I'll always be a professional grinder and amateur welder. I get too little practice although my results improved markedly when I started wearing my reading glasses under my helmet and lightened up the dimming function. Night and day! Literally.

I bolted the driver's seat base up to the tracks and installed the seat cover on the upper section.

Dropped the whole thing in the truck. Good angle, firm seat, more leg room than I need, more headroom, and it reclines way back. Enough forward seat travel to let Legz drive her shift. I am hopeful that the center folding seat will be far enough back to allow the dog house to come out easily. We'll see...

Recall the factory seat went no further back than the cab side of the box wall.Attachment 3374Attachment 3375

Next the passenger seat and center folding seat/console installation.

All the seat covers have been run through the washer twice. Never have 20 year old seats smelled so good.

I had the driver's seat lower section repaired. He did a good match. I do note that the fabric across all 3 seats is different. Gotta love wrecking yards and classified ads.

I had a 96 Dodge with this same seat setup. I really like the console. It's great for keeping items hidden. I'll add a USB and cigarette combination outlet inside it that will run off the house battery.

Still haven't tried pulling the dog house off to see if it clears the seats...Attachment 3376Attachment 3377

Test drive day. Happy.

Weighed it with me in it and a quarter tank of fuel; 7450 lbs. GVWR is 10,500 lbs so lots of load to spare. Gauge on propane tank needed a bounce or two as it now reads above empty.

Still need to get it out onto a highway to see how it behaves with the air dam, but trucks coming opposite me at 50 mph were hard to feel with any buffeting. Time will tell. AC still cold.Attachment 3378

Test drive revealed noisy drawer pulls. Grrrr.Attachment 3379

Pulled an old battery box from a van in the paddock. I had wired up 3 light locations back when I installed the white pine ceiling boards so next up was hooking the lights up to a battery.

I found the tilting switched conversion van lights for $5 each. I kept the original internally switched ceiling light fixture from the cargo box and reinstalled it. Its practically an antique. Looks like one anyway.

The black framed tilt lights are double fed. A switch turns them on as is, but when the light is off you can reach up and tilt one or both lenses to get them to light. Standard conversion van items.

Enough room in the battery box to tuck in a battery tender. Neat and tidy.

The wooden box attached to it has a combination propane and carbon monoxide detector mounted in it. Beside that unit is a combo of a marine cigarette lighter outlet and a back lit double USB setup.

The battery box is screwed to the floor over the wheel well. It will be moved aft as there is limited space to get around the side of the bed when it's down flat and I don't like the idea of toe stubbing the battery box after a late night trip to the latrine.

Mounted 2 small clothing hooks near the side door. Cheap and cheerful. Attachment 3380Attachment 3381Attachment 3382Attachment 3384

All 3 lights on as I work on my GPS routing for the next trip.

Bright enough for me.

Attachment 3385

Job well done here!

Merçi Proteus!

A two hour test drive revealed a few issues.

The air conditioning blows cold although the air flow could be improved. It has also produced a chemical smell from day one. It is an aftermarket unit added by the RV maker that built the box so everything is crammed under the dashboard. The outboard vents produce 50°F air from a background of 100°F along the firewall. Not bad, but insulation along the roasting cab floor and up the firewall would really help. Future project! The problem with the system that had to be addressed was the smoke coming up from the back of the AC control panel. A quick look at the back of the panel revealed a corroded power supply wire that had slowly burned away its insulation and finally broke off completely. Soldered on a new connector and used heat shrink tubing to make it sealed. No idea how a California truck stored for years gets a single corroded connector, but it does set minds awandering... Works great and no more chemical smell as the insulation slowly burns off.

The second issue is a result of the aftermarket AC as well. The truck came with a 60 amp alternator which is limited with the running lights and headlights, and AC fan running on high. In fact the fan speed drops when the full lights are put on. At idle the ammeter is showing a discharge. All the alternator juice comes through a spindly 10 gauge wire. If the 100 amp alternator had been specified the idle output would have been better and the wire would have been 8 gauge. I want to put a modern alternator with a serpentine belt in it. Future project. The wiring harness will need some upgrading as well. Chrysler's rocket scientist designers run the entire alternator output through the ammeter in the dash. Eventually the corrosion steps in and destroys its connections. Very common to have an old Dodge stop dead in its tracks with absolutely no electrics at all. I'll put in a shunt style ammeter as a future project. The connection looks good for now. An inspection did reveal the connection at the back of the alternator was corroded. Same as the AC power wire.

