Lookie what $5000 buys you....
- Thread starter Kern Dog
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@FASTEDDIE1960 This isn't a for sale thread.....if you are interested in something another member has, either start a 'wanted' ad or contact the member directly. Thanks.
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It has been awhile since I updated things but I took a few moments to tinker today.
I’m pondering what to do about this:
The car isn’t actually going 145 mph. Of the three speedometers I had, this one had the cleanest face. Keep in mind, I have been diligent with this project to make the car functional and reliable using as few new parts as possible. Call me silly but I find that to be fun. I may have to pull the instrument panel and see if I can live the speedo mechanism. That speedo is original to this car:
It never bounces or hopped around. It was smooth in the red car. More to come on that.
The engine won’t start with the key but starts fine by bridging the terminals on the starter relay. Often this is the relay itself but could also be the ignition switch and wiring. More on that later too.
Finally….
A member asked here about a radio delete plate. I mentioned that I made one out of a warped section that normally fits over the glove box hole.
I just took the old panel and cut it down to serve as a block off plate until I restore the interior. ZERO cost. I like that.
I finally put in the glove box liner and was ready to mount the door but…
No hinge on the glove box door.
I’m sure the 1970 is one year only but these should be the same for all 1970 B bodies, right? It shouldn’t matter if it is standard or Rallye dash, right?
I’m pondering what to do about this:
The car isn’t actually going 145 mph. Of the three speedometers I had, this one had the cleanest face. Keep in mind, I have been diligent with this project to make the car functional and reliable using as few new parts as possible. Call me silly but I find that to be fun. I may have to pull the instrument panel and see if I can live the speedo mechanism. That speedo is original to this car:
It never bounces or hopped around. It was smooth in the red car. More to come on that.
The engine won’t start with the key but starts fine by bridging the terminals on the starter relay. Often this is the relay itself but could also be the ignition switch and wiring. More on that later too.
Finally….
A member asked here about a radio delete plate. I mentioned that I made one out of a warped section that normally fits over the glove box hole.
I just took the old panel and cut it down to serve as a block off plate until I restore the interior. ZERO cost. I like that.
I finally put in the glove box liner and was ready to mount the door but…
No hinge on the glove box door.
I’m sure the 1970 is one year only but these should be the same for all 1970 B bodies, right? It shouldn’t matter if it is standard or Rallye dash, right?
Phantomx
Well-Known Member
Hey Greg, if you want that speedo repaired, take it to Commercial Speedometer in west sac. I had one rebuilt by them and it was well worth it.
Travis
Travis
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That tach was new from a vendor known as Charger Specialties. I bought it some time in the early 2000s. I don't know if they are still in business.
They're still in business?
I remember going there in the 80s when I worked in the service department for a Chevy dealership!
Phantomx
Well-Known Member
it wasn’t very long ago I drove by there and to my surprise they were still in business. They do a lot of govt/municipality business and there are lots of truck dealers in west sac use them.
Travis..
Travis..
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Thank you, Travis.
I did go to Commercial Speedometer today.
First, I partially disassembled the instrument panel to get the speedometer out. I tested the operation of the speedo with a cable and a drill.
Just an FYI… the cable turns CCW to operate the speedometer.
The guys at the shop thought my speedometer can be fixed but I’d need to supply a few parts since they don’t stock them for a 54 year old Dodge.
I came back home and tore down another cluster.
The one in Jigsaw is original to the red car so all the gauges are equally “seasoned”.
Check out the face of this one:
Just like the others, this one won’t return to zero but it does work without binding.
With my “good” speedo, The counter man at CS noticed play in this part:
Note where the white pointer is aimed. That silver colored drum can move fore and aft slightly but should not wobble side to side. This is one reason for a bouncy needle. Mine was wobbly so I have to bring in something in better condition. Looking at some other units here, it seems like Ma Mopar used a common speedometer design in the golden era… here is a mid 70s A body:
Looks similar aside from the face plate. Here is a ‘68 Satellite (thank you Dwayne)
Sometimes you learn how stuff works by taking it apart. I saw this:
To the left you see a silver colored tang. It appears that it is meant to be a “stop” for a peg on the drum seen here:
That peg makes contact with the drum to limit the range of the needle.
