my theory behind making myself a sleeper.

[snapcaked]

so i have a 1990 Dodge Dynasty (3.3L), and i kinda wanna make it a sleeper to push around the local ricers. lol. so here's what i was thinking as far as options, keep in mind i'm new to the mopar world and just looking for the experience and having something to do portion, watching ricers cry is another thing i wouldn't mind doing:

1) keep the 3.3, throw in some 3.8 parts theoretically making it a 3.5L (when time comes for a rebuild). i really kind of want to Turbo it (i know there's a guy who did it, so theory being it could happen) i hate that A604, but who doesn't?

2) find a newer 3.8L and tranny at the junkyard, rebuild it, make it create boost (whether that be turbo or blower, im not picky) throw it in, and be good to go. essentially adding mods along the way like a cold air intake etc.

3) find a 3.5L and do the same (what tranny's come on that? and will it fit?)

4) get really lucky and find someone who junked their 06 or 07 Pacifica or Nitro and snag the 4.0L...along with that, would that tranny work?

if theres a better option or a different road i should be looking down, please let me know. any advice or tips is always appreciated.

-Devin-

[Turbodave]

Welcome! A turbo 3.8 Dynasty sounds like a lot fun.

I know a guy in Omaha that turbo'd his 3.3 Dynasty haven't talked to him in a while, but the car was pretty quick once he got it running right. He did have a lot of trouble with parts breaking and I don't know if he ever got it to the point that it was reliable.

I'm not too familiar with the 3.5 and 4.0's to know whether or not they will swap right in.

There have been a few 3.0's succesfully turbo'ed. You may be able to get some information from them as the challenges they went through will be similar.

Another option would be to swap in a 2.5 4cyl and 413 trans from another K-based car. This would be pretty much a bolt in swap (except for wiring) and there is a lot more aftermarket for the 2.2/2.5 than the V6's. A turbo 2.5 can get a minivan moving fast, so a Dyanasty should be no problem.

Anyhow, there are a lot of options out there for making your car into a nice sleeper. Keep us posted on the project, take time read through the site and do a little research, and let us know if you have any questions.

[turbovanman²]

If you go to www.turbominivan.com someone turboed a 3.3L and found it was a waste of time. A 3.8 might be better but Dave's idea of putting in a turbo 4 cylinder might be easier and faster.

[Aries_Turbo]

find a stratus R/T with the 2.7L and the 5-speed. take the 5-speed. its a T-850 with the bellhousing that mates to the 2.7L, 3.3L and the 3.5L.

get a later model 3.5L 24v that makes 250hp and get a custom flywheel made (if need be) and bolt it to the T-850.

that setup in a dynasty (especially with a little boost) would be ridiculous! :) in a good way :)

Brian

[1FastCSX289]

I would just run a 2.5 turbo/A413. Bolts right in, and has the potential to make enough power to win most stop light grand prixs. The only issue would be the wiring, but that would be the case with all of the aforementioned combos too.

[Aries_Turbo]

yeah I guess the turbo/auto will be easier ;) hehe but a turbo 3.5L 5-speed would rock! :)

the factory turbo wiring wont be hard either. just use a 90 daytona/lebaron style harness. it should be pretty close to the dynasty underdash connections.

a turbo 5-speed swap wouldnt even be that bad too. youd prolly want daytona cables/shifter/pedals for the shifter cable length. that would be a rocking swap. :)

even cars with the 604 the wiring isnt that bad. I took a 90 caravan harness/3.0L/a604 and swapped it into a 88 k car. all i had to change was 2 pins in the bulkhead connector to make it work. i had to use 89 caravan mounts all around though. you wont have to do that. youll need all 90+ mounts.

Brian

[Ondonti]

If you get your a604 built by the right person you wont have any troubles.

[Aries_Turbo]

unfortunately I find that the 604 doesnt have the following or the amount of DIY performance/strength pages that the 413 does....

anyone know of any sites with DIY mods for the 604?

Brian

[SteveReject]

Best thing you could do for your a604 right off the bat is buy an aftermarket transmission cooler and put it in front of your radiator or condenser. Run it in line after the factory cooler or use it by it's self if it's a big one. Change out the fluid and filter while you're at it. Very cheap insurance right there. 604's love new quality fluid and will shift great and consistent if properly taken care of.

I still can't wait to throw in an a543 to knock a second off my quarter mile and make driving more fun.

[Aries_Turbo]

yeah i did that to the 604 that I used to have. dealer fluid, filter, large cooler, temp gauge installed in the pan. still lost 4th gear but it was a used free tranny and I have a 543 so it owes me nothing. :)

[snapcaked]

thanks for the ideas...i probably never would have thought about throwing a 4 banger in...but i suppose those minivans can move so...yeah. lol idk, i like the idea of having 6 cylinders...closer to 8 if you know what i mean.

a manual tranny would fun as hell but that would be a lot of custom fab work (as with just about everything else). idk, i'm gonna get some money and go to the junkyard and see what i can find.

