Thanks, guys, for your comments. I debated on whether or not to undertake this project at all, because the car is all original. I knew that pulling any of it apart for restoration/detailing would end my ability to say "all original". However, in the end, I ultimately locked in the decision by doing the car the disservice of letting it set in my shop waaaaay too long (6+ years) without being driven, and the brake hydraulics, as well as the fuel, went south.
Originally, my plans were to pull the master and wheel cylinders for replacement, blow out the lines, and flush/bleed everything. For the fuel system, I was planning to drop the tank, flush (and seal, if necessary), blow out the lines, and put it all back together. This would get her drivable again for weekend driving and cruise nights.
However, as I started digging into the systems, I found myself being uncomfortable with reusing any of the brake or fuel system components. I made the decision to replace everything in the brake system, and almost everything in the fuel system. Everything that brake fluid touches is new; master cylinder, hard lines, flexible hoses, and wheel cylinders. I also replaced the drum brake hardware, friction surfaces, and all the emergency brake cables and hardware just to be thorough. The car now has a new fuel tank, sending unit, fuel lines and fuel pump. Since the tail pipes I had installed in 1982 were rotted, I purchased a new pair.
And, since all this had to come apart, I decided it was much easier to just pull the differential assembly out of the car to do the work. To my detriment (advantage?), I'm sort of a "while I'm at it" kind of guy when it comes to projects, and things always tend to spiral out of control for me, absorbing way more time and money than the original plan. So, I decided that it would be a shame to install all of these new parts without cosmetically restoring all the components involved.
With that decision made, I pulled apart everything on the differential assembly, carefully looking for original finishes, code markings, etc. My blast cabinet was invaluable in getting everything cleaned up to bare metal, and I employed an outside shop to blast parts too large for my cabinet (differential housing, driveshaft, and longer spring leaves). Rather than leave the natural parts natural, or go with clear coating, I employed Eastwood finishes on the "bare" parts, and I am very pleased with the results. For the various black components, I used the closest thing available to replicate the original finishes; industrial gloss black for the diff housing, semi-flat for refinishing the new KYB shocks, flat black to replicate black oxide fasteners. The brake backing plates were originally bare heat treated steel, so I experimented with a combination of Eastwood bare metal and semi-flat black to simulate the darker, mottled steel appearance. I think they turned out passable.
The leaf springs were completely disassembled, blasted, and refinished with Eastwood paint. After refinishing, I completely rebuilt the springs with new interleaves, interliners, leaf clamps and isolators, new front bushing, and shackle kits. The springs were mounted using new, correct-length U-bolts.
After refinishing all the components, I replicated the various assembly line markings using my originals as a guideline, and referencing various sources (Roger Gibson, etc.) on the internet. I believe things are marked as accurately as possible, given the research I conducted. Since I plan to drive the car, I decided against delicate finishes that would be absolutely correct, like bare metal, oxide fasteners, etc. I think the result is a good balance between correctness and real-world usability.
Doing this project was made much easier now that there is such a robust aftermarket available for quality restoration components. I purchased my brake lines, brake cables, and fuel lines from Inline Tube. The fit and appearance is excellent. Accurate Exhaust supplied the tail pipes, although I came up short on the correct tail pipe hangers. Apparently, the one vendor in the world who makes them burned down, and there are none to be had for my application from any vendor I could find. The best answer I can get on when they will be available again is "someday". I had to fabricate replacements that are "correct looking" to fill in until "someday".
Most of the hardware or "generic" components came from RockAuto (their fuel tank is excellent, and cheaper than anywhere else), or O'Reilly's, etc. As noted above, I deviated from original on the shocks by using gas charged KYB's. However, with a scuff and shoot with the correct black, they look correct. It's amazing how much stuff is available from your local parts stores, if you have part numbers to type into their websites.
Overall, I'm glad I decided to go all the way with the rear half of the car, and I'm so happy with the results that I'm planning to drop the K-member, front suspension, and driveline next year for a refresh. I love the details on mechanical components, and coupled with the original paint topside, it should be a great driver that shows well. While it will never win a points competition, I don't plan to use it for that anyway. After 33 years of ownership, I have enough show trophies and dash plaques anyway.
If photos of any components or sub-assemblies would help anyone here, please let me know and I'll shoot some out. I found it surprisingly difficult to find good, clear detail photos online, and am happy to help here where I can.
Cheers!
JD
![7_67HemiCharger2.8[1].jpg](https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/data/attachments/176/176325-8ebfe165b7745f8b3a23348c049890e1.jpg "7_67HemiCharger2.8[1].jpg")
