AlV 69 Dodge GTS project

[340sFastback]

Nice pics and I love the detail. And thats a cool looking car.

That bezel around the ignition switch looks like a '67. In '69 they used a plastic bezel that was square around the key switch.

Some info, the 741 rear has a shimmed pinion (that is how the factory did it). What that means is you can swap the yoke with upsetting the pinion pre-load. Also looks like you have a cone sure grip unit.

The shifter handle is a pre '69. The '69s had a wood grain shift handle.

Year One sells outstanding reproduction wire harnesses. Not cheap but they are perfect reproductions of the original harnesses.

Looks like you are doing some excellent work love the write up.

 

[AlV]

I am going to take some of this info for my build. Check my thread out on my 69, its in my signature.

Nice car Rob! and I really like the 340 six pack setup you're going with.

I'm definitely going to follow your thread!.

 

[AlV]

Nice pics and I love the detail. And thats a cool looking car.

That bezel around the ignition switch looks like a '67. In '69 they used a plastic bezel that was square around the key switch.

Some info, the 741 rear has a shimmed pinion (that is how the factory did it). What that means is you can swap the yoke with upsetting the pinion pre-load. Also looks like you have a cone sure grip unit.

The shifter handle is a pre '69. The '69s had a wood grain shift handle.

Year One sells outstanding reproduction wire harnesses. Not cheap but they are perfect reproductions of the original harnesses.

Looks like you are doing some excellent work love the write up.

Thanks for following! This has all been great fun and an awesome learning experience so far.

I checked out your link ... Very cool and I like the way you set up the hoist to lift the car over the k member/engine and trans to install it. I'll remember that for the future!

Regarding some of your feed back (Big thanks for point them out):

I need to get a better picture of the 69 ignition bezel and shifter look like.
I'm wondering if I just need to replace the knob or if I have to look at the whole assembly.

You also mentioned that I have a cone style sure grip... which makes me wonder if that is a good type to have. I'll have to look into the different posi traction setups to get a better understanding of the cone type versus the others.

Also you pointed out that the 741 haad a shimmed pinion which I'm guessing is better than having a crush sleeve. I take that to mean that I should be able to replace the yoke with little worry of impacting the preload so it should be easier to set up. Do I have that right?

I'll add this to my list of takeaways for the future.
thanks
AlV

 

[Dartn440]

I am digging your details. Great work and thanks for sharing.

 

[AlV]

When I bought the GTS the AC heater control was not working and needed to be sorted out. I bought a used donor on Ebay for 5 bucks and salvage the slide lever and button covers. While I had it apart I cleaned the components, connections and connectors. I also touched up the button labels and cleared the vacuum ports.

With the Dash frame out I had unrestricted access to everything so I started the rebuild work with the Climate vacuum control unit. My approach to tracking the harness connections is to use masking tape to label the connections.

Other than being dirty the switch looked good.

Removal was quick and easy and I was certain to label all of the connections. Here you can see that wear on the buttons and the missing slider knob.

Since my unit was in generally good condition I only needed to clean it up. I picked up a donor unit. My first step was to grab the slider from the donor along with any buttons and button caps. I also lubed the switch and push buttons because they had become very stiff.

Here is a shot of the unit all cleaned and lubricated. It turns out that I need to grab the slide pivot clip along with the slide lever from the donor.

I used a bit of white modeling paint to touch up the button lettering.

I removed all of the switches and cleaned them up. The only switch I had to replace was the flasher since it had completely fell apart. Here is a shot of the light switch. A little cleaning, dielectric grease and done.

The Radio wasn't working when I picked up the car. No power and wouldn't tune by either the thumb wheels or preset buttons.

Some of the wires were cracked and needed to be replaced.

I cleaned the electrical contacts and lubed mechanical contact points, including the thumb wheel torque shaft and gears as well as the chassis. I also address the button preset mechanism. I repaired the thumb wheel pinion gear located on the wheel itself and replaced the damage hold down spring with a safety pin trimmed to the same shape. the safety pin was slightly stiffer.