[Aries_Turbo]

3.0L with a manual wont be alot of work... its all bolt together stuff that the factory offered in other cars. just a little tricky to get a 543 manny tranny.

Brian

[snapcaked]

so after doing some research, i think im gonna take the most cost efficient route and go with the 2.5L Turbo. lol i would love to make it a 5-speed, but i can't think of where to put the shifter...having benchseats and all, i have that gap that goes all the way to the ground...no center console. so unless you can think of another way to get a 5 speed to work, i'm ---- out of luck on that one.

-Devin

[Aries_Turbo]

lemme see if i can dig up some pics of my k car. I have a bench seat and the cable shifter. I had to mount the shifter a few inches forward and beat a small section of the lower bench seat to get the shifter to fit. its in a really good spot too for shifting. i had to make a custom mount too out of all thread and some nuts and washers. if you know a dude with a welder they could weld you up a bracket pretty easily too.

Brian

[snapcaked]

some pics would be very sweet...i can use the welder at school...only i now have to wait 3 months...which in turn should be plenty of time to rebuild a motor. but yeah, i'm very intrested in making it into a 5spd.

[Aries_Turbo]

if you want to make a 5-speed... youll need a few things.

youll need:

-the trans and the correct mount (90+ manual trans mount)
-the shifter and cables that go with that trans. 555/520 use one set of cables and shifter and 523/568 use another. youll just have to keep them straight.
-pedal assembly. the stamped steel bracket that the brake pedal pivots from and bolts through the firewall to the brake booster/master cylinder. you have to drop the steering column and remove the gauge cluster to get at all the bolts. I suggest taking your bracket out and going to the junkyard and start with a 90+ shadow or daytona/lebaron and see if you can find one thats identical to yours but is from a manual trans car. the issue is that the manual trans pedal stamped steel piece has a clutch pedal stop welded to it that you must have for the pedal to operate correctly. if you cant find the exact one, youll have to just use the rod that the pedals mount to, the pedals and then fabricate a clutch pedal stop in the correct location so that the clutch pedal is at rest a little bit above the at rest postion of the brake pedal IIRC. i can take measurements when you get some parts if you have trouble locating the correct pieces.

clutch cable bracket for the strut tower. there will either be a cruise control bracket attached to the strut tower or a little plastic plug covering 2-3 holes on the inner part of the strut tower next to the brake reservoir. search the junkyard for a car that has the same bolt pattern as your strut tower and this same bracket. no minivans or L-bodies. these wont be correct.

thats about all that you need for the conversion other than a clutch. :)

heres the shifter pics
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/photopost/data/510/Pictures_11-1_007.jpg
http://www.turbo-mopar.com/forums/photopost/data/510/Dsc03329small.jpg

Brian

[snapcaked]

thanks for the pics. meh...idk how comfortable i would be doing that...i'm probably just gonna go with the turbo/auto setup.

[Vigo]

when i swapped my aries to 5-spd i just pulled the longer shaft out the donor car bracket and it worked fine in my stock bracket... the clutch pedal just hangs off the left side of the bracket, works fine. donor car was 87 520 pbody.

[Aries_Turbo]

right, they all hang off the side. did your aries already have the pedal stop on the stock bracket? Mine didnt. i had to add it. i was just going to swap in a shadow setup but the stamped steel bracket was different.

Brian

[TurboII]

find a stratus R/T with the 2.7L and the 5-speed. take the 5-speed. its a T-850 with the bellhousing that mates to the 2.7L, 3.3L and the 3.5L.

get a later model 3.5L 24v that makes 250hp and get a custom flywheel made (if need be) and bolt it to the T-850.

that setup in a dynasty (especially with a little boost) would be ridiculous! :) in a good way :)

Brian

Those sprite R/T N/A do wonders. Those things are sleepers in my books. Just see if you can find a total'd car in a yard and you'll be good just swap a 5spd cause im not sure how the automatice is on an R/T i think they have problems. But swaping a engine and tranny would be a lot cheaper.

[Ondonti]

I know it is beyond the point but
the ASOG.org guys have good a604 trans rebuilders if you ask around there.
a604 has proven to hold 400hp in reaper1's 3.0 daytona (previously rick loziers).
That and a big trans cooler.

Spend about 1500 for a nice a604. basically the same price or cheaper then a normal rebuild, just that the people doing it know what they are doing.
a604 a605 blah blah all those 4 speed ultradrives.