I replaced the first 16 inches of the 10 ga wire with 8 ga wire. I also spliced in a new 8 ga wire to help feed the battery directly. Sadly with it hooked up the ammeter won't show a charge only a discharge, but the battery charging voltage is up by half a volt. Obviously the factory harness is a restriction.

All the connectors used were soldered in copper with heat shrink tubing over the connections. Take that Chrysler!

Photos are alternator factory connector, new added battery feed connector, and comparison of factory 10 ga feed cable versus new 8 ga cable.Attachment 3386Attachment 3387Attachment 3388

Two hour trip to the edge of Lake Erie netted a better behaved truck when being passed. Not common here with speed limiters, but really annoying without the air dam on 75 mph roads.

AC cold all the way although the drain below the evaporator is not doing its job. Ice cold water dripping on your feet isn't too bad but needs fixing. The drain tubes are my target. Cab roof cooler so less heat load. Hung a quilt from ceiling to floor behind cab cutout to hold in the cool air. Worked fine. Dogs stayed cool just behind new bench, but box did warm up. Need blinds on all those windows to reduce solar gain.

All in a fine ride.

The cab floor does heat up noticeably once all 440 cubic inches start working. Not enough to affect AC output temp, but feet do warm at speed.

Crawled underneath for some heat relief or maybe just curiosity. Rear leaf spring and shackle bushings are failing. Called Bob Disco at ATS and he's sending replacements. I'm amazed he can still supply them.

Mounted a 35 year old propane fridge on the wall beside the entrance door. Bought it years ago. The owner had mounted it in a plywood box lined with 1" foam insulation so I trimmed that up a bit, built an aluminum duct to vent it to the wall as per the manual, and got a cold box out of it. That fridge sat in a shed for 10 years and still works.

Back to the beach.Attachment 3389Attachment 3390Attachment 3391

Installed red cedar trim painted white over the gaps in the cargo doors. EPDM ribbed weatherstrip across the top to keep out any rain that makes it past the aluminum gutter mounted just below the roof frame.

Another photo of the mounted fridge this time right side up.Attachment 3396Attachment 3397

Out for a wander through the Big Empty, Québec. Rough roads and great views. Not many people around.Attachment 3398Attachment 3399

Hood is up to dissipate the heat while stopped. That old big block warms things up.

Heater core leaking. Of course.Attachment 3400

Out on Manitoulin island for 14 days. No electricity or phones.

Found replacement for old propane freezer online for $115!

It runs off a 20 lb cylinder along with a propane chest cooler full of beer. The two run 9 days on a cylinder making it cheaper than unobtainable ice to operate.

We leave them tucked into the bush on the east side of the Cubicle with a towel over top of them to minimize sun exposure.

I'd like to build in the freezer. The chest cooler can stay outside and run off the chassis tank for shorter trips.

The already mounted fridge is working surprisingly well considering it sat in the shed for 10 years.

Sink is now hooked up to 5 gal water cooler jug and an empty one for grey water. I have tanks for both but no time.

Folding queen bed does its job and the table below is great on rainy days.

Even in August we've had a few cool nights. A heater is in order. Or more blankets.

Chassis works fine. Creaks and groans now and they will be fixed with a box full of bushings.

Leggz happy too so life is good.

Attachment 3402
Attachment 3403Attachment 3404Attachment 3405

Added up total propane consumption on our last 14 day expedition.

All propane units:

freezer
beer cooler
24 inch fridge
small bbq
2 burner range
3 burner Coleman

$22.00

Yup. About a buck and a half a day.

Snapped the AC belt on our way home last week. Luckily it didn't push off the alternator/fan belt so we carried on.

I'd always had a little voice in my head about how the AC belt sat in its pulleys. Too low I reckoned.

Attachment 3406

A great friend of mine in the auto parts biz did some research and reminded me that old Mopars used different width belts depending on load requirements.

So I ordered a 1 inch longer belt the next width up and here we are.

Attachment 3407

Now this is not a factory AC setup. For our younger readers it is/was called "dealer air". Even so the crank pulley, idler, and compressor all use the wider belt.

Who knew? Probably me at some point in the foggy past, but not lately.

Thanks Ed!

Stopped after 3 hours driving 60 mph at 90° and the overflow puked out some coolant. I ran the overflow above the MAX mark to help bleed the air out of it when I bypassed the heater core.

Checked it later and it had settled in at the MAX mark. Boy those Mopar engineers were smart 41 years ago.

