1969 Dodge Super Bee Coupe Restoration

[dadsbee]

If you ever wanted an ultrasonic cleaner... here's an idea for any with a cheap oil-less air compressor handy...

 

[funknut]

Neat trick! I saw a similar video of a guy doing the same with a palm sander. Not quite 30k Hz but does the job!

 

[dadsbee]

Gave in this morning and then spent an hour going around town to every auto store, only one can of gasket remover in the entire place!

It took over a dozen applications and a lot of work with a piece of UHMW ice hut runner to get it all off.

Then back into my ultrasonic cleaner, after a lot of dental pick work cleaning out holes!

Going back together with new gaskets, a new 6.5 power valve, downsized the jets to #70's and don't forget the brass baffle.

No parts left.. must have done something right!

Back on the car, after prefilling the bowls with gas through the vent stacks.

It's running.. and note the lack of smoke!!! Amaze myself some days!

Left it running for some time and then set up the idle mixture screws, floats and idle speed. I can now kill the engine turning in the idle mixture screws! Hopefully tomorrow has some sunshine as I missed getting a tour in today!

 

[dadsbee]

More "cleaner" work after about a dozen coatings of gasket remover.


First start after carb rebuild. Prefilled the bowls through the vent stacks. Looks like I'm winning!!! Charlie would be proud, not my old man..... Sheen.. LOL


Running, mixture idle, floats, idle speed, etc all set, ready for a tour! Hoping for sunshine tomorrow!

 

[dadsbee]

Ready to take my honey for a drive, Wife's coming along tooooo !

Some jackass built the house 1200 feet from the road... and it's gravel too!

5/8ths of a mile to get to pavement, and to think I use to run these roads at 80MPH +.. not 8.

It's still fun going into 2nd gear some 40 years later!

Yep.. she's always loved my mechanical side.

An hour into our cruise, all looking GOOD ! Temp sitting right on the stat and oil still 50psi.

1st gear cruise through Little Lake Park in Midland.

Put about 60 miles on the car, one rattle and it's the dash panel hockey stick above the glove box. Wife says it did that 40 years ago too! If we'd made it home just 3 minutes sooner we would have stayed dry.

 

[showard]

That looks so fun! I can't wait to try mine out some day.

 

[khryslerkid]

With the look on her face, it's a good thing it wasn't after dark. You would have had to stopped by the B&W drive in!
Good Stuff

 

[dadsbee]

 

[Islandkent]

Super! Once congratulations! Sounds really nice! Just right. All your hard work certainly shows. Good on you.

 

[71dodgechargerrt]

Congrats Wayne nice to see a project finished and enjoyed. I was going to go out yesterday after lunch for a cruise and it started raining. Plan b, worked inside. Car sounds great.

 

[dadsbee]

Wife and I almost stopped at the Chip Stand beside HAG on Vinden yesterday, for some quick fries and a pop, but U turned and high tailed it just in time before the skies really opened up. Got just the perfect amount of water on the car for a wipe down! lol

 

[dadsbee]

Well she had her test drive, thought I'd slap her quality sticker on.

After I'd bought some Blue ones I found out that Dodge used Red and Plymouth used Blue. @Beavis , that sold them to me, was nice enough to send me the Red one for free!

Sticker in place and not sure I like it there. Blue would have looked a lot better.

Thinking I may be doing like the dealers did and peeling it back off !

 

[dadsbee]

First paint chips, but at least they're inside. Both doors.

The culprit, aftermarket seat belt retractor. The door hits it when closed.

Cleaned up and straightened the OE sill plate extensions I bought from @Moparsal and then fought to get them into place.

Drivers side in.

Passenger side in place.

 

[Beavis]

Well she had her test drive, thought I'd slap her quality sticker on.

After I'd bought some Blue ones I found out that Dodge used Red and Plymouth used Blue. @Beavis , that sold them to me, was nice enough to send me the Red one for free!

Sticker in place and not sure I like it there. Blue would have looked a lot better.

Thinking I may be doing like the dealers did and peeling it back off !

View attachment 769745 View attachment 769746 View attachment 769747 View attachment 769748

it looks great!! leave it!!

 

[dadsbee]

Time for a post test drive shake down.

