[itsmedc]

Originally Posted by aerohead

This is a shot in the dark,but B&M Hydro used to offer an aftermarket full lockup torque converter.

I did a little searching, and will dig around some more, but according to a seasoned chrysler dealer mechanic I know lockup converters also have a different valve body and even different input shafts. So you can't simply stick a lockup converter in a non-lockup trans.

Originally Posted by aerohead

Your 318 is a sweet engine and I've known van owners who routinely saw 22-mpg at the old double-nickel speed (with more frontal area).

That is some impressive numbers. I owned a short wheel base full size van that also had a 318 and rolled up a lot of miles in it as a field service tech driving all over Georgia but, have no recollection of the fuel mileage. Do not think it was that high. The closest I ever came to those kind of mileage numbers with a 318 was in a 72 Dodge Demon (same basic shape as the Plymouth Duster) with a TF-904 and 2.76 gears... managed 21mpg on the highway by either 55-60 mph DWL or DWL with 45 mph at the top of hills and well over the speed limit at the bottom of hills but never moving the throttle position. Dad did one tankful his way and I did one my way on a trip from TX to SC and we were within a tenth of a mpg on back to back tankfuls.

Originally Posted by aerohead

I have some shots of the Dodge's nose although nothing digital.If you don't mind waiting I'll try and dig 'em out and scan.

I have plenty of time with all the rain we are getting here in the Atlanta area lately... Would love to see the photos... If it would be easier I will PM you with my mailing address and you can send copies in the mail... although I imagine there are others on here who would love to see them.

Originally Posted by aerohead

If you were to mimic any of the modern truck noses,I'm sure you'd be rewarded.

Have been studying aero on all the late model trucks. Looked at some videos talking about the aero on the 2009 Ford F150.
Video on new F150 aero http://video.tiscali.it/canali/truveo/2867473023.html

Part of the talk about the nose was how the lower part angled back before turning the air flow down... seems like I have seen something similar to that on the front of a white T-100. Also talked about how the back top of the cab rounded over before coming to a "chisel" line to trip the airflow... Funny how the back edge of the cab on my old Dodge does the same thing... unlike the 87 Ford they used in the SAE 881874 paper which has a cab trailing edge that is almost as square as cardboard box.

I even spent a day wandering around in a mall parking deck so I could get a good look at the undersides of the noses by walking along the ramps.
Had first noticed the bottom of the noses being angled back as part of the bottom of the front bumper on the newest Honda CR-V. Also, all the little deflectors hanging down in front of the inner third of the tires.
One little detail I did notice on the newest Toyota Tundra's was that only the front passenger wheel well has a set of small louvers in the front part of the wheel well. Was not able to figure out the purpose of those.