The Crusty Cuda: Whole lotta Shakin' (N96) Goin' on!

[markinnaples]

Looks like a really, really solid place to start. Looking forward to watching it move along the restoration process. Congrats on a great starting point.

[Billohio]

This will be a great a 70 340 shaker!
I think with the timing tho we need a rerun of a video firecrackers the silent killer. No one needs to loose a finger with cruise in season here.

[Canuck]

Dave
I have just put on the first bag of popcorn! Get that house finished so we can follow this build.

Paul

[mockingbird812]

That is a tidy looking project. Can't wait!

[big gear head]

Aw, man. Do we have to wait a whole year? Come on. At least keep us up do date on what parts you find along the way.

[MarcDant]

Dave you have good taste , love your humble restorations looking forward to this one .

[A12pilot]

Thanks, guys! Yes, this will start out slow but there's still updates to come. We have informational posts coming up like "A fish out of water ; How to store your Cuda", and "Capital One: What's in your wallet..... that was subsequently taken away by your wife":hmmm:

More pics and info to follow in the next few months, I promise.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Xplantdad]

Very cool stuff Dave. It will great to follow along!

[Canuck]

And don't forget " A Fish Called I Wanna". "And Cuda use more Help". .

[cook_dw]

Dude!!!!

Hands down the best looking Mopar.. Very happy for you and look forward to the photography/ videography..

https://media.giphy.com/media/cd87BccyY3Ecg/giphy.gif

[Postsedan]

Congrats Dave :)

Looking forward to the Cuda build. But, when are we doing the ORD lunch/visit?

Dan

[Chazman]

Wow! Congrats. Can't wait for this one!

[A12pilot]

It's going to kill me to leave it sit for so long, but the accumulation of new parts will be fun! Dan, I haven't had a Chicago layover in months but when I do you're on speed dial!:biggthumpup:

2020 will be here before you know it! With this and the 507 project that I'll be starting as well.....anyone wanna buy a green mustang??:crazy::hmmm:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[big gear head]

Yeah, I wana buy one! You got next week's winning lottery numbers?

[442w30]

Plymouth offered the Shaker Hood option (N96) standard on Hemi and 440-6 cars, then later on all 383/440 models.

Shaker was optional for the 440-6.

Interestingly, the Shaker was optional for the Hemi Challenger R/T, unlike the Hemi'cuda.

[wheelhop]

Or " I can Tune a Cuda, but Can't Catcha Fish"

[A12pilot]

Shaker was optional for the 440-6.

Interestingly, the Shaker was optional for the Hemi Challenger R/T, unlike the Hemi'cuda.

Yes, correct. My mind was saying stuff faster than my fingers typed it! Standard on hemi, option 440-6. Good catch! Didn't know that about the Challenger N96 option. Wonder why different?

Cheers
Dave

[The Boss]

Love this - in for the ride!

[442w30]

Didn't know that about the Challenger N96 option. Wonder why different?


Prob because they were slightly decentralized a la GM. Challenger R/T got Rallye gauges standard, 'Cuda did not.....Plymouth had the Road Runner and Dodge had nothing in the fall of '67.

[big gear head]

Don't forget the '69 Daytona and '70 Superbird. Plymouth was late to that dance.

[Lee Stewart]

Shaker was optional for the 440-6.

Interestingly, the Shaker was optional for the Hemi Challenger R/T, unlike the Hemi'cuda.

The Hemi option was priced differently between the two cars. 'Cuda: $871.45 while for the Challenger R/T: $778.75

[Lee Stewart]

Dave:

Can you post a photo of the Fender Tag?

[SS427]

Cool stuff Dave!

[A12pilot]

Thanks guys! Yep.... here's the tag and what all that jibberish means::scholar:

BS23: (B) Plymouth (S) Barracuda Special, 'Cuda (23) 2-Dr Hardtop

H0B: (H) 340 275HP 1-4BBL 8 CYL
(0) 1970 (B) Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA

326808: Sequence number

E55: 340 cid 4 barrel V8 275hp
D21: 4 Speed Manual Transmission
FC7: In Violet Metallic Exterior Color
H6X9: Trim - High, Vinyl Bucket Seats, Black
000: Full Door Panels
430: Build Date: April 30
115945: Order number

FC7: In Violet Metallic Top Color
C55: Bucket Seats
G36: OS Dual Racing Mirrors
J45: Hood Tie Down Pins
M21: Roof drip rail moldings
M25: Wide sill moldings

M31: Belt Moldings
M88: Decklid Moldings Treatment
N41: Dual Exhaust
N42: Chrome Exhaust Tips
N96: Fresh Air Hood (Shaker)
R11: Radio Solid State AM (2 Watts)

Y05: Build to USA Specs
26: 26in Radiator
EN1: End of Sales Codes

I've got pictures of the original ad on craigslist of the car, second/ third owner info as well. Second owner bought the car to part it out but realized the rarity being a factory 340 N96 car, and started collecting parts to restore. Sold it to the next guy who sold off most of the parts he had acquired to make money, then sold the car to James. James found just about all the missing parts (including the unobtanium 340 N96 base plate) so most ofthe hard detective work is done! :headbang:

The car was repainted white way back in the day, so the ad shows White car. Guess In Violet wasn't a very popular color after the 70s fads faded.:no::hmmm: :burnout:

Cheers:beers:

[Lee Stewart]

Dave . . . do not give in to the dark side and add stripes (V6X). They weren't on the car as ordered. It is a very rare car because of the N96 Shaker Hood. Without it, it's just a 340 'Cuda and Plymouth built plenty of them:

https://s15.postimg.cc/xa3q60dsb/screenshot_6487.png (https://postimages.cc/)

[A12pilot]

Yep, correct. No stripe. I don't like them anyway and it's one less thing for me to screw up!:wink:

Cheers
Dave

[Bill Pritchard]

Guess In Violet wasn't a very popular color after the 70s fads faded.

Interesting that you used "In Violet" and "faded" in the same sentence, since that's what many In Violet cars tended to do early on......and may be why your car was painted white back in the day.

[L_e_e]

That In Violet/Plum Crazy purple used to flake off of the horizontal surfaces.

[396L78canuck]

In Violet/Plum Crazy Purple is one of my favourite colors. Get the popcorn and cold beer out...…..this is going to be good.Bob

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Congrats. Nice car Dave. I have survivors...and can check whatever you need me to check - please feel free to ask anytime.
Cheers
Jim

[sixt9rsx33]

Dave Congrats! Like others I hate to wait a whole year for the comical commentary and great detail of yet another fantastic build from our resident A12 pilot.
Start the parts thread!

[A12pilot]

Thanks for the props, gents!:worship: Nice to see everyone is on board with another build! Yes, another year Lawrence. But look at bright side in that it allows me to hire a top notch video production crew to document the process! :bs::cool2:

Jim, you're on Personal Message speed-dial when the time comes! I appreciate the help. Not as versed in E-Bodies as I am the B-Bodys.:grin:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Alrighty, hard-part finding has begun! :thumbsdown: Well, actually...:biggthumpup::biggthumpup:. Of course Mopar date codes stuff you can't see (like thermostats and such) and I lucked out with finding a Valentine's Day 1970 dated clutch pedal safety switch! This one is almost NOS its so nice. Another thing is Crusty is an AM radio and has a rear speaker and as such, a rear speaker fader switch. Grabbed an NOS switch and harness for it, but still need the bezel and knob. Another rare original part is the Road Lamp bezel. Original on the left, repop on the right and you can see the difference in fonts. :ooo: Would anyone know if I put the repop one in versus the original? Yes...Jim would, and I can't have that!:burnout:

So parts hunting is in full swing! More info on Crusty is it had the Ralleye Wheels do to the drums having the original red paint on them. More to come.....

Cheers :beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Along with that rear speaker fader switch is the "Speaker" bezel. This is headed my way, now its just missing the knob and from what a see, looks identical to the radio knobs which are easily found:biggthumpup:

Last major item is the reverse lockout system, and I have a man on it for me at Carlisle this weekend. Actually, its James, the former owner, and with him knowing what it needs and doesn't, I'm sure I'll get the remaining parts shortly! :smile: Hmmmm..... gonna be time to start buying the NEW parts soon!!! [Sniff][sniff] what's that smell? Plastic burning. Actually, never completely stopped melting from the Bee to the Stang and now the Cuda. Sort of always in a slow smolder....:rolleyes2:

Cheers
Dave

[Crush]

Your a machine!!!

[big gear head]

Keep em comin.

[A12pilot]

Crusty is coming back together! Should be here in about a week!! Kid in a candy store? That's me! :wink: Drunk in a brewery? That'd be me again! :biggthumpup: But only in a craft brewery....... I'm kind of beer afisheun..afficioal..affic...eh, what's that college word for snob?:hmmm: Well, unless it's free, then I'm all over it! After all, I am a cheap pilot! :laugh:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[flyingn]

wow Dave! Its going to be an amazing Cuda when its done. I cant remember last time I seen a shaker on a 275 ho 340 either. Very nice!

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Another rare original part is the Road Lamp bezel. Original on the left, repop on the right and you can see the difference in fonts. :ooo: Would anyone know if I put the repop one in versus the original? Yes...Jim would, and I can't have that!:burnout:

So parts hunting is in full swing! More info on Crusty is it had the Ralleye Wheels do to the drums having the original red paint on them. More to come.....

Cheers :beers:
Dave

Even without one of my numerous pairs of 150 strength reading glasses I could still pick off that bezel - Lol!

Red drums? It may have had Road wheels.....I need to check. Something in the back of my alleged brain is telling me that 340 Challengers may have come standard with 15's.....what about 'Cuda's? Hmmmmm....

[A12pilot]

Jim,

Drums have the paint so I'd assume it had them too. Car gets picked up today and here Friday! More pics shortly.....oh, I know you'd notice that bezel! BTW...I need a pair of original 340 3-Pin Shaker Hood emblems. You have a set? Should be easy to find :dunno:

Cheers
Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

With the red drums in evidence - it could have either 14 or 15" Rallye wheels....or 14" Road wheels.
Is the original spare in it? If it has a space saver then it was more than likely 15" Rallye wheels.

I'll ask around on Shaker Emblems....check Ebay...but be careful!

Have a look at Barry Washington's site....lots of good info.

http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/library.shtml

http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/DealershipDataBook/1970/70_Barracuda0032.jpg

http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/OrderingInformation/1970/plymouth/P24%201970%20P%20Code%20List%20-%20Options%20&%20Accessories%20(3).jpg

[A12pilot]

Jim, yeah, good info. I talked to Barry a few times. His site is a great source of info. No original spare in there, which leads to debate on the wheels. And the spare tire mounting stud is long gone which would have indicated if it were space saver or steel wheel based on its mounting positon. :hmmm: But..... two 14" Ralleye wheels on the car are dated 3-23-70 and Crusty's SPD is 4-30-70, so good chance they are original to the car. Speedo gear is for 3.23 F70x14, which adds to the 14" conclusion. I do have past owner info I can contact and see if they may recall. Second owner had the car from mid seventies on, so he might know. But James is a pretty good sleuth and think he'd have already tried to figure it out and his conclusion is 14" Ralleyes with full sized spare. But I'll keep digging! I'm thinking it's 14" Ralleye as well.:laugh:

She's on her way here! Picked up last night and should be rolling to TX tomorrow or Saturday!!! And so it begins.....:laugh:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

PS: Yes... bubble shouldn't be black!:tongue:

[cook_dw]

https://media.giphy.com/media/m0E1hxq6ctOWk/giphy.gif

[scuncio]

Man will that ever be cool when you’re finished with it.

