Signet-ficant Other

[Dr.Jass]

Yesterday when I got home, there was a box on my porch from Van's Auto LLC, a small WI-based resto parts outfit that employs the guy who bought my 340 Challenger back in '89. 'Twas my new repro dash defroster vents. I'd expected to have new tubing for them today, but one of our warehouse guys screwed up so I won't have that until tomorrow. Regardless, I decided to be prepared for its arrival and get the vents handled tonight. This, I'm certain, will come back to bite me in the ass tomorrow.

I started by using SEM's Plastic and Leather Prep, which is a cleaner/adhesion promoter for painting vinyl and plastic. Then I sprayed the vents with the closest color-match paint available for this interior which, of course, is a closer match to the interior's lighter blue.




Why bother with the defroster vents in a thinly-veiled race car? Beater or not, I want everything present on the car to not only work, but work correctly. On an A-body, the defroster outlets are also the only thing that disperses the airflow across the windshield, and ones that look like this ain't dispersing a damned thing:








Those pictures were taken prior to my even starting... they were that bad when I got Agnes. The black defroster vents are not as prone to this kind of catastrophic failure, but after 50+ years in the blazing sun under glass, they're usually not so great. The color-matched ones? Expect them to look similar. Also, expect them to literally crumble as you work. Have the shop vac handy; you're gonna need it. The vents are retained by three molded-in plastic "studs" per vent, each with a thread-cutting nut. We'll revisit those nuts later.

This is the mess you can expect once you've got the nuts removed, or just as likely, the studs ripped out of the vents:








A close-up of just how crumbly this plastic gets after five decades. Mind you, I made no attempt to damage or destroy these to ease their removal, all I did was turn the nuts:




See the ridiculous angle at which those tubes are oriented? The studs are angled exactly the same rather than pointing face down. In an attempt at serviceability, Chrysler did this so that the vents can be removed/installed without removing the windshield. No joke--if those tubes were straight, the glass would have to come out to service or replace the vents!

The problem, or the problem as it exists now, is that though the mounting studs or pins are angled, the underside of the dash is not. This means that the nuts, as they cut their threads, have to start at an angle and work themselves to finish flush with a non-angled surface. And this is why I said we'd revisit the nuts.

Simply put, the new dash vents don't just fall into their recesses. In fact, they fight you all the way down. They will not fit flush, I'm here to tell you. What you end up doing is trying to start the nuts on studs that are barely through the dash. They won't. Then you'll want to pound on the vents to get them to seat, which is fine if A) you don't mind wasting $50 by destroying your brand-new vents, B) your car has a black dash and there's no risk of damaging the fresh paint (repros are only available in black), and C) you're attempting to use the supplied, visually-identical thread-cutters supplied with the vents.

Hear me now, listen to me well, and remember this forever: DO NOT DISCARD THE ORIGINAL NUTS. They are orders of magnitude better than the new ones. The difference is beyond belief. You will fight with the replacement nuts: they won't start, they'll fall of the studs repeatedly (conveniently landing in the ledge on the bottom of the dash), and you will rue the fact that you started this project. You will say words of which Mother would not be proud. You will curse the idiot engineer who put those studs on that angle and possibly insult his gene pool.

Then, when the new nuts are scattered aboot (or in my case, three are installed (not all on the same vent) after nearly an hour of fighting, the nearest nut will be a factory one--all the others are trapped somewhere in the dash--and you'll try starting it with your fingers because damn it, you're tired of trying to hold that socket on that angle and trying to twist it. The clouds will part, a particular beam of sunshine will illuminate your car, and Heaven's choir will sing, "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Original nut starts with your fingers--impossible with the repros. Easily turned with a socket, then later a ratchet. Pulls the vent flush in its recess like it's no big deal and the nut makes its turn and flattens against the dash--exactly as engineered, and easy as pie. Literally the toughest factory nut I installed was five times easier than the easiest repro that came with the vents. The original engineer was probably a pretty-cool guy after all, and you'd maybe like to shake his Dad's hand, now that you've used the actual nuts he specified. Incredible.

Son of a bitch, they pulled right in. Ain't that some shit:






Again, I can't stress enough how much easier this is using the original hardware. You'll go from "ready to give up" to "I could've been done an hour ago" in very short order. Though I didn't do a close-up examination, in the hand the nuts look identical other than patina. I can only assume the OE ones have a sharper thread-cutting edge on them; if you're lacking the original nuts I'd suggest trying to sharpen the replacement nuts' cutting edges with a small rat-tail file. Or--and I'm not kidding--sourcing some original nuts, even if you have to lie on your back in a junkyard and remove a set from a different car.

