Talladega or Bust - 1970 Super Bird Cleanup

[dadsbee]

Roger, the one you have is the EXACT length of the lines I have for the front calipers.. HOWEVER yours appears to be marked 1/8" and that would be correct for a rear hose as fronts are 3/16. My as removed matches the replacements length at 335mm/ 13 1/8", but of course the block thread is wrong. Should be what appears to be 7/16 and the replacement is only 3/8.

More research... front and back drums get the hose with the long smooth shank on the block end part # 3461727 and discs up front for some reason = a different hose without the long shank #3461728 (picture attached from MoparJohn's Bird thread). So my car has the wrong hose to begin with, yet it matches perfectly in length to what should have been the cars correct replacement that has no smooth shank, but they put a 3/8" thread end on it.

I'd better make the rounds of town to the jobbers and see if any have the same Dorman H73278 I already bought and see if any have the correct end on before we ship something half way across the world.

THANKS!

 

[dadsbee]

From known sources they show the "barreled" rear hose is incorrect for front disc, rear drum cars... but it sure seems to be OE with a 317th day of '69 date code.

Obtaining OE data before putting the fuel outlet/sender back in the tank.

Sure wish I'd had this when setting up my Bee's repro sender. Possibly nothing but wall art, but who knows...

Fortunately I have a spare o- ring / gasket and lock ring from the Bee, as both the sender and the tank came with a set.

Repro lock ring left and OE right. Repro is only .050" thick vs OE at .070", which causes new senders to leak as they don't get pushed in tight enough by the thin ring.

Cleaned up the OE for reinstall.

Front rotors riding in style. Just a VERY light lick to totally clean them up.

Gotta thank Donnie at "Smiles Per Hour" in Midland. He turned them for free, in appreciation of me taking him down memory lane. Don did the safety and custom bent exhaust for me way back in 1990 when I had originally bought the car!

Time to fix that sinking fuel sender float. Shook all the fuel out and left it out in the sun for most of the day to evaporate the rest. Cleaned with scotchbrite, applied soldering flux and then soldered.

Eyes aren't what they use to be, but I can see that crack now!

 

[dadsbee]

Soldered up and sunk in fuel for bubble check, left it there for the night.

First cut ever on 50 year old rotors.

Hubs filled with grease and bearings hand packed.

Inner seal #2768012. I have to assume this is the OE and doesn't have a protruding dust lip like the replacement.

OE seal and replacement SKF 17110. The 17110 was an exact match to the OE coming out of the Bee and seems to fit fine on the disc spindles as well.

Seal install.

Rotors installed and spindle nut tightened to 90 in lbs while rotating.

All ready to put the calipers and new pads in place.

Torsion bar seal # 2071173. I need to go have another look at it as it appears to be dated August 1964!

Mark Worman would be proud.. lol

 

[dadsbee]

It worked perfectly putting the Bee's sender in, so why change the process now?! Sender O ring coated lightly in Permatex PST 592

Tank sender hole all cleaned up. Note the locating tab cut outs, so in order to adjust how the pickup and sender float sits in the tank you need to man handle the sender units tabs.

My giant channel locks worked good to turn the lock ring smoothly and keep it centered. Using a punch and hammer is a recipe to cock things and possibly not seal. I should make a tooth engaging tool from some pipe.

Float and pick up now sitting perfectly straight.

The 1/4" return line was inop and pinched shut at the engine end when I bought the car in '90. I cut the pinched end off the front of the line and shot 100PSI through it for awhile to make sure it's clean before hooking it up.

3/8ths outlet and 1/4" return lines all hooked up and the sender wire to gauge hooked back up.

Front of the 1/4" return line capped for now, until I have time to install the vapour seperator.

Power on, tank empty and the gauge came up to just below the E.

5 gallons of fuel in and now slightly above the E. The first 3 gallons is pretty much unusable due to pickup placement, so about correct. We'll see how it does as I fill the tank full.

New pads in place, ready for caliper pins.... but I'l wait to see how successful I am at separating hard lines from flex hoses first.

 

[dadsbee]

Line separation not going well.. break out the gas wrench.

Got a bit stupid and didn't give a lot of thought to heating the metal hose end to get it to let go of the hard line. Only took about 1/2 an hour for my hearing to come back after the hose exploded and fortunately I missed the hot DOT 3 bath.

But what was left of the hose then let go and it was a smoking success!

The drivers side the tube nut was already round and it wasn't coming out. Fortunately it's a really short line and the inner end came out of the splitter block easily so I could remove the line.

