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226 Posts
Big progress yesterday, I go the engine installed... sort of. I got it lowered into place and amazingly I was able to get three bolts in each plate, and get the "custom" mounts into place. BUT the engine was skewed off slightly in one direction. I used a straightedge and a piece of angle iron against the crank pulley and one side was 1/16" closer than the other. It was enough to notice, so time for a plan B. It was also sitting lower than desired with the edge of the pan against the front axle.
I decided to try some aluminum LS plates that have countersunk holes. They come with bolts for $33 shipped. My plan is to install them, and then mark my existing holes to see if I can just tap & drill those once I have the engine where I want it.
The 4L80 is back together, it was a great feeling torquing the pan into place. Once the engine is off the cherry picker, I can use that to mount the trans onto the trans jack.
I finished the mounting of the Volvo XC90 PWM fan to my radiator. I used a few metal corner brackets from Lowes and some nylon spacers. I need to pick up a couple of 45mm bolts for the driver side. I have stacked washers under a bolt for now. I have a pic of it next to the home made Mark 8 fan & shroud I had been using. I'm working on updating my swap guide to incorporate this change. My plan for now is to use a Ford combo AC high pressure and fan switch in place of the Doge unit and this PWM controller from eBay. The fellow selling those is great, and has helped me with technical questions. His controller takes a 12V signal from a fan switch and this turns the fan on only as needed. Running the lead to the AC compressor is a less accurate means of running the fan. This will eliminate the need for the dual 70A relay box I built. It will also allow me to use the OEM Dodge wiring & PCM for AC. Getting the pressure/fan switch right is the challenge. The Ford one I'm looking at (4seasons #20924 and variants) is close to the Dodge one for pressure specs, and it has the same mounting thread. It was used commonly (means they can be had inexpensively) in mid-90's through 2000's cars and trucks.
Also on the radar, I am researching oil coolers & thermostats and the same for the transmission. I plan to bypass the radiator-mounted cooler and use the bracket from the OEM trans cooler to mount both coolers. Depending upon the room, I'll try to use an oil filter sandwich plate type unit for the oil, and a remote one for the trans. I want to add dual gauges to the A-pillar to monitor both temps.
Finally, I'm revising my trans crossmember. I'm keeping the plates on both sides that bolt into place of the OEM crossmember, and the heavy 3" wide L-brackets. The current plan is to use a 4" wide piece of .25" aluminum channel. I'll run the channel between the L-brackets and then use a piece of angle iron for the upright to hold the trans mount. That should leave plenty of room for the exhaust.
I'm attaching some pics of recent work.
Engine in place:
4L80 complete on the bench:
Fans old and new (to me):
I decided to try some aluminum LS plates that have countersunk holes. They come with bolts for $33 shipped. My plan is to install them, and then mark my existing holes to see if I can just tap & drill those once I have the engine where I want it.
The 4L80 is back together, it was a great feeling torquing the pan into place. Once the engine is off the cherry picker, I can use that to mount the trans onto the trans jack.
I finished the mounting of the Volvo XC90 PWM fan to my radiator. I used a few metal corner brackets from Lowes and some nylon spacers. I need to pick up a couple of 45mm bolts for the driver side. I have stacked washers under a bolt for now. I have a pic of it next to the home made Mark 8 fan & shroud I had been using. I'm working on updating my swap guide to incorporate this change. My plan for now is to use a Ford combo AC high pressure and fan switch in place of the Doge unit and this PWM controller from eBay. The fellow selling those is great, and has helped me with technical questions. His controller takes a 12V signal from a fan switch and this turns the fan on only as needed. Running the lead to the AC compressor is a less accurate means of running the fan. This will eliminate the need for the dual 70A relay box I built. It will also allow me to use the OEM Dodge wiring & PCM for AC. Getting the pressure/fan switch right is the challenge. The Ford one I'm looking at (4seasons #20924 and variants) is close to the Dodge one for pressure specs, and it has the same mounting thread. It was used commonly (means they can be had inexpensively) in mid-90's through 2000's cars and trucks.
Also on the radar, I am researching oil coolers & thermostats and the same for the transmission. I plan to bypass the radiator-mounted cooler and use the bracket from the OEM trans cooler to mount both coolers. Depending upon the room, I'll try to use an oil filter sandwich plate type unit for the oil, and a remote one for the trans. I want to add dual gauges to the A-pillar to monitor both temps.
Finally, I'm revising my trans crossmember. I'm keeping the plates on both sides that bolt into place of the OEM crossmember, and the heavy 3" wide L-brackets. The current plan is to use a 4" wide piece of .25" aluminum channel. I'll run the channel between the L-brackets and then use a piece of angle iron for the upright to hold the trans mount. That should leave plenty of room for the exhaust.
I'm attaching some pics of recent work.
Engine in place:
4L80 complete on the bench:
Fans old and new (to me):