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73 Roadrunner 340 Auto

What vehicle and year are you frequently replacing wheel bearings in?

There are some circa 2003 vehicles, esp Mopar's that have a grounding problem to the front wheels and the arcing causes repeat premature bearing failures.

My P/T Cruiser had this issue until I added a ground wire between the frame and the control arm/caliper mount on both sides.
 
YY1
It is a 2011 Toyota Corolla S that was my mom's before she passed and left it for me to enjoy. I think it had around 30K on the clock when I got it. Fun little car to drive but it likes eating front wheel bearings. It was a tween year car so I am not sure if it was US made or not and I never bothered to look. I will keep it for as long as I am around as my mom and I went to the dealership together to buy it new late in 2011. We worked the salesman and the manager for a few hours until we walked out just about stealing it. Still remember the smile on her face. Most every time I drive it I think of her so in my possession it will stay.
 
Lots of little things that would not warrant a picture but were needed for the engine to go in. Decided to rebuild the air box now before it got damaged sitting around the garage any longer. New heater core, gaskets, foam, etc .
BEFORE:
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AFTER
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BEFORE
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AFTER

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Did you get a seal and rebuild kit for the box? How did you clean up the blower motor frame?
 
Did you get a seal and rebuild kit for the box? How did you clean up the blower motor frame?

Yup, purchased a seal kit from DMT :
Mopar B Body 71-74 NON AC Heater Box Rebuild Restoration Seal Gasket Kit

As for cleaning the rusted metal, I use this:

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It is pretty strong stuff and will take the rust off in 30 seconds or less. I just brush it on straight and work it around a little with a small brush. While wearing gloves, wipe up the excess and apply a second treatment. This is usually enough to get it clean. I then use vinegar as a 1st rinse (to dilute the acid). Then I use a 2nd rinse of baking soda and water to neutralize the acid. Then a 3rd rinse of the same. Followed by a 4th rinse of straight up water. Wipe up the excess water and heat gun the metal dry so it wont flash rust. Once dry and cool I spray with a clear coat.

Just be careful. I work with HCL at my day job so I know it's hazards very well. Gloves, long sleeves and pants, googles, a good cartridge respirator, and an outdoor space are pretty much required since the stuff is really bad for skin and lungs. Disposal is a little tricky too, as it takes a lot of bicarb to neutralize.

If you are not a fan of the acid treatment (as it is a little hard on the metal) you could also use Evapo-Rust (my second favorite rust remover). Much easier to work with and pretty non-toxic. It is slower but it does work very well.

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A few more little pieces before the engine goes back in, like the steering coupling seal and cover. What a PITA to do.

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And then the $%^&*#$%^& dowel pin to hold it all together. Don't drop it on the floor or you will end up making a new one)
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Cleaning up the K-frame bolts

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Column cleaned up and painted

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And the gas pedal

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Looking good for engine install tomorrow.
 
Great progress.

You may already be considering doing this, but I suggest some anti-seize on the K-member bolts to be sure they come out in the future.
 
I was looking for a replacement steering coupler "rag joint" for this car but did not want to pay the crazy money an original one cost. Did some looking and found that a 87-91 Land Rover uses a steering coupler that is pretty much the same, but only costs around $25. So I figured I would try one out. The holes line up exactly and the size fits the guard.
I have very little room on my particular column so I had to grind about 3/16" off the piece and counter sink the holes for the tapered screw to fit just perfect
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Here it is after I gave it a little hair cut
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Side by side
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Countersink the holes a little
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Straps/bolts fit perfectly
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And everything fits
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The engine finally found it's way home!
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Lift the car up, roll the engine under it, and lower the car down (just like the factory). Well, kinda like the factory.
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Back where it belongs
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Now I need to put the steering coupling in.
 
Big fan of how the steering coupler turned out, not a fan of the PITA it is to install it! But it is in there now. I would not want to do this with the exhaust installed.

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Ran into a slight snag. Installed the new cam bearings and the new cam but had little trouble with #5 bearing. It seemed a little too tight. Put the cam in and again #5 was a little tight. You can spin the cam by hand but there is more resistance than would be expected. Solution: "bluing and scraping" where you use machinist's blue on the ID of the cam bearing to see just where there insufficient clearance is and then you literally "scrape" (with a bearing scraper") this area down. Reapply the bluing and reinstall the cam to check if you took enough off. Way to much of a pain in the *** for me, so I sprung for another set of cam bearings to see if that would solve the problem. If not, I am only out $60 and can go back to bluing and scraping as needed on this new set.

