Author Topic: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread  (Read 818121 times)

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Offline Tman

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #450 on: March 11, 2013, 12:23:04 AM »
Looka great Steve!

Offline tauruck

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #451 on: March 11, 2013, 01:10:03 AM »
Nice one Steve. One more milestone. At least you'll have a dedicated pit crew. Your son must be excited. :cheers:

gkabbt

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #452 on: March 11, 2013, 01:28:00 PM »
Congrats on the roller!
Is that 1st Gen Neon stuff on the front or stock Rampage? Kinda hard to tell from the pics.
Looking forward to Saturday.

Gregg

Offline AJR192

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #453 on: March 11, 2013, 02:08:28 PM »
The great part of having your son help out and be your pit crew is that it does not have to end when you leave for the salt. Unlike most forms of motorsports, there is no age restriction to be in the pits at Bonneville. He can be involved in every aspect of this sport. By the time he can legally drive, he will be a "Salt Veteran"!

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #454 on: March 11, 2013, 02:59:47 PM »
Congrats on the roller!
Is that 1st Gen Neon stuff on the front or stock Rampage? Kinda hard to tell from the pics.
Looking forward to Saturday.

Gregg

Yes, the struts and springs are from a 1st Gen Neon.  They are somewhere in the range of 2.5 - 3 inches shorter than the stock L-body stuff.  I am also using the front knuckles/spindles from a '92 (I think) Acclaim.  Those knuckles are more HD, in addition to working more like a drop spindle in this application.  The distance from the centerline of the drive axle to the lower ball joint is greater on these knuckles.  They also use a bolt-in bearing carrier, which is extremely handy in comparison to the press-in bearing design of earlier models.

It's still tough to figure out the ride height.  My next move will be to mock up the engine and transmission, which should give a better idea of ride height.

Steve.
« Last Edit: March 11, 2013, 03:03:24 PM by SteveM »
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Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #455 on: March 11, 2013, 03:05:00 PM »
The great part of having your son help out and be your pit crew is that it does not have to end when you leave for the salt. Unlike most forms of motorsports, there is no age restriction to be in the pits at Bonneville. He can be involved in every aspect of this sport. By the time he can legally drive, he will be a "Salt Veteran"!

Yep, he's getting into it pretty deep, and is enjoying the build.  It's nice to be able to send him into the engine compartment to get those fasteners that I don't quite feel like bending over and reaching.  The ability to use his youth and flexibility are going to pay off in the long run. :-D

Steve
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Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #456 on: March 11, 2013, 04:49:47 PM »
Tomorrow evening, I'll be dropping the transmission off at our local "guy" who is known for VW 020 transmissions.  He's going to check it all out, go through the case, and outfit it with the later model, more heavy duty output flanges.

Gotta keep moving forward.
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Offline Tman

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #457 on: March 11, 2013, 05:05:59 PM »
Tomorrow evening, I'll be dropping the transmission off at our local "guy" who is known for VW 020 transmissions.  He's going to check it all out, go through the case, and outfit it with the later model, more heavy duty output flanges.

Gotta keep moving forward.


I was going to ask you (before we ran out of time) how you got into these things? Maybe you mentioned it once? If so I forgot.

gkabbt

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #458 on: March 11, 2013, 05:13:54 PM »
It's still tough to figure out the ride height.

I've got a care package that I'm bringing that might change your mind on what you do with ride height.   :-D

Gregg

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #459 on: March 11, 2013, 05:33:24 PM »
Now I REALLY can't wait to meet you this weekend.

On a somewhat related note, I may have found a good shock absorber substitute for our rear axles.  Searching through the Monroe and Gabriel catalogs, I saw that P/N MA785 (Monroe), and P/N 49304 (Gabriel) are air-adjustable shocks with a compressed length of 9.5", and an extended length of 14". 

I'm thinking of buying a pair to see how well they work for adjusting ride height in the rear.

They would require changing to a loop-type lower mount, but that shouldn't be a major issue.
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gkabbt

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #460 on: March 11, 2013, 07:23:23 PM »
On a somewhat related note, I may have found a good shock absorber substitute for our rear axles.  Searching through the Monroe and Gabriel catalogs, I saw that P/N MA785 (Monroe), and P/N 49304 (Gabriel) are air-adjustable shocks with a compressed length of 9.5", and an extended length of 14". 

I'm thinking of buying a pair to see how well they work for adjusting ride height in the rear.

They would require changing to a loop-type lower mount, but that shouldn't be a major issue.

Good detective work! Either of these sound like they would accomplish what we're looking for.

Gregg

Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #461 on: March 11, 2013, 10:18:29 PM »
Just an FYI - those shocks are intended to fit '63-'82 Chevy Corvettes.   :-D

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Offline lsrjunkie

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #462 on: March 12, 2013, 09:55:38 AM »
Coming along nicely Steve. Your project looks a lot more like a car than mine does at this point! Congrats on the roller!  :cheers:

I'd love to be mocking up engine and trans, but alas...
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 #463 on: March 12, 2013, 11:14:49 AM »
I just had to share - just got a sneak peek of the injection pump that the Swedish builder is putting together for me....



This guy (Goran at Dieselmeken.AB, is arguably the best VW diesel pump builder on the planet).

I can almost see the black exhaust now!!!
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Offline SteveM

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Re: '84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread
« Reply #464 on: March 12, 2013, 11:15:57 AM »
Coming along nicely Steve. Your project looks a lot more like a car than mine does at this point! Congrats on the roller!  :cheers:

I'd love to be mocking up engine and trans, but alas...

I'll bet that your project will get to the "break over" point soon, and you will gain even more momentum.  Yours has come a long way in a very short period of time.

Steve.
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