68 Coronet, slow project in Napa, CA

[Darter6]

FWIW the 3.91 is a good gear & in O/D it becomes a 3.04 which is pretty good...

When we did this 'Cuda at first we installed 3.91 because we had a used pumpkin ready.
Passon 4 speed OD big block 451. Car got 20 MPG on the Power Tour.
The 3.91 gear set was noisy so later we swapped in the new 3.73.

 

[fesser]

When we did this 'Cuda at first we installed 3.91 because we had a used pumpkin ready.
Passon 4 speed OD big block 451. Car got 20 MPG on the Power Tour.
The 3.91 gear set was noisy so later we swapped in the new 3.73.

Beautiful car! I assume the overdrive had higher gearing than the GV unit's? Was it still happy at freeway speeds?

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Actually the GV is .78..... The Passion O/D set is .8.... So very close but the GV is slightly more...

 

[451Mopar]

Passon was working on the A-855 5-speed transmission, but I don't know anyone who has one?

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Passon was working on the A-855 5-speed transmission, but I don't know anyone who has one?

Passion has delivered a few of those... Most are still on a waiting list ten years later... There are other people who were involved in that project, they've been known to actually deliver the trans in months.... I know of a couple people with them....

 

[fesser]

Had a little time to mess with the car this afternoon. I cut out the buddy seat brackets and started working on placement of the brackets to install a console and shifter. I was going off some info posted in FBBO that showed measurements between brackets and such and was taping parts in place. Then I noticed the formed area in the floor where the shifter linkage boot gets mounted. It has dimples for the three screws, and a dimple in the center. Before I start drilling, can anyone tell me how large the hole is supposed to be for the vertical linkage that passes through the floor/hump from the factory? Is it a round hole? Edit: Found it by searching, 2 1/2" round hole (give or take).

 

[MNBiker]

What are you doing with the buddy seat brackets?

 

[fesser]

What are you doing with the buddy seat brackets?

I was going to list the whole setup for crazy high money and then when it didn't sell, I was going to put it on a shelf until I forgot I owned it.

 

[Cheapsunglasses]

Sounds like the typical mopar guy

 

[fesser]

Got as far as drilling the hole for the console shift linkage. I don't have the linkage parts that are below the floor, so I decided to put off welding in console brackets as I really want to mock-up everything (seats, console, linkage connected, etc.) before I weld in the brackets, so I decided to go ahead and pull the engine and transmission.
First thing I did was put too much leverage on the radiator petcock, tweaking it and causing a leak.
Out of curiosity I dismantled the top of the engine before I pulled the short block. There are always interesting things to discover when dealing with a car of unknown background. Like this super tight timing chain...

Custom made bushing...

While unbolting the flexplate from the converter I noticed what looked like grinding marks on the flexplate and that some of the bolt heads looked like they were ground down too. I figured out why once the engine was out.

These things had to make a hell of a racket while they were tearing themselves up, but the p.o.'s fix was to replace the missing bolts. Oh well.
I apparently wasted time unbolting the passenger motor mount.

Extra credit for anyone who noticed the water infused engine oil in my homemade catch pan.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Lock washers were the downfall... Originally there was just a thin head bolt... Just adding a lock washer would cause the bolt head to contact the block....

 

[ckessel]

Nice strut rod bushing too.

 

[RemCharger]

Lower control arm bushings aren't much to brag about..

 

[fesser]

Those bushings both look better than the chunks of black stuff that came out where the trans should have been connected to the cross member.

 

[ckessel]

I would imagine you've started your shopping list?

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Those bushings both look better than the chunks of black stuff that came out where the trans should have been connected to the cross member.

Your's had black stuff??? I'm jealous mine just had a chain wrapped around it....

 

[fesser]

I would imagine you've started your shopping list?

I am scared to start the list. But many of the parts I need should be coming home on the trailer tomorrow afternoon. Six hour round trip at the minimum but lots of stuff I need.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

I am scared to start the list. But many of the parts I need should be coming home on the trailer tomorrow afternoon. Six hour round trip at the minimum but lots of stuff I need.

Well, are you home yet??? What did ya drag home this time??? Fingers crossed it gives you everything you hoped it would....

 

[fesser]

Just got back with my fenders, temporary hood, and other miscellaneous items.

 

[1 Wild R/T]

Awesome!! How's the trunk ? Front bumper looks good, how's the rear bumper? Should be allot of good parts there...