Author Topic: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread  (Read 818197 times)

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Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #465 on: March 14, 2013, 05:01:57 PM »
When it rains, it pours. :-D :-D

Over the last few days, I have made breakthroughs on 2 different transaxle options for my Rampage.

The first one is worthy of a story.

If you didn't know, the city of St Louis is consistenly ranked in the top 5 most-dangerous cities in the USA.  I was raised in the "good part" of the city of St Louis, but was bussed to the bad part when I was in middle and high school.  The good part of STL is pretty good.  The bad part is very bad.  Now, I live in a semi-rural suburb, about 30 miles south of the city limits.

Anyway, I heard about this guy who is supposed to be the local guru of all things VW.  I get his number, give him a call, and he says that he'll take a look at my trans, and make a few needed upgrades.  He gives me his street address, and I recognize it as being in one of the worst parts of StL city that you could possibly think of.  I ask him if this is a private residence, or an apartment building, as it's in an area where there used to be some industry and commerce, but now consists of a lot of boarded up buildings, a few bars, and plenty of street crime.  He tells me that it's a 2-story warehouse that he lives in.  I know he is a friend of some other friends, so I figure everything is OK.

I put a 9mm in the side pocket of my truck, and make the trek.  In MO, no permit is required to carry a gun (concealed or unconcealed) in your vehicle.

I get to the address and give him a call.  He tells me to pull into the alley and he will open the door.  I pull around the alley, keeping a watchful eye for anything that looks too shady.  It's a large, commercial garage door, with one of those accordian style steel security fences outside the actual garage door.  Once inside, he has an amazing 2-story shop, 9,000 square feet, with 3 phase electric, car lifts, a big lathe, CNC milling machine, 1ton Chevy wrecker, and more VW stuff and vehicles than you could shake a stick at.  It turns out that the building was built as a car dealership, probably in the early 50's. 

All of the first floor windows have been bricked in.  All of the 2nd story windows have been bricked over, with the exception of some very narrow windows.  There is one steel entry door with another one of those accordian style steel security fence deals.  From the outside, it looks like a boarded up, abandoned building, but contains a wonderland for a car guy with no wife or kids.  The guy is a mechanical engineer at his day job, and bought this building for his hobby stuff.  I'm sure the building was very cheap due to it's location, and most people will never know of all the goodness inside.

He is going through the 5-speed trans that I hope to use at B-ville.



 
1/2 of the Rampage Brothers

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #466 on: March 14, 2013, 05:06:41 PM »
As a backup, I was hoping to use a 4-speed trans that I bought as part of a bunch of other VW junk.

It turns out that the 4-speed I have contains the tallest ring and pinion set available in the entirety of the VW 020 transmission world.  This is fantastic news.

Today, I made contact with a guy near Chicago who uses these 4-speeds in a VW-based circle track car.  He has every known set of gears for these trannies, and is willing to share.  I've been playing with an Excel spreadsheet of target speeds, tire sizes, R&P ratios, 4th gear ratios, and engine rpms.

My thinking has now changed to using the 4-speed as my primary trans (4th gear in these transmissions is supposed to be stronger than the 5th gear in the 5 speed trannies), and keeping the 5-speed as my backup.

My guy in "The Hood" can change the drive flanges so that both trannies are the same, making a switch from one to the other a straight bolt-in affair.

Just thought you might like to know.
1/2 of the Rampage Brothers

Offline Geo

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #467 on: March 14, 2013, 05:29:51 PM »
That's cool. It's great when a day has surprises that bring wonder and joy!  :cheers:

My start in fixing cars was summer work at my uncles VW dealership.

Geo

Offline Tman

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #468 on: March 14, 2013, 05:41:16 PM »
I found that neighborhood once I think! Was on my way home from working the summer at my Uncles place, FLW by Rolla ;)

Offline tauruck

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #469 on: March 14, 2013, 05:42:56 PM »
 :-D Steve, I went the other way. My school was in the good part of town. Nice to see you have options with gearboxes.

Offline 55chevr

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #470 on: March 14, 2013, 05:58:51 PM »
Steve,
just be grateful that the shop wasnt in East St. Louis.


Joe

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #471 on: March 14, 2013, 06:12:42 PM »
If it was in ESTL, I would have left it alone.  The State of IL won't even let law abiding people defend themselves.
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Offline Tman

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #472 on: March 14, 2013, 06:14:18 PM »
Steve,
just be grateful that the shop wasnt in East St. Louis.


Joe

Ended up there on the same trip...................Dad says "this doesn't look good." Aunt says, "oh my, I saw someone was murdered here (bar by the road) last week>" :-o

gkabbt

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #473 on: March 14, 2013, 06:24:45 PM »
Bro,

Good stories.
I can only imagine your thoughts as you were in "the hood". BTW 9MM is always good.  :-D
Sounds like the 4 speed is the better choice.

I've been West bound with the pedal down all day and am now in Cookeville, TN for the night.
I plan on spending some time in Nashville tomorrow doing the tourist thing.  :?
See you Saturday.

Gregg

Offline lsrjunkie

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #474 on: March 14, 2013, 07:07:17 PM »
Great news on the trans Steve! I'm always happy for a guy that finds something akin to a diamond in the rough! Looking forward to seeing some drivetrain pics!  :cheers:
Maybe there is no Heaven. Or maybe this is all pure gibberish. The product of a demented hill billy who has found a way to live out where the winds blow. To sleep late, have fun, drink whiskey, and drive fast on empty streets with nothing in mind except falling in love or getting arrested.    H.S. Thompson

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #475 on: March 14, 2013, 10:34:41 PM »
Here are some photos of the mock-up, with an empty block, a 4 speed trans, the rack&pinion, and the 4-speed linkage "mostly" in place.  It looks kind of crummy now, but should be much cleaner when it's time for the real deal.









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Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #476 on: March 14, 2013, 10:40:48 PM »
...and I just won an eBay auction for 4 Moon Disks.  Now I can make it look like a real LSR car.

Steve.
1/2 of the Rampage Brothers

gkabbt

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #477 on: March 14, 2013, 10:42:21 PM »
Are you going to have that running by the time I get there Saturday?   JK  :-D
Looks REAL GOOD and I can't wait to see it.

Gregg

gkabbt

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #478 on: March 14, 2013, 10:43:56 PM »
...and I just won an eBay auction for 4 Moon Disks.  Now I can make it look like a real LSR car.

Steve.

More new toys.....YES!

Gregg

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #479 on: March 14, 2013, 10:52:34 PM »
Right now, the rest of my garage looks like an atomic bomb hit a junkyard.  It's time to re-organize and clean everything up.

There was one casualty tonight.  I dropped a 15mm socket into the access hole for the transmission mount.  There is that little access hole on the inside of the driver's side frame rail, in the wheel well.  The socket rolled back into the subframe rail.  I don't think I'll ever see that socket again.

Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday, Gregg.

Steve.
1/2 of the Rampage Brothers