Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
So, I've had plenty of time to think about this Conquest project over the past couple of months... :hmmm:
I've pretty-much ruled out the V8 route, since I already have a V8 hot rod and would like to try something different. To that end, I'd decided to go with a 2.5L Turbo II with some extra juice, shooting towards 225-250HP at the rear wheels. Pretty easy to do with the old 8-valve K-car engine, really, and thanks to Stretch I have a pretty good head start on TII parts. However, where I get stuck is on the engine mounting and transmission, both of which are going to require some fabrication work. No big deal on the mounts as I have a hold on a RWD Dakota 2.5L, but coming up with some kind of transmission adapter to accomodate a transmission that can hold that kind of power is going to be a little tricky. To my knowledge, there's no Dakota trans that will put up with it for very long, and let's be honest--the ratios in an AX15 leave a bit to be desired in a performance car. I'd like to use the Mopar engine, but the trans thing gives me pause.
So, in my roaming around at other sites I found another interesting option. It seems from 1988-1991, Dodge Ram 50s used a 2.4L "wide block" engine designated as a 4G64. Essentially what this engine amounts to is a cross-breed of the Conquest's original engine and a first-gen Talon/Eclipse/Laser engine. It uses the same mounts and transmission bolt pattern as the Conquest's original engine, but the deck pattern is the exact same as a 24V DOHC Talon TSi engine, meaning the original SOHC head can be replaced with the DOHC unit. At that point, the sky's the limit, as I'm sure everyone's aware of the 8 billion speed parts available for the 4G63 Talon engine, and essentially all of it is top-end related. In addition to that, all my factory gauges would be retainable, since the senders would all work in the Mitsu motor.
I know where there are two 4G64 blocks resting quietly in Ram 50s.
Realistically, the effort and expense required to get 250 RWHP out of a 2.5L would probably net me 50-100 more on the Itchypussy engine. While fuel mileage isn't my primary goal, it is a concern, but I expect that the results for either would be a push, probably within a couple MPG of each other.
So, I'm stuck. What to do?
I've pretty-much ruled out the V8 route, since I already have a V8 hot rod and would like to try something different. To that end, I'd decided to go with a 2.5L Turbo II with some extra juice, shooting towards 225-250HP at the rear wheels. Pretty easy to do with the old 8-valve K-car engine, really, and thanks to Stretch I have a pretty good head start on TII parts. However, where I get stuck is on the engine mounting and transmission, both of which are going to require some fabrication work. No big deal on the mounts as I have a hold on a RWD Dakota 2.5L, but coming up with some kind of transmission adapter to accomodate a transmission that can hold that kind of power is going to be a little tricky. To my knowledge, there's no Dakota trans that will put up with it for very long, and let's be honest--the ratios in an AX15 leave a bit to be desired in a performance car. I'd like to use the Mopar engine, but the trans thing gives me pause.
So, in my roaming around at other sites I found another interesting option. It seems from 1988-1991, Dodge Ram 50s used a 2.4L "wide block" engine designated as a 4G64. Essentially what this engine amounts to is a cross-breed of the Conquest's original engine and a first-gen Talon/Eclipse/Laser engine. It uses the same mounts and transmission bolt pattern as the Conquest's original engine, but the deck pattern is the exact same as a 24V DOHC Talon TSi engine, meaning the original SOHC head can be replaced with the DOHC unit. At that point, the sky's the limit, as I'm sure everyone's aware of the 8 billion speed parts available for the 4G63 Talon engine, and essentially all of it is top-end related. In addition to that, all my factory gauges would be retainable, since the senders would all work in the Mitsu motor.
I know where there are two 4G64 blocks resting quietly in Ram 50s.
Realistically, the effort and expense required to get 250 RWHP out of a 2.5L would probably net me 50-100 more on the Itchypussy engine. While fuel mileage isn't my primary goal, it is a concern, but I expect that the results for either would be a push, probably within a couple MPG of each other.
So, I'm stuck. What to do?