Still not connected to anything, but at least this part is done:




With the windshield mitigating the flash, the mismatch isn't quite so horrible:




A couple of thoughts on the significant difference in the colors:

First, the original vents were actually almost equally bad in the mismatch department. It's hard to match a molded-in color to a painted surface; anyone who's ever done plastic scale models will be familiar with the issue.
Next, the dash is dusty, dirty, faded and sunburnt. It's nearly 52 years old and I did nothing to rejuvenate it. All I did was vacuum the plastic crumbs from the old vents. The paint, on the other hand, is literally hours old in the picture. To be honest, I knew it wasn't right before I started because I'd already done the steering column with it. As such...
My experience with this particular paint--marketed by OER--is that it darkens with time. That's not uncommon, and I also believe sunlight burns some of this particular blue's "brilliance" off with time. The steering column is a much-closer match to the dash around it these days than it was when I installed it--something you can verify by going back through this thread.

My own concerns are covered: They're in, they're blue, and the defroster/defogger will work as designed. The A-body design is not a spectacular one, but it works well enough... much better than the two peepholes the old vents created.

 

[thrashingcows]

I have saved every OEM type pal nut I could get my hands on over the years...big can full of them and you are correct the reproduction units just don't seem to work as well as the original ones.

I think it is much like the clips on the back side of the reproduction window sweeps, they use cheap metal/tin to make them instead of the proper spring steel they are supposed to be made from so they bend/twist and deform when trying to install/use them.

Your dash looks nice with a little lipstick on it...

 

[68R/T]

Been there, done that. Except it was 27 yrs ago and no repros available. I got lucky to find a 69 in a yard that had the hood laid against the windshield after an engine pull.. And yes, re-used OEM nuts.

 

[Jester]

Nicely done, and great info on keeping the original vent cover screws.

I need a new set at some point, but also need a new dashpad, as Goldmember just has a dash cover thing on it now.

 

[Dr.Jass]

I need a new set at some point, but also need a new dashpad...

Does your car have a full dash bezel like mine, or is there just a bezel around the heater controls?

It sounds like a lot of extra work, but believe me: It's way easier with the ashtray and radio removed, and the heater controls hanging by their wires/cables. That moronic dash bezel was the only reason I'd pulled that stuff--it's the only way to get it out--but after deciding to fix the defroster vents I was glad to have everything out of the way. Turns out the ashtray hole makes a nifty access hole for the five of the six vent nuts.

 

[Jester]

Does your car have a full dash bezel like mine, or is there just a bezel around the heater controls?

pretty sure it's just a bezel around the heater controls. Ashtray and radio are quick re&re's.

 

[Dr.Jass]

On Agnes the radio has to come out before the ashtray will but it's not a tough job.
The heater controls were a little bit tricky because the retention method's a bit silly. There's a plate that goes in front, with studs that go through the dash on which the controls mount. Then there are two more pins that are part of the bezel that align all three. When I started, I didn't know if those pins used self-threading nuts or some other method of retention, which was quite-helpfully not explained in the service manual whatsoever.

 

[Dr.Jass]

A little more progress today, although much of my time with the car was spent staring at things, working out how I wanted to go about modifying them. Most of that is radio-related, and the radio itself came in for some repair while I was at it.

I started the day by installing a shiny new reproduction antenna assembly. While it might seem a bit extravagant for the nature of the car, there is actually a hole in that fender what needs filling. Somewhere during the lengthy escapade this car has become, the antenna bezel and leveling "rocker" got misplaced. Another issue was the plug end; when BrainTrust decided to put an aftermarket radio under the dash, the antenna plug was firmly stuck in the radio. Rather than twist the exposed metal of the plug gently with a pair of pliers like I did to easily remove it, he just yanked on the cable. The cable came out, but the plug stayed in the factory AM radio. Smooth. The only thing I hate more than doing a coaxial cable repair is doing a single-ended coaxial cable repair. Between the cost of the bezel and a new cable, I was almost to the price of an entire assembly, so an entire assembly it would be. Van's Auto was once again tapped to provide the parts.

Thanks to the A-body's thrifty build nature and my tiny girly-hands, this was about a 20-minute ordeal start to finish. Just about everything could be accomplished via the hood-hinge and door openings. Shiny.




Next on the menu was new hoses for those fancy defroster vents. Yes, they had to come back out, but having been down this road already it was pretty quick work. The reproduction vents are available with new hoses for an additional $60+ (!) but the hoses supplied aren't correct so I passed on the extra expense... but I still needed hoses. The one original flat-metal-coil hose still in place was smoked, badly. There was no trace of the other anywhere.

