Decided it was time to beat on the GTX some (What old guys do for a thrill Part Deux)

[moparedtn]

I apologize to all whose eyes are exposed to that pic, BTW.
I don't do selfies - for obvious reasons.

 

[Car Nut]

Nice looking GTX!

 

[moparedtn]

Man I need to put a third peddle in the Coronet someday. Congrats on getting on that GTX.

Much appreciated.
I'm one of "those" types - the more the circumstances of life tried to stop me, the more I cranked it up.
She won't win any shows or outrun a lot of cars, but she's a car again, fully functional - and to be perfectly morbid, perfectly capable of my wife selling it "turn key" should the grim reaper come a knocking again.
That was the primary goal.
Anything beyond that now is pure gravy.

 

[moparedtn]

Nice looking GTX!

Thanks!
A pretty 20 footer for realz.

 

[moparedtn]

As promised, my radio installation adventure thread is up:
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...uestions-about-woodgrain-dash-inserts.138648/

 

[Hemisedan]

Man I need to put a third peddle in the Coronet someday. Congrats on getting on that GTX.

Im soon going back to my Mopar roots and am looking at 68-69 Roadrunners, and with a 4-speed. My wife is NOT very supportive of the manual, but I like the looks of the interior with the manual. Back in the day, I had a 67 GTX with torque flight, on the column. It was sneaky fast, and I even put HiPo 273 emblems on the faux hood scoops. Hey, I liked the idea of not looking like what it was. Most thought it was a hemi, but that's another story.

Anyway, your GTX sounds good and from the one picture here, looks great too. I'm just hoping that I can get to a similar point in about 16 months. Yes, It will be a daily driver. I drove them everyday back in the 60's, so why not now. The trick is to just keep them clean, under the car.

 

[O'l geezer]

OLD GUYS RULE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,YEA

 

[doc332]

You sure have and I appreciate it, my friend.
You've got yours running a lot better than mine for sure. Great job!
I'd like to get this one stiffened up some one day - seems all that panel and floor replacing has cost her some rigidity, but that might just be my imagination.
I know when I had it on the alignment rack, we pulled diagonals on the chassis just for my own curiosity and the car is surprisingly "square", so that's good I guess.
I need to do something with the shocks one day since I have no idea what the former owner put on her - they're blue and unlabeled, so mystery shocks as well.

You sure have and I appreciate it, my friend.
You've got yours running a lot better than mine for sure. Great job!
I'd like to get this one stiffened up some one day - seems all that panel and floor replacing has cost her some rigidity, but that might just be my imagination.
I know when I had it on the alignment rack, we pulled diagonals on the chassis just for my own curiosity and the car is surprisingly "square", so that's good I guess.
I need to do something with the shocks one day since I have no idea what the former owner put on her - they're blue and unlabeled, so mystery shocks as well.

As for the timing, I know there's a lot left in mine to be had. I've just got the Mopar electronic distributor in it now and haven't fooled with it, haven't even hooked up the vacuum advance. Initial is about 13BTDC and it totals out around 35-36BTDC purely on mechanical advance around 2300RPM now, so I guess for an old street car, that's fine. No detonation at all that I can tell.
The carb that came with it, an Edelbrock "reman" 750cfm 1407, does ok now that I put the jets and rods back in it that it came with out of the box, but I'm sure there's more in that end of things to be had as well.
I'm just content at the moment that it runs ok and pulls fine for what it is. She never falls on her face or hiccups or any of the nonsense the other motors did.
Drinks like an old wino, though.
All my best to you and yours. Stay safe!
Ed

Don't take my word for it. Look it up in the yellow bible. For a 4-spd Mopar, pull the larger of the two advance springs out, and replace with one from a slant six. Leave the smaller of the two original springs in place. Your advance curve will come in quicker, and be all in at about 1900 rpms. AMAZING is a good word for the increase in throttle response down low.
As for the vacuum advance (look it up in the yellow bible or google vacuum advance theory of operation), leave it hooked up except when setting timing. It will increase power and fuel mileage at part throttle operation, and has virtually no vacuum advance at WOT as there is no vacuum. As vacuum starts to return at the big end of the strip, timing will advance a little and that make things better as well. Ask a model T driver what he does with his manually adjustable timing when up to cruising speed.

