02 Dakota Quadcab SAS - 4x360x40s...

alright - got a set of 2wd engine mounts bolted up to the block, and the engine is in place 👍 . Now I can fab up the frame brackets, exhaust, and extend the shroud a couple inches, and it's pretty much ready for 'final assembly'.

so this was kinda cool. I was checking out water pumps for my 360, and I noticed something interesting about the Gates replacement pumps for the magnum engines - they have a really nice, 'better' bypass nipple in their pumps...at least in the pictures of their pumps. The original nipples are 1" NPT (I think), and they have two slots in the edge...the edge that is supposed to seal the nipple to the hose...and I just thought what a stupid way to design a nipple. But the Gates pumps have a nipple that is solid all the way around...and so I picked up the phone. Talking with the tech guy at Gates, I asked...hey can I order just the nipple? Long story short, he took my info and a few weeks later I found a small box with 4 of their full-ring nipples at my doorstep - they didn't even charge me which was just extra cool. In case anyone would like to upgrade their magnum bypass nipples, the pn is #43034.

Hat's off to Gates - I sent this schematic...and they did the rest 👍



...I don't know how a nipple with two giant slots in it is supposed to seal to a hose...but the full-seal Gates nipples should definitely seal 'better'. Note the internal hex slots to install them -



and speaking of 'how to install them', I used a 1/2" bolt with a nut that fits perfect, and just crank it in -







oh yeah, it's painted

horray - it's in...I think for good this time. Ultimately went with a pair of nice simple p-side motor mounts from a 94-98 Grand Cherokee (same # for each side), which gave me plenty of room for center dump manifolds 👍 . BTW, the Wix 51515 is the 'longer' oil filer, which according to my research and talking with Wix is the same filter spec for the magnum...just longer, and hence 'more better filterage'...







Pics of the motor mounts and frame plates -

alright - in order to 'match' the exhaust configuration I had with the 440 I settled on a nice set of Lil Red Express center dump exhaust manifolds, 4041466, that I got from a friend in my local Mopar club. These were the OE pre-smog center dump units on the mid-late 70's truck 318s and 360s, with the same 1-7/8" collector exit port size that are on the 71 340 center dump manifolds and the 02 magnum manifolds, and should work perfect for the truck. I have a pair of the 71 340 p-side center dump manifolds, but I decided on these because they have smaller port sizes (still bigger than the magnum cylinder head exhaust ports but smaller than the giant 340 inlets) have a bigger 'interior' and should flow every bit as good as the 340's, and have more cooling fins. I removed the p-side heat riser hardware, will have the holes welded closed, and just like the 440 manifolds the center sections had both warped 'away' from the head face, so also just like the 440 manifolds I flat-planed the head face to get everything nice n flush, and clean. Then I'll have them sand-blasted and I'll coat them with POR-15 Manifold Gray paint - should make for a long-lasting and leak-free seal for another 100,000 miles.

Meanwhile, the radiator is at C-fab (with my local TIG guru Wayne) getting a couple mods, and I'm whittling away on the remaining items before firing it back up including: ram-assist hoses, pwr steering pump mounts and plumbing, fuel lines and Sniper linkage, trans cooler lines, alternator wiring, air cleaner...and of course, exhaust.





using a nice flat steel plane and 36 grit paper and the majority of the elbow grease focused on the outer ports, after several hundred 'back n fourths'...the center section(s) went from no contact at all...to this -



...and ultimately to this -

...crossing off the list of small stuff. Bolted on the Jegs "Magnum" thermostat housing (#53251), sensors installed in the intake, and got a 45* heater hose fitting to make connecting to the heater hose a cinch. Have a nice HVH "Super Sucker" 2bbl carb adapter ready to bolt on, and used a children's Tylenol syringe to pre-fill the ram and ram hoses - worked awesome, very little mess, exhaust is nearly done, fuel lines done. Getting close to plugging in the EFI wiring...and firing it up.

45* heater hose fitting from Discount Hydraulic Hose (3/8 npt x 5/8 hose) - 4503-10-06 | 5/8" Hose Barb x 3/8" NPTF Male 45°

Jegs Magnum t-stat housing - https://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS/555/53251/10002/-1#

...just like I wanted, the 360 turned out looking pretty much just like the 440 👍







...the 2bbl getting plumbed up -

...had the manifolds sandblasted locally for $60, and not surprisingly upon close inspection noticed some minor cracks in the outer fins. Didn't appear to be too deep, at least not that I could see naked eye, and in light of trying to prevent further damage I ground out the cracks and cleaned up the channels. I was going to use POR-15 High-Temp exhaust paint, but the same place that blasted also does power coating, including Cerakote (essentially very high temp powder coat), and for just another $60 I opted to give that a try.

