The leaning tower of power:






I went to Advance Auto Parts and picked up a new Dayco Top Cog premium power steering V-belt (power steering with A/C & 7-inch pulley; 15405) and a Dayco Top Cog premium fan/alternator V-belt (15570).






I replaced the power steering return hose as it was dry rotted and leaking.
I decided to 'fix' the high pressure power steering hose as whoever installed it did it half @ssed and had the hose all twisted.
My power steering pump shaft seal is also leaking so I'll have to get a new seal.






The driver side wheel/tire was leaning way in at the top and I had a nasty pop when you'd turn the steering wheel from right turn lock to left turn lock.
I brought it to the shop and tossed it on the hoist and was amazed at what I found. The upper control arm bushings were non-existant on the driver side.
I purchased all four (both sides) Moog premium lifetime warranty bushings.






I also decided to just get the 2 (both sides) Moog premium lifetime warranty lower control arm bushings as well so then the front end will be done (hopefully) so I can get it aligned ASAP.
It drives nice and stright but my front tires are so narrow I want as much contact patch as I can get. They are brand new and I don't want them getting chewed off right away either.






While the car was up on the hoist I lowered the front of the car. It looks much better. Now the entire car has to come down about 1.5-inches more.
I was also able to adjust the hood a bit so there isn't as big of a gap on the driver side.




Over the summer I am just going to pick away at all the small things and have the car mechanically perfect by fall (hopefully; at least by next spring).
Then all I'll have to do is the interior & body. Heh, someday.
Some of the things I am going to pick away at include making a new exhaust for it as the current one, even though it is new, is only about 1-3/4"!
I am also going to remove the emissions system and the associated hoses/lines/wires to help clean it up under the hood a bit.
I need to get the doors and deck lid lined up correctly and get the driver side fender, grille, and hood adjusted/lined up correctly.
The interior needs the most desperate attention. I need to rebuild the seat belt retractors, and replace the front seat completely. I need to get the speedometer working too.
I'd like to replace the power & ground cables under the hood with some better stuff. The current stuff is small and they have cheap crimp on connectors on the ends from a previous owner.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

Some more minor progress got accomplished yesterday.

I replaced a couple fuses that were missing or burned out. I changed every light bulb throughout the entire car to help brighten them up as they were all pretty dim. There were also a couple that were burned out.
There is only one bulb that still doesn't work and that is because I couldn't find a replacement for it yet. It's the courtesy bulb on the steering column that illuminates the ignition cylinder so you can see where to insert the key when it's dark out. I'll have to go to the parts store to get one.

Headlights - H6024
Front side markers - 168
Rear side markers - 168
front turn signals - 1157A
Rear turn signals/tail lights/brakes lights - 1157
Back-up lights - 1156
Courtesy bulb - 1445
Dome light - 1004
Ash tray - 161
Glove box - 1893
Trunk light - 1004
License plate bulb - 168

I didn't pull the instrument cluster and replace those bulbs, as I will probably just swap out the entire cluster for a better unit.

I also ordered the correct seal for the power steering gear box so I can have p/s again soon.
Hopefully I can adjust the gear box so it's really nice and tight with no play (like when it was new).


Once I was I took the car and topped my fuel tank and all other fluids off and drove the 1/2 mile to the local certified scale. I was kind of surprised.
3,150 lbs.
Not quite as heavy as I thought, considering this car is pretty loaded up.

Although the A/C compressor & condensor are both currently missing.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

Yesterday the local car club I am heavily involved with had our annual car show. It was held from 12:00pm (noon) - 5:00 pm.
They have been calling for rain all day for the past week around here.
Surprisingly it didn't rain, however at around 4:00pm it lightly drizzled for a bit.
It was cold and crappy out the entire event though.

I learned a few valuable lessons throughout the experience.
Just before showing up I bought some new Trico NeoForm premium wipers for when it started raining later in the day.





After the show we decided to do a 55 mile cruise. It wasn't raining, however the window would collect moisture as you drove.

Lesson 1:
New wipers don't do squat when the entire system doesn't function!

Lesson 2:
Only having spongy front brakes really sucks hardcore when you are trying to keep pace with a bunch of ricers in the twisties.
I wish I had my rear disk brakes installed.

