HEMIWagon Project Log: Update! Recalls Galore

"JGrabowMSt" (jgrabowmst) 07/23/2016 at 10:14 • Filed to: HEMIWagon

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Current setup is killer.

Saving up for the next motor, aiming to purchase supporting parts for the swap before purchasing a block. Also need to get a little grease gun and hit every single fitting under the rear. It’s getting squeaky, and the front isn’t. Might have to bring a wrench with me and make sure it’s all still tight (it feels solid though, so there’s that).

Also, got my second (first was driver, now driver + passenger) airbag recall notice. Maybe that dash rattle will actually get fixed, considering the dash has to come out for the passenger side now. I’m just terrified I’ll get a letter about the side curtain airbags...I’m not prepared to completely strip the interior right now, and I am NOT letting a dealership touch this car.

So uh, yeah. Anyone have a 6.4L block lying around? I’m about to put my laundry list on a spreadsheet so I can keep track of all the parts. PCM, engine harness, harness adapter, new pedal assembly, new brake master cylinder + reservoir. And much more!

TheTurbochargedSquirrel > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 10:40

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You won’t get a recall for the side curtain bags. The recalls are on the traditional units used for steering wheels and passenger dash airbags.

JGrabowMSt > TheTurbochargedSquirrel 07/23/2016 at 10:58

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Yeah, doesn’t stop me from being concerned about having to gut the interior. It’s going to be enough of a bitch to get the dashboard out to swap the passenger side and find that rattle.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 11:22

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I thought random creaks and rattles were just "features" in any Chrysler product? :-P

JGrabowMSt > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/23/2016 at 11:27

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Yeah, only problem is that these aren’t quite random creaks. Sounds like the drivers side rear suspension needs to be greased again (only been on the car for a couple of months).

The dash rattle however, that’s a feature I’m looking to delete.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 11:33

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Very nice! You should put a supercharger on your next V8 for the Magnum.

Dave the car guy , still here > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 11:35

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Looks fantastic. I have a silver one in traffic with me each day on my morning commute. Another member of the Wagon Mafia. I love wagons.

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/23/2016 at 11:38

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The future plans do not involve boost, though the motor will be overbuilt.

Based on other people who have done similar builds, the new motor should be capable of putting 550+ to the wheels. That’s a bit more than I was even looking to put down, so I’m not going to mess with it. The difference is I plan on going with different heads, intake and cam than what I’ve been seeing in other HEMI builds. The intake I’m planning to run will not really support any kind of boost, but I’m okay with that.

3point8isgreat > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 11:38

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(Lurker coming out here) Your magnum looks awesome! Glad to see these being represented on Oppo. I’ve got an RT with AWD, so it’s got the silly looking factory raised suspension. Still a fun car for what it is though.

I don’t get why these don’t get more love around here for being V8 wagons. In RT trim the interiors are actually pretty comfortable places to be. And most people who ride in even a stock RT are surprised at how quick it is. I guess they see a boring white/beige wagon and expect it to feel like a minivan.

JGrabowMSt > 3point8isgreat 07/23/2016 at 11:50

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Thanks! I’m dropped on coilovers (KW V2), which accounts for the almost tucked appearance of the tires. Compared to AWD, my car probably looks slammed to the ground.

How’s your AWD been treating you? I never even really considered one honestly, the transfer cases I’ve been told have iffy reliability, and considering my plans, that’s the last thing I need. I’m also not a fan of the front suspension design and fact that the wheels use a completely different offset. The one thing the AWD cars have that sets them above the RWD car is the gearing. They launch better because they have 3.07 gearing, where a stock RT should have 2.82 gears, and honestly, they make a great noise, have some good pickup, but I moved to a 3.06 LSD because it felt really lazy sometimes.

What I’ve seen is that a lot of Magnums that are for sale have been beaten really hard, while the well kept ones are over priced, regardless of the drivetrain package. There’s a guy not all that far from me with a Silver one that he’s trying to sell for over $16k. Problem for me is that it’s a 3.5 V6 and it is slammed to the ground. More power to him, I hope he finds a buyer, but for $16k, you’re entering SRT8 territory. His one-off wheels aren’t helping any either. I think they look great on the car, but it’s just one of those situations where he’s trying to add up all his receipts to come up with an asking price, and it doesn’t work that way with any car.