[snapcaked]

so, i went to the J-yard today...found some turbo 2.5's...most in pretty poor condition. i'm now looking into maybe just a remanufactured 2.5 turbo...any reputable sources that would carry it for a decent price? thanks

[Dusty_Duster]

Only places I would trust for a rebuilt turbo motor are FWD Performance and Turbos Unleashed. I know some of the "generic" engine rebuilders don't put forged internals in their rebuilt turbo motors.

[Aries_Turbo]

look into getting one for real cheap and ask around to see if there are some local reputable machine shops. also see if anyone on here has a used in good shape motor.

Brian

[Dusty_Duster]

look into getting one for real cheap and ask around to see if there are some local reputable machine shops. also see if anyone on here has a used in good shape motor.

Brian

Local machine shops would be a good bet. Just make sure they use turbo internals and not N/A ones. :yuck:

[snapcaked]

thanks for the advice

[snapcaked]

lol so i was taking a look see in my car, and in all honesty i don't think it would be that bad cutting a hole in my car and running a 5spd...lol. so now my question is, what's my better option?

1) get the 2.5L turbo with a 5 spd tranny.
-or-
2) go and snag a 3.5L with that T-850 5spd.

my only concerns are fitting in my engine bay without too much modification, and being able to run some boost. i would think a 5spd tranny from a shadow or something that will bolt up to the 2.5L would be just fine and leave me with a plenty of room...but then again i could be wrong. lol sorry for probably all the noobish questions, but like i said, im new to the dodge world. thanks in advance.

[Turbodave]

Personally I like option#1. Finding a 2.5 Turbo engine and a 5speed trans shouldn't be too difficult.

I've only ever seen 2 stratus R/T sedans in person, and both were automatics. While a manual was available I would guess that finding a good used one will be a real challenge. The 3.5L will probably require some creativity with the engine mounts and it is a pretty wide engine with the DOHC. It would cool to see it done, and certainly a one of a kind ride, but so would be a 2.5 turbo Dynasty.

[SebringLX]

Personally I like option#1. Finding a 2.5 Turbo engine and a 5speed trans shouldn't be too difficult.

I've only ever seen 2 stratus R/T sedans in person, and both were automatics. While a manual was available I would guess that finding a good used one will be a real challenge. The 3.5L will probably require some creativity with the engine mounts and it is a pretty wide engine with the DOHC. It would cool to see it done, and certainly a one of a kind ride, but so would be a 2.5 turbo Dynasty.
Only the '01 and '02 Stratus R/T and the Sebring Convertible GTC had a manual trans option. '03+ all variations of cloud cars use the 41TE auto trans.

[shelbydodgeimp]

You are NOT going to want to rebuild a 3.8, hell you're prolly not going to want to boost one. The 3.8 has such thin cylinder walls that I have yet to meet a rebuilder who will touch them. When a customer wants one done, they grab a 3.3 and "make" a 3.8 (doesn't take much). Given that, I would hate to boost something with such thin cylinder walls.

Getting a 3.5 or 4.0 in a Dynasty is going to be hard due to the mounting differences as those were never used in transverse applications... not saying it can't be done, but you'd have alot of fabrication to do and you'd end up having to lose the intake manifold if you want the hood to close. IF you had the tech help, a 3.5 high output swapped into a dynasty would be awesome (the prowler guys are breaking 10s with them now) but good luck finding a way to run the engine with your 3.3 efi system... which you will need to keep for the trans.

There is a ton you can do with the a604 if you know the right parts, and have the right rebuilder... most I would not consider DIY mods unless you're experienced with trans rebuilds and fairly good at it (the a604 is not an ideal trans to learn how to rebuild transmissions if you get my drift).

A boosted 3.3 should be reliable so long you don't go crazy with the boost... its a v6 so you shouldn't be expecting to run the lbs of pressure some of the 2.2/2.5 people talk about for their engines. Personally though, I would go N/A- much easier, much more reliable and there *are* higher compression ratio pistons out there (most I have seen are 11:1's and I havent been looking for aftermarket pistons).

A year or two ago I put down 3 grand and 3 months to have a racing spec a604 done, it wasn't too bad of a project... but again you're going to be limited in sofar as you'll be stuck with whatever tcm is compatible with your model year. If doing everything DIY most I would recamend would be the final drive gears out of a 99/00 stratus 2.0... if you're adventurious you can try pulling it to drop in a LSD and a high stall TC (and differential pin stoppers of course). Anything more will be a bit more, shall we say... "hardcore"

To stir up a lil debate; an automatic will in theory shift faster then any human can; the question is which you prefer- the control or the shift speed? I have seen debate that the 2.7's 5spd might (might) bolt up to a 3.3 transverse but until I've seen it done, I won't give it any credibility.