[A12pilot]

Crusty got here yesterday and of course, I wasn't home. But, Kelly took delivery for me and happy to report, the new project is in the shop waiting for me to get home! :headbang:

Unfortunately for now, I'll just have to sit there and make engine noises like James used to do until I start on it next year. :frown: More to come.....:burnout:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Xplantdad]

So....very....cool!:worship:

[markinnaples]

I can imagine how great that is gonna look with that purple color all done. Really looking forward to seeing the maestro get to work.

[Lee Stewart]

https://s26.postimg.cc/kkkzwsh6h/image.jpg (https://postimg.cc/image/rnsvcemlx/)

[A12pilot]

Thanks guys! Maestro? Maybe of a one-man-band!:wink: Or is that the guy that stands on the corner and twirls "New Homes! Turn Here!!" signs when it's 100 outside?:laugh::hmmm::biggthumpup: But thanks for the confidence boost my friend! Much appreciated!:biggthumpup:

That'll be the vision when done, Lee! Looked over it yesterday. Nothing that I didn't already know: trunk floor (on a Mopar? Really!?:wink:) some cowl work, floor patches, lower rear quarter patches. Surprisingly, the rear window channel is solid!

The 340 is fully rebuilt and ready to be completed when the time comes. It's sitting in DP so it'll be protected while it sits. Drips, bare oil pan bottom, sprayed over water pump bypass hose to come!!:scholar:

Regardless of the motor not running...I sat in the car and made some engine sounds. Didn't want to start on the first try, then the battery died. :confused2: But after a jump, she fired right up!:headbang:

Cheers
Dave

[cook_dw]

I'll patiently wait for this.. Maybe at a future SCR event.?. Just sayin'..

https://thumbs.gfycat.com/SpotlessKlutzyAnemone-max-1mb.gif

[Tracker1]

Even without one of my numerous pairs of 150 strength reading glasses I could still pick off that bezel - Lol!

Something in the back of my alleged brain is telling me that 340 Challengers may have come standard with 15's.....what about 'Cuda's? Hmmmmm....

Nope.

[Lee Stewart]

The 1970 'Cuda came standard with the 383 Magnum. You could order the 340 as a no charge option. As you can see from the production numbers the 340 NC option was more popular than the standard 383 Magnum:

https://s15.postimg.cc/xa3q60dsb/screenshot_6487.png (https://postimages.cc/)

There is an almost 100 pound difference between the 340 and the 383: 525 versus 620.

[The Boss]

Love it!

[A12pilot]

Well, I can't leave well enough alone, so I decided to hold an "Undercoating Removal " party and invited all my friends! Strangely, nobody showed up. I'm not sure if its because people hate to remove undercoating, or despite my idea of myself...I really don't have any friends:dunno:. But, just like my entire high school tenure, I didn't let that bother me. :cool2:

Crusty being an undercoated car really helped save those floors. Luckily, no rot despite their rather crappy appearance. I mainly wanted to start documenting all of the factory overspray pattern from the rocker panels inward, as well as the dip gray primer. Under the driver's side, a sample of just about as mint as you can get 1970 FC7 In Violet!:headbang:

I swept all that mass into a pile that was yyyeeeewge! So big in fact that for comparison and scale, I positioned a 426 Hemi I had laying around next to it, then got the ladder out to take an aerial shot. I'm telling ya! Yyyyyeeewwge!:shocked:

Ok... maybe it's not that big, but it'll be doubley that big (doubley??:hmmm:) after I get into the wheel wells and rear floor transition panel.

Pffffllpppp.... friends... who needs 'em!:grin::thumbsdown::burnout:

Cheers
Dave

[Xplantdad]

LOL....and here....we....go! :)

[Billohio]

Dave did you just warm it up? My 300G looks like someone drove down a fresh asphalt road it is so bad underneath. I was thinking about trying that flooring removal material you can get it Sherwin-Williams

[A12pilot]

Ha! Thanks Bruce! But it's limited, really. But fear not! It'll be on like Donkey Kong next year for sure!

Bill, yes. Hand held propane torch and a paint scraper. In some areas...a plastic scraper where it was easy to remove to prevent gouging. Brake cleaner afterwards gets rid of the remaining residue.

Cheers
Dave

[Xplantdad]

Dave...even piecemeal updates will do the trick. I really enjoy your posts!

[njsteve]

Are you going to try to get a digital color match sampling of the virgin paint on the underside? It is so hard to get a modern accurate match of that color just from a formula.

[A12pilot]

I might try that, Steve. I'm curious to see how close that will come out. The good thing is with that undercoating on there is it's been 100% protected from everything, so it should zap pretty perfect with the laser gun. Might have to single stage this one instead of the BC/CC.

Cheers
Dave

[njsteve]

Yes, go single stage. There is nothing like the original "sheen" that a single stage in these vintage colors versus the way-too-deep, glossy look of modern two stage paints.

[Woj]

Ha. Dave, I knew you couldn't stand to not do something on this car! Overall, it looks reasonably solid. Can't wait to see the restoration go forward!.

[A12pilot]

Yeah, I know it Phil! Kelly and I have a deal about the Cuda staying together, but nothing says I can't do stuff to it while it's still in one piece! :no::cool2:

More undercarriage and rear wheel well cleaning/scraping to follow. J55 Undercoating option is a pain to remove but it did save the floors and left a pretty friggin' sweet original color sample to boot!!. :biggthumpup:

Cheers
Dave

[firstgenaddict]

WOW I love the original purple/violet...

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

PS: Yes... bubble shouldn't be black!:tongue:

Dave - Contrary to the current urban myths - Shaker bubble could be black or argent in 1970. Lot's of examples of both on good, original cars :)

Good sleuthing on the speedo gear!

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Yes, correct. My mind was saying stuff faster than my fingers typed it! Standard on hemi, option 440-6. Good catch! Didn't know that about the Challenger N96 option. Wonder why different?

Cheers
Dave

Vendor issues on the Challenger hoods. There were bulletins every month saying they will be available "next month".....they finally starting shipping them in April. Unlike it being standard on a Hemi-Cuda....it was always an option on the Hemi Challengers.

[A12pilot]

Good stuff, Jim. I have to go back in my notes, and a phone call to the second {and longest} owner of the car may settle whether it was a black or argent shaker bubble. I"m pretty sure it was argent, but I'll figure that one out! Can't wait to start on it!!!!

Cheers
Dave

[firstgenaddict]

With your spray outs for color matching...
the biggest thing you will probably find is how the metallic "lays out" in lacquer VS Base Clear...
The way it lays changes the color sometimes directly & sometimes on a 45 degree sideshift.
With metallics if you see changes VS original on side shifts they make metallic pigment which will stay the same viewed directly and darken OR lighten the side shift
OR
Stay the same on the side shift YET go lighter OR darker on the direct.

When you roll it over on the rotisserie - get the color scanned by the paint supplier.
Spray out a minimum amount on your card CLEAR it then check... UNDER FULL SPECTRUM LIGHT...

If it doesn't match then figure out where the problem is... side - direct - color - etc and get the appropriate tints and a good gram scale

Pour off your scanned (known mix) into 4 jars jars, make every jar the same amount BY USING A GRAM SCALE.
Example:
PROBLEM ~ too dark side shift -
I would make up 4 jars with 50 grams of mix color -
JAR 1. add .5 grams of the lightening side shift - 1% - spray out... too light,
JAR 2 add .25 gram - spray out - - too dark --- split the difference.
JAR 3 add .375 grams - spray out ---

This is how I did the last 3 and matched the original Lemans Blue, Cortez Silver, and original Light Copper Metallic.

As you can see by the photo of the Cortez Silver... 2.5 g 806J / 432.8 g of code mixed = somewhere just over 0.5% per volume.

The jagged line down the center is a ripped tape line.

LEFT ORIGINAL Code 69 Cowl sides 1969 SS Camaro 12C ---------------------- RIGHT Chromabase spray out clear coated - for match.

[firstgenaddict]

IF one of the jars with tint does not match, it should not be modified to attempt to achieve the match. Adding an accurate amount of tint to a sample of which the volume is not ACCURATELY weighed will not yield a duplicable result.

I should have posted a photo of the end result... here it is.

[A12pilot]

Wow! What an incredibly insightful post! Thank you very much for that information. With a relocation coming, when I'm ready to paint, I'll be searching for a new supply house for the paint materials and hoping the guy with the scanner can get a good match. Excellent info!

Cheers
Dave

[A12pilot]

With a promise to Kelly that I'd keep the car together until the new Casa del Fuega Molnariano is complete, I've been doing some digging for my favorite thing: markings! :biggthumpup: And despite the Crusty Cuda being....well.....crusty:rolleyes2:...I found a bunch! Knowing where to look is half the battle and having done so many Mopars before, I sniffed them out like a fart on an airplane! :shocked:

Rear axle has the date code under the large side support rib, and under the carrier is the paint slashes that indicate the ratio. My car, from all indications, says 3.23 Open. That's backed up with 3 black stripes under the keel of the axle 3rd member. Had this of been a Sure Grip, there would have been an orange stripe there as well. Driver's side axle tube has a three digit axle code that would match the Broadcast sheet code. Only the "0" is visible in mine, which for a 3.23 open would be "073". There will also be a date/ inspector stamp on this tube too. Mine is all but gone. The 3rd member assembly date looks like "21D" but I'm not positive on that yet. April 21st would correspond to my SPD of 4-30. Still researching that. There are other missing markings on the axle which would be a large "E" or "FE" on the back of the axle carrier along with a circle and an "X", "/", or nothing, through it. I've seen all three on both open and sure grip axles with all combinations. Some say the circle with the x through it means sure grip. Having seen examples of that on non-sure grip cars, and no written documentation saying that's what it means, not buying it. Whoda thunk anyone would really care about these anyway!?:laugh::dunno: My filler plug shows a red paint daub. Can't make out pinion markings yet and until the axle is out, not sure what's on top. :dunno:

Rear axle brake backing plate shows a yellow daub on the retainer spring mount rivet. Torsion bars show two aluminum daubs on the left side, one aluminum daub on the right coding them to 779/778 respectively (also stamped on the end of the t-bars). That's the standard S13 HD suspension for the 340 Cudas. Drips on the t-bars facing up shows how they were dipped in paint so they could be facing anyway when installed. Small details!!:biggthumpup: Lower control arm adjusters have orange/left and blue/right daubs on the ends. This is the first Mopar that I've seen two different colors. Mine are mostly the same color on both. Driver's side arm also has an inspection mark on the large joining rivet.

Transmission markings: 696 for 340 4spd, an orange swipe over the casting number. The red paint isn't anything. Back in the day, someone painted the axle white and the transmission red and that's remnants of that color:rolleyes2:. Two white blops are on the shifter mounts and another on the lower shifter gear stud. So freaking cooooool!!!