I bench tested the unit and happy to say that everything works as expected. I cleaned and polished it the beast I could and through it up on the shelf with the other finished switches and controls to reinstall later.

Next few pics show the tuner in different positions and shelved. lol.

While I was in there I did the ashtray but I'll spare you that one. lol

I'm sure that this could all be done to a higher standard but I'm really happy with it so far.

Next stop is the dash frame... Damage around the ignition switch and all of the rust by the glove box (damn that spark plug!)

 

[AlV]

I am digging your details. Great work and thanks for sharing.

Thanks! I'm glad you like it
It's been really great for me so far.

 

[AlV]

Time to see what I can do with the Dash Frame. I'll straighten out the metal around the ignition switch. Then remove the rust. I put a piece of tape over the VIN to protect the plaque and stripped everything off.

This is how it looked before I did anything.

I figured that it would be best to start with the ignition area then move onto removing the rust.

Gave it a few whacks with a hammer and dolly. I also used a piece of Angle iron to bring the edge back the best I could. Then I used a file to flatten it a bit more.

I sanded the area 60. 80, 180 applied of coat of Bondo. I cringe as I write this because I suspect an onslaught of criticism on the use of Bondo. lol Then more sanding 180 and 800.

Primer

I hit the rest of the frame with sand and steal then Primed.

Sanded with 800 then painted

With the dash frame done I set it aside for a while and took a shot at the bezels. This work was quit tedious and took a lot of time. the next few photos occurred over a few days. I definitely stumbled through this one. LOL. (WARNING, lots of pictures)

These are the consumables I used for this task.

I started with the glove box dash Bezel because it was the cheapest to replace if I totally destroyed it. I read that I could strip the old paint without damaging the plastic by using brake fluid.

I laid the piece on the dash frame to get a sense for what it would look like. I'm happy so far.

I chose the AC/Heat and Radio bezel next. this one was a little trickier. I followed the same process.

With the center bezel done I did a another dry fit to see how it was looking. This time I took it outside. I've also started to add the controls back to the dash.

Followed the same process with the instrument bezel and dry fit all the pieces together. I'm feeling pretty good about the way they came out.

Time will tell how it holds up but in the mean time I'm stoked. The radio, ashtray and instrument cluster are ready to go in but before that happens I plan to sort out the harness. I received a donor harness from a 69 GT so we'll see how that goes.

 

[340sFastback]

That dash looks awesome!

Yes no crush sleeve on the 741, its a solid spacer with shims to set pinion bearing pre load.

Cone sure grips work good for a street car. But over time the cones bottom out in the diff housing then you will spin one wheel. When that happens stop driving it cause that mean excess slack in diff spider gears and cross shaft retaining bolt can shear and cross shaft comes out. Happened to me. With a cone sure grip suck that diff fluid out frequently and refill cause every time you go around corner its metal to metal.

 

[Scamper]

Great work and great reading! I will be following and learning. Love the way you are clearly explaining each step, gives me some confidence to try on my own.

 

[340sFastback]

The '69 ignition switch bezel is plastic. Behind the dash is a metal bracket spot welded to the dash frame to hold the ignition switch and bezel in place.

Also pic of '69 shifter. I would imagine you could just change the knob.

 

[BB-Dave]

Nice pics and I love the detail. And thats a cool looking car.

The shifter handle is a pre '69. The '69s had a wood grain shift handle.

I don't know when the shifter knobs changed from chrome to wood grain, but my late built (5/69), 21k mile SURVIVOR MODTOP has the chrome knob.

 

[AlV]

I don't know when the shifter knobs changed from chrome to wood grain, but my late built (5/69), 21k mile SURVIVOR MODTOP has the chrome knob.

Dave brings up a good point about the build date. I probably should have posted the fender tag detail earlier in the thread. Looks like this GTS was built kind of early during 69 production with lots of 68 date coded parts on it. I can also tell you that my seats have no headrests which I think were made mandatory later in the 69 production run.