I looked up the part number for the defroster hoses in the 1969 Mopar catalog, and was delighted to find it cross-referenced to Four Seasons 55046, which comes in a 6' length but be aware: it may or may not be sold by the foot (in our work system, it is). Order the whole 6' section--you'll need more than you think. This fits the dash vents very tightly, is a bit loose on the upper box outlet and truly hotdog-in-a-hallway on the lower box outlet. To remedy that situation, I ordered a Gates 26393 hose bushing--literally a piece of thin hose normally used to adapt radiator hoses to too-small fittings. That hasn't arrived yet, but I'll update when it does.

This is where it gets a bit tricky. The original hose, as mentioned, used a flat metal coil. The currently-available stuff (believe me, I looked) all uses a round wire coil. This works with the original retainers from your old vents without a problem (and, in fact, they need to be there). Put the clips on the long part of the vent's hose fitting, then pull the wire on far enough to click it over the little hook on the clip (I really regret not taking pictures). I actually got the hose on far enough to engage the second coil. This is a task for which you'll want fingernails--each coil is a battle to get onto the defroster vent, and you have to work your way around evenly until you've got a few coils on it. Be careful not to tear the hose itself. You'll get a satisfying click when you pull it over that clip; it's a lot more secure than it would initially appear.

Believe me when I tell you: I don't care how tight it feels, if you don't use the clips the hose will fall off the vent. It's more hassle than it's worth to find out the hard way.

That's not the tricky part. You see, with the round wire in the new vent hose, the hose/vent assembly won't fit through the dash opening. Well, it might, but I wasn't going to risk breaking my new vents to make it happen and that's the amount of force it was seeming to take. Ultimately, my solution--which I suggest you follow--was to grind clearance into the dash on both sides. Take your time and use a bur bit for this, not a rasp. Voice of (bad) experience here. If you haven't got air tools, the same could be accomplished with a half-round file and some time. You don't have to remove much, maybe 1/16" on each side of each vent about an inch wide. The assembly then drops right in place.

This is what it looks like under my dash at the moment. I didn't want to cut anything until all the components (heater controls, radio, and ashtray) are back in place. Besides, I'm still waiting on that hose bushing.




Back on the radio front, one of the reasons I got this old Alpine so inexpensively was because some rocket surgeon cut the RCA outputs. Considering this is what's known as a "dead head" (no internal amplification--it won't power speakers directly) they're sorta critical. Remember my hatred of coax splicing? Not my best, but far from my worst. They're electronically functional, and that's what matters.




Check out that vinyl top. Yeesh.

The radio bezel had to be modified in order to clear the replacement radio, and real men cut their cars. Happily, this piece of trim wasn't nearly as nice as I once believed. As mentioned elsewhere, I've got an NOS bezel so this is easily-enough undone once the ashtray, radio, and heater controls are out of the way again... oy. Anyhow, the dash itself requires no changes to fit the radio thanks to the enormous cut-out used by the factory thumbwheel unit. I just need to make a bracket that will use the original radio studs and two existing holes. The incomplete butchery shown here--I had to go further--will be hidden behind the Alpine's trim plate:




Once again, I'm awaiting parts. This time I actually made a list as I went along, so I'm not waiting for the same parts again next weekend (field wire connector and some 14ga blue wire, for instance). I even ordered some stuff already just for good measure... the replacement master cylinder is already on its way, for instance. Weather permitting, there'll be an update or two during the week.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Just a bit tonight after work...

The defroster vents are now complete. The hose bushing listed in the above post was the hot ticket. It fit snugly on the heater box's outlet, but the vent hose was still just a bit loose--exactly the same as the other box outlet.




Not a lot one can do about the loose fit, really. Hose clamps would work but they seemed a bit much for the job. I went with zip ties, which need to be pulled very tight--almost to the point where you're afraid you're going to break something. I put them about three coils back on the hose, then pushed the zip tie as far onto the nipple as I could. I thought they felt tight, but the hoses still came off easily, so I repeated the process and pulled until I thought I was going to crack the heater box or break the tie. They're secure now!




Remember when I said, " Order the whole 6' section--you'll need more than you think" in terms of the hose itself? This is how much I've got left over; it's not enough to do even one vent:




Next, I turned my attention to the engine bay. Over the years, the holes for the voltage regulator and starter relay had become loose--not good, especially in the case of the regulator where it grounds through its case. Easy solution? Go up a bolt size. Self-threaders (same as OE) make this easier.