Lesson 3:
Damp/wet roads scare me in this car.
I have no idea how much the skinny front runners would take before they gave up trying for traction and the weight of the car just pushed me straight off of a corner.

Lesson 4:
Nonfunctioning power steering is tougher than manual steering.
With the system dry it was "darty" as sh*t. I hope the new p/s gear box seal kit cures all that.

Lesson 4.5:
A poor handling car with a bad alignment results in white knuckles.
Compounding lesson #4 was the alignment, it's way off. I was fighting the car as it constantly pulled hard right.

Lesson 4.5.5:
Play in the steering system doesn't boost cornering confidence.

Lesson 5:
The stock light duty slant six suspension can handle wet roads, bumps, and corners pretty descent. It can't take any combination of the three what-so-ever.
This suspension was clapped out years ago, as are all the bushings in the front end (minus the two upper control arm bushings I changed the other day). Now that I have all the bushings for the front end I really need to get them installed ASAP.

Lesson 6:
Driving a car with a defunct heater in the U.P. sucks, plain and simple. Driving a car without a functioning heater and having the all the fresh air vents stuck wide open on a very damp 35 degree day after freezing my tail off at the car show for 4 hours was absolutely the icing on the cake! I'm quite certain it was below freezing in the Dusters cabin during the entire "cruise".
I spent the entire cruise praying, a lot. "Dear God, please don't let it rain, I only have manual wipers. Please let my lug nuts stay tight. I know this is asking for a lot, but please let the Duster stay on the concrete..."
I didn't dare push the car too hard as there were just wayyyyy too many factors against me today.


Aahhh the joys of it all.
I wouldn't have it any other way!


The good news is that when I left the car show I went to Advance Auto Parts and picked up my steering gear seals, so I should be able to get the power steering squared away in the next couple days. While I'm going that I'll adjust the steering gear box as 'tight' as I can to eliminate the play out of the system.


After that the next couple weeks will be swapping the larger torsion bars in the front and some heavy duty rear springs under the back end so it can handle like it is suppose to. The stock rear leaf springs are flattened right out and a previous owner used long shackles to keep the car from sagging.
Then will come the 8-1/4" rear end with 3.55:1 gears swap so it will be pleasurable to drive. Once the rear end is in I'll get the rear disk brakes on it and wahlah! It'll be able to keep up from now on, well at somewhat reasonable speeds.
It isn't going to be transformed into an F1 car by any means.
At least then it wont be scary to drive.




I was amazed at how much salt residue is still on the roads.
I rinsed the underside, engine compartment, and the body of the car off as good as I could when I got home last night. I'll probably wash it today if I can, even in the rain as I don't want that crap getting to the metal on this car.
We really need a two days of hard rain to 'clean' everything up. Looks like the forecast is calling for a lot more than just that though.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

I started pulling apart the 8-1/4" rear so I could prep it for installation in my 1974 Gold Duster. Unfortunately the bolt that holds the differential pin in was broke off. I've seen this before in these rear ends, however they usually break where the threaded portion meets the 'pin' section. The other times we were able to fish the non-threaded end out with a pic and strong magnet. This one broke off with threads still in the differential housing. Thus I couldn't remove the differential pin to remove the axles, the drum brake backing plates, or the differential unit itself. The day didn't start out well.
The differential is set deep enough inside the housing so I couldn't get a drill (or any tool really) into the hole where the diff pin bolt was. I tried many, many things and finally just bit the bullet and used the torches to cut the diff pin into 3 pieces. This would allow the axles to slide in so I could remove the C-clips and remove the axles from the housing. This in turn would allow me to pull the entire diff out for easier working access. With the differential out of the housing I set up the drill press and drilled into the diff pin bolt until I had a nice hole in the center. Then I hammered a Torx headed driver into the hole to make sure it would bite enough to thread out the rest of the bolt and allow the last small section of the pin to slide out.
Obviously now I need a new differential pin. Not a big deal but something that shouldn't have happened. Here is the end section of the diff pin and the broken bolt.








I was very surprised to see that the ring and pinion ratio was already 3.21:1. I should have just left it complete and used it as is with the drum brakes, oh well. That's a lot of work considering I am only bumping it up to 3.55:1.
I decided to mock up my shadetree rear disc brake set-up and confirm if it would actually work or not. Everything seems to fit like a glove.