This is how my tag reads:

LS23:
Dodge Dart,Demon
Special
2 Door Hardtop

P9B: 340 275HP 1-4BBL 8 CYL
1969
Dodge Main, Hamtramck, MI, USA

143309: Sequence number

E55: 340 cid 4 barrel V8 275hp
D32: Heavy Duty Automatic Transmission
B5: Bright Blue Metallic Exterior Color
P6X: Trim - Premium, Vinyl Bucket Seats, Black
X9: Black Int. Door Frames
917: Build Date: September 17
118244: Order number

A04: Unknown Top Color
C16: Console w/Woodgrain Panel
C55: Bucket Seats
G11: Tinted Glass (all)
G33: LH Remote Racing Mirror
H51: Air Conditioning with Heater

J25: 3 Speed Wipers
L31: Hood/Fender Mounted Turn Signals
M21: Roof drip rail moldings
M25: Wide sill moldings
R11: Radio Solid State AM (2 Watts)
V1X: Unknown

V8X: Tranverse Stripes, Black
END: End of Sales Codes

Does anyone have thoughts on the V1X and AO4 codes they've come back as unknown?

Thanks Guys

 

[AlV]

Great work and great reading! I will be following and learning. Love the way you are clearly explaining each step, gives me some confidence to try on my own.

Thanks Scamper! Glad you find it helpful I'm just stumbling through and so can you! give it hell. lol

I'd like to see what your working on? Got a link or a pic?

 

[AlV]

Clearly I didn't think the dash frame project all the way through...I'm running out of space on the bench and I didn't think about where I was going to store the dash after it was dolled it up LoL. Note to self clear more shelf space. I moved stuff around to clear the top tier on my bakers rack for the dash but I was still not feeling comfortable about just laying the finished frame on the shelf. To address my concern I figured that a quick and dirty solution would be to make a stand. Thinking the stand w would come in handy for storage and make it easier to work on in the future. I took a ride to Home depot to pick up a piece of 10x2 lumber and came up with what you see here. nuthin fancy and wish I thought about it sooner.

The dash harness is finally out and the donor was loaded with tons of goodies, it came complete with switches, relays, fuse box, light bulbs and connectors. Just looking at the two side by side and you can see the difference (top one came out of this GTS). Hopefully I can salvage what I need.

Now that the GTS dash harness is out I can really examine it.

Outside of the Bulk head connector to engine bay illustrates heat damage.

Inside of the bulk head connector to cabin this is the wire that was splice to bypass the connector.

Cut ignition wires

My eyes aren't what they used to be.. And let's face it they were never that good!! So before I started I super sized the complete wiring schematic!! :glasses7: I used zip ties to keep the general shape of each branch of the harness which helped make it easier for tracing and applying the wrap tape later.

The donor harness is completely traced, tested and labeled. I removed and cleaned the bulkhead connector and its ready to replace the damaged one on my harness. The red 10Ga. Wire was removed and can be seen coiled in the photo. The wire and connectors were cleaned and checked. I also removed the ignition wires to replace the cut and damaged wires on my harness. All items are ready to be transferred to my harness with the bulkhead connector.

I was having difficulty properly heating the 10Ga. Joints with the 40 watt iron.. I switched to the Big I mean micro gun to get it done. The Benz-o-matic micro torch worked like a champ. This is the only splice I made and it is for the ignition. Just have to wrap the harness and install it on the dash.

Dash Harness...DONE! Yay! That was some fun right there!

Ignition sorry about the gratuitous picture of my mitt ... definitely no hand modeling in my future...

Inside Bulk head with replace wire and connector.

Outside of bulk head connector ready for 43 more years. Yes I used a ton of dielectric grease but I spent so much time inspecting and cleaning each connector that I did want it to go to waste oxidizing while it sat waiting to be installed.

I pulled the dash frame from the shelf to installed all of the components and the harness was the cherry on this finished task. Well I still need a speaker but hey I'm calling it done lol Here is a shot of the business side.

Here's the party side

Back on the shelf ready to go (whenever that will be I don't know)

You know how this works, now that I have the dash out I have such great access to the heat and AC. Before the dash can be installed I'll need to take care of the Heat/AC hardware and the wiper linkage.
Stumblin and tumblin hahaha!

Next stop heat/AC box, motors and coils. :coffee2:

 

[340sFastback]

Outstanding work on that dash!

