My 1978 Dodge Monaco 4 door sedan.

[Gary P]

Gary - a suggestion to look at the new Edelbrock AVS2 carb.
It would be the closest replacement for the Thermoquad.
Lots of good reviews online about the AVS2 carb.

Thanks for the heads up Beeper, that carb looks real good. It was a close call between that, the Demon and a rebuilt Uremco. With all the info and advice and reviews to hand, I decided to opt for the Demon, mostly because of the simplicity of it, according to most sources. Time will tell and I’ll definitely write a detailed review when it all comes in.

Trigger pulled….

I was impressed with Summit Racing, they did some work for me with part numbers so I have the right stuff for my application. Fyi not a peep from the other suppliers I emailed so with that I endorse summit. Cheers!

 

[Gary P]

I ran out to Harbor Freight and grabbed their cheapest multimeter, $6.99 thank you please!

I checked the wire I’ve decided on for the switched 12v electric choke….

Lovely!

 

[Kern Dog]

Having a NEW carburetor should work out well for you.
I love to repurpose old stuff for many reasons. First, I like to save money where I can. Second, I don't like to throw stuff out that still has life left to it.
The moan of the ThermoQuad is music to me. When they are set up right, they are fantastic.
I'm feeling like an uncle to you, Gary. I'm not much older but I want to see you do well. All of us veteran car guys have experience that can help the new enthusiasts and I'm always willing to help.
I do enjoy seeing your progress reports and I'll be happy to see you get this all sorted out.

 

[Gary P]

Thanks KernDog I love that!!!!

I can't wait to post a full road test and review!

 

[Gary P]

Happy Weekend guys!

Update: This exciting looking box arrived this evening. Excellent shipping time from Summit Racing...

...and inside...

...the Lokar throttle cable...

and the Lokar kickdown cable for the 727...

The "kickdown/throttle cable bracket" was shipped out of Texas which will be another couple of days. All this came out of Sparks NV and was very quick for free shipping!
I'm impressed with the packaging of this Lokar gear. More impressed by the feel of it. The braid is tight and beautiful, all the fittings are machined in a gorgeous way. Very impressed with Lokar. It's still a bit spendy if I'm completely honest, but now that I see and feel the quality of the product, I think it'll be money well spent, no doubt.

Here's the King Dingaling...

That's a sweet looking unit. I was slightly excited as you can see...

The Demon came with a bunch of rebuild spares, bolts, different size fuel inlets, air cleaner threaded rod, wire and a spade connector for the 'lectric choke, and a lot of little extra bits. And two massive stickers!

I've learned only a little bit, while I've been pissing around with the carbs in the last few months. Carburetors and their workings give me anxiety like a wiring diagram does, so obviously I am no expert, but what I will say, is the simplicity of the Demon only filled me with excitement, not dread, upon opening the box. I'm fully heading into the morning with enthusiasm as I install all this stuff. I aim to have the car running, and although I can't drive it (kickdown/throttle bracket not here yet) having it idling will be a great goal for me to achieve.

Wish me luck! Cheers fella's!

 

[Kern Dog]

You'll at least be able to start it up and putt around the neighborhood at low speeds if you want. The stories about burning up the trans in short order are related to times under heavier load than light throttle, low speed movement. People will disagree but I've driven cars when the linkage fell off and nothing bad happened. Once I noticed weird upshifts 26 miles from home. The next day I saw that the cable had come loose from the carburetor. I don't drive my cars easy....that 727 lived just fine and is now in Jigsaw!

 

[Gary P]

That ^^^^^^ is awesome!

 

[Gary P]

Holley were not b/sing when they said 30mins from the box to a running car.

This took 25 mins…

 

[64fury74charger]

There are lots of ways to learn about these cars and hands on is an excellent teaching tool. The Lokar cables are definitely worth the price and also widely adjustable. Lots of imitation kits out there that are not well made. Thank you for your patience and posting pictures. You’re going to be driving around smiling soon.

 

[moparedtn]

Woohoo @Gary P!!

 

[JR_Charger]

You'll at least be able to start it up and putt around the neighborhood at low speeds if you want. The stories about burning up the trans in short order are related to times under heavier load than light throttle, low speed movement.

I drove my 318/904 for a couple years, with long road trips at highway speeds, before I found out that the kickdown lever could be set up wrong. Yes, the transmission eventually burned out but definitely not overnight. And it had 100k on it before I started messing with things.

