Swedish 1969 Roadrunner

[Dreadl0ck]

I imported the car this summer from Florida. It was a really long wait to get it to Sweden but now it's finally in my garage and I'll start going through things. This is what she looked at sitting at the previous owner:

With the car in the garage and after some test runs I've found out the things I want to change. Some more urgant than others. Here's a list of things that will be done to the car. Concider this as my project thread

[ ] Not ready
[/] Purchased but not installed
[X] Done


[X] Register the car in Sweden making the modifications needed
[ ] Pull and inspect engine internals
[ ] Pull and inspect rear end - it's always 100% locked
[/] Relay system for headlights so it's not dimming and flickering
[X] Swedish approved PCV system
[/] Oil catch tank
[ ] EFI
[ ] Blower
[ ] Respray of damaged areas
[ ] Rear and front glass with new chrome
[ ] Electrical system

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First up is a question to you guys, can anyone please help me identify the components on the firewall marked with 1 through 4

 

[HawkRod]

Nice car Dreadl0ck! Looks like it is in really nice shape.

Items in your picture:
1) Factory Ballast resistor. Stock wiring uses this in-line to your coil to reduce voltage. You have an aftermarket distributor and electronics, so this is no longer needed.

2) Factory Voltage regulator. This helps the alternator adjust its voltage to the proper setting. If it is not connected, my guess would be that you have a 1 wire alternator that does not need this.

3) Some non-stock part. I don't know what it is and can't read the text on the part to identify it.

4) Factory starter relay. You will find a small wire that goes from this to the starter, but battery power also gets attached to the large lug on this unit.

Hope this helps!

Hawk

 

[Speedbird]

"Swedish approved PVC system". That is strange to hear. It is something we don't have to worry about.
I always am impressed by people in Europe that want to work on these cars.
It is hard enough to do here in America all things considered.

 

[Hemi Rebel]

#3 looks like its for powering stereo equiptment

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Sweden approved pcv? I see 2 breathers. No valve

 

[69 GTX]

Nice car.

 

[GearAddict]

Welcome to the site... Great looking car.

Looks like the wiring was completely redone with aftermarket wiring, due to the lack of bulkhead connectors on the firewall.

 

[Dreadl0ck]

2) Factory Voltage regulator. This helps the alternator adjust its voltage to the proper setting. If it is not connected, my guess would be that you have a 1 wire alternator that does not need this.

This one is connected with one wire on each side. Are there any other way to achieve the voltage regulation? If not - this has to be replaced which I figure is cheaper than trying to make it look good

3) Some non-stock part. I don't know what it is and can't read the text on the part to identify it.

It's a 30A blade fuse and the fuse box reads "PAINLESS" - don't know if it's to the stereo or not - haven't followed the wires yet. Could be for the head unit though since that's an aftermarket one as well. Amps in truck has 100A fuse which I found in line with the thicker power cable wrapped inside the red tubing.

4) Factory starter relay. You will find a small wire that goes from this to the starter, but battery power also gets attached to the large lug on this unit.

I think one cable goes to the fuel pump ballast resistor (or so it seems) one to the starter solenoid (as you said) one to ground and one to the ignition terminal. But what I can't find is why there's two separate big wires that goes on the larger connector. Here's an image of it:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/afh2y6oz1kvof1p/Skärmklipp 2014-12-05 17.16.31.png?dl=0

Question: Are there aftermarket ones that are better or should I go with a OEM style Mopar starter relay? This one is corroded and looks damn ugly.

I see 2 breathers. No valve

Picture is taken pre-install of pcv. It's not a 100% legal PCV since I haven't hooked up drivers side valve to the air box and I have no intentions of doing so either. I just put a billet plug in the cover 1 minute before inspection and then remove it directly afterwards.

So, the wiring is a bit of a mess (Previous owner CP: Don't take it the wrong way if you read this, I'm extremely happy with the car and you're an amazing standup guy. We need beer this summer in Florida..) two 15 gauge cables going into the inside of the car. One is connected to the battery (probably powering the aftermarket gauges) but the other one is where it gets weird. It splits into two - one with 30A and the other one with 20A fuses on them and then to positive lead of respectively vacuum pump and radiator fan. Seems a bit weird to use 15 gauge cable and then a 30A fuse.

Anyway - since I'm doing a relay harness for the headlights I figured I'd just install a modern style distribution block in the car which has 4 mini-ANL fuses in it. Bought this:



It will hopefully arrive early next week along with the sealed beam conversions I bought. I'm on a budget so I didn't go for the hella ones (300 bucks shipped + taxes) so I went with another brand. I'll keep you posted of the quality later on. Idea is to fit it on the front of the beam that holds the radiator, on drivers side.