 

[Michaeluser]

Great job. I look forward to more. Nothing like a data log of progress. Keep up the fantastic work.

 

[AlV]

Outstanding work on that dash!

Great job. I look forward to more. Nothing like a data log of progress. Keep up the fantastic work.

Thanks, I really appreciate the encouragement! Just kind of winging it for the most part and hoping that I'll be able to refer back to this thread when I have to put it back together. LOL

 

[AlV]

There it is. first steps.

Started removing the heater and AC components. First the Heater side. I have the Rebuild kit and new Heater core on order. We'll see how this goes...

I went over it for a while to get oriented before I dug in. I must have inspected it for an hour. at least it felt like it was that long trying to get an idea of how this thing is built. Kind of like taking the time to smell the roses or something like that lol It really is an impressive bit of work, along lines of: "a fine mess" or "an accurate estimate" I've concluded the unit is "Complex simplicity"!

After realizing that this is not one but two separate sections (held together by one bolt which can be seen just left of the fan) acting as one I decided to start with the heater side first. The heater side is built like a clam shell with the two halves held together by clips. There is also a rod that runs up through the fresh air intake on the right that clamps to the cowl which need to be removed.

With the clips out I removed the front half of the shell to expose the heater core.

Then I pulled the back half of the box out next leaving the ac section which mounts to the firewall.

Here it is in all of its glory, I can see the two halves, the damper contained in each and the heater core.

Next I pulled the AC section...4 mounting bolts and 4 Screws then the whole thing comes out. Since I was working alone I chose remove them in halves.

Perspective from the cabin.

And the engine bay.

The Unit almost completely broken down. The two halves, the dampers, linkage, mixture control cable, the damper vacuum actuator, the fresh air holding rod. the heater core and the defrost duct.

Here is the heater side all cleaned up a sorted. Waiting for the new core, foams and seals.

New heater core and sealer on the back half.

New Foams and sealer on the front half

Hers the completed half with new fresh air and blower foams also a cleaned blower motor resistor element.

Moving on to the AC side. Here's what it looks like Completely disassembled. Well almost everything. There is damper the resides in the air plenum tunnel to the left of the blower not shown in this picture because it's tricky to get to and I'm still working on that lol.

I used a 2 1/2 in screw and coupling to make an expander in order to take out a very difficult to remove flapper.

It's out! ... this is what it looks like... notice all the foam is gone.

Cleaned primed and painted housing.

Seal putty applied to gaps on the seams of the AC box.

Cleaned and cleared drain pan installed. Along with the damper fitted with new foam.

Cleaned and flushed Evaporator coil installed along with the thermostat and capillary tube.

Screens and sealer installed.

Clean Thermostat, Vacuum actuators, cable, linkages and cover installed.

Firewall insulation, gaskets and cleaned up blower assembly installed.

Time to put the two sides together.

Before/after

Finished and going on the shelf until it's ready to go back in. I did check all of the vacuum actuators for proper function. I also lubed the contact points and used graphite on the cables. The vacuum lines were all good and cleaned up well except for the one that connects to the engine that one was hard and brittle.

I had a lot of fun with this. I used the big kit from DMT which really worked out well.

Now that I've taken it this far and the front of the cabin is bare I think I should move on to the wiper linkage and pivot seals.

Oh boy...What have I done! :coffee2:[/QUOTE]

 

[AlV]

This was about the time I needed to shift gears a little bit and decided to take a stab at rebuilding the original A727. With the help of the awesome folks here on FABO I did Just that. Here is the link to the thread I started in the transmission and drive train tech section.

