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Old 08-23-2003, 09:12 AM   #16
frankendart
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Sorry for such a long post...

While the Lightning is the fastest P/U built, at 380 hp that 5.4L V8 is "all in", if you know what I mean. You friend won't see a hp gain, because it's already there. It's built in to the base of the trucks performance. A good comparison for the lightning would be an F150 with a normally asperated 5.4L vs. the Lightning. You'd get a better picture of the benefit the blower actually gives the Lightning. In any case, even at 5000 feet, I'm sure that Lightning doesn't suck!

On the other hand, any performance you include on your V6 will yield a benefit to you. A larger throttle body alone will flow more air into the cylinders. With a cam holding the intake vales open a little longer and wider, you'll take better advantage of a larger TB. Upgrade the ignition to something with a longer duration spark, or a multi-spark, and add bigger injectors to take advantage of the better spark, and you'll see some seriou hp increases for a stock V6. Down the road you can reprogram the computer. The nice part about these mods is that you can do them one at a time, as your budget allows, and see small hp gains with each, and they are quick to do. Your van won't become a planter in your driveway!!!

Now, the blower. If you decide to add a blower (and it WILL make a BIG DIFFERENCE IN PERFORMANCE), do your research first. There is a wide range of blowers and turbos available (stay away from the turbos, engine bay is too tight for the necessary exhaust routing), but you will have to to some fab work. That's not as difficult as it might sound.

When you buy a blower kit for a small block MoPar, it's usualy meant for a 5.2L or a 5.9L. pickup truck or Durango. The difference is room under the hood. Most of the fab work needed will be for brackets. Because of the difference in engine compartment lay out between a p/u and a van, you MIGHT have to reconfigure the geometry or the belt drive system to get it to fit under the hood. If it turns out that brackets are all you need, make a cardboard template of the shape ofthe bracket you need, don't forget to mark the bolt holes. Then you're ready for the salvage yard.
You can normally find a bracket there that will work for you. You might have to do some trimming and/or drill new bolt holes, but better than half the time you'll find something that will work. Don't limit your search to MoPars. Look at all the different brands. Brackets are brackets. if you find one that will work, the manufacturer is irrelivent. I once used a modified small block Chevy bracket to relocate the altinator on my 72 Dodge Dart. If all else fail, you can make your own bracket from a piece of 3/16" or 1/4" mild steel. You can cut this stuff with a good hand held jig and a metal cutting blade, and drill it with a hand held electric drill if necessay. You can also take your template to a sheet metal shop, and they will make the bracket for you.

Anyway, you get the picture. There are plenty of options available to you, in a wide price range, at various skill levels. Good luck with any project you decide on. You have a wonderful vehicle as a base line. Have fun with it. V6's don't have to be dogs, they can be highly efficient and fun to drive. It's your job to make it that way.

Enjoy,
Frank
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Old 10-29-2003, 01:38 PM   #17
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Talking Rm van

I have a 1983 Dodge Ram van with a 318ci standard four on the floor.Runs like a champ, has duel exhaust with glass packs makes a nice growl.Have only seen one other with a standard on the floor.Which is the problem i'm having now. When i got the van the clutch was'nt working so i went through it and found that the guy that owned it tried to fabricate a clutch linkage mount bracket (attaches to the chassis)seems he could'nt find parts either. did'nt work.Have done a lot of junk yard surfing no one has one and most didnt know the vans came with a standard on the floor.I have restored all the carpet. turned out real good considering i had no idea what i was doing.Need some new window frames the others are old looking.Working on an entertainment system, my son Joshua wants the video games set up. Keep him occupied.I want to have the exhaust come out in front of the rear wheels but not sure if its legal to do that?
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Old 11-01-2003, 07:06 PM   #18
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Re: Rm van

Quote:
Originally Posted by gopnod
1) When i got the van the clutch was'nt working so i went through it and found that the guy that owned it tried to fabricate a clutch linkage mount bracket (attaches to the chassis)seems he could'nt find parts either. did'nt work.Have done a lot of junk yard surfing no one has one and most didnt know the vans came with a standard on the floor.

2) I want to have the exhaust come out in front of the rear wheels but not sure if its legal to do that?
If you can come up with the specification for clutch linkage bracket from a MoPar parts manual, you could probably have one machined at a local machine shop. I knew that there were some vans produced with manual trans/floor shifters, but I have never seen one. It's truly a rare bird!

I had side exit exhaust pipes on my '76 B200 van. They looked great! I don't know of any law against them.

Frank
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Old 11-27-2003, 12:59 PM   #19
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Re: Re: Rm van

Quote:
Originally Posted by frankendart
If you can come up with the specification for clutch linkage bracket from a MoPar parts manual, you could probably have one machined at a local machine shop. I knew that there were some vans produced with manual trans/floor shifters, but I have never seen one. It's truly a rare bird!

I had side exit exhaust pipes on my '76 B200 van. They looked great! I don't know of any law against them.

