Mopar Muscle Association UK

Tried the starter without the adaptor, as per Blue & Pete's suggestion above. Fits ok, but there is only 2-3mm gap at the closest point between the nut/stud and the block.
And as the cover (that would fit with the adaptor) cant be used, is that a safe option, having the starter terminals so clse to the block?

Blue, Pete - what say you?

Not as clear as Stu's pics, but...





And while we were at it, had a quick look how the carb/filter/coil/fuel lines will fit together. Need to get inverted flare fittings to fit the pre-bent fuel lines (pics already posted) to the carb, and the section that attaches to the fuel pump is a bit too long, but apart from that...
The coil relocator bracket seems to do its job ok tho.

Also started looking at the new section of wiring loom we got, and where to fit the (black, FBO) 'orange' box..... sound famliar Del?

That's the best way to fit Easy fix fella, block of rubber between terminal and block

Love the 68 air cleaner

Thanks Ash, I'll see what i can find.

Re the air cleaner...

Apart from it being a 318 car with an engine that wasnt available for that model, we are trying to keep it stock-ish, as you know so the nearest we can get is to dress the engine as if it were a 69 GTX.

We got the air filter bits from Mancini's and they say "The proper selection of engine ID plates is as follows: 1967-68 (red), 1969-71 (orange)"
http://chucker54.stores.yahoo.net/enidplat2.html

But Year One are a bit less specific and say "68-69 tend to have more red lids while 70-71 cars use more orange lids"
http://www.yearone.com/pco/1_0210/full.asp?page=285

Liz Hurley - Curly Wurly....

Hi Twins,

I would go with a stock starter LOL!
Only dragboys with 12 to 1 comp need them mini-jobs?

Lookin good fellas!

Baaca

Thanks Bacca, but I'm looking forward to hearing that thing whizz over 10x faster than the old stocker.... not very concourse I know, but neither is anything else on the car!

Ash - where do you get your air cleaner info from? I guess your car may have come with an air cleaner like this, but that would have had the red design on the 'pie pan' surely?

Looking on t'net, it appears 69 may have been a bit of a transition year, between changing from red to orange, but I havent seen any info to suggest that 68's had orange lids?
But since looking, I have seen more 69's with red lids

Unless youre talking about the casing itself Then I'm really stumped.

As you know, and as I've said before, we're not going for 100% correct with all this, as it's an engine/car combo that didnt exist, but if there is a right & a wrong for bits we're changing or renewing, we'd rather opt for the one that would have been 'right'!

If you knoworrimean...

rob, my starters fairly close like yours and a few more ive fitted have been the same, should be fine just have a check every once in a while to make sure the nut aint coming loose, cars coming along great top work

Rob, i was talking about the case My lid is red, not 100% but i think 69 is a orange lid

Thanks Ash. You had to post a pic of yours didnt you, just when i thought ours was starting to look ok

I've done a quick check & am happy that the casing is the same for 68 & 69 but there's still a ? over the colour of the i/d plate. I've asked Mancini to confirm with some evidence that 69 should be orange (as it says on their website) and their man's going to get back to me when he's looked into it ....

I dont suppose he'll contradict what they've already said, or he'll have to send us a new red one for free

BTW - what it that fitting between your heater hoses & top rad hose, on the water pump? Water temp gauge, presumably?
We looked at fitting ours at the weekend (AutoGauge, that we bought yonks ago), but the capillary tube is so un-flexible, it's tricky to route it without going up & over the distributor and sticking out like a sore thumb

" Red coloring was used up through late 1968 (some early 1969 models?) and orange coloring was used for most 1969 models and later."
http://www.nicksgarage.com/aircleaner.htm

One more opinion.....

Yep, thats the temp capillary tube, that's an old pic though, now use electric gauge, after the tube broke twice even with the coils bent into it

Been looking into where to get our seat vinyl replaced and decided on Joe Gillard (one-man-band?) of Unique Auto Trimming, down in Great Bookham, Surrey.

We've seen a few of the cars Joe's done over the years and were confident that he'd do a better job than the others we were considering, so took the seats, vinyl & foam down to him yesterday.

We mentioned that we bought the car from Great Bookham back in '85. He asked where from but we couldnt remember the address, but when we said it was bought from Rob/Bob Watson, Joe said "Oh Bob, yes he lives close by, he's got an old pink Caddy/Chevy/something.." (that's me not remembering, not Joe )

So bit of a coincidence that we've ended up back where we bought it nearly 26 years ago

BTW, Joe's '60 Biscayne panel van was in the same CA as Dave R's Chally, but sold that soon after and now has a 58/59 Chevy 'wagon, oh and a '79 2.3 Cortina estate as parts hauler(s).

Should be collecting our seats next weekend so will get some pics up when I can.

I knew Rob and Heidi Watson quite well - he had your Satellite when I had mine, and we both subsequently bought 55 Chevy's. I've lost touch with him now though.

I think I've only seen him a couple of times since we bought the car - once at Blake Hall, Ongar and once at the Pod, but not for at least 10 years.
Not sure I'd recognise him now...

Slow progress of late, but still chipping away at the to-do list. Been a bit one step forward, two steps back... you know how it is

But one area of progress to report - 'in-car-entertainment'

Well, what to do regarding having some tunes in the car.

We havent bothered to change the Polara's i.c.e. from stock cos we'd prob have to keep the volume on 11 to hear anything above all the other noises, but as the Satellite should be a bit quieter, and we've already got 2x Pioneer speakers in the rear shelf, we thought we have something other than the AM radio that Ma Mopar supplied 42 years ago.

Did consider fitting an aftermarket radio/cd/mp3 player... maybe in the glove box. Could have fitted a decent unit (Kenwood etc), with some front speakers for just over £100, but we werent convinced by the practicalities of having a radio 5 feet away in a glove-box with a top-hinged door,

I'd read in Hemmings Muscle Machines a few months ago about a guy in New York that restores original radios, converts them to stereo, adds a bit of oomph and an additional output for connecting a cd or mp3 player etc so I started looking into getting that done over here.

After a bit of searching I found this guy in Bristol who does a similar job
http://www.radios.freeserve.co.uk/
Click the 'FM Stereo Conversions' tab on the left for the conversion info.
He says the websites a bit out of date, but you get the idea.

So we sent our original radio (plus the spare we bought years ago as our knobs and clear plastic window were damaged when the body man loosened the windcreen sealant with a propane heater back in 1990 ) to our man Adrian down in Bristol, and after a couple of weeks he returned the radio cleaned up with 'new' knobs & glass fitted, converted to stereo, FM added and an external audio input via the 3.5mm plug lead.

Some pics

This is the original AM radio, c/w Bendix labels, wobbly clear plastc bit, but already with knobs transferred from the spare radio





and 2 weeks & £275 later.....





Not much to show for the money i guess but the proof of the pudding will be when I connect my mp3 player to the 4x 45 watts and see if it can compete with the Dynomax mufflers.....
Unless the wifes in the car

That last pic shows the black aux input lead for connecting to an mp3 player (i have a Walkman) or a ye olde cd player.

Adrian also supplied a pair of Radiomobile 60W pod speakers (£30) that we'll look a fitting up under the dash, to supplement the Pioneers in the rear.

Nice ice baby