Dodge Aspen restoration project for my exam in one topic.

[Jack Meoff]

If it's for learning purposes then I guess....hey....why not.
As far as the knowledge to do it?

I leave that to our panel of experts....

 

[Kaitsu]

Yeah, I´m more of a cooker that follows already- invented recipes and instructions rather than start welding, cutting and drilling and trial and error. Are those 1970-1980 Slant engines and A883 transmission in any price in the American Continent? Here it´s probably 250 euros for engines and (if you could find one in reconditionable condition) 800 euros for the tranny since there aren´t many manuals imported to Finland. I guess our factory owners who had money for Aspen always wanted a Special Edition with automatic.

 

[Kaitsu]

The winter came. I bought studded tires and installed them. Now people tell me to get the F out of the road if I can´t accelerate without skidding at the stop lights. Here we can´t use snow chains.

How do you guys do your winter driving with US cars? I should know the tricks if I´m a trucker but it´s not the same with a passenger car. Should I put some weight on the rear axle like sandbags? I had my 1st drift on snow and found out I have a sure-grip so I guess more weight could solve something?

 

[slant6billy]

The slant and 4 speed combo is available on Craigslist and ebay. Keep in mind the 833 was available as a 4speed and as a 3speed with an overdrive. The 4 speed had a 1 to 1 final gear and was a stronger trans. The overdrives were ok for some mild power, but you get the mpg.

As for driving in weather. I try not to. I'm not kidding. Every moron jumps in their car with rain or snow and puts their head in their bunghole. If caught in the rain, I take it real slow. I almost wrecked last week. As for snow, presently it is a not going to happen with the Volare. However, back in the day when I was daily driving the Volare and my dad was driving his 83 5th, we had some tricks. We would fill a few 1 gallon containers with coarse sand and keep in the trunk. It can be used on the ground as a traction adder too. 4 to 5 gallon containers add some weight. Plus 2 gals of coolant. tool box and other gear kept weight in the rear. keep it over the rear wheels and not near the tail lights. You don't want to teetertotter the front end. 150 pounds at your rear bumper could lift the front end and take away some steering. So put the weight ballast right behind the rear seat. Good tires are a must. On stopping - clutch or neutral and feather pump the brakes. My dad used to back off the self adjusters in the rear drums every few days and not back up or reverse if he could help it. It prevented lock up. I did it as a cheap mans line lock to power brake my fronts to light up the back tires.

 

[Kaitsu]

I visited my dealer today and he had ordered parts waiting for payment. The cam he receommended (and had ordered) was a melling or something that began with "mel". I´m glad it wasn´t the Edelbrock one that you said was "chevy grind". He told me that the cam would give more low-medium torque and consume less fuel. Dunno how installing a performance cam would save fuel, but I guess it doesn´t matter as I can do 13 liter per 100 km with 318. I believe that 360 won´t eat up much more fuel than 318 even with the performer cam.

I now added 80 kg of rough gravel in my trunk. Didn´t seem to affect acceleration but now it won´t start slipping.
Pulled off a BMW 2 days ago when he had drifted himself into a ditch. His feelings were a bit mixed: he was glad that someone stopped to pull him off but sad that the one that saved him was a product of a country where "there is no replacement for displacement". Seriously, I barely had to touch the gas pedal when we started pulling.

 

[Kaitsu]

Has anyone heard of an American company called "Firm- Feel"? I red from the sales brochure that there was the handling package that included heavy duty suspension, shocks and sway bars but a special Firm- feel power steering as well. I already have some sort of power steering but I don´t know if there was a police/taxi special power steering systems as well?