That's the update here. Tune in next time for more progress updates like, "I know, sweety, but it is in one piece! It's just that all the pieces aren't in one piece! ":no:

Cheers
Dave

[John Brown]

Maybe a black light would bring out those hard to see faded paint numbers and markings. I'm no expert on that, but I do play one on TV. :grin:

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Hey Dave.
Just for reference - Here are some pics of my AAR. This is what was on my 8-3/4. We took pics and tracings of the original and duplicated all the markings exactly. It was a very clean Oregon car. I will try and find the pics we took before the restoration.
I have some engine pics too if you want to see them. Other than the extra 2 holes at the top of the intake - lol, and some intake brackets and fuel lines....everything on a 340-4 will be the same.
Cheers,
Jim

[m22mike]

Nice detail work, looks outstanding. Sometimes I think we should drive the cars upside down to show off our efforts....:hmmm:

[R68GTO]

Don't want to hijack this awesome thread but what is your proven method for uncovering those markings without removing them?

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Don't want to hijack this awesome thread but what is your proven method for uncovering those markings without removing them?

R68GTO....are you asking me or Dave the OP?
On the pics I posted - the car was very clean and had zero surface rust - it was an easy one to see markings on. On a rusty car it comes down to very, very careful cleaning with mild cleaners. Spraying with WD40 or similar helps to see the markings better. Some are just too rusty to find much of anything.

Maybe Dave has a secret or two he can share....

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

Nice detail work, looks outstanding. Sometimes I think we should drive the cars upside down to show off our efforts....:hmmm:

Let’s figure this out, mine is pretty underneath :-)

Ryan W31

[R68GTO]

R68GTO....are you asking me or Dave the OP?
On the pics I posted - the car was very clean and had zero surface rust - it was an easy one to see markings on. On a rusty car it comes down to very, very careful cleaning with mild cleaners. Spraying with WD40 or similar helps to see the markings better. Some are just too rusty to find much of anything.

Maybe Dave has a secret or two he can share....

Thanks for the feedback....guess I was asking both! Will be undertaking my own project like this in a few months, don't want to screw it up.

[A12pilot]

That’s good stuff, Jim. Thanks for the pics! :biggthumpup: Yes...we’ll be having many discussions once I really dig into it.

Secret? Me??? Are you kidding? All my knowledge comes from those before me!!!:grin: I can share that Oxyclean, Simple Green, and as Jim stated, WD-40 are some tools in my kit bag along with several old toothbrushes. Now, I can’t stress this enough, don’t confuse yer new teethbrushes with them old ones! I’m just gonna leave it at that...:hmmm::tongue:

I do like the black light idea for these marking on the carrier. That may help a lot in deciphering those markings. Plus, I’ll wear some matching white accent pieces on my clothes for some really cool action shots!!:smile:

Cheers

Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

That’s good stuff, Jim. Thanks for the pics! :biggthumpup: Yes...we’ll be having many discussions once I really dig into it.

Secret? Me??? Are you kidding? All my knowledge comes from those before me!!!:grin: I can share that Oxyclean, Simple Green, and as Jim stated, WD-40 are some tools in my kit bag along with several old toothbrushes. Now, I can’t stress this enough, don’t confuse yer new teethbrushes with them old ones! I’m just gonna leave it at that...:hmmm::tongue:

I do like the black light idea for these marking on the carrier. That may help a lot in deciphering those markings. Plus, I’ll wear some matching white accent pieces on my clothes for some really cool action shots!!:smile:

Cheers

Dave

And hang a fluorescent Hendrix and Zeppelin poster near the area too.

[sixt9rsx33]

Thanks for the feedback....guess I was asking both! Will be undertaking my own project like this in a few months, don't want to screw it up.

I will jump in here and share that I have had great luck using Evap O Rust. I dunked my entire suspension pieces including brake calibers in this stuff while restoring the 69 RS Z...unbelievable results. All the original paint dabs came up and just painted back over these areas. Same story with my 69 Charger, but the Charger like the Oregon car, very limited rust beforehand.

[R68GTO]

Thanks all! Mine is 15K original miles and stored indoors it's whole life for the most part so markings should be there unless someone got aggressive in the past. One of the PO's said he took a sandblaster to the firewall, so probably out of luck there.

[A12pilot]

Finally! The day has come to bring Crusty from storage to my new shop! Although it's not finished yet, the shop will be a good place to keep her while I gather parts for the restoration.

It was raining when I got home, so I pulled straight into the barn. It's a new meaning to the words "Barn Find":biggthumpup:

You know? It's not numbers matching on the engine, so would a Hemi hurt it?!? :hmmm: Naaaah.... gotta stay true to the tag on this one. More to come....

Cheers
Dave

[jer]

I'm really diggin your digs A12.

[markinnaples]

I thought you were selling the Cuda Dave?

[A12pilot]

I had originally planned on it, Mark. But the concrete final bill and a few other things came in below expected, so I was able to keep it (thankfully).


Cheers
Dave

[Postsedan]

Dave,

That js Great News :)

What brand is your new lift? Titan?

When you debut the Cuda at MCACN.....know that you have a place to stage her 3.5 miles down the road :)

Dan

[Billohio]

Daves lift looks like a Bend pak. I just bought a challenger from a place that sells both. I am not sure if you have to hold a lock release on the bend pak but on the challenger you hold the lever until its clear down. If my salesman had told me this, I would have went for the bendpak. You do need air to unlock the BP from what I was told. Mine is a 4 post

[markinnaples]

Good news Dave! Looking forward to the build.

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Guys! The lift is from DMS Equipment. Very happy with it so far. Cannot wait to start but it's going to be delayed a bit. My friend lost everything in his shop, including 5 cars, in a massive fire. The one he wants to save is his dad's 52 Ford F1. I've volunteered to restore/rebuild/resurrect it for him and it'll be here st the end of the month. It's going to back up starting on Crusty, and other projects i have. But he'sa good friend and it's a horrible situation that i can help with. I'll start a build thread for that in the General Section later this month! Hope you guys will follow along!!:test:

Cheers
Dave

[olredalert]

----I know 1st hand how devastating a shop fire can be. In 2011 I lost 2 of my own cars and my trusty 93 Suburban and everything else in the building to an electrical fire that started inside a wall. The clean up was bad but that was just the beginning. The only good thing was that I had a blanket policy that cost me about $125 a year and that paid for all my losses other than the vehicles which were apart except for the Subby, and I had just taken the fire and theft off of that. The buildings owner had insurance on it. I chose not to go after him as I figured we would be in court for years. My brain just couldn't take the thought of that. It took about three years to crawl out of the depression involved...…..Bill S

[mockingbird812]

Wow Bill, that is intense. I can only imagine the angst you went through. I hope you are able to make sense of it and more importantly put it behind you. Thanks for sharing.


Super Dave - kudos to you for helping your bud out!!!!!

[olredalert]

Wow Bill, that is intense. I can only imagine the angst you went through. I hope you are able to make sense of it and more importantly put it behind you. Thanks for sharing.


Super Dave - kudos to you for helping your bud out!!!!!

----Thanks, Sam! It's appreciated. Still don't like to dwell on it, but am over it now. The other good part was that there weren't any customer cars in the building.....Bill S

[A12pilot]

Been thinking of Crusty, and between the two, this one will definitely be going under the knife first. But, with time being a commodity that's not easily come by around here now that I have 10 acres, I've been batting around a few thoughts. Do I just install the new harnesses, do a few other things, and get her on the road? Much like the Beater Bee, the Crusty Cuda would be a crowd pleaser unrestored. But then I'd have to redo all the stuff I did to get her on the road once I get around restoring her:dunno: But doing that, I could then start into Crunchy and get her ready for MCACN first. :hmmm::hmmm:

Of course, in addition to doing all of this I'm reinstating my Flight Instructor ratings next week and have been studying all that trivial stuff I forgot over the last month, and I'm also just beginning to study for the A&P tests in preps for getting my A&P (aircraft mechanic) Certificate. So Mikey, be prepared for some questions! :naughty:

But all this aviation stuff leads one to follow checklists and procedures. Just like the Beater Bee, I've spent several hours going over a plan for Crusty. Thorough thoroughness, attention to detail, and specific specifics are Paramount and Universal (maybe even MGM too:smirk:) to starting a wrecksteration!:burnout:

Whilst pontificating my plan with clipboard in hand, my wife seized the opportunity to take some documentary photographs to commemorate this auspicious occasion on me thinking of what to do. And when the smoke cleared, she was able to take some pictures:wink:

Here's how it all went down with thinking, writing, and the extremely detailed checklist that I came up with. Feel free to use this on your project too! No, no... don't thank me. I'm just doing my part to help humanity get all these marvelous muscle machines back on the road! :scholar::)

More to come when I start tearing her down next month!:biggthumpup:

Cheers:beers:
SuperDave

[A12pilot]

Looking forward to the day this thing shakes and bounces like a pair of lost puppies in a tight sweater! :drool:

Cheers:beers:
SuperDave

[A12pilot]

Well, it was a brief brush with uncertainty! But the power of Yenko.net saved this Cuda from the grips of someone who no doubt would have done a great restoration, but would it have been as entertaining??:confused2: That's the real question! :haha:

So, moving forward, I've rethunk the thinking on Crusty and Crunchy. Much in the spirit of the Beater Bee, I think I'm going to just get Crusty on the road right now ash's drive/ show her as-is with the exception of some rust repair and some strategeric spot-spritzing of FC7. Then, that'll come to MCACN next year, and all the while, I'll dive into the full blown resto of Crunchy. That way I'll have one Shaker Cuda driving while the other is under the knife! What could be more cool? I don't know either!!

So, step one will be to fix the cowl rot. That involves yanking out the fresh 340, dash, windshield, and remaining front interior trim. That should take about a day:scholar::drool:

As you can see with the 340 wearing a Shaker, it's not a huge pair of valve covers sticking out underneath. No, it's more like the Speedy Gonzales look. You know, a mouse wearing a sombrero! Also notice the offset of the centerline of the engine to the centerline of the car. Factory markings on the transmission, overspray on the bellhousing.... all good stuff!!:scholar:

So here's the update and the start! More to come soon.
..
Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Xplantdad]

Wow, you work fast...are you sure there aren't 3 of you? ;) :biggthumpup:

[big gear head]

Wow! What a start! And all while still building a Ford truck too! At this point I guess a sale is out of the question. I'm glad to see that you have committed to it.

