mrwrstory

Here's what I did to get a column shifter in my 360 P-15. The trans is an OD version of the 904. It took some bendin and fabin and creative pairing of stock bits and pieces, and I was still able to use some of the stock mounting points. The column was originally from a 50 Ford but in retrospect, I see no reason why the Mopar one would not do as well. (I think it was because I liked the Ford steering wheel )

Don't remember the exact CFM numbers but the center carb is in the high 200's and the secondaries are in the low 200's. The venturies are changable so I can tune later when I get all the bugs worked out. The original Mopar kick-down relied on a "push" at the carb. I am turning that around and will pull from right above the return spring. At least that's what I envision at the moment.....

Seems like it took forever to get over this hump. I didn't exactly know how I was going to solve the throttle linkage problem: however, perseverance does pay off. With a modified Chinese throttle cable, a modified wrecking yard accelerator pedal, some misc. bits and pieces from the hardware store and a home built bracket, I can now start the car while sitting in the drivers seat. (I kinda like the pics too.) The carbs are Webers. - Now I can concentrate on making the"kick-down" linkage. And that I have to convert from a "pusher" to a "puller" at the carburator. You can see the extra space at the top of the cable anchor bracket where I hope I can squeeze it in.

Ya know, when you ask a friend for a favor, you're kinda stuck with the results. The video of the Start-Up Party was a great documentation of the party, a wonderful gathering of friends and their cars to share in the excitement of the moment. Unfortunately, "the moment" in my opinion was almost lost in the celebration. Sooooo,.....I gave up a day of bendin stuff and makin sparks, in the garage, to learn something new, i.e. YouTube, and show what I really wanted to share. I also inlisted the help of my bride of 50 years,...who catered the party, to run the camera. I think it turned out pretty cool for our first attempt.

Check the auction item titled "linkage". Someone should buy this stuff!

After the reinforcing plates and Kugel crossmember were welded in, the outside pieces of the frame were put back in place. I also bent up some pieces to finish off the area forward of the crossmember in an attempt to keep the modifications stock looking. Once that was all secure, I decided to trim the stock front crossmember. It was bulky looking, would have been low enough to the road to be an issue and,..was overkill with the new Kugel unit. The pattern for the plasma cut was made from untempered Masonite so that it would follow the plan view contour of the front surface. This last image shows the final result. I'm pretty pleased with myself for undertaking this project. I don't have any second thoughts at this point. However, since I am looking at another similar project, I will look long and hard at the Fatman front clip package. A friend has just done that on a 56 Ford, and that has turned out well. Please feel free to ask questions or for more info via this threat or a PM --- GOOD LUCK and remember "no guts,...no glory"

I feel it is important to reiterate that the "C" dimension is established by the builder. It could be the stock P-15 drum to drum dimension or something different,...influenced by tire width and wheel off-set. Be sure to check clearances at full "lock" before committing to "the dimension". The "B" dimension is the variable as far as the suspension kit manufacturer is concerned, and he will build the center section and modify the R&P accordingly. I went with the least expensive complete kit that Kugel offers. It requires that you do some painting. It cost a bit over $2000.00, in 2002 as I recall. The next step was to transfer the side profile of the frame to some rigid stock which is then used as a template for cutting reinforcing plate(s). The reinforcing plates will be welded into the frame. The dimension between them, when installed, will be equal to Dim. "B". Note that the Kugel crossmember is temporarily located in place. The vertical location of the crossmember will determine your ride height. You must determine that. Here's where an "anal" attitude pays off not to mention (again) the importance of having everything square, plumb and secure. Take a lot of pictures and notes, and measure a lot! - The reinforcing plate(s) were made as long as possible to extend back to the cowl area. Note the gusset which was welded to the inside of the frame stock frame through access holes. the plate also goes foreward to cap off the original spring pocket. - To complete this post, let me mention that another reason for building the structure to secure the core support location, was to assure that bumper brackets and front clip mounting points would be maintained as stock.

Once everything is square, plum, secure and marked, the next order of business was to build a structure to maintain the location and intergity of the core support area of the front crossmember. and once that is done,....the cutting can begin. to be continued:D

I am providing an account of the modern IFS installation on my P-15, in response to requests from several folks for documentation of the process,.....project. Years back,...like 2001 or so, I decided to turn my Club Coupe into a real Hot Rod. It was driven for many years with "the look", big 'n' littles and dropped spindles but, the flat head 6 didn't cut it for me. A stout V8 was planned and that immediately turned into issues of steering. I wanted to get around a stock type steering layout so a R&P became the choice. I didn't like the looks of the Cavalier set up and the Fatman clip w/ MII intimitated me at the time. So,....here's where I started It is vitally important to set the car securely on jackstands and have it level left to right. A piece of square stock was welded to the bottom of the frame to assure rigity as the project went forward. It is also vitally important to mark the axle centerline both on the frame and on the floor, using a plumbob. I already new the sizes and where I wanted the wheels/tires. That determined the the left to right dimension between the wheel mounting (rotor) surfaces. I liked the Kugel Komponents IFS because it had a rear steer R&P and all the geometry of the suspension was established. Check their website http://www.kugelkomponents.com/ Their customer service is first class too. The "left to right dimension of the between the wheel mounting surfaces" was a given. I will call that dim. "C". Dimension "A", the dimension between the wheel mtg surface and the inside of the "U" of the crossmember is fixed due to geometry and component mounting requirements. Therefore "C" minus two times "A" yields "B",....a dimension that Kugel will provide upon request (within reason). The "B" dimension falls nicely with the profile of the P-15 frame. The "B" dimension is the outside dimension of the plywood box shown below. The box is a fixture made for marking where the frame will be cut. The sides of the box were cut in contour to match the sweep of the frame and it was glued and screwed to maintain its' squareness and rigidity.

