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A few small points. As mentioned, the fill port ("inlet" in post 25 figure) must be exposed when the pedal is released. To insure this, insure that the brake lamp switch is only sensing motion of the pedal and not limiting it, i.e. the pedal should not bottom-out on the switch. That is a...

Corrosion of bare steel is usually due to condensation. I would get that in my garage in Atlanta. No problem in my garage in drier California now, but I still get condensation outside under a carport in winter, even dripping from metal rafters. It is due to the temperature changes, which are...

Are aftermarket parts any better for newer cars? I know parts some like motor mounts made in India (Anchor, DEA, ...) are just as bad for my newer vehicles as for my classics. You can always go to the dealer for branded parts, but the prices may amaze you, especially on a newer model. You...

Great. We love Aussie cars, especially old Mopars. I used to see Aussie-made Holdens (GM subsidiary) in Indonesia, as an upper-scale choice before Japanese luxuries came. I thought that might be Mel Gibson's car as an Aussie reporter in Jakarta in the 1982 film "The Year of Living...

When convenient, weld an O2 bung in the exhaust. A wideband can be after the collector, even a temp insert up the tailpipe. A regular O2 sensor needs to be close, where still hot, so one in each bank. Wideband kits are now affordable. Otherwise, you are "flying blind". Old guys rely on...

Had to google it. Apparently 2 ways to "O-ring the head". Generally means a groove cut in the head for a stainless-steel wire, which aligns with the softer "fire ring" of the head gasket to crush into it. The wire sits proud of the head surface ~10 mil. Stronger sealing is a "fire ring"...

Not a zener. I forgot if silicon or germanium. The diode is forward-biased, in both directions (2 in parallel). It always conducts forward, just very little current until >0.5 V drop, then current increases exponentially with voltage drop. I tested that keeps the dash ammeter from pegging...

I measured that long ago in my Mopars. The voltage drop across the ammeter at full-scale is ~0.7 V. Since you are seeing much more drop, some component may be getting hot. The ammeter bolted connections are a common problem and can melt from corrosion, as can the connectors in the bulkhead...

The Magnum V-8 engines ran a thick wire (~8 awg) from the alternator output to BAT+, across the timing cover, so you could do that. I took that cable from a junkyard one (Grand Cherokee or Dodge truck) for my 1965. Mine doesn't run directly to BAT+, but near it. It runs to a back-back power...

The connector in your hand is termed "twin-lock terminals", I think also use on Ford. I think it was used from 1964 until they needed more wires in the steering column, which was when the key switch moved there (1973?) to realize the steering-lock. I've taken some from 1980's Dodge motorhomes...

Wow, 50 deg BTDC at idle can be optimal! I have sort of seen that several times. The Holley 1920 on my 1969 slant-six was quirky, always idling rough and wanting to die. It was happier with >20 deg advance at idle. If I tried to set to the book ~5 deg, then gave a little throttle the engine...

Just to clarify, OP mentioned "control arms" above. Only the upper control arm varied. The lower control arm was the same for disk or drum, and I recall for all years 1963-76. Except some lower control arms have a bracket to attach a sway-bar link (optional) and I recall that bracket varied...

Definitely take an old one apart to clean and change seals. Unless the brake fluid was kept pristine, it likely has internal corrosion which keeps the pistons from sliding to function. Even on a simple drum-drum car where it is just a distribution block w/ imbalance switch, the piston for the...

My 1985 M-B is worse. Owner's who've done it said a 3-day job to change the heater core. Rather than solid copper, it has crimped-on plastic sides which leak at the gasket. A new one costs >$500. Seems they built the whole car around the heater core. In my Chrysler minivan, the heater core...

I've used Duracool for 3 decades. It is an HC refrigerant, before Envirosafe. Switched to it in my 1996 and 2002 when replacing their compressors. People who claim "explosive" know nothing about combustion. All refrigerant leaks burn since the oil spray is flammable, and new ones produce...

When the "aluminum core with crimped on plastic reservoirs" began in early 1980's, I thought "this will be a cluster-f", particularly since they rely on a rubber gasket to seal the plastic. I did see some early ones taken apart at radiator shop when getting my brass Mopar radiator repaired, so...

Robertshaw sells special "high-flow" T-stats. That refers to the restriction when fully-open. It only comes into play when over-heated, i.e. T-stat is pegged full-open so lost control authority. Avoid a "fail-safe" T-stat. Those jam open and then never shuts, after a single over-heat. It...

I wasn't referring to your comment, indeed didn't even see it. No, others on this forum imagine the T-stat is constantly opening and closing, since how their experience with other devices which have simple on-off control.

The engineering explanation is that there are multiple variables involved in engine cooling - flowrate, coolant properties (conductivity and heat capacity), temperature difference between metal parts and coolant, temperature difference between coolant and radiator tubes, heat convection from...

True. The T-stat opens progressively as coolant temperature increases. In engineering terms, it is a "proportional-only controller". The temperature does not run exactly at the designed "setpoint". To give more cooling, it must open further, which requires a higher coolant temperature. The...

The "if overheating, add a restrictor in the coolant flow" tip has been around for decades and won't die, with many auto hobbyists literally spitting on their keyboard as they argue such with engineers. Strangely, the thermostat works the opposite way (opens more as coolant warms above its...

Thanks. The more info the better. I sometimes spend hours searching for photos to try to figure out how things should be.

Replies are about different Pertronix. The original Ignitor keeps the ballast resistor, so has no dwell control, similar to the original Mopar ECU. Ignitor II uses no ballast, so more like the first GM HEI. Ignitor III adds MSD and rev limiter ($$). Some answered about Pertronix custom...

Showing your age if 1985 is "newer". I think M-B did that even in the 1970's cars. Somewhat strange designs, with some designs thoughtful for maintenance and other designs over-complicated for rich owners. Can do that when price isn't a major concern. My point is that if you do remove an...

On the plus side, you no longer have to have that "birds and bees" splaining to your kids. They no longer ask, "where do babies come from" since saw that and more on the web. But, the aberrant activities might confuse them ("no, we don't do that"). Even in the 1990's, I had to keep my boys...

The body might look fine post-crash, but it is the brain banging around in the skull that is the biggest concern. Boxing recognized that years ago (old punch-drunk fighters) and now soccer (heading balls) and football is slowly coming to realize the damage with the NFL even pondering flag...

They are very clear on "don't overtorque". Since the torque they spec is so low, I clean the oil pan bolts and holes well and use thread-lock. That is after first bolting it up all around, then go back and threadlock each bolt w/ proper torque. I don't have a small torque wrench so use...

My 1985 M-B 300D hood can be propped to vertical, so no removal required. I didn't know that when I swapped in a new engine so removed the hood. I was clever enough to first drill two 1/16" holes thru each bracket into the hood so I could bolt it back perfectly. Learned that after removing...

I went thru 4 rebuilt Holley 1920 in my 1969 Dart before I found one which made it idle like a kitten. Apparently, all the others had a clogged metering block, which is sealed and hence not normally rebuilt. The others would idle rough (running lean) and sometimes stall when leaving a stop...

I changed the rear main seal in my 1964 slant when I had the oil pan off (lift engine 3" above K-frame). Not hard. The seal is in an aluminum block, separate from the main bearing blocks (unlike the V-8's). Same PN as Hemi engines. While the seal block is out, verify the tapped holes for the...