Wagons are a hard sell for most people. I’ve had a ton of people give me both sides of love it or hate it. Wagons aren’t for everyone, but most people don’t give them a proper chance. I searched for 6 months for this car, and if you look back on the project log, there’s a lot of stuff in this car. I can only hope it can be a forever car with my SL. I’d rather put them in the garage and get a different DD so I can properly enjoy them and not have to drive them in traffic or to job sites.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 12:00

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Sounds good, bet it’s annoying as shit.

Off topic, but I'm thinking of heading on a drive somewhere North Jersey tomorrow. Maybe high point. I'm heading on a 2500 mile drive next week so I gotta make sure everything is ready to go. And it's some beautiful hot weather anyways.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 12:01

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Sounds you’ll have a fun engine, and probably a torque monster too!

JGrabowMSt > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/23/2016 at 12:04

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Have you been up to Stokes ever? I may be heading out there to scout for some new photo locations.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 12:09

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I love stokes. Such an interesting park. I've been there 3 or 4 times

3point8isgreat > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 12:10

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The AWD has been fine so far, but I’ve only had it a year. Mostly got it because it was the best condition RT I could find near me at the time. I needed a car that could tow and haul a lot for moving when I did a temporary job relocation, and my other car wasn’t being reliable enough to function on its own. And I always knew that the Magnum was my go-to for a high-utility vehicle since it did enough of the hauling, while still being fun to drive and getting better mpg than a truck. I did pay that price premium you mentioned for it though, around $14k with 72k miles.

AWD worked great for the little bit of snow I encountered last winter. Didn’t know that I had different gearing than the RWD one though. I had assumed the faster 0-60 times were down to the AWD’s traction off the line.

It’s also been a ton of fun at the couple autocrosses I’ve been to. Fun in a wrestling a bear kind of way of course. Power steering can’t keep up during some slaloms and chicanes. But fast enough to usually be able to hang comfortably with anyone else crazy enough to race on all-seasons.

I’ll have to check out more of your older posts. I’ve seen enough to know that you’ve basically built a monster though. Keep up the good work on it!

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/23/2016 at 12:24

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426 stroker out of a 6.4L (drop in crank, rods and pistons). Double wide timing chain, roller rockers and a cam that develops more power in the lower end (redlines from 6-7k RPM and there’s no more room after that).

Going for ported heads and titanium valves and springs so I never have to pull the head in my lifetime hopefully. Block will probably be painted HEMI Orange, valve covers will be wrinkle black. Fuel rails, will be powder coated black, headers will likely be left with whatever factory finish they get, and the cats and flexpipe will be powdercoated black probably. I don’t want to draw attention to the motor beyond the plans for the intake (think ITB).

Trans will need an extra long pickup tube put in to compensate for hard acceleration, I’ll have the police package oil cooler installed, and that should wrap it all up neatly. The only major change I plan is to get a full aluminum radiator instead of the factory design, so mounting it will be an issue, but I’d rather deal with that kind of hassle than have cooling issues or broken radiators (I have an inherent mistrust of thermoplastic radiator fittings).

I just want to get a motor and put it on a stand for a while, I want to move to a better brake system before I throw a ton of power into it. The braking performance is not that great to begin with, two piston up front and single piston out back. I just need new calipers and brackets hopefully to move to the Baer Pro+ calipers, 6 piston front, 4 piston rear and I’ll be moving to a challenger brake booster/master cylinder anyway, so that entire swap will happen at once. Calipers are expensive though, so probably not until early next year for the brakes, and the motor will not happen until the rest of the car is ready. I only have enough money to build this once, and the numbers should be 550ish RWHP and over 600ft-lbs of RWTQ. I’m concerned for my axles, but I’ll cross that bridge when I get there. The rest of the rear is capable, the axles are the weak point, but I’ll accept that for now.