[A12pilot]

Thanks, guys! Yep, no selling it now Freddy!:3gears: Parts should start rolling in from Accurate Exhaust, Year One, Brewer’s, Dante’s, and a couple NOS parts off EBay I was missing which, besides tires, should be about all I need to get Crusty on the road!:biggthumpup:

It’s good to be back working on her!:biggthumpup: Now I just gotta get a camera mount for the tripod, a GoPro, and hire a film crew for my all new, highly anticipated, much discussed, mini-reality web-show!:hmmm::rolleyes2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Original 340 Shaker baseplate with "Made in Canada 3418673" ink stamp. As hard to find as a Millennial taking blame for their problems rather than blaming everyone else! I know!! Craaaaaaaaazy rare!:smirk::burnout:

With assembly line work, there always seems to be something that just doesn't quite go as expected. On the Beater Bee, it was the clutch pedal bracket stud being broken, bent over, and a nut and bolt used in its place. On Crusty, the lower dash bolt wasn't used and a self tapping metal screw was used instead! I threaded the correct bolt in there and it works, so maybe the line guy dropped the bolt and used the self tapping one to save time? :dunno: Nobody will see this since it's covered by the kick panel, so I think I'll actually use the correct bolt. It makes installing the dash easy that way anyway:scholar: Speaking of the clutch pedal bracket (and yes, this is painted black, not body color) if you look closely at the hole to the right of the lower part of that bracket, you'll see a crappy drilled hole. That's the factory hole for the clutch neutral safety switch wire. Clean! :confused2::frown:

Up next is Cuda Welding 101 as I attempt to destroy not only a perfectly good aftermarket cowl, but the original along with it! You'll be sure to want to follow along!! :thumbsdown:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

Yup, gotta love that factory quality. Don't you dare improve upon it. That would be sacrilegious!

[Billohio]

That really is weird looking at the 340 and the shaker covers it.
Good progress on the truck and the car. I would have a tough time deciding which one to do

[A12pilot]

Yeah, I hear ya’s! It’s kind of comical seeing that big sombrero on that little motor. Sort of like a Wonder Bra. All good looking from the outside, then after all that work removing it you’re left with massive disappointment while mumbling the words, “That’s it?!?!?!?!:thumbsdown::wink:

Next week all the parts start showing up, but first up will be cowl repair. NOS GE FOG bulbs, NOS Idle Solenoid, and a few other goodies are in that mix!:headbang:

More to come....

Cheers
Dave

[cook_dw]

Looking forward to sitting back and watching this thread.



https://media.giphy.com/media/9xYUC4dPOHBjG/giphy.gif

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Darrel!:tongue: Parts are coming in! Some Year One goodies (the other half is on backorder until who the heck knows when:hmmm:), brake and fuel lines, all the clutch parts, new shifter (original will get rebuilt and stored then installed after she's restored), and a complete exhaust from Accurate. I'll do ECS' system when tear her down and restore her. Crunchy will get an ECS system too.

Next week some metal work on the cowl.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Time to start putting some of these new parts on this buggy! First up was the clutch. Brewer's supplied all my missing parts and Wayne is a great guy to deal with. :burnout: Let's get that clutch installed!

So Wayne provided me with a roller bearing for the input shaft of the transmission. That came with an instruction sheet. Seriously? Pppffllppp... I've installed about eleventy some clutches.... what's different about this one?:confused2: Well, lemme read it (paper crinkle sound) "All input shafts on Mopars may vary in length. To verify the roller bearing will not conflict with the non-tapered area A and B on the diagram, bolt the bellousing to the block and measure from the base of the [what the hell are they talking about? ] recess in the crankshaft to the bolt face of the transmission. Measure the distance between C and D on the diagram, subtract the distance from A and B [what's the bolt face of a transmission?:dunno:] and solve for distance X. If that train left Chicago at 5:00pm traveling at 45mph, then that calculation must be less then first distance, A, that was measured from the train that left Sacremento at 6:42pm":scholar:

Ok, so after four stabs of the transmission into the engine, I realized what that all meant. It basically said that the trains collide in Sasparilla, CO. :hmmm::biggthumpup:

Now, this just being a driver, I didn't go crazy with the detailing/ cleaning and such that I would if I was getting ready for a MCACN unveiling. But, never the less, I can't fight the factory marking bug!

And for the Mopar guys that removed their speedo gear to swap it out for another, then reinstalled it only to find it not working, this may be why! There are a few different notches for different speedo gears depending on the teeth. There's a corresponding single notch on the transmission case. You see where your tooth range falls and line it up to the corresponding notch on the trans! If you just installed a new gear and it's not working, check the notch. It might be too far away from the drive gear. :scholar: My gear is correct for F70x14 tires with a 3.23 gear.

Cheers:beers:
Super Dave

[Ryan1969Chevelle]

The shaker and pistol grip are tied for making the whole car!!

The PG wins in my books !!

Love the build!!

Ryan W31

[A12pilot]

Being close to Halloween, it's Great Pumpkin time! :smile: What's a better Jack-O-Lantern than a Mopar motor?:laugh: With everthing masked off, I sprayed 440 Orange over everything. Yes, these 340s in 1970 were not Hemi Orange... which... after spraying so many Orange things these last few years I can't tell what orange is what anymore! :frown:. That spectrum of my retna be blown out!

Now remember, this being a driver I didn't go crazy on the finer details like I will when I tear her down for the real restoration. But, me being me, I had to get some details in there. :wink: Overspray on the bellhousing and clutch fork, alternator bolts will have orange on them yet the brackets will be black, bare bottom oil pan, unpainted fuel pump and spark plug retainers. What I didn't do was attach the exhaust manifolds and spray them with the 440 Orange. This being a driver, I don't want all that burnt paint around and figured cast blast would be fine. Although I will be painting the heads of the bolts and studs to make it appear that they were on the engine, painted, and that had already burned off. So freaking fun!!!

Metal work on the cowl comes up next! :eek2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Looks good Dave!
Yes, everyone assumes Hemi Orange.....but that was used only on Hemi's....even with that, the Hemi's changed the shade of orange during the 69 model year. 70 340's were definitely 440 orange.
I imagine either those were spares or you will be painting the alternator brackets black.
Personally, I love the smell of burning exhaust manifold paint in the morning!

[A12pilot]

Yep, Jim. I'll paint those brackets black, don't you worry. :laugh: I think we touched on this in email, but the vacuum fitting on the rear of the intake: painted or unpainted? From what I have seen, they are unpainted. What makes sense to me is that this fitting would be installed and painted, then if power brakes were optioned, that was removed and the proper fitting installed. But then again, was no fitting installed since it was a small port like the temp and oil sender holes which are unpainted? :confused2:

Love the details!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

I would say painted on that plug.
Actually, the standard oil pressure sender (non Rallye Dash) was on the engine when painted....and crudely masked off. Seen plenty of originals with some overspray on them.
I should have mentioned it before....but water pump and thermostat housing, where the rad hose slides on....usually gets masked too....but you wont see it once the hoses are installed.
The fuel pump boss on the block....I believe was masked as well.
There is something with the block drain plugs too....they need to be Hex....not square. Also, I have to check my pics/notes....one side my be painted and the other side not.
Now we are just splitting atoms....Lol!

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Jim! I’ve been burnin’ doing the Neutron Dance for years!:headbang: Wait, that was the Pointer Sisters back in ‘83. Regardless, copy all! Great info!!! It’ll all go in the file for reference when I get into the final redo on the car in a couple years.

Cheers:beers::beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

So, what exactly is inside that engine? Enquiring minds want to know???

[A12pilot]

Is this the same Enquirer that told me that Aliens visited the White House yesterday and were given a parking ticket due to a timed out meter? :hmmm:

Lunati cam, and a bunch of other stuff that I can't recall off hand. I'll have to dig out the receipts. James (previous owner) built the motor. I just made it look purdy!

Rusty has some new F70-14s headed this way!

Cheers :beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

I made the executive choice to fix the original cowl instead of using the aftermarket AMD panel. While nice, there's a few stampings in it that aren't exact. Not to mention the VIN. :scholar: So starting with the rotted edges first, I spliced in new metal from the donor cowl and next up will be patching the minor holes. Still some more grinding to do, but it's solid again and the areas that will be seen under the hood are smooth. The outer edges have undercoating sprayed on them so you'll never see this work. But that doesn't matter since I have to do it right or it'll bug the crap out of me!!:burnout:

Interesting thing, there's a remnant of a parts tag around the dash retainer speed nut hole. If you remember from my Beater Bee, I found one if these between the inner rear quarter window brace and the quarter panel on the driver's side, still wearing V2 Hemi Orange. This tag wire still has FC7 on it!

Best part is I'll use the curved pieces of the donor cowl to repair the inner cowl area.

More to come..

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

Good call on the donor section use. I know it hurts to cut up a brand new part just for a couple scrap sized patches, but you’re doing it right. I did a similar thing with Gramma’s Firebird. I still have gigantic remnant pieces of expensive body panels stacked in the garage as future sheet metal scrap, after cutting only an inch or two off the edges.

[A12pilot]

Yep... there's some dead give-aways with that repop one, but still it's a very nice piece.

Had to move her over to the small shop since the truck gets the spot where she was sitting. But since it's there, I might as well take advantage and patch up the lower cowl/ firewall then weld up everything before moving it back over to the main shop.

Nothing cooler than a Cuda sticking out of a shop! :cool2: More next week!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

I decided today, while on Reserve, I might as well try to bang the cowl work out and see how far I would get before a call. But first, I sat behind the wheel and made some engine noises. You'll see the the second pic is when I hit second and floored it!:3gears:

Anyway, first up was the rusty metal repair. I was able to cut and splice everything that needed to be repaired using the AMD panel. I then sprayed the underside of the upper cowl and the lower part of the cowl on the car with Eastwood's Ceramic Chassis Black. Why? Cause that's what I had laying around! :shocked:

After welding everything up I went back and cleaned up the plug welds. I'll finish this later during the real restoration, but for now, good enough for a driver and it's 100% rust free! Going to dust some spotty FC7 around to give it the worn patina that it originally had and blend it with the rest of the engine bay. :burnout:

That it! Cowl done!!! Time to get that engine back in!!:cool2: Then maybe I can make some real engine noises!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

A few more...:3gears:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[m22mike]

:biggthumpup:

[njsteve]

Remarkable! :-)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy6BFPeCztQ

[A12pilot]

Another day I did not getting used sitting on Reserve, so I decided to get the engine bay a little detailed up and the engine installed. I dusted some In Violet around the engine bay along with some satin black to continue the overall "worn" look in the engine bay. Pretty happy with it, overall, considering the sheen on the FC7 matches the overall dullness of the rest of the car. Those happy shiney people are so overrated!

So with that comes the engine drop in!! Moving right along!:grin: I degreased the K-Frame along with the steering box. Luckily, a few more marks showed up that I'll replicate when I restore the car later on. :cool2:

Now the easy fun stuff begins!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[scuncio]

Looking great!

[A12pilot]

Thanks Tony! Been doing some reassembly of the front end and very happy with how the AMD front valance fits up. Hood next followed by some more FC7 sprayed around.

Stay tuned for engine bay hook 'em ups, dash and wiring installation, send everyone's favorite: The Busted Front Glass Show staring many cut fingers and wrist lacerations! :frown::thumbsdown:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[cook_dw]

https://media0.giphy.com/media/l0HlCUPEhddvUuGsw/source.gif.

My next personal project will be similar. Get it running and driving and enjoy it.

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Darrel! More parts are coming in and thanks to Rusty, the Goodyear F70s are ready to go on! :cool2: can't wait!

I came across an NOS DR1114442 idle solenoid along with bracket! I mounted it up, but was wondering how the heck this thing worked! :hmmm:. Come to find out that when James had the carb restored (he had two parts carbs to make one good one), it was missing the arm that attaches to the throttle shaft that the solenoid uses. Now I'll have to (Jim...I know you're watching! :cool2:) find that arm. Ah, the hunt for parts. Always makes for a good time! :shocked:

Routing a few things under the hood. Getting closer!

