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gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2005
10:29:32

Subject: RE: pre mag mods
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On your roller, the pushrods are 6 and 49/64 inches in length. That's a little more than an inch shorter than the non-roller cammed engines. Due to the greater forces being placed on them from the higher lift cam, and heavier springs required, it's just cheap insurance. At higher lifts, the OEM pushrods will tend to flex more, which will reduce your overall valve lift specs, and cheat you out of max performance. It's not a huge thing, but every bit helps, plus the added durability.
Regarding the speedo....Mopar trannys used a gear set (through 1995) where the speedo cable plugs into the tranny. This set can be changed to whatever you need to adjust for gears. There's a little formula they use. No big deal. I don't have it in front of me, but it's an inexpensive thing, and easily done. The gears are available through the usual Mopar suppliers. Since 3.92's are a common set, it'll be easy to get the right ones. I'll poke around and see what I can find over the next few days....gettin' kinda busy around here.



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2005
11:34:24

RE: pre mag mods
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thank you, i am just on a kinda tight budget so i dont want to buy anything that wont help me. Would the dealer have the speedo gear since it was a factory offered ratio? thank you for all of you help so far.



gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2005
17:51:04

RE: pre mag mods
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May very well have it in stock, but definitely can order it for you if not in the parts bin.



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/04/2005
19:42:00

RE: pre mag mods
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Good. I should have all of my junkyard parts by the end of April. My cam in May, and all the other miscellaneous parts by June. July is going to be the projected install month. I cant wait. My buudy has a 98 SS/T and I can wait to beat him. just for spite. there are a few cavaliers in town also that i would like to teach a lesson to. what i wanna do i get some quiet mufflers and then have cable operated cutouts just before them. Then im gonna replace my V8 badges with some V6 ones to throw people off. Will R/T rims fit my truck? i have seen them on a few other GenII's and I like the look alot



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2005
11:37:56

RE: pre mag mods
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I wont need longer pushrods will I? I was reading in the one truckin mag that i have that with higher lift cams you need longer pushrods to retain rocker arm geometry. Is that cam a big enough change to need longer pushrods?



gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2005
12:12:17

RE: pre mag mods
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No. The stock pushrod length is correct for your application.
On the wheels, you have 5-lugs right? The RT's are 6-lug. Now, it can be done if you swap out the front spindles and rear axle shafts with later ones.



Mike S.
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2005
13:43:12

RE: pre mag mods
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The 91 has 6 lugs and the R/T 17X9 wheels will fit. I had a set on mine the only problem is when you turn the wheel as sharp as it will go the inside of the rim rubs the lower control arm. I removed a small amount of material from the control arm with a grinder and the problem was solved(even though I rarely turned the wheel that sharp).

Mike S.



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2005
14:21:33

RE: pre mag mods
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Mike is right 91 is a GenII body style so it has 6 lug wheels. Thanks for all your guys' help so far. I wouldnt have known what to do without you guys. I plan on buying both of those books you recommended so I wont have to keep plagueing you with questions



Zac
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3/05/2005
20:50:02

RE: pre mag mods
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How much HP is that cam worth? roughly



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/05/2005
20:51:53

RE: pre mag mods
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one thing I forgot to ask is do i have to run special oil with that limited slip. or do i just run regular gear oil with an additive. where would i get the oil/additive



Mike S.
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2005
08:49:08

RE: pre mag mods
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The right cam can make or break a performance engine. Cam swaps alone(when other items have been swapped)can make big power gains. I'd say it should be worth 15-25hp. On the rear I run Mobile one fluid and limited slip additive from Autozone in my daily driver. You can run cheaper oil but I run all Mobile one fluids in my truck.

Mike S.



gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2005
14:58:21

RE: pre mag mods
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Okay, wasn't real clear just when they went to six lugs. Was that when they stretched the nose Mike? That whole deal is a mystery to me why they ever did that. I'd read where it was done for strength, but notice that the Rams kept 5-luggers? And now the latest Daks are back to fivers. So, like Mike said, that swap is a straight deal.
Anyway.... I'd expect a bit more from the cam being discussed since the cam you have is so small to begin with. Remember, the stocker is in the .373/.399 gross lift range, but the CC in question is .480/.480. That's quite a difference, and translates directly to HP. I'd be looking at more like 40 peak HP in addition to better intake and exhaust. Naturally, it's all speculation, and a little harder to pin down being a TBI deal. Any way you shake it, it's gonna be a torquey mill that no longer runs outta steam at 3500 rpm!
Ditto on the LSD additive.
Hey Zac, glad to help. The books are just so helpful to have as a reference, but, like Mike was explaining with the grinding he had to do in that wheel swap, there's also something to be said for practical experience. It's kinda neat helpin' out. You're coming up with so many of the same questions I had way back when.