"Empty" housing:






"Complete" rear:






Remove drum brakes & backing plate:






Install disc brake backing plate: (make sure you slighly enlarge the center bore so it snuggly fits onto the axle)






Slide the axle back in:






Install the brake rotor loaded caliper and hook up the brake lines and parking brake cable (if your rear is already in the car):





Now I just need to get some brake pads (they were suppose to be included but weren't GRRR!) and turn the rotors. I am not going to run the parking brakes so I will remove that entire assembly from the set-up.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

No real progress however I did get the caliper brackets ready for final assembly and bolted on "permanently". The center bores had to be slightly enlarged and I drilled out the rivets that were holding on the backing plates/dust shields onto the brackets and tossed that set-up in the scrap metal bin. I also removed the parking brake assembly and cut off a couple dead weight pieces that were factory casted as part of the brackets for the p-brake to help keep the brackets as light as possible.











I also picked up this brand new Dana-Spicer Trac-Lok (limited slip) 27-spline differential for the Mopar 8.25" rear end. It is a clutch style unit so it's rebuildable. It was a brand new unit and was only $238.99 shipped.
Here are a couple photos I took of the actual differential I received.











Got the rear end end set-up as well with the new Dana Trac Lok limited slip differential and the 3.55:1 gears. This should help motivate the little six along a bit better. Best part was I only needed to purchase one bearing race (and I'll have to get some new synthetic gear lube & limited slip additive)!

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

I went to Advance Auto Parts the other day and picked up a 2 quarts of Mobil-1 synthetic 75w90 gear lube for the rear differential. $23.09 out the door for both quarts.







I also bought this bottle of K&W 'TransX' gear oil treatment (limited slip differential additive). The price was $6.04 including tax.







I figured the only other thing that I didn't get was the axle seals so I purchased these National pieces. A total of $5.13 for the pair was cheap insurance against any leaks.







To complete the rear axle assembly I also got some Wagner ThermoQuiet premium semi-metallic brake pads for the rear. $36.37 out the door wasn't a bad price.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

In an attempt to make this car a more comfortable daily driver I purchased a pair of Moog premium (lifetime warranty) strut bar bushings. It probably doesn't "need" them, however all the other bushings are new so I might as well spend the $31.23 and be done with it. Hopefully I don't need any ball joints/tie rods/tie rod ends.


The more I thought about it the more I leaned towards just ordering these parts and get the car up to daily driving par and get the work out of the way.



First on the list were new front shocks. I got these standard replacement Monroe 'Gas-matic' pieces that carry a lifetime warranty for $34.22 out the door.







Since I bought the fronts I might as well buy the rears. I ordered the same standard replacement Monroe 'Gas-matic' pieces. They have the same lifetime warranty for $30.62 out the door.







Changing the transmission mount is quick and easy to do so for the cost of $8.47 out the door why not? It's an Anchor brand as well and also features a lifetime warranty. Like the engine mounts, this mount comes as just the insert or the entire unit. The insert alone was $8.47, the H.D. pkg complete mount was $8.47, and the non H.D. pkg unit was 17.08.
It was an easy choice.
Unfortunately once I saw how inferior the construction of the new mount was I ended up pressing out the new insert out if it and using the original mount with the new insert pressed into it.







The engine mounts are shot. Hopefully these Anchor lifetime warranty engine mount inserts will cure it and last a while. It is the same insert in both mounts so I just doubled the quantity. The price wasn't bad at $26.70 out the door either.
Once I installed the transmission mount I decided to return these inferior motor mounts. I can clearly see why they don't last and people have so much trouble with them.







Finishing off the bushing replacement are these TRW leaf spring bushings. They too have a lifetime warranty and are super easy to replace (~5 minutes per pair). The sour part is they are sold seperately when you need to use them by the pair. On the flip side these bushings were only $11.11 out the door for all 8 (4 pairs).
It now rides like it did when new & probably handles better than it ever has, which I guess isn't saying much. It certainly is no corner carver it, however at least it isn't scary in the corners anymore. Once the larger torsion bars get swapped (or I decide buy even thicker ones?) & new rear springs get purchased/installed I'll be more than satisfied with the set up.







