Restomod charger pics

[Budnicks]

Impressive work on that exhaust system....

 

[Mr.SpeedFreak]

That exhaust is just badass! Really looking forward to seeing it on the car and hearing how it sounds

 

[747mopar]

Hurray, four days off work, what do to? My wife already planned it for me, she wants her Cruze done. So my plan is to kick *** on the Cruze "easy fix" and spend allot of time on the Charger little does she no the hard work is done on the Cruze and it's now time for test fitting. For the Charger the plan is to finish the mostly done exhaust, fix the exhaust leak, figure out what's up with the tranny, adjust power steering box, finish prepping for paint and hopefully start the scoop. As usual I doubt I'll get half of it done, things always pop up.

 

[BigBlock61]

Can't wait to see it complete. Carry on.

 

[747mopar]

Will someone please tell me why I enjoy restoring old cars. My 4 days off are not going well, first I pulled the header yesterday and yeap "it was blown" then it being the 4th nobody that was open had one. I did a little more work on the Cruze and welded a divider in my exhaust tips hoping that would fix the funky sound. Today I was supposed to start painting parts for the Cruze but once I got to the garage it was soaked "the humidity here is horrible" (for all of you that couldn't wait for summer "you can have it") there was actually small puddles under the Cruze from the moisture. It's been raining for probably a month now "enough already" oh well, at least my garden is doing well. So I went ahead and replaced the header gaskets (what a pain in the ***, lay on the motor with the break booster in your head and the carb in your nuts just to get one bolt in) I managed to get it done after a bunch of choice words. Fortunetly the Charger is kept in the paint booth with a dehumidifier on at all times so it was alright. I had a little surface rust to clean up and prime on the Charger before pulling it out that turned out to be a little worse then expected resulting in stripping the rockers back to the metal which really pissed me off (I've had this thing ready for paint forever but haven't been able to get the paint to finish it or should I say "allowed"). All bent out of shape about the condition of my car I lost my motivation and called on the help of good ol Captain Morgan and with bow season around the corner I figured I'd do some target practicing in the garage (the garage is 20yds). I eventually cheered up "I think that's what they call it when you've had enough to drink" and got productive again. I got a little more done on the Cruze, got the rockers all cleaned up and spayed with a couple coats of primer, made some brackets for the ignition coil and wiring, got the exhaust all reinstalled, and fired it back up. I have definetly got to get a video, the divider in the tips fixed it "it sounds bad as hell" man does it sound wicked. So, what started out as a bad night didn't turn out so bad except it sounds like I still have a lifter ticking "dammit" another day.[AT TACH=CONFIG]125553[/ATTACH] As I've said before, the final tips aren't on yet to bring them out flush.

 

[BigBlock61]

Nice grouping but you missed the bottle completely. :laughing7: Sometimes it's best to just step away but I am glad you were able to get the header fixed. Those muffler tips came out great. And always remember "He who walks fourth with a fifth on the fourth way not walk fourth on the fifth". :icon_eek:

 

[roadrunnerman]

I hear what you're saying. It seems that this year the weather is against us (most of us anyways), time is against us, and then when we think we're almost done something pops up that makes us go 2 steps backwards. How many lbs compound is that?

 

[747mopar]

It's a 70 lb Bear, sure has been a tough reliable bow. I'm not sure how many more set backs I can handle before I blow "tranny problems now". I rebuilt the whole thing (I no what your thinking musta screwed up") that's my guess too. It does nothing but park, tested pump pressure "0" so tonight will be another step back and hopefully another back up. I know the pump is good (checked it all out) and made sure the torque converter engaged and pumped oil when turned so I'm thinking the pressure relief, oil level (incorrect dipstick), massive internal leak or just screwed up when hooking up the internal linkage, we'll see tonight. I've rebuilt a handful of them and never had this trouble so it will just be another learning lesson even if it's a painful one. Wish me luck because this is all that is keeping it from be able to move under it's own power, I guess the rearend could blow up too.

 

[roadrunnerman]

Carefull what you wish for. I hope everything comes out fine with tranny and you can start cruising and put all the troubles behind you.

 

[747mopar]

Carefull what you wish for. I hope everything comes out fine with tranny and you can start cruising and put all the troubles behind you.

That wasn't a wish, it was mental preparation because I'll probably need it. Thanks

 

[BigBlock61]

Just step back, collect your thoughts and then dig in. You'll figure it out.