Cheers
Dave

[A12pilot]

Hit the paint store today for some supplies for the 52 Truck and picked up a quart of FC7 to dust on the hood and valances in the coming weeks. New dash harness is going in! More updates over the weekend!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Billohio]

Thats purdy in the can.
Making progress Dave!

[L78M22Rag]

Hit the paint store today for some supplies for the 52 Truck and picked up a quart of FC7 to dust on the hood and valances in the coming weeks. New dash harness is going in! More updates over the weekend!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

“to dust on the hood and valances” ...sure like the sound of that!

I really like the direction you’re going with this car.

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Guys! I just ordered the left rear trunk floor extension along with a lower quarter panel patch. Although that may take away from her Crusty Cuda moniker :dunno:. Nah, just like the Beater Bee, the name sticks!! Those two patch panels, along with two holes in the trunk that I’ll splice in some new metal to fix, will finish up the rust repair on her! :biggthumpup: Once that’s done I’ll blend in the FC7 around those areas too. :cool2:

Exciting progress seeing the rare parts go back on which were sold off from her years ago. Stuff like the reverse lock out linkage, clutch safety switch, and rear speaker fader switch. Fun stuff!!!!!!:3gears:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[olredalert]

----Becoming the "Crustless Cuda" (more or less)!......Bill S

[A12pilot]

You know, it kinda is Bill. But it won't have shiney paint, straight perfect stainless, purdy wheels, and beautiful upholstery so the Crusty moniker will still be accurate! :burnout:

Clutch linkage is all set up, dash harness in as well as the dash installed. Body panels sorta halfway lined up, and the engine bay is coming along. Carpet goes down next followed by the rest of the interior going back in. Then on the lift it goes for a gastank, brake and fuel lines, and exhaust installation.

The clutch safety switch, that's correctly date coded that nobody will see and I paid an unreal price for (stupid Mopars...... man they're so much fun! :headbang:) is back in its rightful place. And Crusty hasn't seen that Shaker cable installed in decades! Woohoo!!:burnout:

More to come!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Billohio]

I cant believe Dave did this on purpose but I noticed his truck post at 7:37 and this was at 7:47
Are you messing with us :hmmm:

[big gear head]

There is more than one of him!

[olredalert]

----Dave's parents had identical twins and named them both Dave!,,,,LOL…...Bill S

[Woj]

I cant believe Dave did this on purpose but I noticed his truck post at 7:37 and this was at 7:47
Are you messing with us :hmmm:


Good catch Bill. Dave gets more done in a day in the shop than I can get accomplished in a month.... if I'm lucky.

Phil W.

[Billohio]

I was referring to both times being numbers of planes

[A12pilot]

Hmmm....I don't think I'm that clever, Bill! :hmmm:

Or am I??....MhhmmmWAaahahaha.... cough cough.....

... no, actually I'm not! :biggthumpup: Trust me. Neat coincidence though! :tongue:

Cheers
Dave

[Billohio]

Well if you were a little quicker you could have used 747 again!!

[A12pilot]

Moving forward, the interior is starting to come back together. The frozen passenger seat track is working again, and new carpet is going down! :eek2: Amazing how many razor blades one can go through cutting through jute padding:mad2:.

Of course the trunk is rusted only in two areas where drain holes are located. And they don't make patch panels for just those areas. And of course nobody will sell me those areas from their trunk floor since that's where they all rot! So I'll have to buy a trunk floor for those small areas to splice in. I'm going to see if a few vendors have dented, unsellable ones they would sell at a discount. But with this being the last remaining part of the metal work needed, I guess it's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.

Road lamps in and the lower valance insert is on the way! :burnout: More to come....

Cheers
Dave

[A12pilot]

This fish now has gills! :drool: I'm going to play musical cars today and get Crusty back on the lift for brake and fuel line installation as well as exhaust. More engine bits installed, and those yellow battery caps will go on a removable cover I'll make just so the battery doesn't look so aftermarket. :eek2: Original radiator pressure tested with no leaks, amazingly! :eek2:

Found an NOS rear speaker harness since mine was missing that should be here today, then I can install the drivers seat and get the carpet secure which will wrap up the interior. Moving right along! :smile:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

Very nice!

It's the "Undercover Cuda," baby!

[m22mike]

Hey Dave, don't mess up the patina on the fenders with all that junk parked on them...:blush:



Great stuff, Carry on :naughty:

[sixt9rsx33]

Great work as always Dave!

[PeteLeathersac]

'

Great updates and progress, keep rockin!
:beers:
~ Pete

.

[A12pilot]

Thanks men!:worship: I'm moving right along with brake lines, fuel lines, and exhaust!:headbang: More factory markings found which I knew from other mopars, but still cool to see: left drum white/green paint blop, right drum green paint blop only, brake center pivot mount yellow daub, and a few others. Love finding things like this! :grin:

Been a long time since Crusty has had an exhaust underneath, and those old wheel cylinders were 100% solid white dust inside! goggles

Up next will be the tank, master cylinder, and remaining front lines along with new shoes on all corners!

More to come...:grin:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[markinnaples]

Awesome as always Dave. Four wheel drums on that? Yikes.

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Mark! Yes, 4-Wheel drum, but they’re 11x3 and 11x2.5 which are big enough to stop a Sherman!:cool2: Well, after the massive fade, of course:rolleyes2:.

And thanks Admin for flipping my photos around when needed! The new picture resizer app thing won’t let me flip them around:hmmm::dunno:

More soon!

Cheers:beers:

[Crush]

Thanks men!:worship: I'm moving right along with brake lines, fuel lines, and exhaust!:headbang: More factory markings found which I knew from other mopars, but still cool to see: left drum white/green paint blop, right drum green paint blop only, brake center pivot mount yellow daub, and a few others. Love finding things like this! :grin:

Been a long time since Crusty has had an exhaust underneath, and those old wheel cylinders were 100% solid white dust inside! goggles

Up next will be the tank, master cylinder, and remaining front lines along with new shoes on all corners!

More to come...:grin:

Cheers:beers:
Dave


A bit of a tangent, what are you going to finish your garage walls with?

[A12pilot]

The side walls are going to be tongue and groove pine like the ceiling in the barn and my small shop. Those walls will hang neon signs and such. The back wall and wall around the mezzanine will be drywall and painted. Black steel railings up the stairs and across the top.

Of course, Pizza oven and five beer taps on the hand made mahogany bar with Hemi engine blocks as stools. :hmmm: Ok, maybe not all that, but it’ll be a “museum” like shop that is really meant to stay clean for reassembly after paint. No fabrication and no dirty work!

Cheers
Dave

[Crush]

The side walls are going to be tongue and groove pine like the ceiling in the barn and my small shop. Those walls will hang neon signs and such. The back wall and wall around the mezzanine will be drywall and painted. Black steel railings up the stairs and across the top.

Of course, Pizza oven and five beer taps on the hand made mahogany bar with Hemi engine blocks as stools. :hmmm: Ok, maybe not all that, but it’ll be a “museum” like shop that is really meant to stay clean for reassembly after paint. No fabrication and no dirty work!

Cheers
Dave

Thanks. I’m looking at different options to finish mine and always like to hear what others are doing

[TMagda]

How the hell did you get those skills! And energy.

[A12pilot]

Good question!:cool2: And the answer is I’m too cheap to pay anyone to do anything so if I don’t know how to do it, I figure out how to handle it on my own! :biggthumpup: And the energy thing comes from years of procrastination until panic sets in, then hurricane Super Dave roars through and gets things done with 2x4s and toasters flying everywhere!!!:eek2: It’s how I got through college.:rolleyes2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

All of the remaining brake stuff arrived today, but I was only able to get the rear backing plates cleaned up since I was neck deep in Flamin' Ford painting! But speaking of that, I did get some FC7 dusted on the front valance. I mixed it with some DCU2021 to create a single stage, with more reducer added, which flattened it out to match the rest of the patina of the car. Hopefully the hood comes out like this too!

Man... it's hard to not want to lay down a high gloss sheen when I'm holding that spray gun. Meh, who am I kidding. My paint jobs aren't shiney anyway!!:biggthumpup::haha:

More to come...

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[cook_dw]

Dave really enjoyed you taking a few minutes and talking with me. Just a very humble and cool dude. And after having a chance to get over to your old A12 car I have to say... You DID NOT do a good job on that car I’m afraid.. It is one of if not the best looking Mopars I have ever seen hands down. Photos just do not give that car and your talent justice. And now for the typical dumb/stupid gif or smiley.

https://media0.giphy.com/media/1A0oXTqh8AMNy/source.gif

[A12pilot]

Ha! You too, my friend. I’m glad I was able to put some faces with some names finally!!:biggthumpup:

Thanks for the compliments on my Bee. Dave, the new owner, is thoroughly enjoying it and it was nice to finally meet him in person and go over the car in depth with him.

Just back from the show and what a blast as always!!!:headbang::headbang:

Time to get Crusty running!:eek2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[big gear head]

Dave, I saw you walk in the front door on Saturday, but I never saw you again. I was hoping to talk to you for a few minutes, but just couldn't find you. Maybe next year.

[A12pilot]

Rats! Would have been nice to meet you, Freddie. Welp, there’s always next year!:biggthumpup:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[big gear head]

You met me in '17 when you had the beater bee there, but I'm sure that you met a few hundred people that weekend. I didn't see Kelly with you this year. Did you leave here with the horses?

[A12pilot]

That’s exactly why I don’t remember. That weekend was, and still is, a blur. Met so many people it was hard for my feeble brain to keep track!:dunno:

Kelly was there, but the last few years she’s been doing the modeling thing, and this year she took a break to just enjoy the get-a-way. What’s that mean in men’s terms?:hmmm: Shopping!!:crazy: That’s why you didn’t see her. But next year she’s wanting to sign up to help the show by volunteering at check in, behind the scenes work, or maybe judge the 63-64 Corvettes since that’s pretty simple too:tongue:.

Cheers:beers:

Dave

[A12pilot]

Progress moving forward as the final parts come in, but it'll slow down again. I'll be in training the entire month of December so Crusty's fire up will be delayed until next month. :frown:

But fear not! They'll still be updates on minor things that need to be done!:wink:

Here we see the correct Road Lamps bezel installed as well as the correct rear speaker knob and bezel that I finally found. I was missing thev retaining nut (I'm missing a lot of nuts! Or it's that screws? :hmmm:)

Also, I had the correct dual point Prestolite distributor rebuilt and restored and that's headed this way! Gas tank is in and the emergency brake cables are installed.

Let's see... front emergency brake cable, shocks, a few things in the engine bay along with the tires mounted and she should fire right up! :headbang:

More to come.... sometime soon! :dunno::smile:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[NorCam]

Heading along a break-neck speed once again there Dave. Last thing I remembered was the shop being built, the car listed then pulled back, and now I see all this progress in a very short time frame. You da man, and it's lookin' like a fun little project.