Modified the 440's y-pipe with 2" mains to match the manifolds (also the same OE size for a magnum 360). Considering the 'low-rpm' nature of this engine I can't imagine the design of these manifolds will induce any realistic performance limitations, and being center-dump I gain all the clearance I wanted 👍 . All torqued to spec and ready to go -

blasted, showing where the cracks were in the fins -

trans cooler brackets and fan shroud extension are figured out and ready for paint 👍 . Trans cooler brackets keep the lines away from the exhaust and engine pulleys, and the shroud is a 2-part unit that extends the tunnel to the now-further-back fan. I still need to trim the back edge of the tunnel extension to allow about 1/4 of the fan to be 'exposed' to allow the fan to 'expel' the air and not force all of it onto the front of the engine and accessories (alternator, pumps, etc) - should work great.

Also relocated the radiator outlet port down a bit - should allow for cooler coolant back into the engine -

well shoot. Started to refill my cooling system this morning only to discover that despite my best efforts to keep it safe the radiator somehow got a small pinhole...and coolant is leaking out (bottom pic). I've decided to go back to a stock off-the-shelf radiator and make this one available for $200 (normally an $800 radiator). I figure there may be someone out there who can use a super-high-capacity Dakota/Durango radiator and knows a good radiator repair place to fix the small hole and can take advantage of this one.








- Sam

alrighty - the previous (OE) radiator is back in place (the same one the 440 first used), coolant has been filling the system all weekend, and no leaks 👍 . The lower rad hose is an OE unit, and the upper is from the next earlier gen Dakota 98-99 ish (which does not have the rad cap 'insert' inline with the hose - the rad cap is in the radiator), I spliced the OE 02 rad cap insert unit inline, and worked perfectly to get around the A/C compressor - worked awesome.

I'm not worried about the OE radiator cooling the engine - it did so effortlessly when this engine was between the fenders before the buildup began and I'm sure it will do so again, not to mention the 440 initially ran 'warm' because I had the wrong thermostat in it, which is why I got the big Wizard rad to begin with. Plus, honestly I'm happy to have an off-the-shelf (read - easy to replace) radiator back in place - raises the reliability/maintainability factor to the very top 👍 .

Made the necessary mods to (re)position the fan shroud back in place to centerline on the fan, the extensions are in place, trans cooler and lines are all in position and connected, and I'm giving everything a close inspection and once-over, and cleaning up the shop in preps for firing it all up. All systems "Go".

I decided to swap engines 4 months ago (Nov 29th), and after working ~1.5 hrs nearly every single morning since I'm happy to say the swap is 'done'. The original 360 had ~125k miles on it and ran perfectly, so instead of a full rebuild I decided to refresh/restore it down to the rear main seal. Here's a quick recap -

Bottom end: Original bearings and rings, nearly no ridge, new rear main seal
Heads: Tanked and fluxed - no cracks, and even the guides were still good; surfaced, new seals and springs to match the Comp cam, and Extreme Duty head gaskets #519SD).
Cam: CampCams 20-745-9: 212-218 (264/270), .480/.480, 114* LSA, with matching springs
Valve train: Restored the lifters/pushrods/and all hardware (sonic cleaner is awesome)
Oil Pan: Ram/Jeep magnum (not Dakota/Durango) with custom oil baffle, matching pickup tube, and OE '02 Dakota/Durango dipstick (required new 'full' 5-quart mark scribed on dipstick)
Intake: Edelbrock 7577, with HVH Super Sucker 2bbl carb adapter
Induction: Holley Sniper 2300 2bbl with matching HyperSpark ignition
Motor mounts: 94 Jeep GC (pass-side x2)
Exhaust: pair of mid-late 70's pre-smog center dump truck manifolds (4041466), Cerakoted
Alternator: OE 02 Dak, with old-school voltage regulator
Power Steering: PSC pump with remote reservoir
Valve Covers: Mopar Performance

Now it's time to see if I got it right











stainless bolts and nylon washers hold the shroud extensions in place - looks good, won't rust or mar the paint -



trimmed the back edge of the extensions to allow the back of the fan to be about 1/3 'out', which should help evacuate the air. Jury's out on whether that was a good decision or not, and I'll know soon -

One of my goals all along is to have as 'clean' an engine compartment as reasonably possible (meaning to be the least bit 'stinky' as possible), and to that end I routed the valve cover breather to the air box.



Picked up this nice stainless steel 5/8 bulkhead fitting -


...secured it in the airbox below the filter because I didn't want the engine intake air draw to be 'competing' with the breathers' intake air draw - probably inconsequential but whatever -


...and clamped on a simple filter just to keep debris out -


So now any valve cover 'inhaling' will come from the filtered clean air, and any 'exhaling' will at least be captured in the airbox...and such vapors should get drawn into the air cleaner and burned...which should help keep things less 'stinky'. I can't imagine it'll hurt...

Along the same vane, I came across some info stating that the Snipers run best with a 'fixed orifice' PCV valve. Many PCV valves...including the OE Mopar one I (was) using...have a variable orifice (and variable rate) based on the spring and plunger under variable vacuum (throttle) loads, but, there are many many many threads talking about how the 'variable' PCV valves can make a Sniper's ability to precisely meter the idle control quite difficult...and the solution from every reputable source including Holley tech and EFI Sys Pro is to use a 'fixed orifice' PCV valve. I am very surprised I'm only just now hearing about this, and it is not mentioned in the instructions anywhere. I only came across it when I was asking EFI Sys Pro about my gas tank vapor hose being routed to the secondary manifold vacuum nipple (no problem there BTW).