That bolt is way to shiny for this mutt. I fixed that in the sandblast cabinet. That ought to rust nicely:




Electrical items secured. The blue wire in the upper LH corner of the voltage-regulator picture was routed much more cleanly later...






...since I was still connecting that wire's other end using a factory quick-connect and insulator for that OE look. That's the second field wire for the alternator, original color and everything. The connection up near the VR and ballast could've been much cleaner, but it was done that way so I only had to cut one wire in the new harness--the green wire at the VR, which was a flag-style spade terminal. Other than that, everything I did unplugs.




I could've gotten a little more done, but I spent some time helping the neighbor across the alley diagnosing his '71 Camaro (350/4-speed, bad starter) and by the time I buttoned up the field wire the mosquitos were about to carry me away. They fed well this evening.

The last operational wire to be run is the ground wire for the starter relay, which would ordinarily go to the clutch safety switch. I don't have one of those, but I'm going to run it via the bulkhead connector and simply ground it under the dash for the time being. If I happen across a switch (or figure out an alternate) I'll leave enough wire for a cut/splice/factory-style connection.

 

[Dr.Jass]

The master-cylinder adapter showed up a day early, so I decided to start the swap... after watching the latest "Project Binky" on YouTube.

The swap went much more quickly than expected. Easiest old-to-new-style master swap I've done, largely because I didn't use factory parts. The factory adapter/stiffener plate uses only two of the four bolt holes in the firewall, and the factory manual-brake aluminum cylinder has studs that poke through behind the dash. It's kind of a pain. The steel adapter I got from Dr. Diff was a much-simpler deal. One advantage it has over others is its thickness, or lack thereof: It leaves the pedal at almost exactly the same height as original using the factory pushrod. Aluminum ones are usually so thick a lengthened pushrod is necessary.

The Dr. Diff kit, which includes a new rubber pushrod retainer:




The replacement aluminum cylinder has a thinner mounting flange, and the thinner steel adapter puts the plunger recess almost exactly the same distance from the firewall as the OE iron cylinder's thick flange.




Removal of the old cylinder went quickly. Despite the rusty appearance, this had all been bolted together less than a year ago.




I freed the brake pedal from the old cylinder with a firm upward yank, and it popped on the first try. When the old master was removed, the boot stayed on the pushrod--it sits in a retention groove.




The original pushrod boot stretches over a retainer bolted to the back of the old-style master. Despite being quite flexible after 51 years, it was obvious it wasn't going to fit on the new cylinder... well, it wasn't going to stay seated assuming I could get it on there. The aluminum master's boot is obviously larger, and simply sandwiches between the machined recess in the back of the cylinder itself (visible) and the adapter.




The boot is what I'd call semi-critical. The system works fine without it (I've driven 'em that way) but in the event of a cylinder failure, it keeps fluid from running down the inside of the firewall. It's much easier to spray the outside with brake cleaner than it is to remove fluid-soaked firewall insulation and carpets, and in case you're not aware, brake fluid is highly corrosive to metals. It will eat a floorpan in amazingly rapid fashion given half a chance. I doubt the new-style boot is still available since the last manual-brake anything was built at least 17 years ago, but a fella could always try. Its part number is/was 5204051 in the '82 catalog. In my case, being the extra-hoard-inary guy that I am, I just walked into the garage and grabbed the master I plucked from a '78 Volare 15+ years ago. I carefully manipulated it over the bolt hole on the pushrod. Note the boot breather hole and its original position: it needs to be in the 12 o'clock position.




Slide the boot onto the pushrod first, engaging it in the retention groove. It won't move while you work, and doing it upside-down under the dash later is significantly less enjoyable.




The mounting bolts for the new master thread into countersinks in the back of the adapter and tighten with a 3/16" hex key. Don't overdo it, but make them tight enough that they won't move when you're tightening the cylinder.




Install the adapter to the firewall using the original nuts (or deez nuts). They'll have quite a firm "stop" when tightening so they're hard to overdo. Next pull the boot through, orienting the boot so the breather hole is at TDC; it needs to breathe, but not leak fluid in the event of a cylinder failure. Now install the new rubber pushrod retainer if you're replacing it or this is a new conversion from power brakes (which don't use one). Mine is in that magic place where it holds well but isn't a battle to remove, so I reused it.




Hold the new cylinder in place and pull the boot onto its boss on the back. Another advantage to having the boot? Once you seat it on the new cylinder, it automagically centers the pushrod to its recess in the piston. Everything will align perfectly and you can simply slide the cylinder over the studs and install the supplied nuts. As with the originals, you'll know when they're seated... just a few more pound-feet beyond that is necessary. No need to strip them.

