'04 SRT-4 engine in an '88 Caravan build

[Aries_Turbo]

the older mount isnt in single shear. i mean it when the loop over the top flexes a bunch it almost is but they made that thing structural for a reason.

Brian

[A.J.]

That passenger's side mount is SCARY! You've got the bolt in single shear and the engine hanging off the end of it basically in a cantilever situation. Not good. I've never liked how the older mounts have that bolt in single shear and in you case having the support so far away from the load (even with a spacer), it just looks like a recipe for a reoccurring failure point, especially the rubber mount. There has to be a better way!

I have an idea on what I'm going to do. I like redundancy to be on the safe side. Even with the older style mount bracket, there's the hook that goes over the top. So in case the bolt breaks, at least the engine is only going to fall so far.

A.J.

[turbovanman²]

That passenger's side mount is SCARY! You've got the bolt in single shear and the engine hanging off the end of it basically in a cantilever situation. Not good. I've never liked how the older mounts have that bolt in single shear and in you case having the support so far away from the load (even with a spacer), it just looks like a recipe for a reoccurring failure point, especially the rubber mount. There has to be a better way!

There is, I posted up a thread with mounts,

[Reaper1]

You guys are right...I forgot about the "hook" part. DOH!

[A.J.]

Here's better pictures of the front mount that bolts right up to stock location in my '88 van after a little slotting of bolt holes.





I got the throttle body adaptor plate done today.

PT intake throttle body boss.


My adaptor plate.


Throttle body bolted up.


My ignition coil laying down to clear the PT intake next to my new $6 intake support bracket.


My '98 power steering fluid reservoir.


My 2.5 intercooler plumbing. It's close but I'm going to have to cut the welds to re-clock all the pieces and add a new 45* bend.


A.J.

[turbovanman²]

Very cool, I think that intake is a way better idea, gives you more room. Hmmmmmmmmm, lol.

[moparman76_69]

Here's better pictures of the front mount that bolts right up to stock location in my '88 van after a little slotting of bolt holes.

Dude you just saved me a ton of time and work. Now all I have to do is figure out the passenger side mount.

[A.J.]

Very cool, I think that intake is a way better idea, gives you more room. Hmmmmmmmmm, lol.

You have no idea how much room I have. Once I take the plenum off, turbo work is a breeze and the stater is way easy to service now.

Dude you just saved me a ton of time and work. Now all I have to do is figure out the passenger side mount.

Stay tuned, I have a solution to that also but I have to wait to get my axles back to make sure my engine/trans is truly centered before I pull the trigger.

A.J.

[A.J.]

I got the cold side of my intercooler plumbing done today. It was off enough where I though it'd be better to just cut all the elbows off and re-clock them to the angles I needed. The hardest one to do was the section that I snaked through the body that goes from the intercooler into the engine compartment. The 2.4 AC compressor sits closer than the 2.5 water pump did so I had to adjust the angle of it.

2.5 engine up to the throttle body.


Cut up.


2.4 ready.


Complete from the intercooler to the throttle body. All together I have about 10 feet of intercooler plumbing.


I didn't take a picture of them installed yet because the paint had to dry.

On my 2.5 I used the airbox bracket to support the hot side of my intercooler plumbing. The bolt holes lined up so I cut up a spare to again support my hot side intercooler plumbing. I didn't have to modify the hot side intercooler plumbing except for the piece from the turbo to the junction at the top of the transmission.

2.5 airbox bracket with intercooler hose clamp support.


2.4 with 2.5 airbox support bracket with hose clamp support.


A.J.

[RoadWarrior222]

Complete from the intercooler to the throttle body. All together I have about 10 feet of intercooler plumbing..

Heh, might barely need the actual intercooler with all that pipe

[A.J.]

Things have been REALLY slow at my shop. This past week I didn't have one job. Good for getting the swap done but bad for paying the bills. The owner of the diesel shop next door to my shop offered me some work to take the load off his shoulders. So my progress going further won't be as fast as it's been but I'm 75% of the way there so in the next couple of weeks I expect to start it.

I got the cold side of my intercooler plumbing installed today.









I got the barbs on my full pressure regulator installed today.



A.J.

[turboshelbys]

Looking good brother. Are you going to run a alky/meth system as well?

[A.J.]

Looking good brother. Are you going to run a alky/meth system as well?