 

[747mopar]

Alright, not a bad night but not great either. Pulled the pan on the tranny, everything checked out. While I was in there I bumped the pressure up to the B&M street strip setting (1 3/16), now it turns the tires while jacked up but nothing while on the ground. I then plumbed a hose to the line pressure port "90 psi" the factory setting is 54-60 psi so now what. The good news is it's pumping oil meaning the pump shouldn't be damaged. I'm suspecting a valve body problem or an internal leak, feel free to voice any advice. One thing is for sure "I'm going to learn a little something". More work on the wife's Cruze "man was that thing bent up" pushed the upper front driver side support rail back up, pushed the driver side bumper mount out an 1", beat the tie bar back into shape with a big chunk of wood, pulled the driver side radiator mount upper corner out, drilled out spot welds and pealed metal back to beat kinks out of the upper support and then shifted the radiator support towards the driver side "everything fits now". Not a bad night.

 

[BigBlock61]

I'm going to go with internal leak. line pressure spec is 54 to 60psi and you're at 90psi. So you probably blew a seal on a drum. I'd still check out the valve body first. It's easier than pulling the trans back apart. I hate transmissions, as far as I'm concerned they work by magic. Good luck with it.

 

[747mopar]

I'm going to go with internal leak. line pressure spec is 54 to 60psi and you're at 90psi. So you probably blew a seal on a drum. I'd still check out the valve body first. It's easier than pulling the trans back apart. I hate transmissions, as far as I'm concerned they work by magic. Good luck with it.

Headed over in a few, going to pull the valve body and do an air test on the tranny, I'll know whether it's in the tranny after that. I don't think 90 psi would blow anything, it's what B&M called for besides those tranny seals are a pretty tight fit but we'll see. I actually enjoy working on them, don't know why.

 

[747mopar]

Got a bunch done today, pulled the valve body and tested the circuits with air. It's pretty simple, my manual tells which port does what just use a rubber tipped nozzle to put air to the different ports for testing. You have to listen for a thud for the clutch pistons and then watch for oil indicating a leak. For the bands, there right there where you can see them working "pretty simple". I thought I found the problem when I pressurized the low band and it leaked between the piston and rod. Removing it meant pulling the tail shaft but I found a way around that, I didn't want to stir up any shavings so I chiseled the tab off so the pin could be pulled out without tearing it all apart (I'll make a tab that uses the tail shaft bolt to secure it). Once removed it turned out that there is no seal or O ring on the shaft just metal to metal so I pulled one out of another to compare clearances "good to go". Next was the valve body, wanting to eliminate the possibility that thisvalve body had been previously modified I robbed one out of a known "good" tranny, cleaned it (3 cans of carb cleaner) and proceeded to transfer all of the shift kit parts to it (didn't see anything wrong). Put everything back together readjusted the low band and went on lunch break. Ended up going to my best buddies place that I haven't seen in a while to help with a deck and had a blast, the kids got to ride a BIG DOZER, his 1000 can am side by side and a tractor and I got to play on his KXF 250 "man do I miss riding" I haven't owned one for years but felt like I never quit "loved it". Tomorrow I'll fill it up with tranny oil and see what happens.

- - - Updated - - -

P.S just got a 25,000 BTU air conditioner for the garage "to hell with all the heat and humidity". Tomorrow I'll install it and move the air compressors out of the shop, did I mention that we finished the woodshop and got all the wood tools out.:headbang:

 

[747mopar]

Update, I laid my first posi burnouts "I'm happier than a two peckered billygoat". Not getting to excited until I drive it and have it shift to second and third but for now I have rev and 1st. I wish I could say I'm satisfied but I still don't know what was wrong, was it the valve body, possibly a incorrectly adjusted band, or a leak where the valve body bolts on? I covered all those bases while it was apart so it could have been any of them. Now back to the tick that is still there, if it turns out to be the lifters again I'm going to raise hell and buy some American made ones "hoping it's an exhaust leak". After that I'll finally get to dial in the motor, it sounds great but is a little rich. Advice on timing? What seems to be the best way to establish the best timing (I've always timed them by ear). Also this is my first mechanical advance distributer, so what rpm should it come in?

 

[cdr]

total timing around 37,all in at 2500 that would be a start.

 

[Propwash]

Great to hear you're out shredding tires! Congrat's! My 512 is 22* initial, 35* total at 3200RPM. Mechanical advance only as well....Soft spring for low end, stiffer for high.

 

[747mopar]

Progress has slowed, I burned up a big part of the night putting the A/C in the garage (everytime I started to cut a hole in the garage this weak it pored down rain). Man is it nice having A/C, cool, dry "did I mention cool". We've had months of rain now and it has rained for the last 2 weeks straight only letting up yesterday and today for two beautiful days :hello2: I've got to buckle down on the wife's Cruze "it's being a @#&*$" got the headlights and found more crap to straighten "great". I'm at least going to try and get that video of it running if nothing else. Sunday I'm heading down to the Good Guys Car show for motivation :toothy10: Enjoy

 

[Ron 73]

That AC would be a welcome relief with all this humidity we have around here, been raining for a month i think, now its just hot and sticky! Video sounds like a good thing.. Good luck and enjoy that AC