Rusty's not very quiet cuda progress

[RUSTY Cuda]

Ordered the wiper blades so I can get those on.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Hooked up the gauges again, still in a nice deep vac, ran the pump for another hour or so & then put a holding charge in, standing pressure about 50 lbs,
Will let that sit till I get up the courage to actually try & turn it on.
Have no idea if any of it (well the inside stuff) will work.

Read the hocky stripe instructions again, they scare me, but I'm debating (with myself!) as to whether or not I try this myself, stripe guy is going away for 2 weeks & booked for 2 more weeks?

 

[Dr.Jass]

OK, definitely an angle in the dash, looks like there might be just enough straight to mount a straight one all the way left, looks like another hole far left too? View attachment 27940Side is all kick panel & would think screws had to go through that to te metal, didn't look for mounting holes. View attachment 27941

I'm going to have to find that angled cable and see what's happening there. I forgot I have a 1970 dash structure in the basement, and I compared the flat-bracketed cable to that. I don't see where that would go either. The angle in that dash seems a bit more severe than yours, but it's really hard to say... the structure should be the same all five years.

Alas, my life is nothing if not a confusing array of cardboard. It might take days to find that other cable.

K, had trouble getting a good reading between the fuel line & the ground strap, I had clear coated the lines, so I scratched it around to peel the paint & took it off & squeezed it tighter.
Moved the side on the tank end around to scratch that into the metal, got the reading now, my ohm meter must be off I got a higher than full reading on the wire post to base?
Now straining my eyes when I put the key in the guage does move a tad, there a white line behind the needle that ends shortly after, it moved enough to cover the line, but not even to the first line on the gauge.
I put in another 5 or 6 gallons, NO effect, so now I wait till I burn off some gas & pull the sender & see what that is looking like?

I was really hoping that scraping the paint off the lines would've solved it. Did you put stainless lines on the car? The originals were unplated steel, but even the non-stainless ones are plated. Can't say if it conducts worth a damn, because mine's got a hokey-ass ground wire setup. I can't use the factory strap because it's 1/2" feed and there's no steel line nearby.

Did you try grounding the sender's fuel output line (the feed pipe to the pump) directly to the battery (-) post and re-test like I suggested? That would definitely tell us if the sender's defective.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Did you try grounding the sender's fuel output line (the feed pipe to the pump) directly to the battery (-) post and re-test like I suggested? That would definitely tell us if the sender's defective.

Pretty sure I did all 3 points, the line, the ground strap & the base of the sender. but what the heck, it's not that hard I'll double check right at the sender.

Not positive but I think I sprung for stainless?

 

[b-body-bob]

Now straining my eyes when I put the key in the guage does move a tad, there a white line behind the needle that ends shortly after, it moved enough to cover the line, but not even to the first line on the gauge.

That is the same thing mine does. I thought it was moving, put more gas in it, and the gauge stayed on empty. I tried all the tests, everything should be working, but it isn't. Keep my tank full I guess.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Well, if nothing else this serves as a good reminder to bench-test the one I bought for the '68 Valiant before I drop the tank. I checked the big-boy sender in Agnes on the bench, but it seemed a bit silly on a brand-new part. Since then I've heard of more than one eBay sender that didn't provide a reading. If the one for the '68 is no good, I suppose I'll chuck it in the trash can and order a brand-name replacement through work. Spectra Premium has a 12-month warranty; Dorman's is lifetime. I can get either through work, and that way I'll have some recourse if it's DOA or dies shortly after installation.

Truth be known, I've had better luck with Spectra Premium than I have Dorman. Do I think they're all coming out of the same Chinese factory? Absolutely. Maybe the eBay ones are seconds that didn't test well.

How dare we expect a fresh-out-of-the-package item to actually work! Sheesh.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Well I thought I was buying good stuff, I think it all & the gas tank came from the same place, where it's made??? probably china!

 

[Dr.Jass]

Well I thought I was buying good stuff, I think it all & the gas tank came from the same place, where it's made??? probably china!

I guess I would've expected more out of OER. Then again, they're simply a division of Classic Industries, so perhaps not. I don't deal with Classic and have bought very few OER parts through other vendors.

Regardless, it's absolutely made in China. There's no question. Spectra Premium used to be made in Canada, but I don't know that to be the case anymore.

In a lot of cases, the introduction of a reproduction part hasn't really affected the price of excellent used or NOS parts. Why? Because the reproductions are garbage that doesn't fit like an original. E-body grilles are a great example. I paid more than I should've for less-than-perfect '71 Challenger headlamp bezels just because I could see the overpriced reproductions were R-O-N-G wrong. Who makes the reproductions? Two guesses.