 

[moparedtn]

Im soon going back to my Mopar roots and am looking at 68-69 Roadrunners, and with a 4-speed. My wife is NOT very supportive of the manual, but I like the looks of the interior with the manual. Back in the day, I had a 67 GTX with torque flight, on the column. It was sneaky fast, and I even put HiPo 273 emblems on the faux hood scoops. Hey, I liked the idea of not looking like what it was. Most thought it was a hemi, but that's another story.

Anyway, your GTX sounds good and from the one picture here, looks great too. I'm just hoping that I can get to a similar point in about 16 months. Yes, It will be a daily driver. I drove them everyday back in the 60's, so why not now. The trick is to just keep them clean, under the car.

Hey thanks, I appreciate it.
Yep, as long as I can work my left leg, I'm gonna have a 4 speed. Mandatory.

There's a ton of pics of this thing as I've gone through different things with her (including a couple engines) in my photo garage thingy on this site, too.
Good luck with yours!

 

[moparedtn]

Don't take my word for it. Look it up in the yellow bible. For a 4-spd Mopar, pull the larger of the two advance springs out, and replace with one from a slant six. Leave the smaller of the two original springs in place. Your advance curve will come in quicker, and be all in at about 1900 rpms. AMAZING is a good word for the increase in throttle response down low.
As for the vacuum advance (look it up in the yellow bible or google vacuum advance theory of operation), leave it hooked up except when setting timing. It will increase power and fuel mileage at part throttle operation, and has virtually no vacuum advance at WOT as there is no vacuum. As vacuum starts to return at the big end of the strip, timing will advance a little and that make things better as well. Ask a model T driver what he does with his manually adjustable timing when up to cruising speed.

Ok, as soon as I figure out what the "yellow bible" is.
Does the Mopar electronic distributor have the same sort of spring set up?
I know one thing about the vacuum advance - the car doesn't like it much, acts all twitchy and surges/bucks some when it's hooked up.
I know that's adjustable, just not real sure how to do it short of adjust/drive/adjust/drive ad nauseum.

 

[Cornpatch MO]

Im soon going back to my Mopar roots and am looking at 68-69 Roadrunners, and with a 4-speed. My wife is NOT very supportive of the manual, but I like the looks of the interior with the manual. Back in the day, I had a 67 GTX with torque flight, on the column. It was sneaky fast, and I even put HiPo 273 emblems on the faux hood scoops. Hey, I liked the idea of not looking like what it was. Most thought it was a hemi, but that's another story.

Anyway, your GTX sounds good and from the one picture here, looks great too. I'm just hoping that I can get to a similar point in about 16 months. Yes, It will be a daily driver. I drove them everyday back in the 60's, so why not now. The trick is to just keep them clean, under the car.

I have a car you may like. A 4 speed and a blast to drive. A one of a kind 64 Dodge. And I live in Iowa. For various reasons, I am considering selling it.............................MO

 

[drobertson]

When I decided over 7 years ago it was time to do one last project, though, there was never a question - it had to have a 4-speed. Period.
I don't care if the automatic is actually quicker. These cars just feel right with the stick, at least to me.

A stick shift is also a great theft deterrent, most americans can't drive a stick at all.

 

[doc332]

Direct Connection (I'm sort of revealing my age now) used to offer a bound book containing all the Chrysler performance bulletins up to that point, well past the muscle car era, like late 70's. The stuff I'm referring to included all the tuning solutions which Hoover and the Ramchargers worked out when they were actively racing, and which were presented to the public at the dealers by the factory racers on Saturdays, in seminar fashion, as required by their sponsorship agreements. This was known by the Mopar faithful as the "Yellow Bible" (it had a yellow cover). I'm fairly certain this is available today on CD, if not currently retail, maybe by ebay, or a member of this forum.
I would suggest that any performance solutions you are attributing to disconnecting your vacuum advance may actually be a band aid solution. One way, the way I did it, was to put an O2 sensor bung in my head pipe, then borrow a wide band exhaust gas analyzer and plug it in. You will be too busy driving your 4-spd car to accurately watch the read out screen, so take along a partner to write down the numbers vs engine rpm and notes such as idle, part throttle acceleration, cruise, and WOT. Edelbrock has a great website which provides a table that tells you what the ideal A/F ratio is for all of the above conditions. They also sell a real neat tuning kit of metering rods and springs, and a different one for jets. Plan B would be to hire a shop with a chassis dyno, and (most important) a tuner with a GREAT local reputation for getting things right. Cost (here in Dekalb County, IN) is around $250.00.