 

[Gary P]

There are lots of ways to learn about these cars and hands on is an excellent teaching tool. The Lokar cables are definitely worth the price and also widely adjustable. Lots of imitation kits out there that are not well made. Thank you for your patience and posting pictures. You’re going to be driving around smiling soon.

Thank you brother - I sure felt like my patience had worn thin! I've had some experience with the Lokar stuff today (I'll post below) and it's without a doubt high quality stuff. I can't wait for the smiles-per-mile count

Woohoo View attachment 1382178 @Gary P!!

Thanks @moparedtn I feel happy!

 

[Kern Dog]

I'll bet you're as excited as this guy.....

 

[Gary P]

My buddy Faggy Matt came by today, (you should hear it when my iphone announces that it's him calling - hilarious) as he was as excited as me to see this car finally running. We hung out for a few hours and eventually he left, so I plotted up in the garage with my heater on, and got on with some things and stuff...

First I rewired the electric choke, and cleaned up the wires with zip ties, checked all the bolts and screws were cinched down, and figured out what I'm going to do to replace my temporary fuel in.

Then it was time to install the Lokar throttle cable. The factory cable came out, with it a stupid shaped grommet that, of course, exploded into a hundred bits because, you know, Chrysler, old, etc. And left me with this shaped hole to figure out...

Some washers and some silicone to seal off the firewall is what I decided on. But I'm not going to seal it up until my throttle/kickdown bracket arrives. Below, you see the nice machined "pedal end" (with the red paint), the firewall to be clamped between the large washers. If that makes sense.

It's extra long, this cable. It's fully adjustable, but I won't guess, I'll wait so I can get the bracket on, then trim the sheath and the end of the cable. That'll be Wednesday when the bracket arrives.

Buuuuuut, because I am a moron, I managed to wedge my 6'3" 240lbs frame into the footwell somehow, and find out that this end with the nice billet end piece...

...will not work with the hole in my accelerator pedal, as you can see.

But this ball-end will...

So with a max score of 100,000 for swear word combo's, I extraced the cable, took off the end piece, and slid the cable back in. More complcated that it sounds but the parts are excellent and it only takes a sec to figure it out.

A grommet goes back in the other hole to stop the cable slipping out, and its done. That seemed to take an awfully long time considering the actual task - but I did take my time, and enjoyed knowing I had some success today. Didn't rush, and took deep breaths. Has been ages since I've enjoyed success on the car so I really did relish it.

 

[Gary P]

View attachment 1382271

I'll bet you're as excited as this guy.....

View attachment 1382273

That's almost exactly what I did hahahahaha!

Also, I've had a Skor and they are delicious!!

 

[Gary P]

While the car was idling, very smoothly I might add, I noticed this venting from the top of the dipstick tube...



I know what blow-by is, but I always assumed it was oil leaking past the rings and out the exhaust - is this also blow by? I've never noticed this before, I am fairly observant, but by the looks of the oil build up around the dipstick tube, its not a new thing. What say you guys?

 

[Kern Dog]

That looks like steam to me. Condensation from cold parts combined with heat from combustion. See if it remains after the engine is warmed up.

 

[Gary P]

That looks like steam to me. Condensation from cold parts combined with heat from combustion. See if it remains after the engine is warmed up.

That makes sense - thanks mate!

I had to go outside and fiddle about a bit more - but it is currently 30F, not quite as cold in the garage but still a bit nippy. I wasn't out there for long, but I did test fit the base of the air cleaner @HawkRod sent me, and checked for clearance - excellent!!!

Also another question for you guys - what would you do with this little vent in the top of the valve cover in the pic below? It is sending out visible vapor. I know it used to go straight back into the stock air cleaner housing via a 90 degree hose barb but my new base doesn't have a fitting for it? Answers on a postcard...

I'm really looking forward to the morning where I'll install that kickdown cable - have to get under the car which will be nice on cold concrete :-D

 

[Kern Dog]

You can buy a nipple of the same size to run to the underside of the air cleaner and run a hose back to the valve cover.

 

[Chargerjase]

Well done Gary. I've been watching your progress and your frustrations. The best part is you have had huge help from some great members on here and you have persevered. It fantastic to see you get a positive result. I cant wait for the first drive video with everything functioning as it should. Congrats.