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66 Charger drivetrain overhaul - time for some changes

Don Frelier

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Ionia, NY
Some history.
I bought the car in the spring of 1989 the driverain was completely original with around 83,000 miles. I rebuilt the carbeurator and changed it to the mopar style electronic ignition.
Changed filter and fluid in the transmission and drove it, it ran really well.

In 1996 I developed an exhaust leak after I broke a motor mount and it cracked one of the ears on the log manifold. I had a set of rebuilt 906 heads and 68-69 HP manifolds that my brother had bought with an engine.
So I now had an excuse for a complete motor rebuild at about 93K.
(My wife agreed to it which was a surprise)
It was bored .020 over with KB162 Hypereutectic pistons, rods reworked and stock crank.
A windage tray and high volume oil pump and a used .455 cam from my brothers 383 and replaced the original springs with some Mopar fairly heavy duty ones.
I had the shop mill the 906's .040" and .055" on the sides.
It's always run really well.

A series of minor mods followed over the years: a Weiand intake, Carter 625 Competition series carb, Hemi mufflers then Magnaflow mufflers, MSD atomic EFI, an upgraded torque converter and a homemade H-pipe.

About 3 years back I noticed it stopped kicking down at wide open throttle then the pump started cavitating on cold starts. I dropped the pan and found a fair amount of clutch material plugging the filter. So the transmission needed a rebuild or a replacement.

I found a rebuilt 66 transmission from a great guy in Weedsport, NY last summer. He used to race and in the process became an expert at building/rebuilding mopar transmissions.
Got a great deal on it.

Over the years I've also collected a bunch of performance engine parts and this year seems like a good one to expand the project and remove the entire drivetrain for a refresh/upgrade.

Yesterday 04/28/21 I took the day off got the car out of storage set up a work area and began the process of taking it apart.

Here it is backed in, jacked up on nice clean cardboard and after a few hours the mess starts.
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The rear end is stripped and degreased.
Trans is out and motor about ready to pull.
I took the engine out 25 years ago to rebuild it. I ended up being so busy that year with work two young children and rental property that I didn't get the engine installed until the next spring. That same march my youngest son was born. He was a born mechanic, better than I ever was or claimed to be.
He helped me a couple hours this weekend and things go quickly when he does the work and I hand him the tools.
We also removed the hood. I have another one that we plan to strip and fit a hood scoop on.
 
This week I took the rear axle over to be rebuilt to Gevo in Seneca Falls.
I finished pulling out the springs one evening and got close to pulling the engine.
Today we pulled the engine and started some cleaning.

I made a lexan cover for the intake and smeared some grease under it. The distributor was plugged with a towel some duct tape and a strip of rubber.

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We hooked it up to the tractor and hit it with the power washer.
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The last thing I did was pull off the manifolds. You can see it runs clean probably set too lean.
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Fantastic job you are doing Don !

And folks, Don came over in the midst of this work to help me with my car. We even got it on the road for the first time !
 
Spent just a little time on it last evening.
Pulled the intake and one Head.
We were peeking into the water jacket openings just to see how much rust we would find.
My son spotted this.
It was soft wire?
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I pulled one of those out of my heads. The other one was stuck. Something they use in the casting process.
 
Not a whole lot of progress.
Cleaned up the pistons a bit and a few odds and ends.
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I stuck the cam in and started to look at setting up the degree wheel but I'm missing an arm for the base.
Pulled out the timing set and this didn't give me the warm fuzzy.
The dot
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is on the wrong side.
 
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Actually the cam gear was correct it's just different from the single bolt style I pulled off.
I did some chassis painting underneath which took some time but didn't really warrant pictures.
(Sorry folks...)
I installed the cam (Lunati VooDoo 702).
It degreed right on (1/2 a degree advance which could be 0 really)
But the lift measurement confused me I got .357" which would be .533".
Supposed to be .474"? So I sent a message to Lunati asking about it maybe it has something to do with a hydraulic lifter?
 
FYI I figured it out.
The dial indicator was not perfectly plumb nor centered in the lifter cavity where the rod goes.
Since it was at an angle as the lifter comes up the dial indicator tip walks up the side of the cavity.
All set. So I was going to torque the cam bolts and realized I didn't reinstall the gallery plug on the front of the block.
I was able to pull the cam and crank gear forward enough to get it in there and then tighten it through the opening in the cam gear.
Put the new seal in the timing cover, oiled the chain and gears and installed the cover.
Next will be the new oil pickup and pan (6 qt).
Then I'll seal up the top somehow and get the block ready to paint.
I'm really happy with the way the shortblock looks and feels when you turn the crank with the ratchet.
Seems almost as tight as when I put it together 24 years ago.
:thumbsup:
(Next time I'll put up pictures, promise...)
 
FYI I figured it out.
The dial indicator was not perfectly plumb nor centered in the lifter cavity where the rod goes.
Since it was at an angle as the lifter comes up the dial indicator tip walks up the side of the cavity.
All set. So I was going to torque the cam bolts and realized I didn't reinstall the gallery plug on the front of the block.
I was able to pull the cam and crank gear forward enough to get it in there and then tighten it through the opening in the cam gear.
Put the new seal in the timing cover, oiled the chain and gears and installed the cover.
Next will be the new oil pickup and pan (6 qt).
Then I'll seal up the top somehow and get the block ready to paint.
I'm really happy with the way the shortblock looks and feels when you turn the crank with the ratchet.
Seems almost as tight as when I put it together 24 years ago.
:thumbsup:
(Next time I'll put up pictures, promise...)
Mopar2ya!!
Yes the old adage applies ….
Measure twice cut once…
It pays dividends to be careful with our babies ….

These old Mopars we’ve got are
Already over 50 years old in some cases & are still going strong Eh!!

Can you imagine what some other cars will look like at 50?
Even IF They Exist !

Can you envision the day 50 years from now when that Classic Charger is Doin A
Burnout for the electric charge em up crowd …
And Makin All That Gnarly Mopar
Growly While Doin ettt….
Yeah !

Timeless Beauties Are These !!

Men Of Mopar
The Brotherhood of Muscle …..

John

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I saw this first generation Charger show up a couple months ago in a yard near me,it was sitting with no license plates on it,then it had plates on it and the guy was driving it, now it's sitting with the engine pulled out.
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I went by the place where the first generation Charger is today,I got another picture. It looks like he's kinda doing what you are, but he's not going quite as deep.
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Sorry I missed this Don!

Nice work on the drivetrain refurbishment. I'm just doing the engine on my 73, and I know how much work this stuff is. Looks like you are on the return path now - keep up the good work!

Are you going to look at suspension components or are those in good shape?

Hawk
 
I put new bushings in the rear springs and have the shackles from my satellite all cleaned and painted.
The front end parts were all new about 30 years ago. But it's about time to replace the rubber parts again.
 
I put new bushings in the rear springs and have the shackles from my satellite all cleaned and painted.
The front end parts were all new about 30 years ago. But it's about time to replace the rubber parts again.

I just dropped the K-member on the 73 Road Runner. It has been awhile since many of the suspension parts had been done, and just about everything was a mess! The pivot shafts on the lower controls arms basically fell out by themselves!

Sounds like yours is in (at least) respectable shape!

Hawk
 
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