A727 Rebuild kits redux - Rebuild kits everywhere (62-70 vs 71+)
http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=245164

I've decided to pull the rebuild portion into this thread... starting now... lol

Some points before I begin.
* The Video and handbook are valuable resources (a must have for any beginner).
* FABO members are very knowledgeable and have provided very solid advice

Once I had a handle on the parts, I sourced them from different vendors take a look at post 15 for the parts list:

Northern auto parts (http://www.northernautoparts.com) for the Deluxe rebuild kit by Transtar. When the Kit arrived I noticed the package read for 71 and up. I called the good folks at Northern and they said I was good to go with the 71 and up kit. I expressed my apprehension and they said that they would check on my concern and get back to me. While I was waiting for Northern to call back with an update I pulled up the Transtar website and when through the catalog. While on the website I found the number for their location in Edison NJ which is just 10 minutes from my work. I made a call to the Edison location and spoke with a nice guy there who explained that Transtar does not produce the 62-70 kit any longer and he suggested that I purchase the supplemental Kit containing the 62-up things I'll need. About 10 minutes after I wrapped up with Transtar Northern called back and said the same thing, they explained that is why the site indicate I need to purches the "K22950E-4" sub kit. All was good. So if you buy that kit keep in mind that you'll need to purchase the sub kit to if you are working on a 62-70 transmission.

TSR (https://www.tsr-racing.com) for basically everything else except the shift Kit.

Summit Racing (http://www.summitracing.com/) for the Transgo TF2 Shift Kit

I removed the tail shaft housing and noticed it looked good.

IT wasn't until I pulled the oil pan that I saw the pepto bismal... I don't know how long this trans sat out of the car but it looked like someone did a lot of work then let it sit.

Taking the assemblies out of the case went smooth (slide hammers are key).

This is when it started to get interesting and more expensive. As I disassembled the trans I noticed that there seemed to be a lot of new parts as if it was overhauled run for a short while then pulled and set aside. As I removed the Valve body the first thing I noticed was that the Accumulator spring was missing and the piston was free to slam up and down in the port. I also noticed that the Apply (Kick down) servo was not complete either. So Now it hits me that this trans was prep'ed for full manual Race application and I need to bring it back to Street Auto. I can't wait to look at the valve body but I think I know what to expect.

The Apply servo is missing the Piston and the outer spring (I picked up a new setup from (Pat Blais)

The Low/revers servo was left absolutely stock.

I removed the Overrun Bearing (Sprag) to replace it with a bolt in unit.

Disassembled the front clutch and notice that the frictions and steels looked barley used. Many folks have told me to replace them anyway since they've been sitting in water and well let's face it I didn't tear this down for nothing. This clutch was set up with the 340 spec 6 springs. I'll be upgrading to 12.

Moved on to the forward clutch and yess the material there looked the same as the front did and the bands for that matter. "shakes head"

I drilled a 1/8 hole through the case on the oil return port as described in Munroe's handbook to provide additional lubrication to the bolt in overrun sprag.

With the lubrication hole drilled and the metal shavings cleaned out I installed the bolt in overrun unit. I used the bolts to line it up and start it into the boss then finishing with a press. (A press isn't required but it sure makes it easier)

With the Overrun installed I reassembled (with all the new stuff) the pump, front clutch, forward clutch then did a Test
[ame]http://vid953.photobucket.com/albums/ae16/alv1970/2013-09-03112844_zps7a9702e8.mp4[/ame]
Here I wrap up the planetary, reassemble the drive line in the case along with the servos, then head on to the Valve Body. BTW I picked up an unmolested OEM 69 valve body (also from Pat Blais) which I'll use to install the Transgo kit.

Servos.. this is when I started using parts from the Transgo tf2 kit. The front servo goes in as it came out complete with 2 springs, piston, rod and retainer, except it has been cleaned, inspected and has new rings.

Rear Lo/rev servo is update with transgo pieces.

Transgo restriction plug installed

New front band apply lever

Planet is set up and ready to go in...

The output shaft support was pretty well worn in by the lower ring seal of the governor so I ordered a new one from Whatever It Takes Transmission [WIT] (https://www.wittrans.com) It's not a big deal if you are setting up for full manual but since I am returning to auto and I have it apart why not replace it.

Low/Rev drum, band and planet installed in the case.

Next the Governor and bearing

Next the input shaft assembly (front and rear clutch packs)

Time to dry fit the pump and take total end play measurements

I'm stoked with this measurement

with a good read on the dial I put pump in with the new seals along with the tail housing then made the adjustments to both bands.

Next stop... valve body.

