Talladega or Bust - 1970 Super Bird Cleanup

[71dodgechargerrt]

Wayne I just got my Mopar Action magazine and there is a write up and pictures of the reunion if you didn't know.

 

[dadsbee]

Yep, thanks Tom. I've seen most of them and bought the first magazine that came out with it, Road and Track. One 10 dollar magazine is enough! I have about 1000 pictures myself..

 

[dadsbee]

Obtained a missing assembly for the Bird from @Mopar John today. This time USPS/Canada Post only took 28 days to get something from John to me! '70 only lock out assembly, with just about every piece and clip and John even threw in an assembly drawing so I didn't have to go looking. My steering columns lock out arm has been jammed against the frame, so I can get the key out, since I bought the car in 1990 ! Now I can do everything while I have her in the air. Swap on a mint trans pan that I got from a member last Fall, as well as the correct speedo gear I got a couple months ago from another member so I read the correct MPH and now the missing linkage. I'll make a complete car out of this thing yet! lol

 

[dadsbee]

Gonna throw this in my own thread, as I tire of the "amp meter is gonna burn your car down" threads. The meter isn't doing anything but warning you your're gonna burn your car down and something ELSE has gone wrong.

Went to take my Honey for a Sunday drive and we almost burnt the Bird down. Charging 40 amps just a mile from home, so I turned the lights on high to put the meter back to about 10 and crept her back home at low RPM (I probably should have pulled the regulator connector, but was hoping it would clear itself as it has done a couple of other times so we could carry on with our drive). Some day I'll figure out why I don't just let things go and take agreed value from Hagerty, but I guess I'm too honest for my own good. Was scratching my head trying to figure out how an electronic regulator does the mechanical "stick" thing and then I found a wire (Blue) broken off the regulator connection, so with it gone the other wire (Green) grounded the field, pegging it full and charging around 18 volts at 3500 RPM. 45 minutes later, the only connector of it's kind I had in house and bit of work we were back on our Sunday cruise. Penetang, Midland's Little Lake, Balm Beach and back home.

I burnt a dash up in '78, in our old family '69 Fury II, knowing the mechanical regulator stuck from time to time so we'd just drive it lights on. One day I forgot to turn the lights on and we had a wiring fire that was put out by disconnecting the battery and throwing sand DOWN through the defroster vent that had burnt open. They are no fun, but absolutely no fault of the amp meter. The wiring too and from.. maybe, but not the meter.

Pushed the broken wire through the connector, clipped the end and crimped on the only bullet connector I had in house and pushed it back in. Back to proper regulation and the meter showing about 2 amps charging. Life is good...

All polished up and ready for my date.

Back home, electricity 101

Blue wire end broken off.

Only bullet connector I had, strip it and install it.

New bullet in place, pulled/pushed wire back into place in the rubber socket.

Back on our cruise!

At speed, Wile E looks pissed.. LOL

Back home safe and sound, hood open to cool things down. 36C with humidex today, no rad puke on shut down after 60 or so miles. Upper rad tank 221F, lower hose 162F, front wheels 119F, rear wheels 115F, rear axle tubes 150F and pumpkin @ mid case 165F

 

[64BEL]

Glad you didn't have a roasted Bird, dad!

 

[dadsbee]

I always question it afterwards, never collected on insurance in my life but $175K canuck would be nice right now! LOL

 

[dadsbee]

Not sure exactly where I lost a correct temperature gauge, but I imagine that the run from Atlanta to Alabama didn't help it when the Wife called me on the walky talky to tell me I was smoking about 1/2 way to Bama. We had to pull off the interstate and I snugged up a rocker cover in a furniture store parking lot. Knew I shouldn't shut off the car, but I did, and she puked and I didn't want to touch the rad cap. We limped into Alexander City and if I hit the brakes I could drop the temperature by putting some water into the pump I guess. Once cooled I put well over a gallon of antifreeze/water into the radiator. Fast forward.. I put up a WTB and had 3 or 4 offers, @HEMIGTX70 Tom being the first that were willing to send me an OE sender. Thanks TOM and all the others. Today I replaced it, had the replacement ready AND WITHIN REACH and figured out how to get my finger to the hole before retraction. You'd think with rad cap on no water would come out but Jesus Chrysler... LOL. In and out and good again. A correct 250F Rallye gauge sender should read about 300 to 340 ohms in a 70F shop, my bad one reads 1373! Checking with the infrared temperature gauge and comparing to the dash gauge, I think we're good!!