 

[bremereric]

Sure have.

http://www.forfmjbodiesonly.com/classicmopar/showthread.php?53-Firm-Feel-Products

 

[Kaitsu]

This weekends task was to make a plan for an imaginary client. I used myself as my own customer and made an order for 1980 Dodge Aspen sedan Special Edition with 5.9 liter 4BBL V8, TorqueFlite automatic. You can see all the things the customer wants in his car. You think these are still available with some luck and time?
If the pic is too small to see the crossed options, I list the things here separately: (Dont worry, I copied the option page, didn´t mess with a original one.)
-LA360 (I already have)
-TF727 lock-up that was used behind the 360 according to a website with Aspen/Volare history. (don´t have)
-Sure-grip differential: I have the 8.25 with sure-grip. I´d like the 11" drum brakes.
-Handling package: new shocks, torsion bars and leaf springs with their brackets and mounts. Also included the Firm-Feel power steering which I don´t know for sure how that separates from the original power steering?
-Full power range: brakes, seat and steering I have. Locks and windows not.
-AC: manual AC Ive got. would like to upgrade to SATC we´ve talk about so much. Maximum cooling system I don´t know what that is?
-Sport look aluminium wheels. Don´t have them either.
-AM/FM cassette stereo: I hope these are C-cassette players instead of 8-tracks.
-Three spoke wheel: I have tilt-column two spoke wheel, can I install 3- spoke into original steering column?
I think this would be a car for the fancy-pant, 50 year old man but I want to see the effort to get as exclusive Aspen there was at the date assembled.

 

[Superpac Ninja]

I have heard good thing about there products

 

[Jack Meoff]

Nice options....
Let us know how it prices out...

 

[Kaitsu]

Yeah, I´ll be one happy man after my car gets out of assembly line. However, some options didn´t open up to me. Why is maximum cooling wanted? Is it engin cooling or AC- cooling related?

 

[Blackbirdsrt78]

I would say that the max cooling option would have to be engine cooling as there is really no difference in AC parts it either has AC or doesn't. However there are different size radiators. more rows, and wider for hot climates. being in Finland having a beefy radiator is probably not necessary. That would be an option for the deep south or the desert communities.

 

[Blackbirdsrt78]

Has anyone heard of an American company called "Firm- Feel"? I red from the sales brochure that there was the handling package that included heavy duty suspension, shocks and sway bars but a special Firm- feel power steering as well. I already have some sort of power steering but I don´t know if there was a police/taxi special power steering systems as well?

Dick at Firm Feel is a very knowledgeable guy and will provide any info or advice if you contact him. their products are pricey but they are TOP NOTCH hands down the end all suspension upgrade source for mopars

 

[Kaitsu]

I need to give them a call when I get into the steering and chassis. Now, however, my machining salesman called me to say that the engine is ready with parts in 2 weeks. Had to wait for a few months since its a small shop with many engines under work at the same time. I´d now need your humble opinions about painting the engine: What was the original color of engines at the era? Some old folk tell me MoPar V8s were bright orange and Slant Sixes were sky blue. However, their opinions won´t always be the correct ones, I heard this engine color tale from a local biker pub... Not to say those guys don´t know stuff, but noticing their lifestyle, their memory might fail them when remembering stuff from their youth. Which was even more rad than their life is now.

Off- topic: Why do older folk say the todays youth has gone wild? When I listen to the old graybeards, they tell me stories about the late 60s, 70s and early 80s about how it was okay to bang anything that had a beaver and smoke and swear and drink and fight. And they still do that when theyre in their 60s or 70s or 300s, I don´t actually know.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Your engine would be blue

Blue* - Mopar P4349217*(Medium blue color)*

* 1972-1983 All production engines except the 2.2


http://www.dippy.org/forum2/index.php?topic=106.0

This is a black and white picture but it shows you which parts to paint black.

Some more good pics and info here

http://www.allpar.com/slant6.html

 

[Kaitsu]

Thanks. How are engines painted at the factory? I guess there is something special to make the paint stick in after heating, cooling, reheating and chemicals that might spill onto the paint? What does the paint include? I hope they aren´t banned or regulated in EU since at least you can´t get it from retail sales here.

 

[Jack Meoff]

.....

High Heat engine enamel.

 

[Kaitsu]

So you can get it from a spray can? That sounds awesome! When you paint your engine, is it better to first assemble heads and oil pan to block before paint or paint everything individually?

 

[Jack Meoff]

So you can get it from a spray can? That sounds awesome! When you paint your engine, is it better to first assemble heads and oil pan to block before paint or paint everything individually?

Generally the factory would paint them assembled

 

[BHA43]

They were assembled, even had bypass hoses, spark plugs ground straps etc that got over spray!