Getting the 65 in Driving order.

Riverdawg · Jun 29, 2016

Well, I picked up this 65 Coronet 500 a little over 3 years ago. Finally got some funds freed up now that the loan is paid off. I've done a little work here and there, nothing major. Took out the raggedy shredded carpeting. I've been cleaning up the bottom as I've had some free time. I dropped the gas tank last fall and was surprised how clean it was inside. So my brother popped the dent out and I checked to make sure it had no leaks, I cleaned up and painted the bottom of the trunk and put the tank back in. When we first got it my brother looked it over and was able to get it running after rebuilding the carb and getting a new Carter fuel pump. I also replaced the water pump and we had the old radiator repaired, though an aluminum one will be put in a couple years. I recently picked up a front disc conversion kit and will be putting that on soon. About a month ago, I pulled the rear end out and my brother is going through it. New bearing, larger drums, checking the sure grip and putting in new axles after he narrows it an inch per side. Will be putting new brakes lines all around and my brother has a dual master cycle from a donor car for me.

Riverdawg · Jun 29, 2016

It looks like it started out as an AA1 (gold) 318 automatic with white interior and vinyl top, gold carpet born 12-9-64 according to the broadcast sheet, yes it was there. From what we can figure out someone took the car apart 20+ years ago or so and changed the color from the original light gold to this med brown metallic. They put on SS springs, dropped in a D 440 hp, I'm guessing from a roadrunner as they also put the beepbeep horn under the hood. Chrome Dan straightened up, polished and painted the grill. Picked up some Weld Pro-Stars but the backspace is only 4" thus why we decided to narrow the rear end since we were going through it anyway. It'll probably need either the floors replaced or patched up. I'll get it drivable soon and keep restoring/ maybe working toward a resto-mod or track car (I like what 65roadracer is doing with his 65 Plymouth).

black64 · Jun 30, 2016

Nice 65 looking forward to seeing your build progress on this.

black64 · Jul 1, 2016

I have a 65 rear housing I picked up for my 64 but don't need it. It's just a bare housing. Also have a set of 11" rear brakes for it. Let me know if you could use it.

Riverdawg · Jul 10, 2016

My brother replaced the front bushings on my leaf springs. I've gotten the leaf springs cleaned up and first coat of rattle can on them. Want to get a few coats on them and then clean up the rest of the floor and mounts before putting it all back in. Unfortunately, It's been slow for my brother to get the "new pole barn" shop up and going. Not sure when I'll get the rear end back. May not make Mopars at the Red Barns on the 30th like I was hoping or Woodward Dream Cruise. I've haven't given up hope quite yet, but it's already the 10th.

Riverdawg · Jul 24, 2016

I starting working on the front disc brake conversion. I found this kit on ebay from 60 to 0 brakes. All mopar parts. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mopar-Disc-...962-/371686835468?vxp=mtr&hash=item568a43050c Looks like good stuff, not wilwood or baer but I'm on a budget.

Unfortunately I lack a compressor and have to do most stuff by hand. I do have an electric impact that my brother picked up at a garage sale that has helped a lot. I've basically gotten the driver side apart this weekend. But had a hell of a time getting the knuckle to separate from the upper ball joint. Still need to pull the torsion bar, strut and lower control arm. Also bought some Prothane (my brother uses them) boots and control arm bushings. I just ordered their bump stops, torsion boots and Front strut arm bushings and I may need to get ball joints and ties rods etc. I need to take the controls to my brothers. He has a blast cabinet and the tools needed to replace the bushings. Unfortunately he still doesn't has the air compressor, welder and other large tools wired and running so I'll have to wait. That also means the rear end is still waiting to be finished up. Those front shoes for the drums were toasted. Glad I'm changing to discs. Really need to clean it all up.

silvertonguedevil · Jul 25, 2016

Looking forward to watching your progress!

Riverdawg · Apr 13, 2018

Well it's been a while since I've updated on my attempt to get the 65 on the road. I was trying to get a front disc conversion done in the summer of 2016. Bought some of that Evapo-Rust and have been using that to help clean parts up. It was cool to see some of the paint markings show up on pieces. I also discovered that the strut rods were bent. So I started looking into replacements.

Riverdawg · Apr 13, 2018

I didn't get much further in 2016, my brother ended up moving into a new house with a great pole barn. So he was going to try get my rear end narrowed and rebuilt before the move but ran out of time. About the same time I noticed that 65roadracer had replaced the QA1 front suspension components with a new sub-frame setup with coil-overs and rack and pinion. So just out of curiosity, I contacted him to ask him how he liked the QA1 front control arms, strut rods etc. Well as it turned out I bought all that front suspension and roll bar from him. Luckily still wasn't far along so when I finally got all the QA1 parts, I started putting the drivers side back together. So I got the front end all back together in late June of 2017.

Here's the original color under all the grime and undercoating. Tough stuff to get off. I won't take it all off right now. Probably not until I can get the body redone.

Riverdawg · Apr 13, 2018

I was able to get together in July '17 with my brother to start getting the rear end narrowed and re-built. We got it narrowed, cleaned up and painted. Then he started having some health issue and issues with work. It got shelved until December. We were able to get it put back together just before his cancer surgery in Mid-December. He bought Strange axles and had some 11'' drums that he put on for me. It's been sitting in my cold garage until this week. Thursday afternoon, I was able to wrestle the springs back on by myself. When I went to put on the new stainless brake lines, I discovered that they are wrong. The packaging says they are for 62-65 but they don't line up to the split block and vent. I believe that this rear end may be is a 68 or 69 489 case with 3.23 sure grip. The 440 in the car is a 68 D 440 hp block and we think the rear end probably came from the same car. I looked up lines for a 68 Road Runner and the shape and length is very close to what I need. I could also look into building new lines. My brother also has a dual master cylinder for me to put on. Hopefully I'll get the rear end re-installed in the car very soon.

pushrod · Apr 14, 2018

Keep up the good work. Nice carprayers for your brother and .hope he is recovering.