If you used the right cylinder, your original lines will bolt in like they were born there. The front is the same oddball 7/16"-20 thread Mopar used for years. Another win. Bolt 'em up, bleed the system, and off you go.




The master cylinder I used was listed for an '80 F-body (Aspen/Volare) but I looked at bore size more than manual/power; the original manual cylinders had a 15/16" bore but this one is 1-1/32". As such, the pedal will require a bit more effort and have less travel. Having done something very similar with my '81 Cordoba LS more than 25 years back, I actually preferred the stiffer pedal to the bone-stock setup of my '80 Aspen's factory manual brakes. It feels, well, secure.

Now, truth be told my brakes aren't bled--in fact, the master still needs bench bleeding. However, I had nobody to assist me with that process, so I went ahead and made sure everything worked as expected in terms of fitment. Bleeding notwithstanding this swap took just over half an hour start to finish, including taking the photos. I'm impressed with the Dr. Diff part's construction and fit. No, it's not the most complex item in the world but there were no ugly surprises and everything went together like a factory part (but easier than the factory parts, as mentioned).

I was pleasantly surprised at the end to find that the new-style master cylinder isn't nearly the eyesore I expected. It doesn't really jump out at you unless you're looking for it.




Most importantly--barring a defective cylinder--I'll have confidence in the brand-new part as opposed to the A1 Cardone remanufactured garbage. That's important at the big end of a quarter mile. I've no problem with reman parts, mind you, except when they come in a Cardone box.

Next on the to-do list is brake bleeding, but I won't bore you with that process. You're bored enough with this thread.

 

[68R/T]

Next on the to-do list is brake bleeding, but I won't bore you with that process. You're bored enough with this thread.

Something on learned on the waGOON, when bleeding the entire system with a prop valve, there's a cute little fitting that is used to replace the brake warning switch on the prop valve. Without it, while bleeding, the valve may lodge in one direction, causing nightmares.

 

[thrashingcows]

I have one of those adapter and run the mid 80's RWD MC as well on the wagon....did that conversion 10 years ago and been pretty reliable.

I agree that the MC is not that noticeable, better then the GM bases ones you see some guys running on their mopars...

 

[Dr.Jass]

Something on learned on the waGOON, when bleeding the entire system with a prop valve, there's a cute little fitting that is used to replace the brake warning switch on the prop valve. Without it, while bleeding, the valve may lodge in one direction, causing nightmares.

View attachment 21432

If I ever build another car with a factory pressure switch, I'l need to find me one of those. Valiant, Challenger, and Imperial will all be lacking said switch.

 

[Dr.Jass]

It was a semi-rough week and Friday ended badly, so when I got home last night I was already frustrated and pretty tired. All I really wanted to do was kick back, relax, and hit the hay early. Instead, after about an hour and a half of relaxation I went out and installed the aftermarket front swaybar. I've no idea from whence the motivation came, nor have I a clue what made me think of the swaybar. I hadn't even thought about doing it recently (like, not even in 2020 as far as I can remember) but I got after it anyhow, slowly at first.

The particular item I used was a Hellwig 1¼" tubular (hollow) bar--I'd be amazed if the whole assembly added 10lb--which unfortunately they no longer offer. The instructions for the still-available bar are identical, though. This bar will not fit factory brackets, so if you've got existing control-arm tabs or frame brackets, they may need to be removed. I would not advise cutting them off the control arms simply due to the greater value of LCAs with swaybar tabs, but you do what works for you. The lower shock bolts need to be removed to install the end-link brackets; the kit includes new grade 8 bolts with prevailing-torque lock nuts. Very nice.

It's a straightforward installation on the A-body, with a couple of caveats. First of those is that the pre-drilled holes it uses in the K-member aren't drilled, they're stamped before the halves of the K-member are joined. In my case, the holes in the upper half and lower half were slightly misaligned, requiring a little attention from a 3/8" drill bit. Not a big deal with the car on jackstands.

The other, more important suggestion, is to ignore Hellwig's thoughts on the tightening sequence. The K-frame bushing brackets are perilously close to the bends in the bars, which can make locating them correctly a little bit of a challenge. This was something I'd realized before it became a fight so I left all the bracket bolts loose. The brackets or adapters that mount to the K-frame are slotted east-west, while the bushing brackets are slotted north-south, so there's a bit of adjustability that you'll lose if you immediately torque the K-frame brackets as recommended. Yes, this does make manuevering the bar a tad more challenging whilst installing the end links. On the flip side, once everything's located you can then massage the brackets into the best position, meaning getting the frame bushings as far onto the straight part of the bar as possible.