 

[HEMIGTX70]

Thanks Wayne. Glad I could help. In all honesty, I never knew a sending unit could go bad. I was totally cluless. Now I need to check my other one. Learn something new every day.

 

[slimt]

Gonna throw this in my own thread, as I tire of the "amp meter is gonna burn your car down" threads. The meter isn't doing anything but warning you your're gonna burn your car down and something ELSE has gone wrong.

Went to take my Honey for a Sunday drive and we almost burnt the Bird down. Charging 40 amps just a mile from home, so I turned the lights on high to put the meter back to about 10 and crept her back home at low RPM (I probably should have pulled the regulator connector, but was hoping it would clear itself as it has done a couple of other times so we could carry on with our drive). Some day I'll figure out why I don't just let things go and take agreed value from Hagerty, but I guess I'm too honest for my own good. Was scratching my head trying to figure out how an electronic regulator does the mechanical "stick" thing and then I found a wire (Blue) broken off the regulator connection, so with it gone the other wire (Green) grounded the field, pegging it full and charging around 18 volts at 3500 RPM. 45 minutes later, the only connector of it's kind I had in house and bit of work we were back on our Sunday cruise. Penetang, Midland's Little Lake, Balm Beach and back home.

I burnt a dash up in '78, in our old family '69 Fury II, knowing the mechanical regulator stuck from time to time so we'd just drive it lights on. One day I forgot to turn the lights on and we had a wiring fire that was put out by disconnecting the battery and throwing sand DOWN through the defroster vent that had burnt open. They are no fun, but absolutely no fault of the amp meter. The wiring too and from.. maybe, but not the meter.

Pushed the broken wire through the connector, clipped the end and crimped on the only bullet connector I had in house and pushed it back in. Back to proper regulation and the meter showing about 2 amps charging. Life is good...

All polished up and ready for my date.
View attachment 986531
View attachment 986532
Back home, electricity 101
View attachment 986533 View attachment 986534
Blue wire end broken off.
View attachment 986535
Only bullet connector I had, strip it and install it.
View attachment 986536
New bullet in place, pulled/pushed wire back into place in the rubber socket.
View attachment 986537
Back on our cruise!
View attachment 986538
At speed, Wile E looks pissed.. LOL
View attachment 986539
Back home safe and sound, hood open to cool things down. 36C with humidex today, no rad puke on shut down after 60 or so miles. Upper rad tank 221F, lower hose 162F, front wheels 119F, rear wheels 115F, rear axle tubes 150F and pumpkin @ mid case 165F
View attachment 986541

Talking pumpkin. Its just about that time.

 

[Hemirunner]

I have a bunch of those things. I’ll have to put the meter on a few of them.

 

[dadsbee]

Cars are never done... Rob Sharon posted up a correct 2998 956 radiator (c/w mint shroud) a couple of weeks ago and a pair of '70 rocker covers so I jumped on them. My Bird has a 2998 965 radiator in it that nobody rarely, other than myself, ever notices the incorrectness. I just snuff it off to a dyslexic stamping error if pointed out. Received the rad and covers today, not packaged well and Fedex did their best to do their best with that. Bent the mounting frame into the first row of cooling fins and damaged both hose spiggets, but I managed to fix that all up. Pressure tested the transmission cooler as well as the radiator itself, that is a nice three row core that doesn't look too old. Good flush job next and then it'll be ready to install when I get around to it. That and the '70 rocker covers as my engine has '71's on it. All I had around in 1990 when I bought the car with M/T's on it.

 

[chtampa]

Lucky you have condoms on it. You could have walked out and found a bunch of heater cores one day.

 

[dadsbee]

Shroud cleaned up nice as new with some Toluol and I made sure the transmission cooler was clean and debris free by putting some ATF through it. Now just needs a good flush and a repaint before install. Shroud date clock has 10 dots and a 4, so I assume this was moulded in October of '74 for the parts department.

