My 75 Finally Gets The Attention It Deserves(This Could Take a While)

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Gearhed73 said:
Coming along nicely. I like your hangar, do you work in Corporate?
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Yes. Between service centers, part 91 and 135 flight departments it's been twenty five years. I'm primarily a Gulfstream mechanic(the safest aircraft flying) but have a fair amount of Challenger 601 experience as well.
 
I thought so. I’m also a corporate guy, 91/135. Primary Gulfstream, but just about everything else except “Hawkers”.
 
Gearhed73 said:
I thought so. I’m also a corporate guy, 91/135. Primary Gulfstream, but just about everything else except “Hawkers”.
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You wouldn't happen to work at the Van Nuys Airport, would you? That's where I spent most of my career. Congratulations on avoiding Hawkers. I hear they're a nightmare to work on.
 
I have worked in Van Nuys. Worked for Elite for little while. I still have friends up there. I’m based out of KSNA, but travel when needed. Unfortunately I do have Hawker experience... normally I don’t admit it.
 
Nice progress bringing a ‘75 back from storage condition. I’m partial to 75’s as well. The fact you’ve had the car so long probably has you thinking ‘why did I do that?’ so many years ago. What rear sway bar do you have? Was it an aftermarket one or one off a ‘76 police Valiant?

Keep it up!
 
Gearhed73 said:
I have worked in Van Nuys. Worked for Elite for little while. I still have friends up there. I’m based out of KSNA, but travel when needed. Unfortunately I do have Hawker experience... normally I don’t admit it.
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I know I have several friends that have worked for Elite over the years but I'd be hard pressed to say just which friends they were. I started out at The Jet Center. From there to Trans Exec, then Kbbd, and then Western Jet Aviation. That's where I was when I got the offer in Pittsburgh. There are so many corporate jets at Van Nuys a guy could spend his entire career on that field. Sorry to hear about the hawker experience.
 
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H22A4 said:
Nice progress bringing a ‘75 back from storage condition. I’m partial to 75’s as well. The fact you’ve had the car so long probably has you thinking ‘why did I do that?’ so many years ago. What rear sway bar do you have? Was it an aftermarket one or one off a ‘76 police Valiant?

Keep it up!
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I had no meaningful experience as a mechanic when the engine died so I didn't appreciate how easily the problem could've been repaired at the time. Looking back I wish I'd done the repairs right away, but then I have to wonder if I'd still have the car this many years later if I had. The fact that it was broken down at the end of my Parents driveway where it wasn't in anyone's way likely has a lot to do with me still owning it, and at this point I'm really glad that I do. The front and rear sway bars are both aftermarket, but it's been too long for me to say who made them. All I remember is they came from the Glendale Speed Center in Southern California which is long gone now. The car was made without either one, so adding them had a huge impact on the way it handled. I remember it being a lot more fun to drive afterwards.
 
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Pulleys and brackets just finished baking in the oven after getting a fresh coat of semigloss black paint. With these parts the engine is almost done.
 
Well this is disappointing. I went to install the new inserts into my engine mounts only to discover that they don’t fit. The mount fittings have an oval shaped opening for the inserts and the idiots that made these replacements gave them an elliptical profile that’s too fat in the center to fit the mount. This sort of stupidity is mind boggling. In case you’re wondering they came from and are going back to Autozone.
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Rookie move lol. I am using a 74 K frame and mounts in my 67. I bought poly bushings for my 74 mounts. These were inserts and required the rubber to be burned out and the outer oval sleeve to be retained in the mount. Too late for yours, however prothane sells these as insert bushings that retain the outer shells. Prothane also sells UCA, LCA, engine mount, transmission mount and spring eye poly bushings that retain the OEM pressed in outer sleeve. Use a bernsonatic and remove the rubber leaving the outer shell sleeves intact, grease up and press in the new poly inners. You can get all prothane bushings in either black or red.

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I already ordered a replacement set of inserts on Rock Auto. In the photo the new inserts clearly have the correct oval profile, so hopefully they’ll do the trick.
 
Tanker said:
I had no meaningful experience as a mechanic when the engine died so I didn't appreciate how easily the problem could've been repaired at the time. Looking back I wish I'd done the repairs right away, but then I have to wonder if I'd still have the car this many years later if I had. The fact that it was broken down at the end of my Parents driveway where it wasn't in anyone's way likely has a lot to do with me still owning it, and at this point I'm really glad that I do. The front and rear sway bars are both aftermarket, but it's been too long for me to say who made them. All I remember is they came from the Glendale Speed Center in Southern California which is long gone now. The car was made without either one, so adding them had a huge impact on the way it handled. I remember it being a lot more fun to drive afterwards.
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This is a great story. Watching intently at I have a 1975 Duster as well. I had to laugh at the Ebay battery tray drill. I just went through that about a month ago.
 
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Juanito said:
This is a great story. Watching intently at I have a 1975 Duster as well. I had to laugh at the Ebay battery tray drill. I just went through that about a month ago.
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I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my adventure, and good luck to you with your own. I take it you were able to track down a correct battery tray on eBay? If not the black one seen in my post here is available. I've since found a near perfect one on eBay that'll be used instead.
 
On the poly mounts for the engine bracket, I used them on my Duster.
They fit the engine mounts great, but the frame brackets, I had to use a porta-power to spread the brackets on the K member.
I suggest to check the fit before dropping the engine in the car.
 
sireland67 said:
On the poly mounts for the engine bracket, I used them on my Duster.
They fit the engine mounts great, but the frame brackets, I had to use a porta-power to spread the brackets on the K member.
I suggest to check the fit before dropping the engine in the car.
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Ran into the same issue. The inner metal sleeve is the right length on these. Bushings are too long by 1/8". I trimmed the bushings to fit closer. Didnt have to spread the mount.
 
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Tanker said:
I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my adventure, and good luck to you with your own. I take it you were able to track down a correct battery tray on eBay? If not the black one seen in my post here is available. I've since found a near perfect one on eBay that'll be used instead.
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The one I bought was supposed to be for a 1975, but it is somewhat shorter. It bolted up just fine with all of the OEM hardware and support bracket.
 
The motor mount inserts from Rock Auto arrived today and seem to fit fine. I still need to press them in all the way but I don't expect any trouble with that. AutoZone refunded the cost of the other pair and the refund just about covered the cost of the new set plus shipping.
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I finally managed to track down what I believe to be the correct factory exhaust manifolds for a 75 on eBay. They'll need some cleaning up prior to use, but that's not a problem. At some point in the future I may very well put headers back on the car, but for now I'll have a shop fabricate the pipes to connect these to the dual exhausts the car has. That being said, I'll never discard the factory manifolds again the way I did when I put the headers on at 18. I like the idea of being able to return to a stock configuration if I want to.
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Bead blast the manifolds & sheet metal piece. Have them Ceracoted black, or silver & run them. Unless you are building a high HP engine, the manifolds will serve you well.
 
First pic is V8 truck. 2nd and 3rd pix are I believe 73-76 318 A body. I pulled 2nd and 3rd pix right off Fabo.

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