The drum doesn’t spin with the cable. It rotates as the speedometer needle moves.
The shop is closed tomorrow so I’ll return there Monday with a spare Charger speedometer and one each from the Dart and Satellite. If they are the same, I’d prefer to keep the other Charger speedo intact for a spare.
I did go to Commercial Speedometer today.
First, I partially disassembled the instrument panel to get the speedometer out. I tested the operation of the speedo with a cable and a drill.
Just an FYI… the cable turns CCW to operate the speedometer.
The guys at the shop thought my speedometer can be fixed but I’d need to supply a few parts since they don’t stock them for a 54 year old Dodge.
I came back home and tore down another cluster.
The one in Jigsaw is original to the red car so all the gauges are equally “seasoned”.
Check out the face of this one:
Just like the others, this one won’t return to zero but it does work without binding.
With my “good” speedo, The counter man at CS noticed play in this part:
Note where the white pointer is aimed. That silver colored drum can move fore and aft slightly but should not wobble side to side. This is one reason for a bouncy needle. Mine was wobbly so I have to bring in something in better condition. Looking at some other units here, it seems like Ma Mopar used a common speedometer design in the golden era… here is a mid 70s A body:
Looks similar aside from the face plate. Here is a ‘68 Satellite (thank you Dwayne)
Sometimes you learn how stuff works by taking it apart. I saw this:
To the left you see a silver colored tang. It appears that it is meant to be a “stop” for a peg on the drum seen here:
That peg makes contact with the drum to limit the range of the needle.
The drum doesn’t spin with the cable. It rotates as the speedometer needle moves.
The shop is closed tomorrow so I’ll return there Monday with a spare Charger speedometer and one each from the Dart and Satellite. If they are the same, I’d prefer to keep the other Charger speedo intact for a spare.
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The Charger (And other B bodies with Rallye dash) speedometer has the odometer display below the needle.
The others I have here have the odometer above the needle.
This means there are some differences I didn’t see at first.
Maybe they are mostly related to how the odometer is driven?
I’ve never noticed but do all Mopar odometers spin the same direction?
The others I have here have the odometer above the needle.
This means there are some differences I didn’t see at first.
Maybe they are mostly related to how the odometer is driven?
I’ve never noticed but do all Mopar odometers spin the same direction?
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My speedometer needle sits at 10mph at standstill. I haven't pulled it apart yet to check why, but would be curious to know how to fix that.
Ceedawg
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I don’t know but I would think it works below or on top by how the odometer sits in the cradle. Cable spins the same.
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There is a plastic screw that drives the odometer. It contacts on different sides depending on where the odometer rests (above or below the needle).
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I am too. I still am.
I asked the guy at the shop what specifically was wrong and he just said “it was broke”. He laughed and didn’t elaborate further. I told him I do most of my own work and like to know what breaks and what has to be fixed. He just said…”We went through and fixed what was broke and it is like new again”.
It reminded me of those TV ads in the 70s at the Chinese laundry where the customer was amazed they got the stains out and the clerks always said…
Ancient Chinese Secret when it was Calgon, some super detergent.
What was that guy afraid of?
Back at home…
He did have it apart. Somehow it gained a few miles.
I polished up the plastic cover.
This stuff is good.
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The instrument panel is a mix of parts from the red car and two other gauge clusters I have here.
I’ve had this in and out of the car a couple of times but before… the heater/defroster wasn’t in the car. Hooking up all the wiring and stuff was a lot easier.
I took the seat out to be able to lay under the dash. What a fine seat it is, too.
The left front mounting bolt of the seat frame broke. Try accelerating when the seat wants to recline each time.
Check out those solid floor pans.
I’m getting ready to vacuum. I’m tempted to just put the bucket seats in. I saved the originals from the red car. They have Legendary seat skins circa 2003 but were stowed in the attic in 2015 when I swapped SRT4 seats in the red car.
This is where the “Snowball Effect” can take over.
Do I put in the reinforcement brackets?
Do I put in the sound deadening mats? How about carpet? I changed the carpet in the red car in 2021 when I swapped to the Tremec 5 speed and saved the carpet.