 

[dadsbee]

Radiator reverse flushed and draining nicely the full 16 GPM going in. I then made sure all the tubes were full before throwing in a pint of Kut Sol. Sloshed that around good and then drained via the other spigget so the tubes all get a coating hopefully. Rad put away for another day.. airplanes tomorrow, I promise! LOL

 

[dadsbee]

Figure I'll just put this Springs work here... since I do hope to be at Talladega again for the 2024 Reunion.

32 years and I never noticed this welded on bracket, both sides of the car. Looks like someone ran side pipes in the 70's!

Back into the seal supply.

New 35 tooth speedometer gear so I can get it reading properly after 30+ years. Reads too fast as is, transmission currently has a gear for a 2.76:1 rear axle vs 3.55:1 Perfect time to change it as it's seals are leaking as well.

Here we go.

Proper set of 1970 rocker covers I picked up last year. Not sure they'll get on this round, but they probably should since the current gaskets are leaking.

Correct radiator I picked up last year. I already flushed and pressure tested it but think it'll wait to when I have more time.

Nice transmission pan I picked up about 3 years ago. Thinking I should weld a drain bung into it.

Making sure it's perfectly flat. Corner in front of the hammer was drooped down so wouldn't have sealed, fixed that up with some persuasion.

Nice and straight now.

Degreased spotless.

 

[dadsbee]

Figured I'd just do like the last clown that was here and punch a hole right beside the one he welded up.

Lunch time.

Needed to remove the console shifter shaft bracket to get to the speedometer cable adapter.

Retainer fork removed, you can see the adapter is selected for 26 to 30 tooth gears.

Adapter and gear removed.

35 tooth on the left, 26 tooth on the right.

Tooth count is moulded right into the gear.

Adapter O ring replacement.

Original is 3/32" and I don't have one, so went through smaller 1/8" ones until I had the correct stretch to make it fit tightly in the transmission hole.

There was transmission fluid in the speedometer cable, so that seal needs to be changed as well. Dental pick to get the retainer ring.

 

[dadsbee]

Old seal and retainer ring out.

New seal and ring going back in.

Pushed in nice with a 1/4" drive extension.

Seal locked in place.

35 tooth gear in place ready for install.

Adapter oriented for 32 to 38 tooth gears and put into place, lining up the slot with the dot.

Pan finally drained enough to pull it off.

Looks like it was time. Crumbled cork gasket in the pan.

Filter needs to come off and be changed.

Factory Service Manual (FSM) says to remove this E clip before removing the valve body. What it doesn't say is you need to put the transmission in 1st to get access to it.

 

[dadsbee]

Valve body out.

Trans looks good, no metal anywhere at least.

845 in the plate. Not sure if this is an aftermarket shift kit or ?? Appreciate any insight !!

Factory valve body 2892348

Picking out the throttle seal. A tad easier this way than the last one I did on the Dart working from above and behind the headers.

Seal coming out.

Glad I'd jammed that rag on top of the detent ball, as the shift lever popped up and the ball shot out. Thankfully into the tray. Thanks to @dvw saying something the other day about chasing balls across a shop floor... lol

Throttle shaft seal going in. Seems backwards to how you'd usually install a seal, being open side/lip to oil, but the way it goes.

Valve body ready to go back in.

Knocked the shifter shaft seal out, again a LOT easier than how I did the Dart from above.

 

[The Rebel]

Looking great Wayne!

 

[dadsbee]

New shifter shaft seal going into place.

15/16 socket and a carpenters clamp to press it into place.

Choices, choices. Never have much luck with the new "hard" style gaskets, so old school cork it's gonna be.

Valve body ready to go back in. Note that the neutral safety/reverse light switch has to be out of the case before doing so, or you may break the "comb"!

Park linkage rod E clip going back on. Again the transmission has to be in 1st to do this.

Clip in place and valve body is just in place with bolts finger tight.

Neutral safety / reverse light switch. I tested it on the bench before reinstall. Center terminal and the "pin" on the actuator face are joined. The shift comb then grounds the pin in neutral and park for the car to start. Reverse lights are the outer two pins. Conductive when the plunger is out.

A bugger of a place to snug up with a 1" socket. Thankfully it goes in easy by hand and just needs a bit of a turn to tighten.

Making sure the comb and the switch operate smoothly before tightening the valve body down.

10 bolts x 100 in lbs each.