Riverdawg · Apr 14, 2018

pushrod said:
Keep up the good work. Nice carprayers for your brother and .hope he is recovering.

Thanks, I appreciate the kind words. My brother is healing, slower than he’d like but so far so good.

Glenwood · Apr 14, 2018

Looks good! I had to get a different brake flex hose for the 70 rear axle in the 64 since the vent is further away from the pumpkin on a 70. I made my own brake lines anyway.

Riverdawg · Apr 14, 2018

Glenwood said:
Looks good! I had to get a different brake flex hose for the 70 rear axle in the 64 since the vent is further away from the pumpkin on a 70. I made my own brake lines anyway.

Yeah I’m leaning toward making my own too. I’ve heard stainless steel is tough to work with but I don’t have a flaring either. I wonder if O’rielly auto parts has one to loan out.

ckessel · Apr 15, 2018

Since you got a grip of QA1 stuff, I saw something on MOPARTS that will be of interest to you. The poster, Secret Chimp, has a 66-7 doing the same thing as you. He found out that the sway mar mount on the arms appear to be for 70 and newer which are in a different position creating a fit issue. Early ones, 69 and back, have the bar attaching farther out on the arm with the sway bar mounting in front of the k, 70- mounts further in on the arms and the sway goes through the k. Early sways are wider than later from tip to tip. May want to investigate that. Nice ride btw too on yours. I'll be glad when I get back onto mine after we move and I get the new garage made.

Riverdawg · Apr 16, 2018

ckessel said:
Since you got a grip of QA1 stuff, I saw something on MOPARTS that will be of interest to you. The poster, Secret Chimp, has a 66-7 doing the same thing as you. He found out that the sway mar mount on the arms appear to be for 70 and newer which are in a different position creating a fit issue. Early ones, 69 and back, have the bar attaching farther out on the arm with the sway bar mounting in front of the k, 70- mounts further in on the arms and the sway goes through the k. Early sways are wider than later from tip to tip. May want to investigate that. Nice ride btw too on yours. I'll be glad when I get back onto mine after we move and I get the new garage made.

ckessel, I got to thinking about this. I'm hoping that because these parts came off a 65 Plymouth that they'll fit right on my 65 Coronet. I appreciate the info and will keep it in mind.

Riverdawg · Apr 24, 2018

Also posted this in the https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/threads/what-did-you-do-to-your-mopar-today.20805/page-279.

I got the rear end put back in and the drive shaft hooked back up yesterday. Still need to get the brake lines squared away and see if the emergency brake lines are going to work. Unfortunately I got to work in the yard today so I don’t know if I’ll get anything else done this weekend. I have to ask my brother to figure out the proportioning valve and maybe put in a line lock too.
View attachment 597867

View attachment 597868

and this
Got the rear brake lines today. So I believe that the 489 rear end probably came from the car (maybe a Road Runner) that the 440 engine came from. If I remember correctly the D 440 on the engine pad means it's a 1968 and the 1 30 is the year month. So this would have been in a 68 (fixed, thanks dadsbee) vehicle. So I looked up the brake lines for the rear for a 68-69 Road Runner and the shape looked right and the length was close to what I needed so that's what I ordered. They fit with just a little tweaking since the rear was shortened an inch each side. After talking to my brother I decided I'm going to take the e-brake cables off too. The passenger side is way too long, it needs to be the same as the drivers side which looks to be correct. He had some nice SS cables so he put them on but now they'll come off. Hope to have time by this weekend to get them off.

View attachment 598492

Riverdawg · Jun 24, 2019

Wow. Been a while since I've had time to update this. Since the last post, my time to work on the car has dwindled since my wife took a leave of absence from her job due to her health issues. I am doing more and more of the daily household stuff and working my regular job.

But, I have gotten the rest of the brakes lines ran and added a line lock too. My brother picked up a new Be Cool radiator for me for Christmas a couple years ago. So at the beginning of the year 2019, I finally got the radiator figure out got it mounted. This spring my brother and I tried to get the trans working but couldn't get it to shift into first. Then (early May) I had my appendix out and was down for a couple weeks. Finally we decided to swap the trans with a 70 trans that he sold me a few years ago (in case the original in the car didn't work). After getting the trans swapped he had to bring the car back to my house. He had other customers cars coming in and needed the room. So after looking on line trying to figure out what cables and brackets were needed to hook my 65 shifter to the 70 trans, I called A&A transmissions and told them what I was doing and they sent me everything needed. For info on that see https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...our-mopar-today.20805/page-347#post-911289185

I need to get a trans cooler ordered and pull the trans pan off again to put the filter and spacer in that I forgot

. At least I caught it before filling the fluid and running it. :praying:

Oh I also picked up a NOS reverse lens, thanks to member Fran Blacker for letting me know about one on ebay. Cleaned up the taillights and housing the best I could.

ckessel · Jun 26, 2019

That factory undercoating is some tenacious stuff. Found that out on mine too.

Riverdawg · Jun 26, 2019

Ckessel, I’ve still got more to remove too. I want to get it out of the garage to do that.
Got the trans filter on last night. :BangHead:

Need to get the “mufflers” back on or get the full exhaust installed. hopefully get a trans cooler today too. Need to get the trans checked out as soon as I can.

Getting the 65 in Driving order.

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