Good score. I got my 5.9 for $350 off of Craig's list but I didn't get to hear mine run. He had all the service records though.

Be careful using the '98 injectors in your '96. If the part numbers are different they might be different flow rates and could give you a running condition. There is a website that has part numbers and flow rates you can check to verify.

 

Probably will just use the old injectors. I'll check the 98's but may end up tossing them in a drawer.

I got to look at his 5.9. It's got lots of go-fast stuff on it. Headers, high rise intake. Don't know about cam, but I'd imagine he replaced that. Must be nice to be a young guy, with lots of money, living with his parents. (Not complainin', just sayin'.) His Durango is going to be very quick when he gets his motor in. He has the correct PCM, and says that the o2 sensor will take care of any variations in mixture.

Nice young man, drives a Dakota, and has a semi wrecked Ram. A Dodge head. He's a mechanic by trade, I can't imagine trying to work on cars in Phoenix heat.

 

Sounds like a great score man, congrats! Looking forward to the project updates I (assume/hope?) you'll be posting :-p

 

It's not that bad. 2-3 months of heat is better than 6-8 moths of cold, snow, and rust where I'm originally from.

 

Yeah, I know. I grew up in S. Western Michigan. But he does wrenching for a living. I don't know about Feenix, but here in TOOson the shops all work with the doors open. & it's a buttload hotter there.

I was out installing a new trans cooler on my Dakota yesterday afternoon. Only 84 degrees! But the 60% humidity was like working in a sauna. Monsoons are here!

Interesting that there was a little trans cooler installed inline with the radiator trans cooler--installed in between the radiator and the a/c evap core--which is supposed to be a not great way to cool the trans.

 

My replacement engine is ready to be picked up. So I'm rolling up to Phoenix this afternoon, with the Dakota, Angie the wonder dog, and some straps and a piano dolly (where it will live for a little while.) The guy I'm getting the engine from has blown out his back, degenerative arthritis, with three bulging disks. So I haven't been bugging him--sympathy can go a long way, especially honest sympathy. I had a bulging disk last year and just 'lost' three months of my life.

The new radiator is due today, a 2 row off Ebay for $100. And the bluetooth OBD2 dongle, too.

I ordered a set of inexpensive headers yesterday (off EBay of course) and they should be in by Friday.

Maybe some pictures tomorrow. No real progress on getting it in 'til at least September tho. The heat is down, but it's been raining a lot and the humidity is like the Midwest.

 

I'm jealous of your progress... I'm keeping my eyes open for a Mopar Performance computer and some HS 1.7 rockers for my next pointless mods.

I'm also jealous of your OBD2. But I read that the MP computer is much more effective on OBD1 anyway, so I guess it's all a tradeoff.

I'm not at all jealous of your humidity. I had to put on a jacket this morning :P

 

It's home and on the engine stand. Gonna do some general cleanup and put a fresh coat of enamel on it. It's pretty clean, but has the inevitable oily schmutz. Or is it spooge?

So far, I've only discovered one broken exhaust stud. Since it's on the stand, I'll drill it out and see if an extractor will get the busted one out. Worst case is a helicoil, I guess.

 

& Best case is that I drill'd it a little bit with the smallest bit I had and the broken off stud backed itself out!

My headers arrived today. They actually look pretty nice. Fairly shiny stainless, nice welds & smooth transitions (that I can see.) I test fitted them on the lump, and they fit--hope they line up with the exhaust pipes as well.

The lump is soaking in a detergent based degreaser at the moment, I'm going to buy a bunch of paint tomorrow. It's fairly clean, but there are some grease & dirt spots that need to be soaked off. What I can't get with degreaser, I'll get with Easy Off (lye solves all problems!)

Plan is to pull off the plenum and do a kegger mod. & do the valley pan upgrade. While the engine is out and on the stand, I'm going to do the front and rear main seals, too. & probably a hi volume pump. I have a little budget to play with, I'm having fun.

 

Did a little painting today. Chip Foose wouldn't like my color selection: Cast Iron Gray metallic. Been one of my favorite non colors for a long time & and I may relent and paint the valve covers and the plenum Crimson. A mockup of the left side headers as well, just to see.