Tremec 5 speed swap into a '70 Charger

[70 sublime]

So was it like that when new or did the heat make it stretch out over time ?

Did the bend in the pan bend the oil pick up also ??

[taxspeaker]

Great read KD, thanks. Looking forward to hearing how you like it "in use"

[Kern Dog]

So was it like that when new or did the heat make it stretch out over time ?

Did the bend in the pan bend the oil pick up also ??

I will check the pickup tube by seeing if it matches the depth of the sump.
The windage tray shouldn't have stretched since it was bolted in tight. It may have squished a bit but I didn't look real close at it when I installed in in 2019. I'm going to look closer at it to see if I can find any identifying marks.

[moparstuart]

The Right Stuff is amazing you will like it   ,  I had the same problem with my  6 Speed trans not wanting to seat either  , big pair of channel locks did the trick . 

[Kern Dog]

Thank you. Stuart.

[Kern Dog]

It turns out that this molded windage tray is meant to work with stock type pans. The "402" oil pan that I have from another engine is 1/4" longer overall than this Milodon. The wider flange allows the windage tray to make contact where this narrower Milodon one does not.

I'm going back to the traditional gasket sandwich.

[Kern Dog]

The Milodon windage tray is oddly larger than not only their pan but even the stock pan. It does look to be made well though.

[Kern Dog]

I hesitated to mention it because it wasn't directly related to the Tremec swap but since I have gone off topic many times before, here goes....
When I drained the pan in prep to remove it to pound out the dent, the drain oil looked dirty but otherwise fine. Once the pan was off, the oil remaining in the pan had a sort of silvery shimmer to it. Usually this is bad news, like a cam or lifter has started to go bad or the rod or main bearings are shedding material.
It had me worried.
I cut open the oil filter and spread the pleats apart. Nothing but dark oil. I poured gas in a 5 gallon bucket and swished the filter around in it, then took a magnet and dragged it along the bottom of the bucket. I got a few very small metal particles but I can't confirm that they were not in the bucket beforehand. They could have even been from when I cut the filter open even though I used a chisel. A whizzer wheel would have been a stupid way to cut it open since the metal from the cutting would effectively contaminate the filter.
Next up, I pulled 2 main caps from the block. Both looked perfect. A little wear but not even through the dull gray outer layer. I pulled #8 rod cap. Same thing, it looked great.
The engine has been running great before this swap. Zero valvetrain clatter aside from what you'd expect from a MP solid cam with .028/.032 lash specs. Still, that shimmer in the oil wasn't from crank bearings so maybe it was from the cam or lifters?

[Kern Dog]

Nope. I pulled the rocker arms and shafts from both sides and pulled one pushrod and lifter at a time. Every one of them looked fine. I put the rocker arms back on and lashed the valves. Aluminum heads grow with heat so when setting valve lash, you have to set them .006 tighter than the spec. MP cams do have a .028 intake, .032 Exhaust lash but I went .004 tighter than that along with the .006 to compensate for the heads. I've read of other guys running the lash as close as .020 Intake .024 Exhaust but I didn't want to push my luck.

[Kern Dog]

With the crank bearings looking good and no obvious smoking gun with the rocker arms, cam and lifters, I decided that it is probably fine. I have been using the Comp Cams break in supplement in every oil change. The distributor drive gear looks great, the only thing left is the timing set and the fuel pup pushrod.
I got san email that the drive shaft was finished and has been shipped.

I repainted the fan and coil bracket just before closing up shop.
The windage tray and oil pan need to be installed, then most of the mechanical stuff related to the swap is done. Carpet, seats, console and dash/gauge wiring are still on the list too.

Oh yeah...I still need to paint the console parts!

[moparstuart]

With the crank bearings looking good and no obvious smoking gun with the rocker arms, cam and lifters, I decided that it is probably fine. I have been using the Comp Cams break in supplement in every oil change. The distributor drive gear looks great, the only thing left is the timing set and the fuel pup pushrod.
I got san email that the drive shaft was finished and has been shipped.

I repainted the fan and coil bracket just before closing up shop.
The windage tray and oil pan need to be installed, then most of the mechanical stuff related to the swap is done. Carpet, seats, console and dash/gauge wiring are still on the list too.

Oh yeah...I still need to paint the console parts!

stock fuel pump push rod ? or have you up graded to a hardened one ?  Newer Cams are harder , to hard for stock fuel pump rods  . My 440 ate one .  I had to upgrade to a Hughes Hardened Fuel pump Rod  and also went to a magnetic drain plug for safety .   Ruined a motor fast  but it was visible on the bearing pretty quick  .  Plus the car would start intermittenly as the rod was so short .  

[Kern Dog]

Hey, Stuart,
It is a stock pump pushrod. I haven't had any fuel related problems but then....I haven't been pushing the car real hard to reveal any weaknesses. I just thought that since everything else seemed fine, maybe it could be the pushrod.

The windage tray and pan are on. I used "The Right Stuff" sealant on each side of the gaskets. The bolts have red Locktite.

Someone suggested that I use a special racing oil with the additives already in rather than what I have been doing....using regular oil with the Comp Cams break in supplement.
Hey, I'm willing to take advice but I was quickly reminded why I've been doing it my way . Racing oil is expensive! Some at the Speed Shop were $15 a quart. Even the stuff I bought was $48 a gallon and this is a 6 quart pan. $72 for racing oil. For years, I've used conventional oil that I could get on sale for $22 for a 5 quart jug. Even adding in the $15 for the Comp Cams supplement, I'm under $50.
I did go ahead and use 10w30 Redline racing oil...

I left the drain plug UNpainted since the paint chips and flakes off each time I put a wrench on it.

[moparstuart]

i pushes it pretty hard that weekend  , we were at Martinville and got it going pretty fast on the track   

[moparstuart]

worth a check for sure  see if its shorter and cupped on top  

[Kern Dog]

That pushrod...Holy crap!

[Kern Dog]

I put some sound deadener matting on the transmission tunnel patch, then started installing the carpet.

[Kern Dog]

I didn't have those thin aluminum strips that go at the bottom of the rear side panels so I just tucked the carpet underneath.

[Kern Dog]

The old carpet was too short going up the firewall. I considered replacing it for years but needed a good reason. Now is the time.
See how short it is? It didn't even make it up to the HVAC unit or the steering column.

[Kern Dog]

The carpet is plenty long enough now.

[Kern Dog]

I was going to just clean the console and put it back in but nahhh....

[Kern Dog]

I'll glue some type of plastic to the underside of that cracked area to keep the crack from spreading then repaint the console. Putting it back in the way it looks now would be like putting old, weathered bumpers back on after a fresh paint job.

[Kern Dog]

The drive shaft came in today. S C O R E !
It is 3 1/2" in diameter and weighs 5 lbs more than the 3" one I had with the 727.

Fitting it into the trans was a small struggle. The yoke fits close to the rubber seal.

[Kern Dog]

The old shaft rubbed against the edge of the right muffler when the axle extended.... like when going over a hill. I must have moved something because it looks like there is plenty of clearance with this bigger driveshaft.

[Kern Dog]

I cleaned up the console, then took some ABS glue and stuck a section of plastic on the underside of the crack. I laid down three light coats of semi-flat black.

[Kern Dog]

Carpet is done, sill plates are in and I decided to use the plastic grommet for the dimmer switch.