Chrysler 3.5 HO V6 swap (Page 25/33)
seajai JAN 12, 08:08 PM
Well, after a couple months of ignoring my car, I'm finally getting going on a few winter projects. I've been contemplating a donor for my dash swap all summer long. After a lot of looking at pics and a few trips to the junk yard to make measurements, I decided on the 1991-1996 Toyota Camry. The width is very close to the Fiero dash, and the curve at the windshield is within a 1/4" of matching perfectly. The bottom flares out a bit and will require some trimming. This particular example came from a 1992 model so it does not have a passenger side air bag, and the color is only a shade off of the Pontiac color. I think like the look, and feel that the size of the dash is in scale with the rest of the interior.





Wow! I got page 7 too!

[This message has been edited by seajai (edited 10-02-2023).]

Stubby79 JAN 13, 11:15 AM


Looks like it belongs there!
85sliverGT JAN 13, 07:05 PM
Sweet, that does fit well!

[This message has been edited by 85sliverGT (edited 01-13-2014).]

BrittB JAN 22, 09:28 PM
Read this thread from day one until now, very cool! One thing I was wondering is would it have made any difference if the chassis would have been stretched say 6 inches in the rear? Wondering if it would have made it easier to get clearance from the firewall and axle alignment.
seajai FEB 01, 09:23 AM

quote
Originally posted by BrittB:

Read this thread from day one until now, very cool! One thing I was wondering is would it have made any difference if the chassis would have been stretched say 6 inches in the rear? Wondering if it would have made it easier to get clearance from the firewall and axle alignment.



I'm about and inch into the firewall and 2.5" axle offset so a stretch on 4" would have been sufficient. The issue with that is a change in the outward appearance of the car. The goal of the swap was to step outside the box of the normal swap to try something that hasn't been done before without changing how the car looks. The double takes by people when they see it at a car show makes me think my goal was met.
With 5000+ miles on the swap, the only axle alignment issue is a bit of a shudder under hard acceleration, normal driving is unaffected. I believe this is being caused by the inner tripod joint operating at the upper limits if it's offset angle. I would like to change the inner joints from a tripod to a Rzeppa design, I believe this would eliminate my shudder issue, but will require custom flanges on the trans and a hybrid Porsche-Pontiac axle shaft. I'm still looking into that.
Blacktree FEB 05, 01:17 AM
I love how the engine looks in the engine bay. It just looks "right". Next time I look at the sideways engine in my Fiero, I'm going to do this --->
PatrickTRoof FEB 08, 11:36 PM
I like how you left out the quarter glass. Kinda reminds me of a Maserati Merak with its rear buttresses. Good job!
seajai FEB 09, 09:13 AM

quote
Originally posted by PatrickTRoof:

I like how you left out the quarter glass. Kinda reminds me of a Maserati Merak with its rear buttresses. Good job!



Thanks

I'll have to admit though, leaving out the quarter glass was not done as a design element, rather it was because I broke them in the process of removing the rear clip. However, it did make access to the new coolant tank and other electronics more convenient. I'm thinking about using the open sail windows from Fiero Fiberglass to give it a finished look.
PatrickTRoof FEB 09, 10:33 AM

quote
Originally posted by seajai:


Thanks

I'll have to admit though, leaving out the quarter glass was not done as a design element, rather it was because I broke them in the process of removing the rear clip.



Well, you did a good job of hiding it! I learned, if something is broken, clean it up and paint it, and it will look like it's supposed to be that way!

JayinMI MAR 02, 12:42 PM
For other people considering doing a swap requiring interfacing with a transponder key system,
you might consider looking at some of the interface modules for remote starts. You could wire it in, program it,
then basically wire it to come on whenever you power the ignition on, instead of triggering off of a remote start.
You can typically get them for around $50-80. In many cases, they aren't required since you can relocate the "antenna"
somewhere else and just put the key inside it, but it's something to consider for other apps where that might not be an option.

Just a thought.

Jay