The hood will probably get a vent towards the front similar to the Camaro ZL1, and will need a center bump for a cowl intake that will be ducted and built into the hood. Rest of the body work wont really be touched. I really want side exit exhaust, but that’s a completely different can of worms because of the ride height and how the bottom of the chassis is designed. I’m determined though, and there’s some pipe manufacturers near me that I may be able to work with for some wide and low profile pipes. The rear will get some kind of rear diffuser, I used to work with a guy who’s built one before, so I may see if I can toss a couple hundred his way and have him make me one for this. Driveshaft will have to be custom made, but luckily there’s a custom driveshaft and axle place not far from me.

Luckily I’m saving the motor build for last, I want the rest of the car capable. In the coming months, I’m also looking to do a lot of work myself. I want to do the motor build myself rather than handing that off to a shop. It’s not easy, but I’m willing to learn and want to have a hand in my own car.

gawdzillla > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 12:30

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do a 6 speed manual swap, you can do this

JGrabowMSt > 3point8isgreat 07/23/2016 at 12:36

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Finally! Someone else who has experienced those funny power steering issues.

I’m really unsure how I’m going to tackle that on mine. I know that I’m going to install a bump steer kit in the future, not for the bump steer (it is pretty bad though), but to replace the outer tie rod. I used to have a Neon, and once had an outer tie rod separate. Car felt funny earlier that day when I was driving it, and finally popped out when I was a gravel driveway. Super embarrassing honestly, and I never want that to happen again. The front wheel bearings are starting to go, but I may just try and have the front apart once, so I don’t have to align it three million times with all the parts.

The last time I spent a couple hours under my car, I noticed the steering rack is a BWD? It was certainly not the OEM rack. I have a new power steering pump, and half of the lines have been replaced because of power steering cooler issues I had, but I really just cant help but think there’s something inherently off about my steering rack. I’d love to go to maybe an electric setup in the future (retrofit an aftermarket E36 BMW kit to a new steering rack), but I’m not sure yet. I’ll have to talk to the manufacturer about that and see what they say as far as compatibility.

I’ve ran Yokohama IceGuard tires or two winters now, and haven’t had any trouble with them. I’m not sure they’ll have enough life in them for a third winter (I spent a year commuting to a pretty far away job and it did a number on both sets of my tires). I have every reason to go back to Yokohama, and I think they were the only brand that offered the size tire I run in the winter (stock 225/60R18).

JGrabowMSt > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/23/2016 at 12:38

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I might be going out that way and swinging back up around Hawk’s Nest if you want to join. I’m not sure what time I’ll leave, but C&C was cancelled, and I have a conference call I need to be on sometime in the morning, but once that’s over, I’m free for the whole day. I’ll be heading into PA for sure to swing by Arrow Island and see how the roads are.

JGrabowMSt > gawdzillla 07/23/2016 at 12:40

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What do you think the pedal assembly, PCM and harness adapter are for?

 > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 13:00

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New Charger nose swap. Do it.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 13:18

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Sounds like a good build. Are you going to have any coatings applied to the pistons, heads, bearings, rods, crank, or springs?

I am surprised there isn’t a conversion to run Viper calipers with SRT rotors.

JGrabowMSt >  07/23/2016 at 13:22

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If I did a nose swap, I would do the new 300.

trueambition.net/138stuff/custommagnumforum/redrenderfinal.png

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 13:23

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Sounds good to me, just let me know around what time you are thinking. Haven’t been to arrow island, sounds like fun!

Bringing the SL?

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/23/2016 at 13:26

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Not sure yet, being an NA build, probably no coatings.

The viper gear is very different actually, their spindles and wheel hubs dont match the LX cars at all that I know of, but if I can get under a viper, I would find out for sure. As of right now though, Baer 6 piston with a 13" rotor should tuck behind the 18" wheels no problem.

Hi there > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 13:35

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That is the best way to do front end suspension work. Do it once every some number of years and tens of thousands of miles.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 13:40

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The coatings are actually very interesting. They are great at reducing friction, and can be used for other aspects as well. (I plan on doing a simplified write up on them in the next few months.)

I know they are 6 lug as well.

I meant just using only the caliper from the Viper, and making adapter brackets to attach to the factory Magnum spindle. Then using a larger disc.