 

[moparedtn]

Direct Connection (I'm sort of revealing my age now) used to offer a bound book containing all the Chrysler performance bulletins up to that point, well past the muscle car era, like late 70's. The stuff I'm referring to included all the tuning solutions which Hoover and the Ramchargers worked out when they were actively racing, and which were presented to the public at the dealers by the factory racers on Saturdays, in seminar fashion, as required by their sponsorship agreements. This was known by the Mopar faithful as the "Yellow Bible" (it had a yellow cover). I'm fairly certain this is available today on CD, if not currently retail, maybe by ebay, or a member of this forum.
I would suggest that any performance solutions you are attributing to disconnecting your vacuum advance may actually be a band aid solution. One way, the way I did it, was to put an O2 sensor bung in my head pipe, then borrow a wide band exhaust gas analyzer and plug it in. You will be too busy driving your 4-spd car to accurately watch the read out screen, so take along a partner to write down the numbers vs engine rpm and notes such as idle, part throttle acceleration, cruise, and WOT. Edelbrock has a great website which provides a table that tells you what the ideal A/F ratio is for all of the above conditions. They also sell a real neat tuning kit of metering rods and springs, and a different one for jets. Plan B would be to hire a shop with a chassis dyno, and (most important) a tuner with a GREAT local reputation for getting things right. Cost (here in Dekalb County, IN) is around $250.00.

Yep, I got the kit. Just been reading plugs as usual, not so scientific I know.
Right now, the Eddy 1407 is just as they came out of the box - I had to fetch rods, springs and jets to get it there since the thing came tee-totally screwed up with the engine (the result of a "reman", no doubt, since it's stamped as such).
I know I have the initial and mechanical advance timing in the ballpark, but that vacuum advance is gonna take some work.
I have around 12Hg vacuum at idle, so there should be enough for it to work properly.
Guess I gotta do the O2 thing.
Sigh. More money I ain't got.
Thanks!

 

[doc332]

Yep, I got the kit. Just been reading plugs as usual, not so scientific I know.
Right now, the Eddy 1407 is just as they came out of the box - I had to fetch rods, springs and jets to get it there since the thing came tee-totally screwed up with the engine (the result of a "reman", no doubt, since it's stamped as such).
I know I have the initial and mechanical advance timing in the ballpark, but that vacuum advance is gonna take some work.
I have around 12Hg vacuum at idle, so there should be enough for it to work properly.
Guess I gotta do the O2 thing.
Sigh. More money I ain't got.
Thanks!

I think the numbers you gave for initial and total advance are right on. They're the same as my 426 wedge with single 800 Edelbrock Thunder Series spread bore carb, and it runs exceptionally well. 12.80 at 105.8 MPH at Muncie Dragway on test and tune night, with 10" street tires. The curve of the advance is controlled by the weights. I think you mentioned running Mopar electronic ignition. Well, I do too. Changing the advance springs will bring your timing in quicker. As I said, mine is all in at 1900 rpm, and was 2600 rpm prior to the spring change. I believe you said yours is all in at 2600rpm as well, so you must me running the same stuff as I am.

As far as I know, the vacuum advance is not adjustable on a Mopar electronic distributor, except they do offer a different length linkage which does affect the vacuum advance. I have never tried to change that, but it doesn't look like I will need to. I should say, my motor makes 12 1/2 vacuum, and that little bit of difference can make a world of difference on vacuum operated stuff, most notably power brakes, and I'm sure vacuum advance as well. It may well be you are not making enough vacuum to operate the vacuum advance effectively. You might want to talk to the tech guy at Mancini's, as he has never talked down to me, and seems to be on top of his game. If he can't answer this question, he will probably know some one who can help.

The O2 sensor bung is only a few dollars at NAPA. I would hope you have a friend who welds. This may well be done on the car. With any luck you can beg, borrow or steal the wide band A/F ratio meter. Good luck.

 

[Dennis H]

OLD GUYS RULE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!,YEA

I think that's Drool....not Rule.

 

[beanhead]

Well I've been following a lot of your trials & tribulations as well, and it's great to hear you're finally getting to romp on it proper! Good work!