 

[440SportSatellite]

This one is connected with one wire on each side. Are there any other way to achieve the voltage regulation? If not - this has to be replaced which I figure is cheaper than trying to make it look good

The only way to get rid of the voltage regulator is to get an internally regulated alternator. If that's still the old style mechanical regulator, which is looks like from the pic, replacing it with a new solid state regulator might take care of your flickering light problem without relays on the headlights. It took care of that problem on my '69 anyway.
That's a beautiful car you've got. I really like the color!

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Alright, I might look into that but alternator is brand new and is pumping out healthy voltage so I think I'll just keep it the way it is and set it up with relays for the headlights.

Next question: Car don't start when in Park - I need to put it in neutral. Are there any kind of connection between the starter and the transmission that needs to be checked.

About the color, at first I didn't like it - but the more you look at it the more you enjoy it. It actually turns a bit more red when it's outdoors. Like this picture:

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"Swedish approved PVC system". That is strange to hear. It is something we don't have to worry about.
I always am impressed by people in Europe that want to work on these cars.
It is hard enough to do here in America all things considered.

Yea, I know. You can have kooks headers, flow master 40s without resonators - but they'll fail you if you don't have a closed crank case ventilation. I like to have it anyway - it smells better inside the car ;)

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Managed to register the car with the engine sitting in it. Car is originally a 383 car but today have a 440 with a pretty aggressive cam so it pops quite a bit with rough idle but pulls strong. The inspection guy came back and looked at me and said "you know 440s are what? 370 horsepower? This is more. A lot more."

Registration papers says it's a 370 hp 440 ;)

 

[440SportSatellite]

You can get a new solid state voltage regulator relatively cheap. I don't have any idea how much it would cost to ship to Sweden though. I think I paid $25 for the one I got a few months ago from autozone, part #VR706. Good to have an extra on hand anyway, just in case the old one goes out. I had considered switching to a newer denso internally regulated alternator, but I like being able to just swap out the VR if it goes bad, instead of replacing the whole alternator.

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Thanks for the tip on the regulator. I've looked at this one

http://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/smp-ttrvr101t

but the one you posted sure looked shiny ;) Does it matter which one you buy? new ones are switched, and I guess have a new look from 1970 and forward.

 

[paladin06]

Very nice car.

 

[mopar 394]

I think I used to own that car. I sold it to a guy in Florida 6 years ago. This is what it looked like when I had it.

 

[HawkRod]

As far as your starter relay: One wire should be from the battery, and I bet the other is from your alternator...

 

[Ron 73]

Man, that is one great looking RR!!! I can imagine the neighbors are a bit envious, i sure would be one of them....

 

[Dreadl0ck]

As far as your starter relay: One wire should be from the battery, and I bet the other is from your alternator...

That could be it - all pictures I've looked at only had the battery cable connected to the relay. The other cable goes under the engine but is probably spliced somewhere if it's the one that goes to the alternator - or at least has a sleeving on the alternator side because it's not the same color of cable

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I think I used to own that car. I sold it to a guy in Florida 6 years ago. This is what it looked like when I had it.

Awesome! Do you know anything about the rest of it's history? When did you buy it? What mods were made to it when you bought it and when you sold it? Any more pictures. Buyers last name is P****S VIN ends with 408?

 

[HawkRod]

That could be it - all pictures I've looked at only had the battery cable connected to the relay. The other cable goes under the engine but is probably spliced somewhere if it's the one that goes to the alternator - or at least has a sleeving on the alternator side because it's not the same color of cable

On stock cars, the wire from the alternator goes through the bulkhead connector and feeds the wiring under the dash (as a black wire) and it also hooks up to the one sire of the alternator gauge in your dash. The red wire from the alternator gauge goes directly to the relay through the bulkhead connector.

With upgraded electrical systems, it is common to connect the alternator to the same lug on the starter relay. so this would be my first guess...

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Makes perfect sense. I think that's the way it is.

Today I discovered that my car is incontinent - took it for a test drive just enough to see if the new thermostat opened as it was supposed to - came back to the garage, turned it off and found it 10 minutes later with a puddle of coolant under it. I know it's not stock but I'm buying an expansion tank for it.

 

[Dreadl0ck]

Next question is there anything you can tighten up if your steering wheel is loose before actually pulling the steering box and refurbish that? I see the column with coupler moving just where it goes into the box. Any adjustments you can do? Grease to fill?

 

[Ron 73]

IF im remembering right there is an adjustment to help it some if it isint to loose, Im afraid im just to chicken to say what i think it was its been so long but im sure Hawk or someone with more info can tell you..