Clue to anyone following along: Nobody at Fiat/Chrysler/Stellantis/Whatever They Are This Week has ever checked a "Mopar Authentic Reproduction" part (or whatever that bullshit label says on it) for authenticity. It's simply a way to generate more money for the automaker. You pay their fee, you get to put the label on the product. There's nobody left at that company that would know a correct musclecar-era part from a shitty one. Do not use it as an indicator of quality. It means the manufacturer paid a fee, nothing more.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Well, I may have stumbled onto another problem, I was testing the sensor put 2 jumpers to it, one at the ground strap & one on the smaller line (wouldn't clip the fatter one) but goes to the same base?
No workie, went under to remove the jumpers & the feed wire was just hanging, I thought it just fell off, but Nooooooooo, the whole stud assembly just fell out of the sender.

So I guess I'm buying another sender!

What brand should I look for, gonna go see what my local auto zone shows?

maybe it was never attached inside?

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

K auto zone has 3 2 spectrum B has that extra return I don't need & A does not

# on A is FG67A $91.49 1 year warrantee

autotecnica #DG0514061 1 line $49.99 I month warrantee. that's a new one on me!

car parts .com Liland 1 line $84.00

parts geek TRQ #16640-02853149 5/16 1 line 48.34
& Action # 16640-04084674 5/16 1 line $42.96

 

[Dr.Jass]

You may be able to reinstall those parts with the sender out. I'd think the whole shebang was soldered on the inside, or was supposed to be in this case. I can certainly understand not wanting to mess with it, but it's money already spent and you can't make it any worse than it is.

It doesn't appear that Dorman makes one for that application. To me, that leaves Spectra.

The Spectra Premium number is FG67A for the 5/16" outlet with no return line. The B has a 3/8" outlet and the 1/4" return line. I've never seen nor heard of either Liland or Autotecnica, but their warranties speaks volumes.

Have AutoZone or anyone else local order it for you. When it arrives at the store, bring your multimeter to the store with you. Test it right on their counter in front of the counterperson before you leave with it: ~73 ohms full, ~10 ohms empty. If it doesn't test correctly, tell them to order another. There's no point in wasting a bunch of time taking home a non-functioning sender.

Order it online, and if you get another junker you're just as stuck.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Guess I'll pull it & see if I can rube it & it works before I hit autozone!

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Not fixing this thing, no sign of it ever being soldered, looks like just pressed on, what gets me is the strip it's pressed into is bare metal where it hits the retainer ring, wouldn't that just be a dead short?

Anyway I tried to bench test the ohms & got the same reading where ever I put the float, I can hear it scraping the resistor as I move it but still in the 78ish area?

I did put it on a brass block & smacked it, the lip just went away!

I will find the bill & see if I can get some moola back, it's close to a year since I bought it, but had no gas till a few months ago? you hope they realize a car under reconstruction takes a while?

Off to autozone site to see if that line is 3/8 mine is.

 

[Dr.Jass]

The factory body fuel line was 5/16". Of course, you replaced that so if it's 3/8" that was what you specified. The Spectra Premium 3/8" sender has a 1/4" return line. The only sender they make for the 'Cuda that doesn't have a return line is the 5/16" one.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Yep just switched the order to the "B" unit for 3/8ths
But it won't be here for a week, special order direct from spectrum!

 

[b-body-bob]

You realize all you need to do with that return line if you don't need it is to just cap it off, right?

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Yep, had it capped, but would be nice not there at all!

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Since I will be waiting on the parts for the gas tank there's not much I can do on the car so after a quick look around at the nasty looking work benches I decided to start the cleanup process.
I have a lot of stuff I won't use, will offer it up to you guys, all parts are free but on a few I will ask you to cover the shipping.
So first up is the alum. slots that came on the 74
Not sure where to measure but they are 15's I measured the width inside the lips
2- 7" & 2- 8 1/2"
these I think the shipping will be more than they are worth, that's on you!
Last call on the flex fan. FREE!Front speaker dash harness FREE
Rad shroud bought way back on the 1st 'Cuda.
It's thinner than the 74's so I used the old one. FREE
1 14" rally wheel, not sure what the real width is, 6 or 6 1/2 It measures 7 on the outside edge, this also I will ask for shipping on!

pretty good shape (no rust) 2 of the lug holes are beat a bit!

Orig A/C brackets off the 74 360 FREE
Rotis front E body adapters 25 bucks PLUS shipping I think they cost me 60 or so?
Door lock rods I think drivers door? FREE!

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Holy crap, the sender is here already, they shipped it overnight from spectrum, I did not ask for that & don't think I paid for it?

But I'm also pissed, it said if you don't change the gasket & lock ring warrantee is void, NO WHERE in the add or order did they say it came with it, so I have another gasket & ring coming, why does nothing go right!!!!!!!

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

OK now something I need, right hand dash bezel between the column & the radio.
Saw a set on ebay for 100, so Is 50 a fair offer for the one, if anybody has one, 50? + shipping sound good?