Like my GTO has done to it. It has 6 piston CTS-V Brembos in the front with G8 GXP/SS Camaro rotors and a bracket holding the caliper to the hub. To install it you just bolt the bracket to the hub, put disc on, and then bolt caliper (with pads installed) to the bracket. Then connect brake lines and bleed system.

Or can you just bolt the Hellcat brakes on it?

JGrabowMSt > Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) 07/23/2016 at 14:20

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Im about to wash it now, im actually not sure what Ill bring. You havent seen the Magnum as it sits now, and the SL hasnt changed. In fact, the Magnum corners like its on rails, so I will probably just bring it.

The SL also needs its brakes to be bled again, so I probably wont. Ill have it up at the Chatterbox tonight though. Ill probably hit the road around 4ish to get up there.

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/23/2016 at 14:26

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The Hellcat brakes are just SRT brakes, 4 piston front, 2 piston rear. I just want to get 6 piston front, 4 piston rear and associated brackets. Once I have part numbers in hand, Ill be happy. I already have SS brake lines, so the kits will have a lot of parts I dont need.

I am also debating custom ordering a set of calipers from Baer with no engravings. Id hate to advertise what Im running. Being a sleeper is a lot more fun.

I also dont think the Viper brakes clear an 18" wheel, but the Baers are the most compact calipers I can find.

Wrong Wheel Drive (41%) > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 16:09

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Oh yeah I haven't seen the magnum in forever. Youve done a ton of stuff to it. Where you wanna meet up tomorrow? If we are going to Stokes I just planned to take 287 to 78 to 206 and then all the way up.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/23/2016 at 17:22

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6 piston front and 4 piston rear should be standard on all performance cars. I didn’t know hellcats used SRT brakes, I was kind of hoping they used something a little more special than that.

If you got the Baer brake route, you should have them done in black with no engravings. That would be pretty cool stealthy look.

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/23/2016 at 22:18

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Yeah, I’ll probably have them powder coated after the fact, I’m sure Baer would charge plenty for that. The front calipers are really expensive by themselves, I’m still shopping around for where I can locate four calipers and brackets from. The Pro+ calipers use Corvette C5 pads, all I need after that is to select a rotor to use. Will be a 13" rotor up front, I have to look and see what the rears will need for rotor size. I’m willing to give Hawk pads another chance, but the set I’m currently running give up a ridiculous amount of dust. I can wash the car, go for a drive, and the entire rear is immediately covered in dust. It’s bad.

The SRT brakes are a 6/4 piston configuration, I just checked that, but they use Brembo calipers that are absolutely massive and require a 20" wheel minimum to use. I’m running 18" wheels, so that’s not an option. The previous generation SRT was smaller brakes, I got them mixed up. Either way, even the old ones wont clear an 18" wheel. The Baer calipers are some of the most compact on the market, SN97 Mustang Cobra wheels that are 17" cleared some of the previous “big brake kits” from Baer, so that’s why I’m so drawn to them. Baer also offers the custom engraving option, which is why I want no engraving.

I’ll have to shoot another email out to Baer, it sucks that I’m reaching out to so many companies and only a few are willing to take the time to respond to me. The brakes have to happen before the motor swap, ideally I need to get my wheel fixed too...

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/24/2016 at 12:22

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Get them in the cheapest color then, and powder coat them. Also C5 brake pads are the same as 05-06 GTO brake pads. I run hawks on my GTO, and they don’t dust too horribly.

Why don’t you upgrade to the 20 inch wheels? You could probably get them for a reasonably price, and it would clear the massive brakes.. I personally would run factory parts for a OEM+ look, they have already been engineered to work on that chassis, and nobody will be the wiser. If your dead set on running the baer brakes look into some sort of ducting to cool the brakes.

Hopefully Baer responds to you, and can help you out. Yes, brakes and suspension before major power gains. Which wheel do you need to get fixed? I would get another set of wheels if your 18s are messed up. If it is your steering wheel contact Redline Goods. They do great work rewrapping steering wheels.

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/24/2016 at 12:56

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I have two custom 18x9 rear wheels, one has a leak and needs to be welded and repowder coated.

