What did you do to your Mopar today?

[Martin460]

Made a piston stop tool and checked TDC mark location. Looks good:

 

[themechanic]

Swapped the Edelbrock Performer RPM with a powder-coated Weiand Action Plus 8009.

 

[themechanic]

Pulled the headlight buckets for freshening up. Cleaned with 00 steel wool, soap and water then soaking overnight with the screws in Evap-o-Rust.

 

[oldbee]

Pulled the rear seat out after 30+yrs.Found a nest,lol.No body so he left a while ago.

 

[Truck bed pauly]

Put the New Speedo cable on just now....now I can tell how fast I wasn't going...

 

[Martin460]

Radiator shroud upper side brokes after installing new engine pads. Made new stainless steel piece and glued it with RTV black silicone:

 

[Riverdawg]

I got started on the passenger side disk brake conversion. Tight on space and can move the car over. Torsion bar out, UCA bolts loose, inner tie rod separated, shock out. So far I haven't been able to get the strut rod but to break free and haven't gotten to the LCA yet. Planning to just drop it all as one unit since I have all the QA1 stuff.

 

[71charger_fan]

I've been fighting a sinking/spongey brake pedal in the '55 Plymouth. I finally got another new MC, bench bled it, installed it, and it still sinks to the floor. I guess it's time to bench bleed the MC again to make sure, re-install it, bleed the lines (again), and hope for the best.

 

[1967coronet440]

Installed s60 and 4link rear suspension, along with coilover Viking double adjustable shocks.

 

[Riverdawg]

Pulled the headlight buckets for freshening up. Cleaned with 00 steel wool, soap and water then soaking overnight with the screws in Evap-o-Rust.

That reminds me I have a bunch of small stuff sitting in the evapo-rust too. Need to get them out and inspect them tonight after work.

 

[Auggie56]

I've been fighting a sinking/spongey brake pedal in the '55 Plymouth. I finally got another new MC, bench bled it, installed it, and it still sinks to the floor. I guess it's time to bench bleed the MC again to make sure, re-install it, bleed the lines (again), and hope for the best.
View attachment 439881 View attachment 439882 View attachment 439883

You have drum brakes? Could be they need adjusted.

 

[oldbee]

Maybe a leaking whl. cylinder?

 

[Auggie56]

Picked up the heads from the machine shop today. Had the valves ground and the heads milled -20 thousands. There was a bent exhaust valve. I suspect since this was a motor home engine, that this valve might have been stuck open, after a long storage, and when the motor cranked up, it bent the valve on a piston. Funny thing, their valves have three grooves on the stem for the keepers because these are truck heads. Cars have on two. Lucky me, the car valve is six bucks. The truck with three grooves was forty-five. He showed me the receipt, he wasn't lying. Now that I got the heads back, I'll wrap them in plastic so they don't rust. Like I said above, I don't have the funds right now to do any further work. Need crank bearings, cam and lifters before I can bolt her together. Would there be a federal bureau that can help a down and out Mopar owner with parts for free? (sarcasm)

 

[themechanic]

Pulled the headlight buckets for freshening up. Cleaned with 00 steel wool, soap and water then soaking overnight with the screws in Evap-o-Rust.

I love Evap-o-Rust!

 

[themechanic]

Left the car at the paint shop for the new to me ramcharger hood, scoops and fenders to be re-sprayed and brought the bulge hood home.

An empty garage leaves me with an unsettling feeling.

 

[YY1]

Replaced the RF hub assy on my Dak R/T.

I'd been hearing a bearing howl and was convinced it was rear axle.
Not really looking forward to draining it and pulling the shafts.
It's been in light and local duty since I started hearing it.
Last week I drove it and it sounded like the howl got worse turning left and quieter turning right.
Hub is $50 and 1/2 hour. 9 1/4 is something I've never done....and messy.

So my hub comes in yesterday and I think "what could go wrong"?

Took wheel off and can't find big socket for spindle nut.
Put back together and go to pawn shop.
They have ONE socket bigger than 1" out of about 250 but it fits! Ugly and can't read size- $2 and 45 min.

Gheesh, what next?

Back to shop, Jack, take wheel off- test new socket on spindle nut, works!
Go to remove caliper...HF allen wrench set skips from 6 to 8 mm-
What size is the caliper pin? Yep, 7mm!
Call wife and ask her to look in "wood shop" tool box and "pole barn" tool box- no dice.
Ask wife to bring everything she found and come to shop.- nothing.
Wife waits in 98* and 98% humidity while I go to Lowes and buy a 7mm allen socket. $7 and another 45 min.

Breathe.....what next?
get caliper off and hub removed.
Explain to wife that "do not reuse' nylon locknut is MUCH more of an issue on the driver's side and I will indeed reuse this on the pass side in case I need to swap the new hub over if it doesn't solve the problem......spec for torque is 175...Craftsman torque wrench goes to 150...surely I can get at least 165.....NOPE at 161 it falls apart, handle comes off and nut falls out!
!@#$%^&*()

Wife says she hasn't had lunch (while fanning herself on my shop chair).
OK, go get something to eat.....and bring me all those harbor freight ads we've been saving under the coffee table, there's bound to be a $9.99 torque wrench coupon in there somewhere.

2 expired, next, next, next (wearing a pair of 2x readers and another pair of 1.5x stacked so I can read the .08 font exp date) finally halfway through the 25 page stack- $9.99 coupon.
Buy it and get a free LED magnet/hook light (one in every car).
$10 and another 45 min!

Back to shop- what next?

Rain- about 5 miles away and heading our way

Jack, set tq to 80, click, 120, click, 140, click, 160 (HF also only goes to 150), click.

Done- moment of truth.

Success!!!!!! No howl.

3.5 hours for a 30 min job. I did the driver's side last year. where TF are my 7mm allen and 1 1/4-ish socket??? I had to have those last time.

Wife of 11 years plus 6 mutually exclusive gets big bonus points for commiseration!

Whew.

 

[themechanic]

Polished the 4 stainless steel headlight retaining rings.

 

[Riverdawg]

Absolutely nothing! Probably won't be able to do anything until maybe tomorrow night or Monday.

 

[kiwigtx]

Charging my battery....looks like a date of 11/11 - that's five and a half years. I could have sworn I bought that battery only last year.

 

[usaroadrunner]

Got the RMS 4 link in adjusting stance an gapping, my body guy killed the hood scoop, exactly what I wanted, kingdigit door handles work smooth as glass.