Made a new line from a fresh one I had in the tool box and then I just HAD to make it look like OEM.

40 minutes of wrapping safety wire, some day I'll learn to leave well enough alone.

Dorman H35017, a correctly fitting and length replacement flex hose from the hard line at the frame to the Kelsey/Hayes caliper.

Drivers side back together and pretending to be OEM.

 

[dadsbee]

Park / signal bulbs where loose in their metal retainers. Carefully removed, cleaned up the sockets and installed new 1157A bulbs.

One last fight with the passenger side front calipers bleeder screw. Heat, dunk with water.. heat, dunk with water. What started as a 3/16 "nut", then a 9MM, then a 5/16 hammered on finally came out.

Cleaning up the bleeder threads, 3/8 NF for new bleeders. Only took me three jobbers in town to get a pair! Note the original "large hole" Kelsey/Hayes OE 80012 calipers.

Passenger side brake line back together with a new flex hose.

Calipers all locked down with pins and equalizers, and a new bleeder screw. Just waiting on a rear axle flex hose now so I can bleed the brakes. A Kiwi friend in NZ Xpressed one out for me on Friday ! Thanks Roger!! @kiwigtx

Not sure how anyone works on their cars with "pretty" floors... I sure couldn't !

Figured I'm this far in and have lots of spare sway bar rubbers, from Bee parts aquisitions, that I may as well do the Birds as well.

End links off and ready to drop the sway bar.

Skid plate, better name would be crap collector.

Brake adjuster tool is the perfect shape to scoop the crap out.

 

[dadsbee]

Reinforcing plate I obtained from a FBBO member and a new LCA rebound bumper, to replace the one that's been missing for 30 years!

New Monroe rear shocks in place.

I'm not restoring this car.. but I am taking "numbers" while I go along. Sway bar bushing retainer bolts.

Left over from the Bee. These are going in plus the PST washers with the OE bolt and spacer sleeve. OE washers/rubbers bagged for future reference.

New sway bar rubbers in place.

The '70 bar is sure a LOT easier to change bushings on than the '69, even easier when you use aftermarket split ones!

Sway bar and new rubbers/ bushings all tightened up. Hopefully I have a rear brake line in a day or two and I can then get things bled and her back on her tires. Until then, I guess it's back to airplanes...

 

[dadsbee]

As I said before, I'm not restoring this car, but I am recording history while I clean it up. The torsion bar seals. The 64 I previously mentioned was not a date.. it's a mould cavity number. Passenger side has AU 49 and they didn't use them back "then".

Passenger side "64".

Joys of an automatic.. still has the OE rear pinion to drive shaft U joint straps and bolts! 10 7 69 (Oct 10th, 1969), both straps.

The other strap, same 10 7 69 H.. and the correct OE bolts to boot.

Rear brake cylinder mounting bolts with one piece head/washer bolts and "anchor" shaped head marking.

8 3/4" rear pumpkin. 2881489, cast 245th day of '69.

Big "9" on the casting and the correct 3.55 tag under the correct bolt.

Passenger side torsion bar, 780R / 479

Rear brake line proportioning valve.

Kelsey/Hayes front disc metering valve and brake line distribution / brake failure valve... that I need to get bolted in place it appears.

 

[dadsbee]

Wish the hoist would lock this low as a nice height for engine work.

Correct Bendix dual diaphram vacuum booster and master cylinder. Lid is questionable as to correctness for year..

I need to pull the nose and correct the improper nose to fender seal installation from 1990... but everything else will get done first.

Engine cleaned up not too bad, for a 29 year old rattle can paint job. Like anything, it's all in the prep job! I pulled and painted that motor in 1990.

Someone, pre my ownership, painted the wiper motor black. Why I don't know as the plating is mint.

Removing the paint with a plastic trim stick.

A few more hours and it should look like it originally did.

2983 116, vendor 73691, mfg'd 307th day of 1969.

 

[moparnation74]

What I enjoy about this thread is the plethora of original components.....Along with you documenting them here....

The brake flex hoses.....these are my nemesis.......Impossible to find correct originals with the proper date range....Never say never but I dont think I will ever find any of the three....In this day and age we should have a vendor that can provide the correct flex hose with markings and date stamping options....

 

[dadsbee]

Roger shipped me a hose from NZ on Friday night... it's already here!!! Yet the one Nigel shipped from 50 miles away on Wednesday still hasn't found our town!!!! As for date stamping, my rear example looks pretty sloppy.... that any drunk could duplicate! LOL

BTW.. do you happen to have a front rail shot of a disc metering valve and distribution block bolted in place??