Hats Off... https://img.pngio.com/speedy-gonzales-a-merrie-melodies-cartoon1080pen-speedy-emoji-speedy-gonzales-400_249.png

[A12pilot]

The break neck speed is slowing down, but should resume early next year! :frown: Training is taking up the entire month and since the job does have priority (unless someone wants to pay me to do all of this work! :headbang:) so a month or so break isn't all that bad, really.

Brakes are done on the back and what about the front you say? :hmmm:Oh, you know how that goes. Seized and rounded off bolt heads on unreachable wheel cylinder bolts means the whole brake backing plate on both front wheels needs to come off. :thumbsdown: headed home for three days and that'll be done shortly.

When Mopars got Ralleye or Road wheels, the face of the drums were painted red. I have the factory bulletin explaining that, but can't find it on my phone. The red paint was supposed to be on the outer face of the brake drum and should not be touching the studs. But we're all understanding the cars we're built by humans and sometimes those rules weren't really followed exactly. Here's the remnants of the red paint on one of my drums.

More to come! Cam break -in is immmammmamnent!:eek2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Yes, they were very precise when they did the red ;).
Here are the drums from my 12,000 mile 'Bird.
They were really painted heavy. I have seen many with less coverage as well.
The wheels were put on while the paint was still wet and the back of them often showed red paint and drips as well.

[A12pilot]

Wow, Jim. :shocked::shocked: That’s amazing!!! Thanks for posting those pics up! I’m anxious to get the car on the road soon.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

It’s getting closer! My training is wrapped up and I have some more time to finish up some loose ends. But my main focus will be to get the 51 Ford truck back to it’s owner next month. Meanwhile, brakes are done, and of course, that just couldn’t go smoothly:rolleyes2:. Seized bolts in the front wheel cylinders made for a quick (long) front backing plate removal and drill out of the old bolts. Which wasn’t overly bad minus the added 4hrs it took to do a :30 minute job:rolleyes2:. But hey? When has anything you’ve ever done on a car gone exactly according to your original time estimates?

New F70 rubber from Rusty is mounted up! Last items are under the hood with a master cylinder bench bleed and then install, distributor wires, and wiper motor/linkage, then the front windshield. That should do it!

More to come!!!:3gears:

Cheers:beers:

Dave

[mockingbird812]

Handsome steed and looking loverly with its rich patina, Dave. Keep having fun with your 32 or so projects you have going on!!!:laugh:

[A12pilot]

Ha! Thanks Samitron! BTW, why weren’t you at MCACN and are you coming next year?

Happy New Year!

Cheers
Dave

[mockingbird812]

You are a great source of entertainment (and even edumacation)! No excuse for my absence this year, but I’ll be there with bells on next year!!:biggthumpup:

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Sam! Yes, my entertainment quotient is directly proportional to my lack of integrity and imaginative vocabulary. Sort of like figuring out the hydroplaning speed of a tire....it’s that precise!:tongue:

See you next year!

Cheers
Dave

[Woj]

Thanks, Sam! Yes, my entertainment quotient is directly proportional to my lack of integrity and imaginative vocabulary. Sort of like figuring out the hydroplaning speed of a tire....it’s that precise!:tongue:

See you next year!

Cheers
Dave

Hydroplaning speed = 9 times the square root of the tire pressure. That is what they told me in the Air Force.

[njsteve]

Hydroplaning speed = 9 times the square root of the tire pressure. That is what they told me in the Air Force.

So if the tire pressure was 30 psi, the square root is 5.4. Multiply by 9 and you get 49.2 mph.

Shouldn't the depth of the water count as well?

Very cool. I done math stuff and it's only the second day of the year.

I should rest now.

[Woj]

So if the tire pressure was 30 psi, the square root is 5.4. Multiply by 9 and you get 49.2 mph.

Shouldn't the depth of the water count as well?

Very cool. I done math stuff and it's only the second day of the year.

I should rest now.

LMFAO Steve. Take it easy with the calculations. I'm sure tread and water depth has something to do with it too. I saw a video with extreme hydroplaning where the tire actually spins in opposite direction vs direction of travel. That hurts the brain too.

Phil

[njsteve]

Dave, do you have a close up photo of the dealer decal/badge on the tail panel? Is it a foil sticker? I had the original foil sticker from my Charger reproduced years ago. I think ECS Automotive did it for me back then but I imagine you can probably do it on your own printer at home nowadays.

I need to hurry up and sell my Firebird so I can buy a timeshare on your Cuda. ;-)

[A12pilot]

I’ll post one up, Steve. There’s actually a shadow of, I think, the original dealer sticker there as well. The one you see is the second, used car lot dealer sticker I believe. I’ll confirm and post up!:biggthumpup:

Timeshares are being offered right now for pennies on the peso. :hmmm: But once mechanical independence is confirmed, this fantastic fiduciary facade will start floundering and fade into a fleeting fishy fallacy and become a fabulous financial flop! So best to send in your deposit post-haste!!!:bs::dunno:

I’m not quite sure what I just typed.....:hmmm:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Just a quick update; tomorrow is cam break-in day! This thing hasn’t run since 1978! More to come tomorrow......in video form!:burnout:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Welp, cam break in was successful....sort of. First step was to wire everything up, which you'd think would be easy. I mean, eight wires, right? Wrong! Despite being date coded correct and all that, they're about an inch short on every plug. But as one can see by the expression on my face, I didn't let that stop me! :no:

Once that was done, everthing was primed and I was ready to fire! My film crew wasn't available so you'll have to take my word that it went well.... sort of. But here is why my posts are so awesome....I love talking about my downfalls as much as I do my successes! So what do I mean by "sort of'? After the 20 minutes or so running, I let it cool down and added more antifreeze, changed the oil and filter, and was ready to fire it back up. Cam break in done! Like I said, I was ready, but the mighty 340 wasn't. :dunno:

I couldn't get it to start or stay idling without a lot of popping and misfiring. Hmmm.....but at 2600rpm or so, smooth as silk during break in. :hmmm: So what's the deal? I screwed with the timing and got it running, but it wasn't right. So what's one to do now? Sell the car and buy a Hellcat? Quit the hobby and become a recluse? Shake my first in the air and say "Damn you, car!!".:biggthumpup:

I chose to do the latter, then pulled the plugs to figure out what the heck was going on. I found #7 and #6 not firing. So I then decided to check the plug wires. They checked ok on ohms. I thought with them shorter than required, maybe they pulled away from the contacts on either the cap or plug? That was true with #7, but not #6. I shoved them in tight and tried it again. Once I had it idling, the slightest move of the distributor to set timing was met with stumbling, popping, and a stall. So seems the freshly rebuilt dual point dizzy is to blame in conjunction with two of the plug wires.

Jam on down to the parts house and grab a single point distributor and a set of plug wires. First try, fires right up, idles great, no issues. :biggthumpup:

So diagnosis? Condensor bad or dual points not set correctly, after checking the continuity of #7 and #6 plug wires, determine both are weak. Chinese crap parts 1...... original Chrysler parts 0. :thumbsdown:

So Crusty is alive! She hasn't had a running engine since 1978!!:3gears:

Brake bleeding and a new yoke for the driveshaft and I'll be cruising!

Cheers
Dave

[mockingbird812]

Interesting. personally, i'd've just spliced yr short dizzy wires. simple, quick, and fraught with surprises!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!!!

[cook_dw]

Video of it running!!!! cONGRATS!

[A12pilot]

Progress forward! Brakes are serviced, new ignition switch installed, and the emergency brake assembly is back in. Last items are the windshield, trim, and all the Shaker junk to go back on under the hood. I should be driving around this weekend!:biggthumpup:

Don't you worry Big D, video of that to follow! :3gears:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[cook_dw]

Don't you worry Big D, video of that to follow! :3gears:
e


https://media1.tenor.com/images/9aa539f8c0516d641234b9ea3a076d34/tenor.gif?itemid=5894405

[A12pilot]

Welp, like everything else automotively planned, it all went up in smoke. Coincidentally, I did receive another text from Phil!:biggthumpup:

So right now I can't figure out what the deal is and why it won't stay running more than a few minutes, then not start after it dies, so it's best to just walk away in disgust.....yet again.:dunno:

I was ready to back her out and go for her maiden voyage on my birthday, but that'll have to wait until later on this month. By the time I get back I'll have the glass installed and she'll be done! That is, if I can ever get her running more than a few minutes. :mad2:

She sure looks good though! :3gears:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

You know I have a voodoo doll of your car with a pin stuck right through the distributor where the ground wire connects to the base plate.

I am waiting for you to give up, and ship her to me.

;-)

By the way. Try starting it and holding the key in the impossible position between run and the starter engaging. I had a Superbird that fried the power feed to the ignition switch in numerous places between the alternator and the under dash area and grounded itself out intermittently. The only way to keep it running was to hold the key past "run" and just before "crank" in order to limp it home.

Also my old 70 Charger would have a random "no-power" anomaly on occasion when the power feed male terminal inside the main bulkhead connector at the firewall would separate from the opposing female connector on the engine compartment side. A good yank and tug would fix it...(but don't quote me on that one).

[A12pilot]

Ha! I knew it! It was YOU all along, Steve-O!:bs::tongue:

Well, remember, everything is new on the electrical front and tight (all harnesses, switches, relays, etc). No tuggin’ and yankin’ needed on anything!:dunno: Also, went through two distributors, two carburetors, two ballasts, two voltage regulators.

What’s happening is she’ll fire right up and run smoothly for about two minutes. Not a pop, not a miss, nothing. Then out of nowhere it’ll start running rough, acting like it’s got some huge cam in it. Really lumpy. I’ll reach in and bump the butterflys a bit and it’ll smooth out when it hits 2000rpms or so, then after a few seconds, right back to stumbling and stalling while at that setting. After it dies, it won’t start again no matter what I do.:no:

Perfectly good running engine for a few minutes and then rough running, and then dead. It’s perplexing...perplexing I tells ya!!!!:shocked:

I’ve got 5 months until the Super Car Reunion to get her running good!:tongue:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Lee Stewart]

I'm going to take a wild ass guess . . . would the problem stem from the cam not being properly installed?

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Sounds like a fuel issue to me.
Is your gas cap "Vented"?
New fuel pump?
I had that problem on a 440-4....ended up being the Carter carb.....but you have tried two carbs already....Hmmmm

[32KZ]

Couple "sound" shots:

Ignition, increased resistant when heated up:coil/ballast resistor.what do the plugs look like ? Fouled?

Starving for fuel? Whats fuel pressure when it starts stumbling?

Vacuum leak? Controlled port opening?
Just some thoughts.

[KenMaisano]

I have not read the full post.. But has the engine been Dynoed or on a run stand? Did you mark the pushrods and made sure that they are all spinning. If not the cam will go flat. Anyway if the engine has never ran on its own. I would start by taking the car out of the equation, Run a power lead direct from the Battery with a new ballast resister to the coil. See if it will keep running.. start there, if having the same problem then add a gallon fuel can direct to the fuel pump... Now it will be simple to start looking for the problem...
Coil, Resister, carb,fuel pump,.. Mopars also run there power through the amp gauge.. Also does it have the mopar electric ignition box?? I have had many problems with them.