I decided to get a new fuel filter as well. It's a chrome Mr. Gasket 5/16" piece that was 6.35 out the door.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

Last night I went to take a trip out to Beaver Grove to pick up my tires for the Ram and bring them into town, however the car was already below E. I went to Holiday in Harvey to fill up, however the keys for the locking fuel cap somehow were misplaced so I had no way to get fuel into the tank. I keep (kept) them in the glove compartment so this would never happen. I drove back home and had my way with the locking fuel cap for about 20 minutes until I was able to get it removed. I was planning on buying a new locking fuel cap anyways as the old one had a torn gasket so it was loose and flopping around not sealing tight anymore (although a tight seal isn't necessary like on newer vehicles).
Advance Auto Parts had a Stant #11572 on the shelf for $14.59 out the door.







I decided to change the coolant for some new stuff mixed 65/35. I added a bottle of Redline Water Wetter too.







I also invested in this Stant SuperStat 180 degree (F) thermostat.







I also got the matching premium Felpro gasket for the water outlet (thermostat) housing.







To finish the cooling system maintanence I picked up this premium Stant radiator cap. The one I bought has a 16 psi rating.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

My wife got me an Advance Auto Parts gift card for our anniversary (August 7th) so I used some of the card to purchase this new MSD Blaster 2 coil. They had it in stock and it was $43.45 out the door. It puts out 45,000 volts and has a turns ratio of 100:1.








I decided to regap the plugs to take full advantage of the new coil. There was definately some power left on the table here as the gaps were all sitting around .025", give or take .005". Not too mention they were all old plugs and two different kinds (one cylinder has a Bosch platinum in it an the rest had standard O.E.M. Champion copper plugs #RN14YC).
I could have swore I changed the spark plugs. In fact I have no idea why I wouldn't have.
I did the distributor cap, rotor, and ignition wires, why wouldn't I have done the plugs? They must not have had the ones I wanted in stock or something...
I pulled them all out and set the gaps at ~.041".
It definately runs better.





I also ordered this double row true roller timing set from Hughes Engines.
I can't seem to get the timing correct. The initial timing is suppose to be set at TDC, however the car doesn't run well and is barely drivable when set there. According to the timing light it was almost 60* advanced?!?
I decided to just install a new timing set.
The timing cover has been removed (someone used silicone to reinstall it instead of the proper gasket) so it maybe a fairly new one in there. Either way I decided to just replace it with one I know is good and will outlast the rest of the car. Their price was cheaper then the others, they had it in stock, and they currently have a free UPS shipping deal so $49.50 shipped was a smoking deal in my mind. I also got the last one they had and they may not carry them anymore.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

A couple weeks back I tried to lower the rear of the car a bit so I moved the springs up from the bottom hole on the shackles to the top hole (3-inches). Unfortunetly it only lowered the back of the car about 1/2".
The good news is my springs have an arch to them again.







Being that it still wasn't where I wanted it to sit in the rear I decided to move the shackles up another inch. The only pre-drilled hole left was on the top so I had to pull the entire shackle apart as well as the rear spring hanger.
There wasn't enough clearence to the trunk floor so I had to cut the top of the shackles off (between the two holes) in order to move them up.
Check out the rust free underside!!









As they are now. It moved the springs up another 1.5" so they have been moved up a total of 4.5"!!
It only lowered the rear of the car ~2.0" though.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

It looks a lot better, in my mind anyways.







Shortly after this photo I brought the front end down just over the top of the tires.
It has a very nice stance to it now.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

looking good

_________________
Nothing beats a slant six
1987 D150

Steph (my wife) gave me orders to "get that stupid bumper sticker off that car" so like a good little soldier I marched right out and did it. It did clean up the tail panel and make it look better.






I bought one standard National axle/wheel bearing for the left side axle and the right side needed a National axle repair bearing. I got them installed and finally got the rear axle assembly back in one piece. I also surfaced the brake rotors and assembled the brake set up completely for the first time. Everything fits great and the hoses should be here tomorrow. At that point I'll see which way I decide to make the hard lines.

_________________
1969-1/2 Dodge Super Bee A12 (440 Six Pack, 4-spd, Dana 60)
1974 Plymouth Duster 360 (4-spd, 8.75")
1973 Plymouth Duster (225, auto, 8.25")
2001 Dodge Ram 1500 QC 2wd (5.9L, auto, Dana 60)

Looks like great progress, Daniel. Keep it up!

Lou

_________________
Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

looking real nice

_________________
Nothing beats a slant six
1987 D150