swore up and down that if I attempt to do a burnout in the Newport, I’ll rip the motor mounts out. Valid or not? (Mopar cruise next year, gotta plan ahead)
Click to expand...
NOT valid if the mounts are good.
 
prd2bdf said:
Oh yes. One more question. My family is of the philosophy that if the car shifts fine, leave the fluid alone whereas I’m along the lines “if it doesn’t look red anymore, change it” what do you guys do regarding tranny fluid changes
Click to expand...
If it's shifting as it should, leave it alone and put in a new filter and pan gasket.
Doing a total flush and replacing it with new modern ATF disrupts the harmony that exists within its tranny universe and the Gods will be angry. AMWIK
 
I have done the fitech. Took a lot of tuning (especially the accel pump setting) and learning but it runs just fine. There are issues with interference on the the Tach signal so you need to insulate wires and I had to put ferrites on high current wires too. Thats an issue with any efi conversion.

I would burnout and slide all over before I got new tires. 9 year old BFG didn't cut it anymore. Switched to 17" nitto tires, LOTS better but loise grip if I floor it on a wet road. Found that out unintentionally lol
 
The "better" part of an EFI conversion is that the fuel is generally atomized better, plus the dynamics of why EFI has better throttle response than a carb might. BUT also remember that the EFI throttle body is still sitting on the same intake manifold (or similar) as the carb was/is. Which means that total power will be similar for the same cfm rating (or more), but with the possibility of a little (read "LITTLE") fuel economy increase. Having a computer control things usually results in much of the good reviews as to driveability and such, from what I've determined, which also uses oxygen sensors to fine-tune the cruise and cold-start mixtures.

You WILL most probably need a new distributor which is approved for use with the EFI system, by observation. READ the installation instructions for ANY system you might be considering.

As many carburetors are now quite old and fewer people know how to tune/work on them, EFI might make sense for those people. Worth the money (kit + installation labor + O2 sensor installation + possible ignition upgrades + possible new fuel tank)? That just depends . . .

Burnouts and motor mounts? One good burnout can tear the lh motor mount apart, if the mount is aged, has seen motor oil on it, and it might be marginally "used up" at that time. Google something like "motor mount restraint kits" to get ideas of what the Chevy guys did in the later 1960s after their factory motor mounts failed. Retention cables and such, to limit motor "raising" on the lh side under "heavy throttle conditions". Better check the u-joints TOO!!!

If ONE tire is spinning, a SureGrip will make BOTH tires spin if there is enough power to make that happen. When both tires spin, the rear of the car will usually rotate to the rh side of things, on a flat road. Otherwise, "twice the traction", possibly. Make sure the REAR tires have about 28-30psi in them, too!

TWO reasons to change ATF. One is when the fluid gets hot enough to turn it a brown-type color (think "trailer towing", internal slippage due to slipping/worn out friction plates). The other is to replenish its additive package of things like friction modifiers and detergents (to keep things clean). Dexron III-type fluid is still around, IF you read the back of the bottle and it mentions that the "all makes" fluid is compatible with or replaces it. Ford Type F fluid works too. If the fluid is fresh and it's still red, it should also have a pungent smell to it. If browner, a burnt smell.

FWIW,
CBODY67
 
So a 4BBL and alumni intake manifold would be a better investment? I would like to maximize horsepower and torque. I prefer bolt-on.

I do have new rear tires. Got them replaced but I haven’t been out in the damp roads since I got them.
I’ll have to look at the motor mounts to see how they look.
 
If you now have a 2bbl, then you'll need a 4bbl intake anyway, so add that to the EFI expense, too.

"Damp" roads will decrease traction from what a "dry" road would, but there should be no real issues with normal driving on a damp/wet road, unless . . .

CBODY67
 
I have a FITech EFI on my 68 300. While it does indeed need some attention from time to time, it is way better than the old carb I had on there that was nothing but problems. I had the engine completely overhauled a few years ago which included the EFI and electronic ignition. If I was to do it all again today, I’d still go the EFI route, but I would probably try out a different EFI throttle body (something other than FITech).
 
prd2bdf said:
Oh yes. One more question. My family is of the philosophy that if the car shifts fine, leave the fluid alone whereas I’m along the lines “if it doesn’t look red anymore, change it” what do you guys do regarding tranny fluid changes
Click to expand...
Trans oil turns brown as it oxidizes. Oxidation of engine lubricants occurs when the oil reacts with oxygen and heat. It causes a chemical change that creates oil thickening, formation of sludge and deposits, and depletion of additives. In other words, I'm in favor of changing the trans oil so that the trans oil has capability to do its job under the toughest conditions. (Yours is probably Dexron 3).

Also, trans oil has a friction coefficient for working in the torque converter. The torque converter needs this friction coefficient to be correct as it moves from slipping to 1-1. Brown worn trans oil no longer has the proper friction coefficient due to damage from heat and oxygen.