 

[khryslerkid]

Coming along nicely!

Just out of curiosity, what grounds the fuel sending unit? The older units like on my '62 used a clip that bridged across the short hose at the unit, useing the fuel line as a ground. I didn't see anything like that in your pics.

 

[kiwigtx]

Coming along nicely!

Just out of curiosity, what grounds the fuel sending unit? The older units like on my '62 used a clip that bridged across the short hose at the unit, useing the fuel line as a ground. I didn't see anything like that in your pics.

It should be the same type strap with the 'open fork' spikes that bite into the steel lines.

Car is progressing very well....I'm tempted to ask if it might be for sale....

 

[khryslerkid]

.I'm tempted to ask if it might be for sale....

I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count!

 

[The Rebel]

Nice clean up Wayne. I'm the same way when working on projects. Fix one thing & with the job staring me in the face I start noticing other things pop up in front of me that I should address.

 

[moparnation74]

Roger shipped me a hose from NZ on Friday night... it's already here!!! Yet the one Nigel shipped from 50 miles away on Wednesday still hasn't found our town!!!! As for date stamping, my rear example looks pretty sloppy.... that any drunk could duplicate! LOL

BTW.. do you happen to have a front rail shot of a disc metering valve and distribution block bolted in place??

Wayne I will check this evening

 

[dadsbee]

Coming along nicely!

Just out of curiosity, what grounds the fuel sending unit? The older units like on my '62 used a clip that bridged across the short hose at the unit, useing the fuel line as a ground. I didn't see anything like that in your pics.

YES, there should be a ground strap from the sender outlet tube to the frame tube. The one I put on the Bee was junk, with no "spring" to it and a lot of wiggling to make it stay semi tight. I checked the tank when I was originally checking the sender reading and tank to frame is 0.00 ohms so grounding just fine.

It should be the same type strap with the 'open fork' spikes that bite into the steel lines.

Car is progressing very well....I'm tempted to ask if it might be for sale....

In the words of 426hemichick... for the right price of 1.6.... LOL

I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count!

Not until after Talladega anyhow.. LOL

 

[kiwigtx]

In the words of 426hemichick... for the right price of 1.6.... LOL

I hope you're not Nigerian. Wire me the funds.....LMFAO

 

[dadsbee]

Received 20 NOS Right hand thread ralleye wheel lug nuts from AMS Obsolete. I already have 15 left handers.

Something that's always been missing during my 29 years of ownership. Can't believe how well they cleaned the car for paint... retainers from the OE cowl seal are still in the holes and were fun to remove!

Why I type in "Plymouth" on kijji from time to time and go through the 200 pages looking for stuff. Picked up a new in package Soft Seal cowl seal for 10 bucks.

Glad I had my Bee's OE to make retainer installation easier, with correct spacing, as this one came with them in a bag.

Found the easy way to install these was to just press them hard through the rubber into the wood, then use a thin pair of needle nose to hold them in place and another pair of pliers to bend over the tabs.

New cowl seal in place.

Wiper motor cover nice and clean, but it's missing something!

Red insulating varnish.

Now it's the way it's supposed to look.

Roger @kiwigtx sent me this rear brake hose on Friday night from New Zealand, with no request for anything from me! It arrived from 1/2 way around the world YESTERDAY to town and I was able to pick up today, yet one shipped back on Wednesday from only 50 miles away hadn't got here yet.. that arrived finally this afternoon.

 

[dadsbee]

Top = OE rear brake hose, next = what is apparently the OE replacement for '70/71, then the rear hose from Roger in NZ and last the Dorman jobber that was made with the wrong fitting end. OE replacement is 1/2" shorter than OE and I don't like that for axle movement, so looks like the bragging Kiwi with the longer hose wins!

Draining the master cylinder, repeatedly and stirring. Brake fluid, then rubbing alcohol.. trying to get 50 years of crap flushed out.

Lots of grunge in the bottom, from a rotted rubber lid seal.

Hopefully I got the majority of the crap.

Good wipe out with Q tips and rubbing alcohol and then made sure the tiny fluid holes were open.

With a little pencil rubbing, I apparently do have the correct OE master cylinder cover.
USE ONLY
SAE J 1703
BRAKE
FLUID

Used the vacuum pump to suck fresh fluid down through the rear brake line, before installing the new flex hose.

From 50 year old goooo to fresh DOT 3. Time to install the flex hose and bleed all 4 wheels.