Factory thermostat is an oddball 180° high flow unit. Fan is a solid 8 blade with a thermal clutch. The clutch locks up, but I wonder if it isn't a bit lazy. Unsure as to how a 220° set point thermal clutch is supposed to keep a motor at 180°. New clutch is cheaper than a rad so I'll try that first. Not so sure about tranny temperature though.Attachment 3408

What do you say when a friend offers you a perfectly good 205ah AGM battery that is less than 3 years old and fully charges?

I'll pick it up. ASAP!

It was used in a transit bus as an emergency backup for lighting. Mandatory replacement after 2 years service.

Built in Germany by a division of Exide.

140 lbs. Good thing it has handles.

Gotta add another alternator.Attachment 3418Attachment 3419

175 ah at 0°C or 205 ah at 20° C.

Thanks Simon!

Time for an update.

Here she sits now.

Getting ready for a 2007 5.7 Hemi engine swap. The factory 440 was fine for torque, but down on horsepower. And made way too much heat.

And got 7.5 mpg.

PCM being tweaked. I gave up on making a harness. Too much trouble finding the right setup in local wrecking yards.Attachment 3591Attachment 3592Attachment 3593Attachment 3594

Last photo is an 03 Hemi in a 1977 Dodge B200 van that Ron in Ontario built years ago.

Next steps
 

Wiring harness ordered.

Remove transfer case and trans from sideways donor 2007 Aspen.

Unbolt Aspen body from frame.

Right Aspen.

Pull 5.7 from Aspen.

Pull 2wd trans from old 1991 van.

Swap output shafts from 1991 transmission to rebuilt A518 4WD trans I had rebuilt for another truck.

Test fire 5.7 and A518 with new harness.

Pull 440 from 1979 MB400.

I'll add to this as I go.

50° here today and sunny which is abnormal for February.

Sat in a chair and unbolted the starter, transfer case, and transmission in 2.5 hours.

I like how this position of the donor presents itself. Attachment 3595

Flipped the body of the donor 2007 Aspen off the frame and put the frame into the garage.

Pulled the engine and returned frame outside.

Tested the Hotwire harness. MAP sensor plug too short, AC, and alternator plugs too long. Quick note to Chris Squier at Hotwire got me a same day build on an extension wire for the MAP circuit. Should ship today.

Ordered 3 extra feet of harness so fuse box, relays, and PCM can mount under dash below glovebox.

I will mount up transmission, starter, and fuel pump for a test start before I commit to pulling 440 from Cubicle.Attachment 3607Attachment 3608Attachment 3609Attachment 3610Attachment 3611

Nice!! Keep at it!!

Bolted the engine up to the transmission that came with it.

Original starter was dust. Bought used replacement.

Factory fuel pump worked after a few snacks.

Wired up to battery and got it running.

Pedal position sensor is not telling PCM anything but the engine runs on the standalone wiring harness so that's fine by me.

Onward!

Newer pedal sensor installed and adjusted has the throttle blade moving in sync.

Put a 10 gallon Nissan Versa tank in behind factory tank with new TI pump in it.

Will use click clack pump to fill it from main tank. I'll add a separate filler pipe later.

This way I get no fuel starvation to an in tank pump and another 10 gallons on board.

Fuel sender uses same ohms as old Dodge so switch on dash sends signal to factory gauge and then hit transfer pump switch fill Nissan tank.

Regulator is a 58 psi unit with return to keep pump cool. It mounts next to 10 gallon Nissan tank. Attachment 3623Attachment 3624Attachment 3625Attachment 3626Attachment 3627

Finally got down to the nitty gritty.

440 out
5.7 oil filter hits passenger engine mount
cut mount and move back 2-1/4"
tacked brackets together
Attachment 3635Attachment 3636Attachment 3638Attachment 3639Attachment 3640

Pulled the overdrive crossmember out of a 1992 B250 conversion van. Cut out the original one in the 1979 and welded in the 1992 piece. The new unit has a beefy steel inner bracket 19" wide hidden beneath the stamped outer sheet metal. It also is shorter allowing the overdrive transmission needed space.

Also modified the transmission bracket to shift the transmission and engine towards the passenger side 1-1/2". The coil packs on the driver's side need the room.

Pulled the motor and welded up the relocated factory passenger side engine mount pedestal. Finish welded the engine mount brackets I made. Added gussets to the brackets because that's how the $300 aftermarket pieces for a Dodge pickup look. Plus I like welding.

And a coat of semi gloss black. For that cool look.