Switched back to my shop and put in the 1/4 glass and then set the window gaps.

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Only took a few minor adjustments to get the window to seal properly. Next, the wife and I installed the drip rail chrome strips using a taped up dead blow. Sorry, only took a pic of the right side.
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Got the rear sway bar bolted in and also took time the make sure all the E-Brake cables reached and worked.
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Did you replace the lower seals on your quarter windows where they seal to the quarters? If you did, do you remember where you got them / part number? Thanks
 
Still trying!!! Have not given up on the show just yet but it is not looking good. The engine will have to fire and everything be just fine or the time line is screwed. So what went right and what went wrong over the last few days.
The heater hoses went in without a hitch:
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The FAKE Mopar battery is in (just couldn't swing the almost $400 for the real thing)
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The wheels are on:
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And she is just about on her own shoes:
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Slight problem with the trim rings:


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They are brand new, and look great, problem is that they are for 15" wheels, not these original 14". Not really sure just how that happened.

The exhaust is in (not the best pic).
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But the tips were mixed up, one short and one long, in the same box.
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The better half is starting to believe I am more **** than she originally thought. I cleaned up the engine support brackets and once clean, I told her I was going to paint them. She just shook her head muttering that they were clean and so low to the ground no one would ever see them. I just smiled and hung them up for spraying.
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Done for the night. Tomorrow she will be off the stands and headed to the engine shop to try and fire it up, unless something else happens, or the trailer is tied up.
 
Did you replace the lower seals on your quarter windows where they seal to the quarters? If you did, do you remember where you got them / part number? Thanks

Lt Shaffer,
Yes I did replace them, inner and outer. Mine had the small chrome edge. I got them from Detroit Muscle Technologies with the following part number:
Mopar B Body 73-74 Plymouth Satellite Beltline Weatherstrips "Cat Whiskers" 10pc
BSA7374CW01-200804
I see they are still out of stock, but a call to Jim and he may know when they are coming or at least an expected date.
Last I knew it would not be until the end of the year or the early part of next :(
 
Lt Shaffer,
Yes I did replace them, inner and outer. Mine had the small chrome edge. I got them from Detroit Muscle Technologies with the following part number:
Mopar B Body 73-74 Plymouth Satellite Beltline Weatherstrips "Cat Whiskers" 10pc
BSA7374CW01-200804
I see they are still out of stock, but a call to Jim and he may know when they are coming or at least an expected date.
Last I knew it would not be until the end of the year or the early part of next :(
Thank you very much
 
We had a whole thread on the 73 only steering coupler a few years ago.
Nice to know the LR part is in fact the same size.
I used an actual regulation hockey puck and it's still 100% after several years.

Who makes those tips?

I have what I believe is a very early set by Pypes but I have 2" exhaust on mine and not sure I want 2-2.5 adapters visible. IMO those tips are way too pretty to be tucked up under the valance that far.
 
...and I just installed the door "cat whiskers" sold by DMT.

They are "TopCatWhiskers" brand which is supposed to be the best.

I have not installed the rears yet as I am going to convert to roll down windows.

But the driver's side front was a bit of a disappointment.
The screw holes did not line up real well top to bottom and even after enlarging them and adding a moderate vertical slot (hard to do with fasteners that small), the stress still caused the part to have noticeable bumps along the top.

The passenger side went in just fine.
 
YY1, not sure who actually makes them. I can only tell you where I got them from.
http://www.rpidesigns.com/
1971-1974 Mopar B-Body Long Red Slotted Exhaust Tips (Stainless Steel)

You might be long overdue for a change to some highly polished exhaust tips on your 71-74 B-Body. We are pleased to bring these stainless steel exhaust tips to market. These exhaust tips are sold as a pair, two tips and feature the correct 2.25" inlet as original. These were the slotted tips that were originally used for B-Body cars without resonators.
Why pay more for chrome that will rust out in a year or two? Buy these and never worry about changing them out again.

Sold as a pair
 
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