I have two Dodges I may need to do this to:

1998 Durango 360 4x4
1998 1500 360 4x4

I also have a complete donor 360 that I can use parts from. I'm thinking, take the intake off the donor engine, mod the plenum, and install that intake onto the 360 in my Durango.

Then, perform same mod to the takeoff intake, and install it on the 360 in the Ram.

Here's the twist...using shorter bolts with no gasket, weld or braze the the stock plenum plate to the intake after they're bolted back together.

I will save from buying two plates and two gaskets. Between the bolts and the weld, I don't think they would separate.

I'll buy two Dorman kits with bolts and such and probably even VC gaskets since they all tend to leak / seep , on the higher mileage engines.

 

It's been thought of before, not sure if anyone has successfully done it.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ed-plenum.html

 

You'd still have to buy the plates....cant weld steel to aluminum. That's the whole reason these things are an issue in the first place, steel and aluminum expand at different rates so the gaskets fail....much quicker than they would with steel/steel or aluminum/aluminum.

Travis

 

Similar idea but I was going to skip the aluminum plate altogether. In making all the custom stuff I used to build my Corvette 405 engine, I learned that many metals can be welded to other different metals.

A friend of mine has a radiator shop and I don't think he'd have a problem brazing the stock plate to the aluminum intake. With the bolts in place I don't see any issues in the logic.

 

Overthinking a solution to a basic problem.
Concerned about shorter bolts? Going with a thicker plate and the correct length bolts solves that.
Brazing isn't welding, can easilly be broken.
So you want to heat aluminum up to the point that it will absorb filler metal and the same with steel plate at the same time, good luck with that.
Cast aluminum intakes are made with "pot' aluminum, full of recycled junk and air bubbles.
Once the aluminum absorbs the filler metal it becomes hard and brittle, probably end up cracking once you stress it by torquing it down. Who knows what will happen after it sees some hear cycles.

 

Nobody has any proof. However many (myself included) have used shortened bolts with the stock plate and had no problems.

 

You have a point....I was more trying to stress the welding, or brazing of different metals wasn't a good idea/wont work.

Travis

 

Absolutely right. Some metals can be welded or brazed togethere....but aluminum and steel are not among the ones that can. Not welded, not brazed, not soldered....nothing. They are to dissimilar to combine on a molecular level.

Use a gasket and bolts....proven technology (as long as bolts are not tooo long...)

 

Why not just mix some jb weld and dump it down the tb........problem solved......

 

Concrete would work better.... flows into the cracks.