Here 'tis ya'll. Maybe a little more on the social aspect than on the initial fire,...but fun none-the-less. Thank you to Walter Lee who did the video and is probably the only one not pictured. http://vimeo.com/36628596

Wow! What's one nasty looking small block. Love the valve covers I've redone the RTV. If this round leaks, then I'm going cork. Video promised,...still.

Check the gas. If you have old gas or gas w/alcohol that has been sitting for a few months, that can be a problem. And are all the ports into the intake manifiold used or plugged? Hang in there and my advice is to resist going to "the pro". It's real satisfying to "pull it off" yourself with help from friends.

They call it experience. I now know that it takes at least twice as much RTV to seal the intake to block on a small block Mopar,... than it does on a SBC. The major negative in the initial fire-up was a major oil leak at the rear of the intake manifold. I pressurized the crankcase via the oil dipstick tube and could feel the air exiting in the area of the distributor. Dismanteling yielded the image of the sealant barely making contact with the intake maniforld. I was overly concerned with using excessive RTV. I have just re sealed the area with a bead twice the size as previous. Like I say, "experience". As pulling the intake necessitated draining the cool system, it was also a good time to address several small leaks. Also retorqued the heads which was on the adgenda as well. I am promised the video of the fun within a few days.

Whadda hoot! Many more friends than I expected showed to witness the triumph or tragety. Was a pretty cool car show too, for starters. Got them softened up with pitchers of Bloody Marys. - - Fired on the second revolution. No backfires. No explosions. No smoke. Ran the cam in for about 15 min. at 1800rpm before the lower radiator hose blew. Seems the builder (me ) missed one hose clamp. Damn! antifreeze all over the engine compartment. Now I got another cleaning job. Upon shutdown also discovered an oil leak which appears to eminate from the rear of the intake manifold. Maybe another issue with the amature builder. Held steady at 190 degrees and 50psi. Alternater lead is not yet attached. One of the buds also shot some video. I will have it on U-Tube soon and give a "heads-up".

Ready to rock 'n' roll. It was a long day. Lotsa tedious stuff. I think it looks pretty cool. Hope it runs w/o surprises. Folks are 'spose to show here around 9:00am. Wish me luck. -

Maybe! I have mufflers but the smallest I could find

Milestones today. Upon opening the box of ignition parts, I realized I was in over my head. Called upon good friend Kenny who took the better part of the day exploring competeing schmatics before sorting it out. He was able, via various probes and diagnostics, to confirm that we had ignition w/o actually trying to fire the engine. On my own, I would have been dead in the water. Did enough wiring to turn the engine. Primed the oiling system to 70+ psi. Excitement happened when a geyser of gasoline spewed from the open carburator supply line when turning the engine over. Good news is,..... a major fuel leak was discovered which would have generated plenty of excitement and necessitated a shutdown if we had actually started the engine. Saturday, will see the final induction system install, final cooling system install, timing the dist., installing plugs and wires, and revisiting the myriad details anticipating the big day,....Sunday am -

Waaaay cool! Keep us posted.

You're welcome to join us if you can be here by 9:30am. I'm serving Bloody Marys. It's forecast to be warm so wear shorts

I'm going to try,....but no promises.

Planned "first fire" is Super Bowl Sunday morning. Getting down to the short strokes and the excitement grows. I'm now waking up in the middle of the night, thinking through the myriad details and worrin I'll forget something critical to the goal. Worrin I'll discover the need for one more important part after the parts store has closed. However, I am fortunate to have a coupla hot rod buds, within 200 yards in either direction, with stashes of essentials. Since last posting I have; mounted the external trans cooler, bent miles of trans cooler lines, patched together a workable exhaust system, customized radiator hoses, installed the battery, mounted temporary gauges, done some preliminary wiring, and checked and tightened all the nuts and bolts I could find. Between now and Sunday the tasks are; finish enough of the wiring to start the car, prime the oiling system, gas the tank, prime the fuel lines, install and time the distributor, bolt down the intake for the last time, install plugs and wires, reinstall the radiator, fill the cooling system, partially fill the trans,.....and I'm sure a bunch of other stuff I can't think of right now. I'll post a few more "pics of progress" prior to the big event. Wish me luck! And, I will post pics of start whether it be purr or pyrotechnic

The original radiator is for sale on the auction thread. Proceeds go to our leader GTK, with thanks, to help with costs for maintaining this wonderful site. http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?p=286955#post286955

Thanks!!!,....however the diff. being a pro would do what I've done in the fraction of the time,.....and get paid for it:D Here's a quick pic of a nice discovery. In getting the radiator lowered to yield hood clearance, the bottom holes nicely lined up making the layout of the remaining mounting holes to be drilled quite convenient.