1 Owner Born Again Charger (Family Tradition part 2)

[@MaySeizeGarage]

Had a minor setback with the Admins thinking I was not a real person, so I lost my previous post about this car and project. My Uncle Larry bought the car in 1968 and his daughter helped him work on it when it needed it. Now, my daughter and I are restoring it as it has been parked in a barn since 2007. The previous post was full of pictures, as well as very helpful suggestions from this community. I will not try to recreate the previous post, but all the work done up to this point has been recorded here I will continue to post pictures and update this thread as progress is made.

The car's story was posted on MSN and showed up in my newsfeed this morning! Guy Resurrects A Barn Find 1968 Dodge Charger

Let me know if you think I should still post more pictures here from the work that has already been done, of if the YouTube link is sufficient.

 

[440 4 speed]

Had a minor setback with the Admins thinking I was not a real person, so I lost my previous post about this car and project. My Uncle Larry bought the car in 1968 and his daughter helped him work on it when it needed it. Now, my daughter and I are restoring it as it has been parked in a barn since 2007. The previous post was full of pictures, as well as very helpful suggestions from this community. I will not try to recreate the previous post, but all the work done up to this point has been recorded here I will continue to post pictures and update this thread as progress is made.

The car's story was posted on MSN and showed up in my newsfeed this morning! Guy Resurrects A Barn Find 1968 Dodge Charger

Let me know if you think I should still post more pictures here from the work that has already been done, of if the YouTube link is sufficient.

View attachment 1464585

I like these pictures.

 

[@MaySeizeGarage]

Went to move the car out of the barn to flush the radiator and change thermostat, but car would not start. Thought it was dead battery, so hooked up cables to it and slow turn of the engine but, again, would not start. Changed out the starter relay, but same symptoms. I am guessing starter is the next thing to try. I have ordered one and should be in this week. Not looking forward to crawling around on the gravel under the car on jack stands.

 

[@MaySeizeGarage]

Well, got the starter installed today but the car did not start. This time it just clicked like a car with a dead battery, except I had it on jumper cables. Removed the batter and put it on a charger but the charger said the battery needs to be replaced. It is only 2 months old. Did I do something that could cause the battery to die and the car to not start?

 

[@MaySeizeGarage]

Got the car started again. Turned out to be a loose connection on the starter relay. Now to address the temperature issue. Any suggestions on thermostats and gaskets?

 

[XXWingCar]

I’ve got 2 B bodies, one 383 and one 440. I run a 190 degree stat in both of them. They run a little cool in the early spring and the fall but helps in the dog days of summer temps. Always have had trouble with leaky thermostat gaskets. No problems since I ditched the standard gaskets and used a silicone gasket maker.

 

[@MaySeizeGarage]

Well, I used a gasket and silicone gasket maker with no luck. Still got up to around 225 from just idle. got hotter when I tried to drive it. Put a piece of cardboard (gasket maker packaging) in front of the radiator and it sucked it up just fine so does not appear to be an issue with the fan. Water pump and radiator are the only things I can think of left to check and not really sure how to check that. tried testing for dead zones in radiator but dont have a touchless thermometer. The thermostat that was in the car was a 180, so I just replaced it with that.

 

[72 Satellite]

I’ve got 2 B bodies, one 383 and one 440. I run a 190 degree stat in both of them. They run a little cool in the early spring and the fall but helps in the dog days of summer temps. Always have had trouble with leaky thermostat gaskets. No problems since I ditched the standard gaskets and used a silicone gasket maker.

I agree with this assessment. I'm running a pretty decent 440, and just replaced the thermostat with another 190 degree unit, and she's running nicely temperature-wise. I did get a leak after the recent replacement. I ended up using a sharpening stone and some Kroil on the mating surfaces, followed by a thick application of RTV sealant.

Rob

 

[440 4 speed]

Is the thermostat housing absolutely flat. I got a pane of glass, put very fine sandpaper on and then rubbed the housing on it until all of the base was the same colour.
I don’t know what you have tried, you could possibly need to clean the block and rad.