If I put the carpet in, shouldn’t I go ahead and convert it to the floor shift and console? I have all the parts.
Yeah…. I’ve been saving and scrounging but maybe for now I’ll put off the console, shifter and steering column changes.
I’ve had this in and out of the car a couple of times but before… the heater/defroster wasn’t in the car. Hooking up all the wiring and stuff was a lot easier.
I took the seat out to be able to lay under the dash. What a fine seat it is, too.
The left front mounting bolt of the seat frame broke. Try accelerating when the seat wants to recline each time.
Check out those solid floor pans.
I’m getting ready to vacuum. I’m tempted to just put the bucket seats in. I saved the originals from the red car. They have Legendary seat skins circa 2003 but were stowed in the attic in 2015 when I swapped SRT4 seats in the red car.
This is where the “Snowball Effect” can take over.
Do I put in the reinforcement brackets?
Do I put in the sound deadening mats? How about carpet? I changed the carpet in the red car in 2021 when I swapped to the Tremec 5 speed and saved the carpet.
If I put the carpet in, shouldn’t I go ahead and convert it to the floor shift and console? I have all the parts.
Yeah…. I’ve been saving and scrounging but maybe for now I’ll put off the console, shifter and steering column changes.
Cheapsunglasses
In Rust We Trust!
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You can always buy bath mats at Walmart to give the illusion of carpet 
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I use the same Maguiar's polishes, they do a great job.
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I feel that sometimes I need to repeat what the theme of this car is.
In short, I do know how to restore a car to be functional and reasonably good looking. I’ve never done what you’d call an OEM correct restoration where all the proper parts are used and it all looks like you’d see on a dealers lot in 1970.
With that said, this car is not going to be “restored” in the literal sense. I have no interest in that. It is roadworthy and reliable. It doesn’t overheat or leak. It corners pretty good and stops well. Most of this build is from used parts that I had or cheap stuff I bargained for. I like the process of making old stuff work. I have been repurposing stuff where I can and buying new when needed. Maybe it was inspired by the crew at Roadkill and Roadkill Garage? Those guys sure seem to be having fun.
Onward….
To mount the bucket seats, I looked at the mounting bolts in the red car and noticed that the outer 2 bolts of the buckets were 6 5/8” from the rocker pinch weld. Jigsaw here had the bench seat in the same holes so that is good.
I will need to weld up the other holes in the floor that won’t be used.
I test fitted the AMD floor supports.
I never knew about these until FBBO member Randy AKA 1 Wild R/T mentioned them. My red car is a factory bucket seat car but even with the carpet out years ago, I never noticed them.
These AMD supports are not marked for orientation but…
They seem to lay right into place.
There is some amount of fore/aft movement to determine. I’ve never done this so I’m learning as I go.
Can it be this easy?
In short, I do know how to restore a car to be functional and reasonably good looking. I’ve never done what you’d call an OEM correct restoration where all the proper parts are used and it all looks like you’d see on a dealers lot in 1970.
With that said, this car is not going to be “restored” in the literal sense. I have no interest in that. It is roadworthy and reliable. It doesn’t overheat or leak. It corners pretty good and stops well. Most of this build is from used parts that I had or cheap stuff I bargained for. I like the process of making old stuff work. I have been repurposing stuff where I can and buying new when needed. Maybe it was inspired by the crew at Roadkill and Roadkill Garage? Those guys sure seem to be having fun.
Onward….
To mount the bucket seats, I looked at the mounting bolts in the red car and noticed that the outer 2 bolts of the buckets were 6 5/8” from the rocker pinch weld. Jigsaw here had the bench seat in the same holes so that is good.
I will need to weld up the other holes in the floor that won’t be used.
I test fitted the AMD floor supports.
I never knew about these until FBBO member Randy AKA 1 Wild R/T mentioned them. My red car is a factory bucket seat car but even with the carpet out years ago, I never noticed them.
These AMD supports are not marked for orientation but…
They seem to lay right into place.
There is some amount of fore/aft movement to determine. I’ve never done this so I’m learning as I go.
Can it be this easy?
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yes, it's that easy
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The car will get painted eventually. I’ve been drawn to the shade of B5 blue on the late model Mopars.
For now though, this is it.
For now though, this is it.
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