What Are You Doing To/With Your Car Today?

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High 60's today!
Warmed it up, and then ran the piss out of it!
Man, I can't wait for warm weather.
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Kickdown linkage all set up. New alternator installed per fn @Johnny Dart. Still not a 68 round back but have one if I want. Installed hood insulation. Redid rear drums still waiting for stuff for pass. side. Rear brake flex hose came in and hooked that up. Maybe install transmission cooler lines tomorrow along with finishing rear brakes. Good simple day.


@JohnnyDart
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you can get brake parts like adjusting levers from rockauto---cheap.
 
Nice Elvira stand-up.

I have the 1987 Coors stand-up.
 
Found a killer alternative for LED Stop/Turn/Tail lights on the early 70's Darts that I will describe with pics a little later today.
I have done LED's in the lights a few different ways, but this one takes the cake by far and is super inexpensive compared to a lot of other options.
No modding of the lenses or housings required.
So simple a cave man could do it.:D
 
TrailBeast said:
Found a killer alternative for LED Stop/Turn/Tail lights on the early 70's Darts that I will describe with pics a little later today.
I have done LED's in the lights a few different ways, but this one takes the cake by far and is super inexpensive compared to a lot of other options.
No modding of the lenses or housings required.
So simple a cave man could do it.:D
Click to expand...

looking forward to seeing!

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YY1 said:
Nice Elvira stand-up.

I have the 1987 Coors stand-up.
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She was part of a Coors beer standup, I just cut the beer part off many years ago. And I've had it probably since the 80's so could be its the same one you have.
Funny thing about where I found her. My dad and I were driving into our favorite deer hunting area on the western slope in colorado. Driving along a small dirt road, someone had nailed her up in front of the Smokey the Bear sign. I started laughing my *** off when I saw it, and I was telling my dad to stop the truck, stop the truck, we have to go back and get her.
 
I worked at a regional grocery store from fall of '86 to fall of '87.

The '86 one was up when I started and I asked if I could have it.

They said the manager was keeping it but I might be able to have the one they got next year, if I was still there. I made them write that down and give me a copy!

In between seasons, there was a big stink about the amount of cleavage exposed in areas where kids might see it...

Well, next year came around and I reminded them.
The kept their word and I got it.

...but the '87 version has her hair in front.

I blame Ed Meese, and the PMRC.
 
On all four again but with an 8-3/4 with Sure-Grip 3:23.

Still need to raise front end a bit. Torsion bars haven’t been adjusted yet

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Painting my Optima 34 battery box.
bead blasted
broke edges
primered with self etching primer
painting with some spiffy red paint
finishing with some clear stuff.

Here's the part on Summit.
Artec Industries Battery Boxes OP3405

It comes unfinished. I used it for about 6-8 months or so, and it got a ton of surface rust so I had to yank it and make it all pretty. I went and got an estimate today for powder coating on my lunch break, and they wanted $90. Too ruch for my blood, and since it's going to go in the trunk and be protected from wrenches and screwdrivers back there, I decided to just paint it.

The paint coats are drying right now, I'll post some finished pictures later.

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Pics of progress...

Only a few insects got in the paint, but they are gnat sized, not stinkbug sized, and the battery will hide their miniature corpses. (They are so small, you can't see them in the phone camera pictures).
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Also, checked fluid levels, oil down a quart, and ATF down about 14oz. So my son (6) and his friend (9) hopped in the little 318 with me for a drive and we hit the Oreilley's and 7-11 for snacks and redbull. (I can't drink a beer for lubrication if I need to head out for more stuff and take them for another drive to the basketball courts. The guys love the Barracuda, and it is inherent upon me to get them baptized in Mopar, instead of letting them become gay like this...)

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Got a fresh set of ngk plugs in tonight, also replaced the cap and rotor with accel heavy duty. Installed new taylor thundervolt 8.2mm plug wires. Also got some summit racing plug wire seperators to help keep the plug wires organized, adjusted how they are run and tightened them up quite a bit, my other set of wires stuck above the air filter housing. Seems like its going to be nice enough out this weekend to take her out.

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Last night it was almost sixty degrees outside so I checked all the fluids and took the Battery Tender off. The Dart fired right up and after reaching operating temperature I proceeded to beat on it heavily several times. What a great way to end the week!

 
BrianT said:
Last night it was almost sixty degrees outside so I checked all the fluids and took the Battery Tender off. The Dart fired right up and after reaching operating temperature I proceeded to beat on it heavily several times. What a great way to end the week!

Click to expand...

Awesome....fired my challenger up too..
 
71DodgeDemon340 said:
Got a fresh set of ngk plugs in tonight, also replaced the cap and rotor with accel heavy duty. Installed new taylor thundervolt 8.2mm plug wires. Also got some summit racing plug wire seperators to help keep the plug wires organized, adjusted how they are run and tightened them up quite a bit, my other set of wires stuck above the air filter housing. Seems like its going to be nice enough out this weekend to take her out.

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I love the finish on those exhaust manifolds. clean, soooo clean. :thumbsup:
 
Was under the dart disconnecting stuff from the 904 so I can pull it. While under the car I noticed that everything under the steering box is covered in oil, after a little closer inspection, the steering box is leaking bad from the top seal, like where the steering shaft connects. Leaking so much that the bottom of the box there is washed clean from the leaking power steering fluid.

What to do next, spend all my transmission money on replacing the factory steering box with the borgeson unit? Ignore it and move on with my tranny swap? I really didn't need this right now. But the box is original as far as I know and its the only part of the front suspension/steering that I haven't replaced or upgraded.
 
Trying to figure out battery box placement so I will be able to;

  • Access side marker light
  • Drop the interior/trunk panel
  • Not drill through the trunk-side panel seam
The bottom right hole in the box looks to be on the seam, or very close to it. I am going to have to wire wheel that bonding or sealing gunk out of the way.
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Holes drilled in a decent enough spot, cleaned up nicely with a wire wheel and got some primer sprayed. It looks like ***, but works.

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The holes don't quite line up, but a few minutes with a rat tail file and it will work just fine.

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