1978 and later Chryslers with lock-up torque converter, run on ATF+4. If you disintegrate the lockup torque converter clutches, by running trans oil with the wrong friction coefficient, the result can be a trans rebuild that costs thousands. Example, we had 2001 Sebring, trans went bad, car would barely move. Cost to rebuild trans was $2600-$2900 with 1 year guarantee. Car was hit, bad rear quarter damage, and worth maybe half the price of the rebuild. I junked the car and bought my child something else to drive. Monitor trans oil carefully and change when starts to turn brown or at 60000 mile max. My advice. Others may disagree.
 
The general maintenance "spec" for normal use was something like 100K miles, UNLESS some sort of "HD use" (trailer towing, law enforcement use, mountain driving, etc.) is involved, which led to 30K mile change/filter intervals instead.

I ran across a deal in the old Usenet bulletin board for Chrysler Products, comparing the Chrysler ATF+3 (at that time) fluid with Chrysler's prior Dexron-spec fluid. Seems like the ATF+3 was a semi-syn fluid and would last longer, BUT the big thing was that after about 40K miles on the Dexron III fluid, most of its additives had been depleted. I found that interesting as GM used to recommend similar 100K fluid change intervals for normal use (similar 30K intervals for HD use).

ATF starts degrading at 270 degrees F, which is higher than a normal passenger car's fluid normally gets. UNLESS the vehicle is towing something, by observation.

Just some thoughts,
CBODY67
 
SPF Required said:
I have a FITech EFI on my 68 300. While it does indeed need some attention from time to time, it is way better than the old carb I had on there that was nothing but problems. I had the engine completely overhauled a few years ago which included the EFI and electronic ignition. If I was to do it all again today, I’d still go the EFI route, but I would probably try out a different EFI throttle body (something other than FITech).
Click to expand...

As Holley has increasingly sought to become a "one stop shop" for vehicle upgrades and modifications, I discovered that they have expanded their Sniper line of EFI to include many EFI applications other than just 4bbls, but to also include a few 2bbls and even 1bbl carb replacements. We knew about the Jeep EFI, which takes the place of the "small" Carter BBD 2bbl (think "318 size", 1.44" throttle bores) and the "small" Rochester 2GC carb, but to also include the "large 2GC" carb, which should have the same baseplate bolt pattern as the CHRYSLER-application Carter BBD "1.5" and Stromberg WWC 2bbls (which have 1.56" throttle bores). Of course, they have the normal GM-style throttle hook-ups (as all non-specific OEM carbs seem to have), so the existing Chrysler adapters will be needed, typically, FWIID. End result, this greatly increases the possibility of using their units on a LOT of older 2bbl Chrysler and GM products without getting into the prior 4bbl intake manifold swaps, too. On both of these 2bbl EFI kits, they are rated to 350 horsepower, which should be plenty, I suspect. There is also a Ford unit to replace the Ford 2300 carb (and its uniquie base plate bolt pattern. Earlier, they had come out with a "Rochester Quadrajet" spreadbore application, which would also include the spreadbore Carter ThermoQuad applications.

The baseplate bolt patterns and such are listed on a Sniper EFI Installation Guide page. In the "Holley Motor Life" blog, www.holley.com/blog/post/sniper_efi_installation_guide/ covers a lot.

I post this as information ONLY. Proceed as you might desire . . .

CBODY67
 
prd2bdf said:
Happy thanksgiving everyone,

I had a couple questions:

1. my uncle who has had a quite a handful of Mopar cars (GTX, Valiant, Barracuda, Omni GLH etc) has swore up and down that if I attempt to do a burnout in the Newport, I’ll rip the motor mounts out. Valid or not? (Mopar cruise next year, gotta plan ahead)

2. has anyone ever attempted a EFI conversion that’s floating around here (fitech etc)

3. in damp weather, it’s annoying trying to drive because it’ll be peg-legging for miles. Is installing a limited slip easy on these cars?
Click to expand...

The 440 TNT in my 66 300 has taken out couple of LH mounts. They aren't very substantial. No problems since it was chained down.
 
I have a chain on the left side of the motor so that if the mount breaks, it ain't moving far.

Replacing the U-joints isn't a bad idea.

If going from a 2 bbl to 4 bbl, you'll need the proper kickdown linkage for the trans. I sourced a Weiand intake & Edelbrock 4bbl fro eBay, other than changing out the needles, it ran great out of the box & still does.

Trans fluid replacement for me - brown and/or burnt smell. While your at it, install a magnet in the pan or replace the pan with one with a drain plug & get a magnetic plug.

I did install a posi on mine, wasn't too hard with a lift and proper tools. While you're at it, replace the axle bearings and seals because it will require yanking the half shafts anyways. Make sure that wherever you do it has enough clearance to the sides to remove the axles all the way out.

Now if you're changing out the ring & pinion gears, that's where it gets hard. Or at least time consuming. Invest in a micrometer and measure the shim pack under the pinion that comes out, replace with the same thickness of new shims, that'll get you started and in most cases (my experience is 6 out of 10) is all you'll need. Plan to spend the entire day dialing in the pinion gear. EVERYTHING has to be disassembled & reassembled each time you add or remove a shim. Save yourself the trouble and order an extra complete set of crush spacers in advance to starting. If you don't need them you can return them to the parts store. If you DO need them and the parts store doesn't carry them on the shelf, you may be waiting a day or more to finish the job.
 
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