Looks like nothing fell off, but after I parked the car there was a puddle of oil, about three tablespoons it seemed right under the clutch housing. Being the pessimist that I am I immediately suspected a rear engine seal (it was rebuilt 40 years ago!), or front trans seal and that the oil had leaked out the drain hole I'd drilled in the bottom of the Lakewood scatter shield.

Once up on the hoist I got really concerned. How bad is it leaking that it's coming out the clutch fork seal??

And then I put some more light on the situation. Line of oil down the block, blown back and thru the one open hole in the scatter shield plate where the fork spring is and across the housing to the rubber seal and down. Looks like my lucky day.. it's hopefully just a leaking rocker cover gasket!

Back of the flywheel is DRY!

Only thing I hate about scattershields, no easy way to inspect things but inside looks dry.

Broke out the inspection camera, removed the clutch fork throw out rod and dust boot, and had a good look around but couldn't see anything amiss.

I put a kleenex on a wire and stuffed it into the bottom of the housing to see if it would pick up any oil.

In she goes..

Just some minor pick up and no real wetness, so I think I'm good. Being the pessimist I am I'd already ordered a complete gasket and seal kit from Brewers on Tuesday that is already on it's way. If I don't need it I'll rebuild my spare A833 transmission.

 

[dadsbee]

Other than that, still looking clean after the gravel road run.

Almost wish I could park it on it's side..

Considering how the rear springs are holding the car up after re and re with new interliners and rub blocks I'm considering removing the air shocks (that have basically zero pressure in them) and getting back to stock shocks.

I noticed a stain on the backing plate from the housing down, so off with the wheel.

Looks like my bearing grease liquified and bled out a tiny bit. Snugged the nuts and hoping that's it as I sure don't want to be pulling the axle. It's not weeping at the adjuster threads or axle seal, just the foam gasket... but I've been here before and it never ends well.

An airplane forum acquaintance sent me these service stickers that he had made up for his Chrysler friends. He use to work the pits at NASCAR in his younger days.. like back in the Daytona era!

 

[dadsbee]

Post office finally delivered my replacement driver and center seat lap belts from PG Classics. Mailed from Ottawa on the 12th! They went through all their stock and found that all of their sewn together driver / center belts where like mine with the center belt shorter, so they sent me two of the 40" belts so they will reach my seat retainer. Considering the belts attach inside a rubber boot, nobody but you readers will know the difference. KUDO's to PG for doing this for me three years after buying the belts and at NO CHARGE and no request for return of the originals either.

Found my paperwork from '88 when Mom transferred the car to me and I had it safetied. I had bought the car from Dad in '80 for $3600 + 10% over 3 years and of course left it in his name for insurance purposes. Dad had transferred the car to Mom just before he died in '86. Also have my 1969 traffic law booklet, Coronet owners manual and an original sales brochure.

 

[dadsbee]

Shake down drive #2.. another 50 or so miles on the clock.
.................................................................................

Finally another sunny day for shake down drive #2.

I got the grass all cut and left the gardener behind so she can get the place ready for the executor to sell.. lol. (some old nag on a bike went by last week while the wife was tending to some plants down at the gate and asked her if she was the gardener that was getting the place ready to sell, since the old people that lived here had died! )

Left with about 3/8ths of a tank of 100LL and hit the local Shell for their best to get a good mix. Stopped filling on the first click off, so tank not totally full. Think I got the repro sender set up pretty good.. and that's a rarity it seems, but looks like it was well worth the extra time to make sure the ohm readings on sweep were close and the arm was swinging correctly in the tank.

About 30 miles into the cruise and everything sitting where it should. Temp right on the 180 thermostat and I was running it pretty hard power shifting and maintaning 2500 to 4500 RPM's. Bennett and Hanson engine rebuild from 1978!

Shot for whom ever was running the pool that I had built a trailer queen!

No rocker cover leaks anymore, but still have an issue and glad I drilled that little hole in the scatter shield. Hoping it's the front trans seal and not the engine rear seal. One's a 2 hour and $10 job.. the other %@#(*

Nothing coming out the block plate side, so really hoping just a trans input seal.

Reminding myself of the old days.. hoist is a bit tied up.

Another worry off the list.. full tank, zero leaks!

 

[dadsbee]

Leaving the Shell station.. remember I'm running highway gears! 2.94's in the back!

 

[dadsbee]

Clunk and rattle check...