Frank
I'm waiting until spring, and I've got my hands on a 78 1/2 ton snub nose, with a home done three speed standard done from an
automatic. The old guy that owns itcut open the floor, the tranny casing and hook it up with two, count em, two shifters. One for 1st and reverse and the other is 2nd and 3rd. He showed me the motor bay, new rad, exhaust, suspension everything has tags still on it! The best for last, this van has 77, 000 original kms on it! Still with me? Good. As for body work, minimal. I think I have to weld in some patches on the side doors. It will pass safety today! The guy saw me lookin at his van and I asked him about it. He grinned ear to ear and let me take it out for a drive. He goes to me, you got the hang of it, but your going too slow. Let me show you how it's done. This 75 year old man ripped it around like it was goin out of style, laughin at the top of his lungs! He got rubber in 1st and 2nd. Then he let me do it. We went home, I looked under it, mint. He's been sealing the frame with tar from day one.
I jabbed at it with my keys, damned if icould find a soft spot. He's got the sale forms for it from the dealership. Oh, and in his garage is a 76 Monte Carlo with 20,000 klicks on it. I had a heart attack. He promised me that he'd sell me the van in the spring cause he was getting too old to drive. He was glad I showed up because he thought no-one would want it. He was goin to scrap it! I said please no. But I can't wait to go to some cruise nights with my son this summer. He's two weeks old. The van is dark green with a black runner along the bottom, black rims and cop car hub caps. I am sooooo stoked. I'm only 29 years old. I've wanted this van since I can remeber, as my dad always had vans, and still has a dodge. It's an 87 with a 318. The 78 has the slant six 283, you know, the indestructible one! Wha-hooooooo!!!
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Old 11-28-2003, 09:58 AM   #20
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Geez!!! THat sounds TOO Good!!! WHen you land that thing, how about posting some pic. I'd love to see it, especially the shifter set up..

Good luck to ya!

Frank
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Old 12-01-2003, 07:26 PM   #21
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Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Yeah man. When I get er home, I'll have bunch of photos for you guys. Right now she' got shifters made out of swing set, but I'm thinkin' maybe chrome shift levers topped with pistol grips out of a 70's charger, or maybe some door knobs. So many ideas!!!
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Old 12-02-2003, 04:17 AM   #22
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Re: Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Quote:
Originally Posted by Gurgus
I'm thinkin' maybe chrome shift levers topped with pistol grips out of a 70's charger, or maybe some door knobs. So many ideas!!!
How about beer tap handles. you know, the kind they use in bars for Bud and Coors and stuff. They make excellent gear shift knobs.
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Old 12-02-2003, 05:58 AM   #23
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Re: Re: Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Quote:
Originally Posted by frankendart
How about beer tap handles. you know, the kind they use in bars for Bud and Coors and stuff. They make excellent gear shift knobs.
Brilliant idea! Whatever I do, there's two shifters so I can do two of the same or two different. Whatever ends up being there, I'm going to incorporate the original automatic column shift as a reverse guard if you will. Something to keep myself from shifting from first to reverse in case I forget what I'm driving. Geez, it's going to be a long winter waiting. I've got some plans that are going to get refined, but I'm sure of one thing, it's gonna be killer. I've got my father-in-law ready to build all the cabinetry. He's a master carpenter and cabinet builder. I'm thinking a small closet behind the driver seat with a space for the tv, dvd player and x-box to start with. Some kind of sliding door behind the front seats and some sort of fold away bed/seat. Sweet, but raunchy.
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Old 12-28-2003, 12:47 PM   #24
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Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

I have a 79 1 ton with a 12' steel box. Came with a 440 (in storage right now) runnin a 360 right now. I want to put a diesel in it. Where would I look for info to do that. Does dodge offer a diesel powered van?
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Old 02-07-2004, 04:08 PM   #25
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Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Quote:
Originally Posted by frankendart
Sorry for such a long post...

While the Lightning is the fastest P/U built, at 380 hp that 5.4L V8 is "all in", if you know what I mean. You friend won't see a hp gain, because it's already there. It's built in to the base of the trucks performance. A good comparison for the lightning would be an F150 with a normally asperated 5.4L vs. the Lightning.
Adding a Kennebell blower in place of the factory piece will gain 100 HP., not to mention the other mpds available. The 5,4 in the Lightning is FAR from all in. Your Bias is showing. LOL.
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Old 02-08-2004, 09:07 PM   #26
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Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Quote:
Originally Posted by Cascadeur
This it my baby
Hey, that's nice. And now that I'm off the tangent I went on above, in answer to the original question, I got a 1985 B350 ex-ambulance. Unfortunately, it's currently parked 2 1/2 hours N/W of here behind a restaurant. I'm a Ford guy but for some reason have a soft spot for those big ole Dodge vans!! ESPECIALLY 1 tons.

Any forums on these things???
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Old 03-28-2004, 10:26 AM   #27
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Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

My daily driver is a -89 B250, 318 V8, 4speed automatic with lockup converter.

Tomas
Gothenburg, Sweden


-89 B250
-63 Dart 270 4 door
-64 Dart GT V8
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Old 03-28-2004, 04:22 PM   #28
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Re: Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Quote:
Originally Posted by anarkist61
Lightning is FAR from all in. Your Bias is showing. LOL.
You might be right.
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Old 04-18-2004, 11:35 AM   #29
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Re: Re: Re: Anyone with full size mopar vans out there??????

Quote:
Originally Posted by frankendart
You might be right.
Hery. at least we CAN laugh about it!!! Actually my boss has a Lightning AND a H-D p/up. The lightning's been chipped, etc. he figures north of 400 horses. Says "That truck scares the S*** outa me sometimes!!!"
hell. I've even seen him drive it in a snowstorm when his "work" trucks in the shop!!
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Old 06-04-2004, 08:45 PM   #30
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Ram Wagons

Hi All, Just Found This Site. I'm On My Second Van Now. First Was An 87 Ram Wagon, Went 308,000 Mi. Before I Gave It To My Son. Now Have A 99 Ramwagon Short Wheelbase, 318, Auto . I Love These Vans. Any Body Out There Know Where I Can Find A Dual Exhaust Conversion. Most Of The Manufacturers Have Forgotten Vans, All They Know Is Pickups And Suv's.
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