The weather here has just broken in the last few days. Having been out of the shop all summer I have a few customer cars to address. The 85 degrees is so much better than 100 plus. Sounds as if you are thinking V8 power. I posted my cell phone number on a thread we were chatting on. As much as I hate traveling north with the tolls and traffic we can work it out. Shoot me a text and we can see what can be done. I'm going to stick with V6 power. A 60 degree morning recently my 3.9 was running like a scalded dog. As I mentioned I have the complete cooling system in stock. I hate the thought of crud in the block ending up in the bottom of my new radiator. Thank for thinking of me. I completed one car project over the weekend two more and the Dodge is next. SteveSay Steve, did you ever find yourself a 3.9 to rebuild? I ask because I'm thinking of changing directions with my truck.. If I go the route I'm currently thinking, I'll have a 3.9 and a brand new set of stainless steel headers for sale. Reasonable.
You may also consider 1.7 rockers to get a bit more lift and a slight duration bump. All of this will depend on head flow as to viability of performance adaptations.Thanks, I have been thinking about this project for some time. As we know there is little the aftermarket does for this engine. Hughes Engines do or did offer a mild camshaft that works with the PCM. They also offer a plenum repair kit to seal the manifold. I degree every camshaft I install so a performance timing kit. Also the spring cap and keeper kit to handle additional lift.
I replaced cam sensor and had to have a shop put it on computer and we adjusted just like you do any dizzy. I'm fairly sure my timing chain is badly stretched. Anyway all parts should be here Thursday. Steve
Your intake quits around 4200 RPM. It is strictly designed for low end torque so increased ratio rockers won't hurt and will liven up the entire rpm range.I enjoyed chatting with the guy at Hughes Engines. It seems they at one time offered stroked cranks. I have read what I can find on V6 design issues. Having spent a life time building inline 4 cyl engines, natures worst balance design. It seems just about every V6 design takes a different path to deal with the balance issue. I hope to visit the only somewhat local shop with bob weights for a V6 crank. There seems to be some question as to percent of reciprocating mass used for bob weights. I'm very happy with the smoothness of my current engine. I'll pick up a core tomorrow and begin stripping it to see what I have. I have heard from local machine shop the heads are prone to crack. I expect chamber cracks so I'll pull valves wire brush, check with magnet and dust. If cracked, deep valve seats or wrapped I'll order new casting, may anyway. Weather new or used mild port matching, bowl work and a little around the guide bosses. Correct seats with the Serdi setting angles and margins. A little back angle on the valves (all new) correct springs, caps and keepers. New mild performance cam, roller rockers, push rods and rockers with pivots. I have in the past used extended rockers on engines and found improvement at upper end of RPM at expensive of bottom end. With a 3.55 CWP I'll try and keep my low RPM torque up.
Parts are showing up all day.
I'm sure it is clear this is not a cheap thing to do. Went to the Dodge dealer looked at new Ram $84,000. Makes me feel much better about spending $4000 to repower my ride. Even if I end up spending another $1700. on a remaned 5 speed I'm good. Steve
Don't waste time or money on the keg. The mods I've seen on kegs which began between 190-192 cfm were improved to a best of 194.Thanks for your input. I made a quick run to Pa yesterday to pick up my core engine and SS headers from a fellow board member. It was fun to meet someone with interest to match to help each other out. Can't wait to get it on a engine stand and start pulling parts. The throttle body will come off and go out for mods, I'm thinking this will have better result than going to the V8 TB directly. The Hughes Keg plate has arrived so the Keg will receive attention. I'm still reading about Keg mods. I don't expect to get a lot out of Keg and TB but each small improvement will pay off. I think I started a thread on cyl head porting. I'll look around for it I'd like not to reinvent the wheel. Steve
If any use, I cut my heads 30 thousandths. Obtained a 58 cc chamber and then used Felpro 1008 gaskets which I doubt they make for the 3.9. All in, 9.5 cr from 9.1.It's a new day now, I started stripping the core engine yesterday. Having come from up North it shed a bunch of rust scale in my truck bed. After spraying it down with PB Blaster/ WD 40 and high pressure air it looked better. The old " you can't judge a book by the cover" is still true. The TB is dirty underneath. The Keg is very clean inside viewed though the TB bores. I have worried about the timing chain on my engine but this one seems very tight and the rails and gears show no wear. It's beginning to look like someone may have been in this engine before. The water pump appears almost new. I had concerns about the timing cover and water damage to it. Glad I didn't order a new one this one is perfect cleaned up. Removed one cyl. head and was surprised at the size of the pistons and valves. While I did not remove the valves to mag seats I did wire brush between the valves and see nothing to concern. The bores on that side show no cyl. wall wear and the hone marks are still faintly visible well up the walls. I noticed the flat top pistons and a slight chamfer and look to be .050 down the bore. I have been looking at aftermarket rods and pistons for this job. Scat offers floated rods with ARP and come 8 to a set. My plan is to buy a set machine them for the correct side clearance and notch for V6 bearing tangs. Searching around KB offers a 318 floated pistop flat top with valve reliefs which is listed wit .050 more pin to deck height. The valve reliefs hold 5 CCs so some math will be required to figure the best way to come up with 10 to 1 CR over the current 9 to 1 CR. While the core was a std tranny unit the flywheel is not with it. If some one has a 3.9 flywheel to sell or trade please let me know. I have ordered a new ring gear so gear condition not a big deal. Looking forward to getting this project done, I take lots of pictures. I can text them to a phone. I have not figured how to post them here yet. If someone want to post them for me I'll be glad to share. Steve
Sounds like a fun v6.I have ordered a set of pistons that should put me right where I want to be. There seems to be a common approach to zero deck the piston to deck. Use a .039 compressed gasket giving a correct quench of just under .040. Figure in the 5 CC s for valve reliefs and a 52 CC head and 10 to 1 may be closer than expected. Steve
ACTUALLY it depends on which "kegger mod" you're talking about.ok. If you insist on "keg mods" even though every known test on these has proved this fruitless.
Most people didn't go through the trouble Marty went through with his plate design. They simply cut the runners down and all of these tests proved fruitless.ACTUALLY it depends on which "kegger mod" you're talking about.
See Marty's work at Kegger VRP - UTAWESOME PERFORMANCE sometimes.
RwP