The bushings provided are all polyurethane, and Hellwig provides more than enough silicone grease to slather every mating surface liberally. It's a messy job but very important for avoiding squeaks. I even lubed the end-link washers where they contact the bushings just in case, and I've got grease left over.

This job can be done without removing the wheels, which I proved last night. Getting the swaybar into position is easier without the lower radiator hose in the way. It wasn't a big deal since my cooling system is still empty, but the instructions don't mention it so you should be able to accomplish this without draining the system. I would also bet the smaller-diameter solid bars they offer now would be easier to fit (although this was by no means a battle).

The mosquitos were terrible after dusk, and some dude from the next block over stopped and introduced himself, which became a conversation. So I did not get the car off the stands last night, which must be done as final torquing should be done with the car sitting on its wheels and level. I'll do that this morning once motivation returns.

Impressions? The overall quality of the kit is very good. All the brackets are more than heavy enough for the job at hand, and the hardware provided is all grade 8 and well thought-out, including prevailing-torque locknuts in most locations (even the end links) and flanged nuts for the bracket bolts. Proper torque specs are included as well. The hammertone finish looks sharp--too sharp in this case--but it's not as tough as Grandpa's old Stanley toolbox. You can see that mine took a bit of a beating during installation, mostly from flopping about during frame bushing installation.

That's one more to-do list checkbox with a check mark in it.

 

[68R/T]

If I ever build another car with a factory pressure switch, I'l need to find me one of those. Valiant, Challenger, and Imperial will all be lacking said switch.

Me, being the cheap bastard, (I can make that) type of guy, I dug through my stash and found a fitting of same size & thread as the warning switch and soldered a short piece of thin metal rod inside. Then ground to correct length.

 

[Dr.Jass]

Saturday I woke up still feeling very tired. I didn't get much motivation going until late in the day. I futzed around with the swaybar a little, making sure everything was centered and oriented correctly, but the car's still on the stands so it's not torqued. I fixed the level-indicator tube on the oil pan--a piece of clear hose between two fittings to show oil level--which was missing the clamps. I used a couple of too-small pinch clamps that are near their working limit. That returned my attention to the lower radiator hose, onto which I'd not installed the factory-style Corbin clamps. I didn't have my pliers with me when I ran all the hoses, and that particular hose is impossible without 'em. It's quick work with 'em, though. Next, I ran the starter relay's ground wire over to the bulkhead disconnect, terminated it with a factory-style connector, and pushed it home in a blank spot... around that time, a couple of friends stopped by to check out my progress. They stuck around for about an hour, and after that I did some inside work (to get away from the mosquitos) on the custom dash-speaker bracket I'm making for it. I got some headway made prior to running out of steam, at which point I came in the house, readied myself for bed, and promptly determined I had insomnia. I laid in bed for almost four hours before I fell asleep.

Sunday was a late start as well. I wasn't going to start until after lunch since I'd made plans with friends for that. That ended up running until about 3PM. I realized the turn-signal switch still wasn't wired, and after more than an hour of searching I'm pretty sure it ended up on Stretch's bench way back when. That stuff's all packed up from his recent move, so rather than search he said he'd donate one from one of his spare columns--it appears to be the same part back through '64. Anyhow, I decided to do a little work on the ignition system instead, and found enough wire separators for the engine amongst the mess... and a couple of spares. Those needed paint, so a-painting I would go. The Pertronix coil came in for some de-chroming and now looks like a stock coil, although I masked off the label so A) I would remember what's in there and B) I can still prove what it is, should I sell the car. The label's hidden behind the bracket anyhow. The only coil bracket that fell easily to hand was one from my 440, which doesn't fit LA intakes since the bolt holes are at different heights on the small block. I grabbed one of the dozen or so metal spacers my former boss gave me off a Caterpillar diesel, and it's the perfect height. A shot of Inter-trash-onal Red and you don't even notice it. The coil got painted Pioneer cast greyt for that shitty, bare-metal look.

Tonight I installed the coil after grinding a flat on the postive terminal so the factory wire would fit correctly. The Pertronix coil is slightly larger in diameter than a stocker, so a little coercion with the vise was needed to get the pinch bolt installed--there's just one full thread showing out the back; any further and I'd start squeezing oil out of it. The Cat spacer worked out perfectly for installation, and it was time to wire. Pertronix doesn't install terminals on the Ignitor III, they just leave bare ends and give you a couple of nylon-insulated ring terminals to install after you've found your preferred length. I loathe the look of those terminals, so I removed the nylon bit prior to soldering and heat-shrinking the terminals. Once the coil was wired, I took some time to tidy up all the underhood wiring, including my additional field wire and its strange-but-effective integration to the factory harness. It all looks much better now. Tiny black zip ties are our friends.