A fixed orifice PCV is just as it sounds - no spring-loaded plunger valve, just a permanent, single, small hole, in most cases I've read the hole is to be 0.100", or juuuust under 1/8" (0.125), although I'm told 1/8" is plenty fine so - the main issue being so long as the orifice size doesn't change. I can buy a simple fixed orifice PCV valve...but they're for a Chevy (of course) and bigger than the 1/2" Mopar valve cover grommet I have (of course).

So, I cracked apart my plastic PCV valve, tossed the plunger and spring, filled it full of JB Weld, clamped it back together, and drilled a hole through the epoxy just under 1/8", and stuck it all back together this morning. Problem (allegedly) solved.

Makes me wonder how much grief this issue might have been giving me the whole time with the 440 and the 4bbl Sniper... ...

Standard Mopar PCV valve -


...gutted -


Filled with JB weld, drilled just under 0.100", and 're-assembled' (glued together) -


Meanwhile, as best I understand, this is the correct diagram for the front vacuum ports on the 2300 series 2bbl Snipers (and back of the 4500 4bbl units) -


- Sam

...I might have figured it out. I pulled the valve cover, and everything looked 'good' - all the rocker bolts were tight, and I could just barely spin the pushrods of the valvetrain on the base circle. So everything appeared to be 'good'. Wiped off the Fel-Pro reusable valve cover gasket and bolted it back together - total time to R&R the valve cover about 1/2 hour (Magnum engineering for the major win 👍 ). So...having not found anything obviously wrong, what else could it be.

Remembering that Hemi's are very particular about the oil they use (particularly the lifters), I re-read the owners manual and there in black n white it says the oil viscosity spec for the engine is 10w30...and I had 10w40 in it (specifically Lucas Hot Rod & Classis w/ ZDDP) . I don't remember why I opted for 10W40...but I did and there it is (probably an 'old-school mentality' that thicker oil is mo'bettah - not). Now...it was a long shot, but knowing the Hemi's are picky about the oil they use I thought maybe the Magnum's are too - I know the tolerances of the hydraulic lifters are very, very precise, so what could it hurt. This morning I drained the 10w40 and poured in 10w30, regular off-the-shelf Orielly house blend (no high-zinc requirement now 👍 ), and a new filter.

I didn't really expect much of a difference, but I think I can honestly say it is running quieter 👍 . If the lifters indeed require the slightly thinner oil flowing in/around/through them...well this may just be the ideal case study. Now...I think I might have some leak(s) coming from the p-side exhaust manifold - not sure yet...but I didn't do anything to the manifold and that side is now quieter, and as such I think now I do detect some exhaust manifold leak(s), but bottom line is changing to 10w30 might just have been (and resolved) the issue. Lesson learned.

ok - found another drivers-side pre-smog 318-360 truck manifold on ebay, hand-planed the port faces flat, ground out the same ribs as before, had it blasted and Cerakoted, and bolted it on. Had the y-pipe blasted and Cerakoted too and have the exhaust just about reinstalled - now with the exception of the tailpipe/muffler the whole exhaust is coated in either Cerakote or Jet-Hot -











...and I'm fabbin' up a bunch of armor and who doesn't love having a fresh supply of death wheels, flapper discs and sawzall blades for 'doom and destruction' bwwaahaahAHAHAHHAHAHhhhahahahhaaaaaa.... 😁

ok - for the first time since the the buildup, drove the truck around the neighborhood loop, and I'm happy to report it drives well and running better and better - the chassis feels good, no bump steer, etc. So yayee.

Initially the Sniper wasn't running the engine 'to my satisfaction' - it 'ran' but had acceleration stuttering and dead spots, but...the more it runs...I'm cautiously optimistic that the more the engine runs and drives around the Sniper is indeed learning how to 'do its job'. I am hopeful that the EFI will tune itself into perfection the more it runs, so that is the plan - drive it every day and let it 'learn'.

LOTS of work yet to do, but...it appears...to be coming together. Oh also, I'd been looking for some sort of 'seal' to put between the exhaust manifold exit and the collector inlets for the two primary pipe(s) - this is the manifold exit -



...and the inlets to the primary pipes just slip over the manifold lip - metal-to-metal, but it isn't a perfect seal, and I wanted to try to get 'something' between them to help seal things up, and so I tried these Remflex gaskets, which juuuust barely fit over the manifold edge lip, and the pipes just capture/compress the gasket up onto the manifold. Remflex #6006 (2-1/4" pipe flange, 2 hole, 3-1/2" bolt spacing), and after being torqued tight they haven't split out, and it's nice n quiet -



In the meantime, since it was actually out in the sun...took some semi-gratuitous pics -