Tremec 5 speed swap into a '70 Charger

[Kern Dog]

The reservoir for the master cylinder is a remote unit. SST included a bracket that allowed the installer to mount it anywhere that is convenient. It has a hole spacing identical to the 4 bolt pattern of the stock master cylinder so I placed it there.

[Kern Dog]

The master cylinder is now free and clear since I cut off the shifter tab.

[Kern Dog]

With the clutch linkage figured out, I can put the fresh air vent back in place. The gasket was still intact so I just squirted some weatherstrip adhesive on the vent and taped the gasket won to let it set up before reinstalling it. Once it is back in, I can pull the carpet.

[Kern Dog]

Also, I thought about installing this on my console, over the wood grain, as the console is the only part in the car with wood grain on it:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/DMT-Mopar-68-70-B-Body-Auto-Console-Black-Leather-Look-Vynil-Overlay-Sticker/360907378916?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649

I just ordered this! Thank you for the link.
The black textured plastic would have worked but would have taken longer and maybe wouldn't have looked as nice. I would have to find a way to attach it to the top plates either by carriage bolts or button head screws.
I also ordered carpet from Rock Auto. Black with "Mass Backing".

[Kern Dog]

I've been lazy the last 3 days but today I got off of my ass and did a few things. With weather like this, it would be a shame to ride the couch today.

[Kern Dog]

The 727 is out. Not a terribly difficult job but headers do make it harder to get the lower right "backwards bolt" out. I had to unbolt the header at the head and wedge it away from the block enough to get a wrench in.

[Kern Dog]

The oil stains on the tubes show that I still have an oil leak. October 2019 I changed the oil pan gasket, this time I went with that molded plastic one with the imbedded rubber strips. The pan rails are dry on the sides but still weep at the timing cover and below the rear main.

[Kern Dog]

The leak could be from the valve cover. I see no leaks when the car sits idling, it only does it during and after a drive. Maybe oil pools up and floods the rear of the valve cover and drips though?

Regardless...I'll have a little down time so maybe I'll replace the oil pan and valve cover gaskets and see.

Every few months, I put the car on the lift and spray oily spots underneath with gasoline from a spray bottle. It is the cheapest and most effective at cleaning the oil and grime off. I've tried Degreasers and they barely work. Gasoline is the winner here.

I forgot to mention....While removing the torque converter bolts, I found THIS.
Two good lugs. One cracked and the 4th one broken out completely. GOOD thing I was doing this swap. How long before the last 2 would have cracked and let the engine freewheel? This would suck to have happen on a road trip. Who carries an extra flexplate on a road trip?

[Kern Dog]

I cleaned the oil streaks with lacquer thinner and a Scotch Brite, then sprayed them with VHT High Temp "Dull Aluminum".

[Kern Dog]

The back of the block didn't show any signs of leaks but some oil streaks leaked in. I sprayed gas in here too to clean it up.

[Kern Dog]

Next up was measuring for runout.
The Tremec transmissions are built to tighter tolerances than our classic 833s were. Because of that, they have to be installed as close to being  perfectly centered with the crank as possible, within .006. Yeah, who has done THIS before?
Not me.
The task isn't that hard but setting up the dial indicator I have was a pisser. The gauge is big and the rods and knobs all take up space. The bellhousing pilot hole is about 4 3/4" so there isn't much room to work.

[Kern Dog]

The way that I did it:
I picked a spot and set the gauge to ZERO, then rotated the engine using a breaker bar and socket. I took semi-random spots to measure. As it turns out, the easiest way is to just find the  point closest to centerline then take measurements from there. That is how I did it accidently. This makes all the numbers grow from there rather than to go negative.
Starting from ZERO, spin the engine a full revolution and when you get back to the starting point again, the gauge should return to ZERO. If it doesn't, a mistake was made and you will need to start over. Look to make sure that NO part of the dial indicator makes contact with anything.
I checked it three times and each time, the numbers showed  .027 off of zero. This means that IF I move the bell half of that distance to the LEFT, I will be perfectly centered. I need .0135 offset dowels to get there. The ones I bought were .007 so I'll need to order the next size UP which are......014. That will get me almost perfectly in the middle!

[GreenMachine]

Ever since I tore apart my first Mopar engine/trans, it amazed me how all the power of the engine goes through that flimsy flexplate. Some even have windows cut in them below each of the bolt holes too, for what? to save 3 oz of weight? Maybe to make it flex more? I know they work fine up to a certain power level, but I always swap mine out for a round aftermarket flexplate. I'm no engineer, but I think just being round greatly increases the strength and resists cracking, it wouldn't flex as much, but does it really need to?