I hope to have a nice street setup when I'm done and I'm praying it all works and I didn't do something stupid! LOL

Here's a recap of the details of my final build:

My trans is set to the following spec:
1. Rear clutch pack clearance is .040
2. Front clutch clearance is .045
3. Planetary play is .025
4. Total end play clearance is .024
5. Front clutch pack increased from the 6 springs to 12
6. Front (KD) servo using both spring 45# inner/45#outer ( I have a 20# inner in inventory that can be switched in later)
7. L/R servo has the Transgo Spring and bush
8. Transgo restriction cup installed
9. Rear band adjusted to 3/8" of travel
10. Front band adjusted with small wrench to Snug then backed out 2.5 turns

Transgo TF2 setup.

Part 1:
A. Triangle did not drill
B. 1-2 shift did not drill (ball left out)
C. 2-3 shift drilled to .156 or 5/32
D. drilled to .234 0r 15/64

Part 2:
1. Re designed Manual Valve installed
2. Filed Notch halfway through manual bore
3. Drilled passage wall to increase fluid flow
4. Grind TV stem to .281 or 9/32 added yellow spring
5. Installed new shim and spring seat on PR valve, also added the new inner and outer Orange spring.
6. set PR adjustment flush against the inside edge of the spring retainer.
7. Installed new L/R Spring
8. Installed 2-3 restrictor cup

I picked up a spare Stock 69 Valve Body cleaned and ready to restore back to OEM spec.

Split the Valve Body

Remove separator plate and Drill.

The valve body sandwich

Working on the Top half

Before Transgo Mods

After Transgo Mods

Updated Manual valve, springs and TV grind.

Now I’m ready to button it up after that last hit with the Parts cleaner and compressed air.

All done and tucked away

All buttoned up and ready to go on the shelf. Problem is I'm all out of space in my little one car garage. lol


First A727 rebuild is in the books!
Whew! this is addictive for sure.

It's time to make some room in the garage to pull the engine out.

 

[AlV]

The '69 ignition switch bezel is plastic. Behind the dash is a metal bracket spot welded to the dash frame to hold the ignition switch and bezel in place.

Also pic of '69 shifter. I would imagine you could just change the knob.

Thanks for the pictures... I've got to figure out the ignition for sure. Does yours have the long switch or the short? I think 69's had the longer one and you're spot on the one in my dash is the shorter style.

 

[AlV]

As I write these posts (and review them) I can hardly believe how much the project has changed and grown from what I thought it would be when I started it. Backing into this thread made me realize how far the project has come and yet there is so much left to do.

Now that I've gotten this thread up to speed ... from here on things will slow down because the work is going to be happen real time.

My garage is getting tight making work space a premium making engine removal interesting. Here are a few pictures of the 318 engine and 727 pulled out in close quarters. lol
I separated the trans first and left it under the car so I could remove the 318.

Check out the custom work the previous owner did on the K frame to accommodate the power steering lines. Aye!

A friend has offered to loan me his welder. I haven't done any welding before so I'm excited to give it a try. I don't have High expectations.

 

[AlV]

Chip away at the stone... Singing a little Areosmith circa 88' because it feels right. lol

Not much left.... Show no mercy.

We'll see what surprises lay beneath.

Original door cards Sept 6 68

The wall of wire and trim.

This is the rough side

I haven't found the build sheet yet. I'm guessing my chances of finding it are slim to none.

 

[340sFastback]

:happy1:

 

[AlV]

I haven't had much time... the last few days have been hectic.

I was able to find some space to store my seats which really helps with the space constraints in my garage. As a bonus i've made arrangements to store the 340 until I need to put it back in the car. They are little things that really help.

I know I haven't said much about the 340 so here is a teaser. I'll write more about it after I get the body out

This is what it looked like when I hauled it home

The 340 rising out if the ashes.
Here's a pic of the long block.
Ready for some MOPAR red. (You can see the X heads in this pic)

Stay tuned. :burnout:

 

[Scamper]

I am absolutely fascinated with this thread and read each part 2 to 3 times. I really look forward to reading each step. I am not computer literate so showing pics of mine does not seem possible lol.