Nope. I don't like things that I have to refill. I don't even like getting gas but thats a necessity.

A.J.

[turbovanman²]

Things have been REALLY slow at my shop.

A.J.

I here you, its brutal out there,

[shackwrrr]

Been really slow at the shop I work at too.

[Big_P]

Real slow here, too.

[A.J.]

I here you, its brutal out there,

Been really slow at the shop I work at too.

Real slow here, too.

That's what I've heard from the reps for my vendors that go shop to shop. In the past I'd hear that's it's slow but I wasn't affected. I went from doing double from March to mid July down to barely making the minimum I need to pay my bills at home and the shop. Thankfully I keep my overhead very low and I don't have any debt, other than what I accumulate through the month but that's paid off by the end of the month. A few things are working against me right now, 1) I moved. My shop is no longer adjacent a lube shop which generated customers for me because I did a lot of stuff they couldn't do. 2) I'm in the back of my complex so I don't have the street visibility that I once had. I still get some walk-in customers but not at the rate I use to. 3) The lube shop that I sub-leased from which was closed is now open again. They siphon off a lot of the walk-ins because their building screams "quick lube." But now that the diesel shop is feeding me their overflow, I think I'll be alright. But now I have to save up for a 10,000 or 12,000 lb lift to lift the diesels. I wanted to get one for heavy trucks anyway but the four post fell in my lap so I snatched that up. I have two 7000 lb lifts so I have to work on jack stands which sucks.

In the picture you can see I had to move my four post oil change/quick inspection lift (it has wheels I can attach to make it portable) in the back so I can use it as storage because the diesel is too long and needs the floor space. What I want to do is get the 12,000 lb lift for diesels and put it closer to the back on the side the truck is on and leave the four post where it is for storage and on-going project cars.


A.J.

[turbovanman²]

That's what I've heard from the reps for my vendors that go shop to shop. In the past I'd hear that's it's slow but I wasn't affected. I went from doing double from March to mid July down to barely making the minimum I need to pay my bills at home and the shop. Thankfully I keep my overhead very low and I don't have any debt, other than what I accumulate through the month but that's paid off by the end of the month. A few things are working against me right now, 1) I moved. My shop is no longer adjacent a lube shop which generated customers for me because I did a lot of stuff they couldn't do. 2) I'm in the back of my complex so I don't have the street visibility that I once had. I still get some walk-in customers but not at the rate I use to. 3) The lube shop that I sub-leased from which was closed is now open again. They siphon off a lot of the walk-ins because their building screams "quick lube." But now that the diesel shop is feeding me their overflow, I think I'll be alright. But now I have to save up for a 10,000 or 12,000 lb lift to lift the diesels. I wanted to get one for heavy trucks anyway but the four post fell in my lap so I snatched that up. I have two 7000 lb lifts so I have to work on jack stands which sucks.

In the picture you can see I had to move my four post oil change/quick inspection lift (it has wheels I can attach to make it portable) in the back so I can use it as storage because the diesel is too long and needs the floor space. What I want to do is get the 12,000 lb lift for diesels and put it closer to the back on the side the truck is on and leave the four post where it is for storage and on-going project cars.


A.J.

Wow, your story reads like mine, I was in a prime spot on the main drag, right next to a lube shop, I got walk in's, feeds from them, had a constant flow. I finally got the owners to sell the building, we settled on a price, got financing then the wife-boss died, they jacked up the price and I had to move NOW, find a shop off the beaten path and my business took an instant 50% hit, so its been a battle for the last 7 years and the last 2 have been awful, Thanks to friends and the fact I am virtually the only TD guy around, that keeps me going believe it or not, lol.

[RoadWarrior222]

Go for the womens market, few copies of cosmo in the waiting room and a patient attitude to explain things. Enlist wife/gf to check out your customer side facilities for hints to make it more female friendly or less intimidating... have some problem description sheets printed up they can draw a big x on the car where the noise seems to be coming from etc.

[turbovanman²]

Go for the womens market, few copies of cosmo in the waiting room and a patient attitude to explain things. Enlist wife/gf to check out your customer side facilities for hints to make it more female friendly or less intimidating... have some problem description sheets printed up they can draw a big x on the car where the noise seems to be coming from etc.

I have a large female clientele, my washroom is the cleanest in town,