I'm starting to tire of this whole wiring nonsense, and there's still a good bit of it left for the radio and the line lock (because I just can't be straightforward with either one). Staring at the bare water-pump pulley, I decided that I just don't want to get involved with electric fans at this point, mainly because if they're not automatic they're a hassle. Making them automatic involves both parts I haven't got and time I don't want to spend right now... and a bunch more wiring. Funk dat. The 340 I picked up in MN a couple of years back came with an MP 5-blade fan (same one used on cop cars) so I began to install that... until I realized the clutch is too tall and contacts the radiator. Some quick online research found Hayden part #2947 which, near as I can tell, is the shortest clutch available for my application. I logged into our franchiser's system from home and ordered it. That'll arrive on Thursday morning's truck...

...which is just in time, if all works out. I've got Friday off, which is a full day to thrash on the car. Although the car will by no means be drivable, it's quite possible Saturday morning will bring First Fire on the engine. The Fourth of July just seems appropriate for an open-headered bust-off in the backyard to this red-blooded American kid.

Stay tuned... tomorrow's a night off, but I'm sure I'll be out there tinkering Wednesday and Thursday. I might just make it!

 

[thrashingcows]

I remember my first time trying to remove corbin clamps....messed around with every plier I could find and still couldn't get them loose. My Grandfather just stood there watching me and saying nothing, then when i was thoroughly frustrated he reached into his old tool box and handed me a pair of corbin clamp pliers and told me to try these....clamps were off in a matter of seconds. I still have those pliers in my tool box...Thanks Grandpa!!

 

[Dr.Jass]

Agnes was semi-conscious for the first time in more than three years tonight.

All the main wiring is complete, excepting the stereo and the line lock. Thanks to Stretch donating the lost turn-signal connector, I was able to re-pin it and connect it into the dash harness. A solid once-over on the wiring and it was time, with crossed fingers, to connect cables to battery.

No smoke, no sparks... the battery cleared the hood when I shut it, so no inadvertent welding either. So far, so good. Let's try the basics:

View attachment VH21 ElecTest-Sm.mp4
















It never occurred to me to put it into reverse, and restoman pointed out that the license lamp is out... however, it must've always been, because the wiring back there is untouched original. I don't even think we took the rear bumper off the car. I'll have to look into those two areas later.

The interior part of the video shows the movement on the ammeter with the key on and also when I toot the horn. The blower motor also works, but there's some tree debris in there and it's hellishly loud so I left that bit out.

Every little bit of progress gets us closer to that first key turn... stay tuned!

 

[thrashingcows]

Love the sound of the old tin flasher relays.. Where is the witty commentary...

 

[Dr.Jass]

A little last night, a little today...

Wednesday night started with installing the fan, using the new short Hayden unit. The difference in height is greater than it appears in this picture; since the MP clutch is behind the new one, it's further away and not quite level.




The Hayden clutch is a "one-size-fits-none" style, which comes with a bushing to fit its larger hub opening to the Mopar pump. Concentrically speaking, it's a beautiful fit... but I had to grind its length down to fully fit in the clutch. As delivered, there would've been a gap between clutch hub and pulley.




Even with the ultra-short shaft--which made installing the bolts more challenging but not completely infuriating--clearance to the radiator core is, uh, cozy to say the least.




Yes, the inner fins are even closer--and the spring is closer yet. My leetle tiny girly finger just fits between the outer fins and the core--it's less than 5/8".

The next problem I faced was the previously-mentioned throttle-cable bracket. There's obviously no factory W2 option, since nothing ever came OE with those heads, and the sole aftermarket option is, in a word, hideous. Necessity is a real mother, I'm told, and in this case I ended up making my own.

I started out with two brackets, the upper one from a '73 340 and the lower of unknown LA origin. If was from your one-of-one '78 Tradesman 300 R/T 273 3-barrel six-speed motorhome, this isn't going to end joyfully for you so avert your eyes now.




Now it's a bracket with which I can work!




The next order of business was to remove the bend from the cable mount on the 340 bracket, making it even with the rest of the bracket. Small vise, big f__kin' hammer... I used the hand sledge. These brackets are pretty stout! Sharp eyes will also notice I removed the stud for the cable clamp as well as the pivot arm for the kickdown linkage, and ground away the little tab beneath the latter.




