cudak888
Well-Known Member
'68 Satellite Refurb and Roller-Cam 360 Swap
The car:
The story:
I picked up this '68 Satellite locally not long ago. Those of you who surf copcardotcom.fotki.com might have seen the PO's photos of it. It's a reasonable (more or less piss-poor) clone of an unmarked City of Miami '68 Belvedere, coupled up with some equally "reasonable" bodywork. However, it's a solid car and very passable as-is, so I intend(ed) to enjoy it more or less as you see it.
More photos @ Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/43240189@N03/sets/72157651769233370
I've already posted a few threads about what I've done to it, for those interested in previous progress:
Door hinge adjustment: http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...per-door-hinge-adjustment-access-latch-issues
Tailpipes: http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...ing-J-hanger-exhaust-bracket-good-idea-or-not
Now, that seems all nice and pedestrian - but what seemed to be a simple project of headliner, dash, weatherstripping, and general fix-the-stuff-that-wasn't-fixed-right issues became something bigger when I realized that the PO casually glided over the fact that three cylinders in the original 318 were pushing compression readings ranging from 45 to 22psi.
Grrrr. Bottom end is dead. I paid enough to get a working engine in this thing. Oh well, I should have been more cautious. Broke my own rules. So be it.
I toyed with the idea of going full 440 with it, and threw it out the window when I realized that I'd be replacing every stinking part in the driveline. Nope. Then came the idea of yanking a late-model Magnum 5.2/5.9 and going carbureted. After crunching numbers, I realized it'd be cheaper just to stick with the stock Magnum EFI, and Tanks Inc.'s soon-to-be-available (late August-early September, I'm told) FI-ready fuel tank for the Coronet/Belvedere/Satellite made it all the more attractive.
So was the plan, except I couldn't find a nice donor Magnum 5.2 (let alone 5.9) at a good price locally. Only candidate was a neighbors' 1996 Ram Van for $500, which came to nothing when the owner of it stopped replying to my text messages (despite his initial interest in selling me the rusty POS).
Then, a week ago, I found this 1989 B350 Ram Van (Maxi Van conversion) at the local pick and pull:
Lucky me. I found a TBI roller-cam LA 360. I can see this project heading in a different direction already.
It took me a week before I could get back to the yard, but today (really, yesterday), I went straight to work...ruining a nice old Mopar van!
Luckily, they had no problem with me dragging my spare Optima battery to do a compression test on all cylinders. 130-140psi across the board, and all the spark plugs look like they were firing perfectly. Rockers and the rocker shaft look minty through the oil inspection hole too.
I got this far, and the yard closed an hour early. Exhaust, left engine mount, torque converter, and inspection plate are still in place. With any luck, tomorrow should see this thing free of the van, and on its way home to my engine stand.
More updates and photos to come as things progress.
-Kurt
The car:
The story:
I picked up this '68 Satellite locally not long ago. Those of you who surf copcardotcom.fotki.com might have seen the PO's photos of it. It's a reasonable (more or less piss-poor) clone of an unmarked City of Miami '68 Belvedere, coupled up with some equally "reasonable" bodywork. However, it's a solid car and very passable as-is, so I intend(ed) to enjoy it more or less as you see it.
More photos @ Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/43240189@N03/sets/72157651769233370
I've already posted a few threads about what I've done to it, for those interested in previous progress:
Door hinge adjustment: http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...per-door-hinge-adjustment-access-latch-issues
Tailpipes: http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...ing-J-hanger-exhaust-bracket-good-idea-or-not
Now, that seems all nice and pedestrian - but what seemed to be a simple project of headliner, dash, weatherstripping, and general fix-the-stuff-that-wasn't-fixed-right issues became something bigger when I realized that the PO casually glided over the fact that three cylinders in the original 318 were pushing compression readings ranging from 45 to 22psi.
Grrrr. Bottom end is dead. I paid enough to get a working engine in this thing. Oh well, I should have been more cautious. Broke my own rules. So be it.
I toyed with the idea of going full 440 with it, and threw it out the window when I realized that I'd be replacing every stinking part in the driveline. Nope. Then came the idea of yanking a late-model Magnum 5.2/5.9 and going carbureted. After crunching numbers, I realized it'd be cheaper just to stick with the stock Magnum EFI, and Tanks Inc.'s soon-to-be-available (late August-early September, I'm told) FI-ready fuel tank for the Coronet/Belvedere/Satellite made it all the more attractive.
So was the plan, except I couldn't find a nice donor Magnum 5.2 (let alone 5.9) at a good price locally. Only candidate was a neighbors' 1996 Ram Van for $500, which came to nothing when the owner of it stopped replying to my text messages (despite his initial interest in selling me the rusty POS).
Then, a week ago, I found this 1989 B350 Ram Van (Maxi Van conversion) at the local pick and pull:
Lucky me. I found a TBI roller-cam LA 360. I can see this project heading in a different direction already.
It took me a week before I could get back to the yard, but today (really, yesterday), I went straight to work...ruining a nice old Mopar van!
Luckily, they had no problem with me dragging my spare Optima battery to do a compression test on all cylinders. 130-140psi across the board, and all the spark plugs look like they were firing perfectly. Rockers and the rocker shaft look minty through the oil inspection hole too.
I got this far, and the yard closed an hour early. Exhaust, left engine mount, torque converter, and inspection plate are still in place. With any luck, tomorrow should see this thing free of the van, and on its way home to my engine stand.
More updates and photos to come as things progress.
-Kurt
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