[njsteve]

How about a porous or cracked casting in the carb body? Once it heats up, the crack opens and the vacuum leak or fuel dump begins. Do you have another carb to throw on there in a one-minute-pit stop swap, the next time it dies? And also running it off a gas can and an electric fuel pump, and not the fuel tank itself.

Sounds kind of like the old Qaudrajet problem with the leaky lead plugs in the bottom - when the carb heats up, the leak begins and it floods the engine out and no-restarting for a while.

[big gear head]

I was going to make 2 of the suggestions that have already been made. The electric fuel pump with a gas can will eliminate the fuel system on the car, and running a hot wire to the coil will eliminate the ignition switch.

[A12pilot]

New ignition switch, all new wiring everywhere, new fuel lines/ sender, tank , and no cap on it right now so venting isn't a problem, new fuel pump, cam installed correctly (would not run smoothly ever if this was the case, but good suggestion Lee), swaping both carbs do the same thing.

With the now clear fuel filter on it I can verify it's getting fuel.

I'm going to try Ken's suggestion when I get back and take the car out of the equation. There's got to be a short somewhere that's doing this.

I also had this: just placing the key in the ignition switch, not turning it on... just slightly putting the key in....causes the horn relay to click and the ALT idiot light to go on showing me that yes, I'm an idiot! :dunno: This initially happened with the door open, and I'd push the door jamb switch in and it would turn the light out. Releasing it would cause the relay to click and the light to go on. I disconnected the door jamb switches and this stopped the light coming on and the click. Before that I disconnected the horns, alternator, ballast, coil...all one at a time you see if any was causing a short. Same results. :hmmm:

It's a stumper men......:mad2:

Cheers
Dave

[cook_dw]

If its like a GM when the key is inserted with the door open the horn relay with buzz. If you here a clicking then it might be that the contacts are stuck and not allowing it to make the "buzzing" sound.

[RS_COPO_Canuck]

Maybe put a volt meter on the coil and see what's going on through the cycle.
If all else fails, hang an Aztec worship doll over the engine.

[markinnaples]

Just make sure that it's not this
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/5a/42/2c/5a422c9607881fb4eb95573768e613c8.jpg

[A12pilot]

See, that’s what I was actually getting ready to do, Jim! The Aztec worship doll, that is.:biggthumpup:

Man....I love that episode!:grin:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[napa68]

As the risk of being that guy who has not read the thread in detail and repeating something you have done or was suggested....................have you monitored the voltage coming into the ballast resistor?

It is possible the circuit is getting heated up and dropping voltage. Just a thought.

I can appreciate your frustration. The problem seems so simple in nature (as these are simple cars) but you get so pissed off that you are ready to throw the kitchen sink at it and get away from the basics to diagnose.

My apologies if I have repeated something

Keep you chin up. You do nice work Dave and are a real asset to this site!

Tim

[A12pilot]

Thanks, Tim. No apologies necessary my friend. I’ve monitored that voltage and didn’t notice any drops but have not monitored it when it stumbles and dies. As soon as I say to myself, “Welp, seems that’s not the problem...” and disconnect things then (chugga chugga wheeze).:( I’m going to recheck this again when I get back though just to confirm it. That is, if I can get it started again!:scholar:

Been researching some more and not really finding any other info comparable to what’s going on with my car. I’m going to start back again with voltage monitoring and possibly some sort of short in my new harness somewhere. I’ll get this. Then ROAST those F70s ‘till they go “poof” :biggthumpup::biggthumpup:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

You mentioned that the engine and dash harnesses were new, I think?

Remember when I restored the 1972 Trans Am? I bought a brand new wiring harness from M&H Harnesses and it turned out they left out the resistance wire that was supposed to be there for reducing the voltage to the points. Turned out it was punching 13+ volts in to the points at all times, and frying them and the condenser after about five minutes of running. Once they gave me a new harness it worked fine - and they even warrantied the harness two years after I bought it.

Did you buy the engine harness for the 340 with electronic ignition or with points ignition? Could be a similar issue with incompatible wiring. Do you have the part # handy?

IIRC, the Cuda uses the firewall-mounted ballast resistor to do the same thing. I always carried a half dozen around in my glove box because they would go bad - either totally fried or heat related partial failures. You may have to go with a baker's dozen of them.

[chevelleshack]

Not much of a mopar guy but does it have the heat crossover in the intake ? Had the same problem with a SBC & ended up being percolation of the fuel in the bowls & would boil over due to today's less than stellar fuel. Had the same symptoms also . Blocked off the heat passages & all was good after that .

[njsteve]

Not much of a mopar guy but does it have the heat crossover in the intake ? Had the same problem with a SBC & ended up being percolation of the fuel in the bowls & would boil over due to today's less than stellar fuel. Had the same symptoms also . Blocked off the heat passages & all was good after that .

Wow, that reminds me: A friend had a 440 Challenger and it turned out there was an internal crack in the exhaust crossover from the crossover to the inside of the intake runner. When it got warmed up, the crack would enlarge and create an enormous internal vacuum leak, killing the engine.

Got any extra intakes?

[A12pilot]

Good suggestions, men! But no, those aren’t the root of the issue that’s causing this drama, unfortunately. I’ve already replaced the ballast multiple times with several on hand, and the heat crossover, while a good suggestion, isn’t it either. My guess is still an electrical short somewhere that I’m just not finding but then again, maybe that new fuel pump is causing the issue?:dunno: I doubt it since it’s keeping the filter full.

Remember;
- several ballasts used
- two different carbs (brand new/rebuilt)
- two new coils
- everything new in the wiring harness
- two set of plug wires, two distributors (one dual point, one single point)
- everything new on the fuel system

I’m going to bust out that voltmeter and check a bunch of things when I get back next week now that I’ve had time away from it and can think clearly! That is, until Steve dangles that a Voodoo doll over this thread again!:shocked:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Billohio]

So we have to wait a week to find out what is wrong???
Jobs sure cause us problems

[njsteve]

No,

He is one of them thar mollenial Influencers. He only uploads a video once a week to keep y'all hooked.

[Billohio]

That would not surprise me either.

[A12pilot]

Hahaha! I know it! It's killing me to not be home trouble shooting this thing and providing the much needed update we all want to see!

But fear not! I'll be out on the street very shortly and will have ample time to not only update this thread, but all the other ones I'm going to start for all the other members cars I work on so I can pay my mortgage and eat! :thumbsdown:

Just kidding.....I hope! :dunno:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Billohio]

Dont get the corona while your out. We dont need any delays.

[njsteve]

New brilliant idea!!!

What's that old children's book? "Stone Soup" I think. Where every one in town puts something into the giant pot and at the end, everyone gets to enjoy the soup.

How about you just paint the car, send it up here and I'll do the troubleshooting and get it running. Then we can send it to someone who does interiors...(me and my son), and then on to another guy who does chassis work (me and my daughter) and then on to another dude who constantly argues about where all that money went (me and my wife).

I'll even bring it to MCACN next year.

;-)

[Lee Stewart]

It definitely sounds like an electrical issue. But . . . another wild ass guess/suggestion . . . pull the spark plugs and see if they are "proper."

Question: What happens if you install the distributor 180 degrees off?

[L78_Nova]

Ignition switch ?? Bulkhead connector ??

[A12pilot]

Good thoughts, guys. But; new ignition switch, new harnesses and connection connectors that are connected in the bulkhead connection are connected!:smile::hmmm: Timing isn’t the issue either (it’s set correctly) and 180 out won’t get the car running without serious misfiring, but these are good suggestions. :biggthumpup::youguysrock:

T-Minus 5 days until I get home to figure this out and I’ve got several troubleshooting procedures I’ve researched to try when I get back. These include a sledge hammer to the A-pillar, a block of C4 to the bellhousing, and finally, a drive to and off of the Tallahatchie bridge:burnout::eek2:

More to come this weekend since we’ll all be quarantined anyway and there won’t be anything to do except watch my thread!:eek2::laugh:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[A12pilot]

Attention all Users: Attention all Users:

A breakthrough has been discovered!:shocked: Sitting Reserve in Miami with absolutely nothing to do except listen to the Corona-Clueless scrounge for TP, I decided to take a road trip up to The Villages to see my folks. Driving up with the dash and engine harness diagrams floating through my head from hours of staring at them, I called M&H and chatted with Joe (I think....I know it wasn’t Tom). So explaining to him my entire situation from start to finish, we methodically went through every situation that it “could” be. I’d present a scenario and he would debunk it with the diagrams. He’d present a solution and I’d describe why that isn’t possible with the wiring diagram in my head and the symptoms my car had, to which he’d agree. This went back and forth with some extremely intelligent banter the likes of which haven’t been heard since the Carter Administration:dunno:. This hour long conversation puzzled him, puzzled me, puzzled the government phone tap guy that was listening on the other end:smirk:, and ultimately made us both think we came up with the issue with concurrence from the phone tap guy who said “that’s it!” in a very soft and muffled voice:worship:

I have to use the voltmeter and test one wire when I get home which will confirm our assumptions. We’re confident that this will be it!!!:scholar: Which means out comes the dash harness and back to M&H it goes to be reworked. There’s one, to possibly two, wires in the harness that are spliced incorrectly which is sending power where it doesn’t need to go and grounding out the system intermittently. We touched on it briefly in the thread and Darrell gets the trophy with his mention of the “key in buzzer” option. My car doesn’t have that option installed but the connection is in the harness. The wire that powers that option is the culprit along with the tach lead wire, and oil pressure sending unit lead, and coil wire. Yes, it is THAT complicated!!! I’ll confirm Saturday when I get back and have a better explanation, but I think the eureka moment has come!!!:burnout:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Postsedan]

Well done Captain :)

Enjoy your parents.

Be safe.

Dan

[Billohio]

That would make some sense.
Did you take 27 north thru Sebring?

[njsteve]

Drat! Foiled Again!

[A12pilot]

Holy crap! Is that Dick Dastardly!?!?! :shocked:Where’s Muttley?? Ah..good times...good times....Stop that pigeon, NOW!!:biggthumpup:

Yes Steve-O, I didn’t cave to your pressure. Although I was close, but I don’t like being defeated by a mechanical entity I know I’m smarter than! I think..:dunno:.

Bill, straight up the Turnpike from just North of Miami. Straight shot!:burnout:

More over the weekend..

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[L78M22Rag]

Hope it works! If not, I’ll take that frustrating, [used to be] crusty ‘cuda off your hands.

Fingers crossed ;-)

[Lee Stewart]

https://i.postimg.cc/g0g9fYHq/sas.jpg (https://postimages.org/)

[njsteve]

The interesting thing is that I had an issue with an M&H harness too, on the Trans Am. Most companies would tell you to pound sand but M&H does have great customer support and the guys there actually seem to enjoy it when they run into a weird "stump the stars" gremlin issue. Like I said before, they sent me a brand-new, free harness two years after I purchased the one with "issues".