Driveshaft is out. Needs to be 14" shorter! This 1979 had the A727 with the bolt in output yoke. Very short compared to the A518 with overdrive. I'd say 14" longer.Attachment 3641Attachment 3642Attachment 3643Attachment 3644Attachment 3645Attachment 3646

Shortened front driveshaft 14" and modified hanger bearing mount to shift it 3/4" towards curb side.

Added 6" to curb side exhaust pipe to get catalytic converter away from transmission. Had to trim flared end of extension pipe to ensure a good seal. Modern manifold flanges are much more shallow than the old days. Wrapped the first bit of pipe as it passes within 3/4" of passenger floor.

Modern power steering pump meant for steering racks puts out too much pressure for old steering boxes. Shortened spring by 1/8" and cut pump fitting down so inverted flare adapter could use new 1979 style pressure hose.Attachment 3647Attachment 3648Attachment 3649Attachment 3650Attachment 3651Attachment 3652

OEM hose loops but fits.

First hack at a custom transmission dipstick tube.

Cut down factory heat shield. Curb side fits as is. Also cut factory muffler heat shield down to size.Attachment 3653Attachment 3654Attachment 3655

No more hot right foot. Put new factory heat shields on the manifolds. 31% less revolutions at speed, better fuel efficiency, and both old and new shields should keep temperatures much lower in the cab.

Fuel system with added 10 gallon tank all plumbed in. Vent tees into main 50 gal tank vent and is collected in charcoal cannister.

Rebuilt both alternators including analog driver for house battery system so 175Ah gets the right voltage through an adjustable regulator.

PCM will run engine alternator charging.

New AC clutch and bearing along with barb adapters to match original "dealer" air setup.

Measured up belt using ratchet strap. Kept original one as spare so 1 alternator can be bypassed if it fails.Attachment 3656Attachment 3657Attachment 3658Attachment 3659

Modern starter needs some love to get it to sit flush against bellhousing face
Attachment 3661Attachment 3662

Swapped one idler for smaller one. Tensioner now right in middle of its range.

Put together relay box.

Relays to:

Provide power to overdrive and converter lockup plug on A518 OD transmission.

Hook second alternator up to house battery voltage regulator only when key is on. Prevent draining house battery.

Provide power to click clack pump that transfers fuel from 50 gallon main tank to 10 gallon secondary tank that contains fuel injection pump. This will be switched manually as needed. The fuel gauge has a switch to check levels in both tanks.

Air conditioning compressor power.

Build filler piece to mount 2400 cfm electric cooling fan on factory radiator shroud.

Flush fairly recent recored radiator and fill with ciric acid overnight to ensure it flows.Attachment 3663Attachment 3664Attachment 3665Attachment 3666

Filled rad flushed with fresh water for a day with citric acid overnight. Shouldn't get any more crud out right? Hah.

Radiator inlet has to move to driver's side. Yup you can buy that. And adapters to get the old and new hoses to match up. Sadly I forgot the lower hose adapter so I had to make one.

The old radiator inlet is soldered shut with a sacrificial anode installed so I can easily see if the coolant is eating up the system.

The throttle pedal and cable is from a 2004 hemi pickup. It then goes to a position sensor in a box. The A518 needs a throttle signal so it's cable will go into that same box. I hacked the tip off the 2004 pedal and welded it onto the 1979 factory setup. Then I made up a box from steel strap to hold the cable. That box is then screwed to the firewall.

The open binding barrel is machined down a bit to become the pivot for the A518 cable.
Attachment 3667Attachment 3668Attachment 3669Attachment 3670Attachment 3671Attachment 3672

Extended accelerator pedal sensor box to add cable going to A518. Side shot of factory pedal meeting 2004 accelerator cable in box at firewall.

Rad hose adapters. Radiator hoses old meets new.

2100 cfm cooling fan shrouded to 1979 radiator shroud with sheet of steel.

Gauges will show oil and transmission pressure via 2 way switch. Same for transmission and engine coolant temperature. Vacuum used to tune transmission overdrive shifting.Attachment 3673Attachment 3674Attachment 3675Attachment 3676Attachment 3677Attachment 3678

PCM, fuses, and relays will all hide under the passenger seat. Wiring loom will run left of wheel well in low spot that I'll level with top of wheel well to give passenger flat floor and protect loom.

Yup, push button start.Attachment 3679Attachment 3680Attachment 3681Attachment 3682

Winner, winner, steak and potato dinner.Attachment 3683