Im hellbent on these 18s for a reason, I also enjoy having sidewall on my tires. If I ever track the car, I would probably get a set of 20" track only wheels just for the tire selection, but for street use, its heavy and low, I need the sidewall to protect me from potholes and give me a little cushion from the harsh poly bushings and KW coilovers. The Baers are also super compact and dont even really look like 6 piston brakes, which I like. I do plan on NACA ducting from the front bumper using the fog light bezels from the SRT8 Magnum for a hidden and clean look. Luckily, theres someone else who has done this, so I have plenty of photos of their install to work with. There are Challengers that have run Baer brakes, but not with 18" wheels, so its really hard to just get a confirmation that they fit. Once I get confirmation they fit, Im just going to get pricing on front and rear calipers and brackets and part numbers for rotors and pads so I can get to installing them. Brake fade is a common issue with these cars, being 4400lbs and all.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/24/2016 at 14:05

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What brand custom wheels did you use? Any pictures?

That makes sense. Why not put the KWs in a softer setting for street driving? That’s great you are going to be running ducting. That was the one thing I wanted to make sure. Those huge brakes on the SRTs are good for helping with brake fad.

Sounds like you have a plan.

Have the rotors cryo treated before installing them. ;)

gawdzillla > JGrabowMSt 07/24/2016 at 22:00

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you could have written something like “slave cylinder” to make me look like an idiot ;)

JGrabowMSt > AfromanGTO 07/24/2016 at 23:34

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The KW V2 are only height adjustable, not damper. The ride is tolerable, I just put 200 miles on the car today through 3 states blasting around, and Im only tired because ive been up since 7am. There can be hard bumps, but its not exhausting to be in the car for 6 hours.

5 spoke steelies off the cop cars. 18x7.5 stock up front with 235/55 and 18x9 out back with 255/55 Nitto NT420S tires. The tires do well, but I know the power steering needs work, and Im going to be looking into that as well. This is going to be a one of a kind build, so its going to be a long process for sure.

Ive had lots of people try and put down the wheels because theyre welded, the fact of the matter is that its my car, theyre only being used on the street, and Im confident. Yes a weld needs work because it leaks air, but Ive seen people race on these wheels before, road race and drag strip. Im not going to be abusing these like some other people do, so I am okay with it. Its custom work, it wont always be perfect, but my day job is no different, I can appreciate the workmanship and time taken. The welder will fix it, he probably wont charge me, but I wouldnt mind giving him money for his time spent. Its frustrating on both sides, but its not personal, its just life. Its also not a bad drive to go out and see him and what hes up to.

AfromanGTO > JGrabowMSt 07/25/2016 at 11:57

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If the ride is tolerable with the kws you are good.

There’s nothing wrong with widened wheels. My other set of rims which are 19s have been widened in the rears too. They welds are good, and don’t leak. Good luck getting them fixed and bsing with your welder.

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > JGrabowMSt 07/26/2016 at 15:01

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Holy schiza are you serious? As far as I can tell no one has manual swapped an LX platform car

JGrabowMSt > Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's 07/26/2016 at 16:21

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There are a handful of them. I can only verify two of them, having seen extensive photos of the swap. One build was a SEMA car, a Charger that got a full manual drivetrain. Another was a V6 Magnum, but the way the Magnum owner went with his build is not what I would consider a “user friendly” swap that anyone could replicate.

Supposedly there are 3 Magnums that have 3rd gen Viper swaps, and the person I heard that from told me they were all in the mid west, and somewhat close to each other. He claims to have seen two a track, but until I see pictures or the cars in person, I’m doubtful. A viper swap requires a lot of firewall cutting.

I don’t exactly intend on sharing the technical details of the swap though. I have the swap planned out, and it should not require any major fabrication to complete. Will it work 100% on the first try? Only one way to find out. It will be awesome though.

Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's > JGrabowMSt 07/29/2016 at 01:11

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Well that’s badass and I wish you luck. As far as I can tell the biggest obstacle is fitting a 6spd in that narrow trans tunnel and not eating into cabin space

JGrabowMSt > Bylan - Hoarder of LS400's 07/29/2016 at 07:12

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The manual trans is narrower than the auto. The trans tunnel is not the problem, despite what many people try to say.