[Kern Dog]

Engineering is an interesting thing.
I've been in construction since the 80s so I have seen the industry change over time. Nowadays we add all sorts of reinforcements to withstand earthquakes and high winds. Something as simple as sheets of 3/8" plywood nailed to the walls tremendously strengthens the building.
Regarding the flexplate:
I have a buddy with a 360 Valiant. He had a stock flexplate crack 2 ears off like this one did. It is barely stronger than a stock mill. Maybe his engine and trans were beyond the acceptable limits of runout and the misalignment resulted in cracking?
This is the first time I have had it happen to me.
I was going to use this flexplate in Jigsaw but screw that...It is going in the scrap pile. I'll take a stock one and drill it oversize for the 7/16" bolts that this converter uses.

[Kern Dog]

With the 727 out and the SST bell housing in place (At least temporarily) I looked at the instructions on what to do next. The instructions state to measure from the bellhousing and drill two reference holes in the trans tunnel. These two holes are used from inside the car to lay a paper template on the top of the trans tunnel to show where to cut. The Tremec install does not require any structural cutting, just a rectangle shaped opening that will be covered by a sheet metal box sort of like this:

[Kern Dog]

I mentioned before the tendency when working on a big project to keep finding more and more things to do....I call it The Snowball Effect.
Succumbing to that often turns a 3 week project into 3 years.
It is tempting to address every little thing you see when the car is apart. It makes sense to fix things that are now right in front of you but at the same time, you have to know that each diversion delays the finish.
Some things you can't ignore, stuff that gets buried makes sense to fix even if it delays the completion.

I figured to leave the exhaust connected to hold the engine in position. Once I removed the right header, I started to think about how the engine has sat out of level for awhile. The passenger side sat lower by a noticeable amount. I figured that with a new transmission going in, I should get the engine sitting right.

[darbgnik]

"While you're in there's" can really enlarge a project. Which is why when I start a task, I aim to have the car back together in a weekend, at all costs. I know me, if it got out of hand, it would get waaaay out of hand....

[Kern Dog]

The rubber in the right side motor mount was 1 inch thick and cracked. A new replacement I had stashed away was 1 1/4".
I made a steel plate for a shim to slip between the motor mount and K member but wanted to see if the thicker motor mount would be enough.

[Kern Dog]

Now the engine sits slightly higher on the right. I expect the rubber to compress a bit after driving the car.

The center link sits out of level though. I suspect the Idler arm mount needs to be modified to get the angle corrected.

[Kern Dog]

"While you're in there's" can really enlarge a project. Which is why when I start a task, I aim to have the car back together in a weekend, at all costs. I know me, if it got out of hand, it would get waaaay out of hand....

Yep...If I were to allow myself to stop to address every small thing, I'd be too old to drive the car by the time I'm done.

[Kern Dog]

Another One of the reasons that it made sense to get the engine level is that the hole to be cut in the trans tunnel is determined by the position of the engine.
The instructions state to measure from the trans mounting face on the bellhousing and mark the underside of the center of the tunnel. The rearmost measurement is supposed to be clear of the torsion bar crossmember.
If the engine is out of square or out of level, the measurements are meaningless. 
I was able to get the engine level side to side but fore and aft is a difficult target. All V8s sit out of level, low at the firewall end. 
The SST kit came with a new dropped crossmember and trans mount so that height is already established. The trouble is, with the floor intact, I can't fit the trans in place. I can't figure exactly where to cut the floor because I don't know the proper angle that the engine and trans will be once completed. With no trans in place, measuring from the bell with the back of the engine too low results in the hole in the floor being too far rearward.
I suspect that I had the back of the engine too low since many years ago when I changed the trans crossmember. I had a Gear Vendors overdrive and everyone told me that the trans tunnel would need dimpling at the 10:00 and 2:00 positions. Mine cleared with about 1/2".  Now is the time to get it right. This will probably mean that I'll need to cut the exhaust pipes and angle them a little to sit squarely to the header collectors.

[Kern Dog]

The instructions do state that the rearmost hole should be just forward of the torsion bar crossmember. I used the jackstand to raise the back of the engine so that I would get a correct measurement from the bell to the trans tunnel.

[Kern Dog]

Holes are drilled now.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Excellent write up on the install.   

Thanks for the info on the gear venders, now I just need to make up my mind and either get it or do some sort of swap.

[XH29N0G]

Really enjoy this.