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2005
15:24:10

RE: pre mag mods
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thanks guys. I was planning to do this install with the engine still in the truck. I was just gonna pull the rad, rad support, condenser and grill and then slide the cam out that way. Is it possible? I dont really want to pull the engine b/c it is my daily driver and i want as little down time as possible. I know I would be better with it but how bad will my engine be without a new cam? It would be a lot of work but 40HP is a lot to give up.



Zac
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3/06/2005
18:23:58

RE: pre mag mods
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I was thinking about getting the heads ported and polished before i put them on. Is it worth it? also how would I go about polishing the 360 TB? I wanted to clean up the bores and enlarge them before the throttle plates. do you guys have any suggestions or recommendations?



gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2005
19:52:03

RE: pre mag mods
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360 heads with a stock 318 cam? Talk about a dog! Bottom-end power will suck, and higher rpm power will improve minimally at best. The cops who drove the 360 headed 318's said they were such "pigs" they couldn't get out of their own way. Why? No cam. It's the cam that prompts the need for more airflow via the topside of the engine, not the other way around. All that extra capacity is wasted without a cam to make use of it. You'd be better off keeping the stock heads and intake, using the 360 TBI/PCM and adding the cam. You can change the cam as stated....with the radiator etc out of the way. Personally, I wouldn't get carried away with mods to the TBI. Cleanup, sure, but they're pretty clean already. Don't get carried away here. You're not building a 9-second SuperStocker. Port and polish of the heads is good. The heads always improve with a good cleanup, but it you're not gonna change the cam, don't bother with the 360 heads.



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/06/2005
23:15:27

RE: pre mag mods
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would I be able to use a 360 cam instead? I am trying to cut some costs here. If that wont work I will buy the cam, and springs and make do with the stock pushrods for now. Or I could take out a loan and do it all right. That may be my best option b/c it would be for no more than a grand. How many hours would it take to install the cam?



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2005
00:14:35

RE: pre mag mods
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I was searching other posts and I found hughesengines.com. Their prices are considerably cheaper than compcams but I wasn't sure which one to choose.
HER9204AL
Valve Lift 1.5
INT. .451"
EXH. .479"
duration @.050
INT. 192°
EXH. 204°
lobe seperation
114°

HER0814AL
Valve Lift 1.5
INT. .480"
EXH. .489"
duration @.050
INT. 208°
EXH. 214°
lobe seperation
114°

which of those two cams would parallel the compcams one?



gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2005
17:16:03

RE: pre mag mods
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In your case, neither. Those are Magnum-style cams, meaning they have no oil holes in the #2 and #4 cam journal. LA cams have these holes, and they are used to conduct oil up to the heads, to oil the valvetrain. Now, there are work-arounds to this, but it's potentially more work, and expense. Magnums oil the valvetrain through hollow pushrods and lifters that pass oil through those pushrods. Your engine may have this setup. My '89 did, but it still used cam journal oiling. Also, at $395 for a new one, it's more than the CC price. If you're considering a regrind, you need to check with them to see if there's enough meat on your to allow a regrind to said specs. The 360 LA cam is also miserably small, and while anything is an improvement over the 318 LA cam, .410 lift isn't worth the effort.
Go to Summitracing.com. Enter this number in the search blank: CCA-20-624-9.
What you will find is the CC cam we've talked about for $285.95.
Back in the day, I could do a water pump change on the Charger in 45 minutes flat, but the same job on my Dak took me over two hours because everything's so tight in the engine bay. Plan on the cam swap being an all-day event.



Zac
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2005
19:21:47

RE: pre mag mods
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could you give me all the specs for a cam that would work. I am going to take it to local shops and see if they cold get one. It would be cheaper and easier for me to get one locally or in the city.



gen1dak
Dodge Dakota
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3/07/2005
19:36:01

RE: pre mag mods
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The specs on either Hughes cam will work. If they'd grind one on an LA cam core, you'd be fine. The CC cam would be on the high end of workable cams without major electronic mods. So, lift figures less than .490, lobe separation in the 112-114 degree range, with duration @ .050 in the 195-210 degree range on the intake, a little more on the exhaust.



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