The bolt-hole centers on the W2 heads are about 5-1/16" apart, which is around 3/8" greater than on a production LA head (port clearance!). I marked out some cutlines and removed most of the forward mounting tab, leaving a piece in place as my centering reference:






I tacked the lower bolt hole cut from the unknown bracket in place, leaving probably too much weld gap. It burned in nicely, though.




At this point, I completely forgot about the camera and just got after it without taking progress pictures. Not wanting it to look homegrown and repurposed, I filled in the holes for both the cable clamp's locating tab and stud, and the one for the kickdown pivot. I welded the cable clamp platform from the unknown bracket to the top of the old cable mount and ground it smooth. The unknown bracket was wider in this area, so there was some grinding involved to make the edges match up, too.

If I'm honest, I'm pretty proud of the results. Perhaps I shouldn't be.






Today, I painted it to match and installed it.




I was 75% sure I was going to have to oversize the holes with the step drill, but damn if the bolt holes didn't align perfectly! All rather amazing considering I'd literally eyeballed everything with a tape measure.




The cable clamp platform is technically a bit too close to the carburetor; for perfect alignment with the carb stud it should be bent outward about ¼". However, that bit of offset actually eases the curves in the longer cable needed for the skyscraper (hoodscraper?) manifold and allows said cable to come through the firewall without kinking (visible if you zoom in on the area just below the bulkhead disconnect).




I spent a lot of time today waiting on paint to dry, so I got the fuel pump wired during that. I used 10ga wire, which is total overkill based on the 16ga provided with the pump, but I wanted no question regarding current in high-demand situations. The heat shrink over both wires eased dealing with the stiff bastards, and is repeated where the wires pass through the floor for abrasion resistance (it still needs a grommet).




The wiring comes through the floor next to the rear seat cushion, hidden neatly by the carpet "scrap" that goes there. It passes beneath the door and will travel behind the kick panel, then over to a relay mounted to the rear of the ashtray. This was rather time consuming, as I couldn't find a new relay harness despite having a few lying around. Instead, I unpinned a used one, removed the original wires from the terminals, and crimped/soldered/heat-shrunk them to the new wiring. I reinstalled the wires into the insulator, installed a relay, and basked in the glorious butchery of testing it with everything lying on the passenger-side front floor, wires twisted together and running everywhere. The pump ran, so I'm good to tidy up the installation in the future. For now it'll work to start the engine.

When I had the cluster out to replace the fuel gauge and voltage regulator (limiter), plus fix a burned trace, it never occurred to me to check the bulbs. Two were burned out so they got replaced tonight. I don't look forward to repeating that; it's tricky with the cluster installed--yay tiny girly hands again!

I was curious as to what was up with the park/turn signal lamps. They didn't light up with the headlamps on, which is common on earlier cars; I didn't know for sure about 1969. The hazards were weird, too, evidenced in the video I posted. Yesterday at work I looked up the front turn-signal bulbs and sure enough, they're dual-filament (1157NA, if you must know). Since I was already wiring anyhow, I removed the turn signal assemblies and cleaned all the ground contacts and terminals. Now everything functions as it should, and yes--the park lamps should be lit when the headlamps are on!

I was trying to figure out a way to hide the dual-feed fuel line, running all kinds of silly ideas through my head--primarily a custom line, teed near the rear fitting and coming back to the front up high just below the air cleaner. It's not a bad idea but it's a lot of f__kin' around for which I wasn't in the mood. I want simple, I want fast... and so I went with paint. The first thought was just to sandblast the chrome away and paint it "cast iron" grey, but after completing the former I decided to see what would happen if I matched it to the engine. It was a hell of a lot more effective than expected!



Didja notice I installed a factory heater-hose support bracket?

Another idea came to mind to obscure it further once the hose is installed, but I'm not sure if I'll implement it. Still, with the air cleaner in place it's pert-near invisible.




The last thing I did prior to coming inside tonight was to fabricate a hrottle return-spring bracket. Not surprisingly, I couldn't find any lying around despite having one in my hand, I dunno, three nights ago? So I devised one by continuing my trend of abusing throttle brackets and kickdown linkage bits. I carved up, bent, welded and ground the kickdown pivot from an original 1969 340 throttle bracket that I once thought I could use on this engine. No pictures of that yet; the camera was already in the house.

I was hoping to fire the engine tomorrow morning (now technically today) but I just don't think it's going to happen. It's possible, although remote, that it could happen tomorrow night but there's still a lot to do: Fill all the fluids, finish plumbing the carb, check distributor orientation, install plug wires, ground the starter relay (OK, I could cheat that) and source a belt, among other things. We'll see... stay tuned.