[A12pilot]

“I won? Wow, a speech? Oh geezeum, who to thank? :dunno: Let me start by thanking the man upstairs. The big cheese. The head Kahuna. You know who I’m talkin’ bout! The Bob-a-Boni!:worship: It was his constant emails and calls saying!’You better get that friggin’ car running, or you’ll be banned from not only my show but the entire state of Chicago! Gnome’ sayin, flyboy?:mad2:’ And let’s see, there’s thanking my supporting fans in New Jersey that somehow resulted in me feeling like Gilligan on that episode with the Voodoo tribesman:blush:. I accept this award, and as a parting statement of inspiration, please remember something encouraging someone else said to you at some point in your life. :scholar: Thank you!” :biggthumpup:

Yep, these guys at M&H are really good. No complaints on the level of their support. :headbang:

Cheers
Dave

[L78M22Rag]

Congrats!!! Burnout video coming real soon?

[A12pilot]

Dern tootin’ brutha!!!:burnout:

Cheers
Dave

[cook_dw]

Attention all Users: Attention all Users:

A breakthrough has been discovered!:shocked: Sitting Reserve in Miami with absolutely nothing to do except listen to the Corona-Clueless scrounge for TP, I decided to take a road trip up to The Villages to see my folks. Driving up with the dash and engine harness diagrams floating through my head from hours of staring at them, I called M&H and chatted with Joe (I think....I know it wasn’t Tom). So explaining to him my entire situation from start to finish, we methodically went through every situation that it “could” be. I’d present a scenario and he would debunk it with the diagrams. He’d present a solution and I’d describe why that isn’t possible with the wiring diagram in my head and the symptoms my car had, to which he’d agree. This went back and forth with some extremely intelligent banter the likes of which haven’t been heard since the Carter Administration:dunno:. This hour long conversation puzzled him, puzzled me, puzzled the government phone tap guy that was listening on the other end:smirk:, and ultimately made us both think we came up with the issue with concurrence from the phone tap guy who said “that’s it!” in a very soft and muffled voice:worship:

I have to use the voltmeter and test one wire when I get home which will confirm our assumptions. We’re confident that this will be it!!!:scholar: Which means out comes the dash harness and back to M&H it goes to be reworked. There’s one, to possibly two, wires in the harness that are spliced incorrectly which is sending power where it doesn’t need to go and grounding out the system intermittently. We touched on it briefly in the thread and Darrell gets the trophy with his mention of the “key in buzzer” option. My car doesn’t have that option installed but the connection is in the harness. The wire that powers that option is the culprit along with the tach lead wire, and oil pressure sending unit lead, and coil wire. Yes, it is THAT complicated!!! I’ll confirm Saturday when I get back and have a better explanation, but I think the eureka moment has come!!!:burnout:

Cheers:beers:
Dave



https://media1.tenor.com/images/036c065c74513aa3f5dfd092fcad8c25/tenor.gif?itemid=4735830



Hope that's what it is..

[TimG]

Keep us posted, Dave. I won't leave the house until we get an update......

[SuperNovaSS]

Dave,


This sounds very promising. I hope the hypothesis proves true.



Jason

[mockingbird812]

Keep us posted, Dave. I won't leave the house until we get an update......

:haha:


Yeah well Tim, now that is not really much of a sacrifice, is it? :dunno::naughty:

[A12pilot]

Woohoo!!! I’m happy to report Steve’s voodoo doll is still working!:bs:

Not only was that not it, the diagnosis via a volt meter trouble shooting this has resulted in complete disbelief from what I was seeing. Key cranking I wasn’t getting 12v at the coil. Then, key in the Run position, 12 volts on both sides of the ballast. Then key off, key on, no volts. Key back on, 12 volts at the coil. Yep, beats me too. :dunno: Basically there’s no repetitive consistency on the readings. I’ve thrown in the towel and ripped out the dash harness, boxed it up, and it’ll be headed to M&H Monday. When will I get it back? Beats me!:frown: If they tell me the harness is good, that’ll be the end of this hobby for me!:eek2::biggthumpup::biggthumpup:

So it’ll sit, once again, at least for another month.

More to come.....eventually!:thumbsdown:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[Billohio]

I would take that off your hands without the harness. No worries!!

That is frustrating.

[big gear head]

What about the ignition switch? Would that cause this? I know it's new, but that doesn't mean it isn't bad.

[L78M22Rag]

:-(

[njsteve]

Is the “new” ignition switch an original Chrysler part? I’ve had terrible luck with aftermarket ignition switches not having the correct internal switching position compared to where the key was.

What are the voltage readings if you hold the key just past “run” but not engaging the starter?

I may have an NOS ignition switch in the basement. I’ll have to search tomorrow.

[A12pilot]

Oh, never fear! I’ll get this figured out! But at this point I’m 100% confident with a 25% assurance that this is the problem.:tongue: But the good news is that in fact, yes, I do have the key-in-buzzer feature. Why? Because all 70s did! Frankly, I’m a 68-69 guy and that wasn’t standard on B-Bodys during those years. This being my first 70 and an E-Body to boot the learning curve is steep. So Darrell still gets some props for a correct guess.:smile:

And I did get that fixed along with the other electrical issues I thought I was having, so now the dying cat sound when the door is open and key is in waifs through the cabin much like it does in the alley behind an Italian restaurant in New York City.:hmmm:

It’s aftermarket, but no fluctuation of voltage between any key positions, Steve-O. There’s a short somewhere internally in that main harness. Gotta be!!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[cook_dw]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/3rgXBIrhWMlIkbfUwE/giphy.gif

[32KZ]

Fire it up without the harness in it, like a few posted. Simple and quick. Peace of mind.

[njsteve]

Dave is from Jersey. He should know how to hot wire a car!

[A12pilot]

Say what? I can’t believe (cut splice) you’d say something (pull, twist) so degrading to all people from New Jersey (crank crank..vrrooommm).....Bye!:burnout:

Yes, that’s a good point. I’ll do that and test it.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[L78_Nova]

I thought if there was no load present the voltage should be equal on both sides of the ballast resistor ? ie. The resistor only drops the voltage if there is draw across it.

[njsteve]

I thought if there was no load present the voltage should be equal on both sides of the ballast resistor ? ie. The resistor only drops the voltage if there is draw across it.

You have to be actively cranking the motor to check the cranking voltage and then again when its running. It should be something like 12 volts cranking and then 9 when running. You are correct: if you test a ballast resistor of the car it will be the same reading at both terminals if there is no (engine running) load on it.

Here's the original chapter from my 72 Trans Am saga with the wiring harness glitch. Has all the voltage testing info:

https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthread.php?p=1095635&highlight=volts#post1095635

BTW, what do the contact surfaces of the points look like? Mine were a really pretty, iridescent purple color from the high-voltage effect, down the arm from the burnt point, contact area.

[A12pilot]

That is actually incorrect. A ballast needs no draw of power, it just needs power supplied to one end for it to be reduced on the other end. By the basic dynamic function of the ballast, power going through it from one side to the other through the ceramic reduces the voltage to the determined level. Draw on one end does not affect the voltage drop. A ballast does the voltage drop by just doing what a ballast does, but it doesn't need a load on it. The 12V brown wire is needed on the ignition 1 circuit to bypass the ballast due to ballast limiting the volts through itself.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[mockingbird812]

Huh, I just asked what time it was.......:dunno::hmmm:

[njsteve]

That is actually incorrect. A ballast needs no draw of power, it just needs power supplied to one end for it to be reduced on the other end. By the basic dynamic function of the ballast, power going through it from one side to the other through the ceramic reduces the voltage to the determined level. Draw on one end does not affect the voltage drop. A ballast does the voltage drop by just doing what a ballast does, but it doesn't need a load on it. The 12V brown wire is needed on the ignition 1 circuit to bypass the ballast due to ballast limiting the volts through itself.

Cheers:beers:
Dave

and perhaps I would be feeding you fake advice to get you more frustrated? Hmmmmm

[A12pilot]

Bwahaha! I can always count on you Steve-o!:biggthumpup:

Now, not wanting to throw the towel in just yet, I slapped that harness back in to see what’s what here. Miraculously, the electrical gremlins I had have disappeared! Which leads me to believe that still something is goofy in it, but between Darrel’s key buzzer thingy and taking the harness back out and strangling it like Homer does to Bart, resulted in the weird gremlins going away. However....

It still won’t start and now I am getting 12V during cranking, around 7 at the run position. So that’s normal, but it still doesn’t start. That leads me into the next trouble shooting phase and that’s spark. Gas simply isn’t the issue.

Pulling the plugs, they’re all soaked and black. So they’re all fouled up.:bs: So that’s step one....why no spark? I put the engine back at 10 BTDC and pulled the cap off and here’s what I found doing that; the rotor was nowhere near pointing to #1, it was more toward #8. :eek2: But I had set this exactly at #1 several times since I thought the timing was the initial problem.

So tomorrow I’ll try to start again and see what happens. What I’m seeing is I position it at 10 BTDC, wire it up, it fires right up. Then after a few minutes, it coughs sputters, laughs at me and then dies. If I go through this again and it repeats itself, and I find that the rotor is no longer pointing to that #1 cap position after it get the engine back to 10BTDC, what could it be?:hmmm::hmmm::hmmm: It’ll run and then the timing gets goofey after a few minutes. Keep in mind this engine was built by a guy that has built many, never had any issues, and it’s all good parts in there.

I think I’m getting close....:bs:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

[njsteve]

Mismatched distributor driven gear to cam drive gear?

Or a missing roll pin/woodruff key in the camshaft and the timing chain sprocket is rotating on the cam even though the bolt is tight?

[A12pilot]

What I’m leaning on, Steve, may be the pressed on gear/shaft connection on the oil pump intermediate shaft. I’m going to fire it up this morning with new plugs, timing reset, and see if it eventually does the stumble and fumble thing again. If it does, I’ll reposition the engine to 10 BTDC and check the position of the rotor to the #1 cap position. If it’s off, I’ll pull the shaft and see if the gear is slipping resulting in the timing wandering. Stay tuned.....

Cheers
Dave

[njsteve]

I have seen the woodruff keys sheer off on a cam/crank. Could have been a soft one and the cam sprocket is no longer fixed in time to the camshaft. The typical 50 cent part sabotaging a big dollar project.

[TimG]

Keep us posted, I wish I could contribute, but you guys are way above my pay grade.

[32KZ]

Just to throw in, pull your valve covers, keep eye on your valve timing: IE closed when supposed to?

Coughing fuel out the carb? I'd roll it by hand first, eyeball whats going on mechanically, check reference marks. Dont want valves starting to slap pistons.

[A12pilot]

Woohoo! Success!.....well, success in the fact that I knew anything I could come up with wouldn't be the right answer, so....woo....hoo...:thumbsdown:

It's all back together and here it'll sit. It's a real shame... such a pretty car with such an evil streak in her. Like a future ex-wife!:grin: I'm out of ideas, patience, and interest. So time to just let it sit and move on to the other projects.

Thanks for all the suggestions and well wishes to get this poor girl running, but it ain't happening anytime soon.:no:

Cheers :beers:
Dave

[cook_dw]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/5R2XVoMUnUmhxX5dWI/giphy.gif

[A12pilot]

Haha haha! My sentiments exactly, my man!! That’s pretty much how I felt today. Thanks for that, Darrell...I needed that!

Cheers
Dave

[32KZ]

https://media3.giphy.com/media/5R2XVoMUnUmhxX5dWI/giphy.gif

Yea, was beginning to obsess alittle on this one, no closure.

Chased(and caught) a couple of my own gremlins today.