Now Complete Restoration / Pulling my 1969 'Bee down for strip and paint

[birdsandbees]

I notice that there are no self adjusters on the front.  Was that a common thing?  I really sure that my old charger, with drums all around, had adjusters on all four wheels.

11" heavy duty's. No adjusters. My car had the extra sleeve on the upper control arm bushing like the taxi HD's as well. The spring across the bottom rubs on the adjuster wheel to keep it from moving after you manually adjust them.

[birdsandbees]

Set up my rear brakes and also snugged up the Ebrake cables. Not sure if it's supposed to sit cocked or the upper aftermarket cable was done a bit long.

My old 49 year old front hub bearings and the new. Almost afraid to replace them.. they've made it this far! Can't say that for any of the junk shit today.

Was lucky on Ebay one day a year back and was able to get real OLD NOS inners. LM67048 cone and LM67010 cup and not so old (bar code) outers LM11949 cone and LM11910 cup. Seals are SKF 17110.

I always like to use the old cone to push the new ones in square. Pressed in until pressure JUST starts to show on the gauge.

[birdsandbees]

Tapped the outers in with old cone and brass mallet.

Took a break and started reading some of my notes. One being "torque pinon arm nut to 175 ft-lbs". Would have forgot without that note. Why when doing airplanes nothing gets finger tightened, it's either completely on or off!

I have one original drum with the Pentastar and 531 beside it.

Part # 36855A

[birdsandbees]

Now what's he up to.....

Cut the rim off the bucket and slotted it slightly so it would fit over the drum.

Coping saw to remove the reinforce ring.

Smoothed out.

[birdsandbees]

Forgot to install the harmonic springs before I clear coated the drum... don't wanna scratch it.

Rolled the spring down the bucket and right into the groove on the drum ! Work smarter.. not harder!

Video of how quick and easy this makes spring installation... https://youtu.be/FLsmkZYWzt8

FSManual says you need a special tool to install the inner seal. Don't have said tool, make one!

Perfect fit into the seal grove.

[birdsandbees]

Hub filled to the cups with wheel bearing grease (per the FSM  , this makes them about 1/3rd full)

Hand pack the bearings.

..and Bob's you uncle.

Carefully putting seal into place. Go slow and don't cock it !

[birdsandbees]

Seal in place. Manual said "flush with hub" and it has to be the outer ID as you can't drive it far enough to make the dust skirt flush.

Hub retention hardware (less cotter pins).

Both front drums in place and hand tight. FSM says 90 in/lbs (7.5 foot pounds) while rotating drum. I've always set bearings by tightening 'till they start to load and then backing off. Still need to adjust the brake shoes.

Hard to find, proper depth, dust caps and the tool to put them in place. Need to RPM them first and will leave off until everything is ready to put the wheels on.

[lukedukem]

That bucket idea for the springs was awesome. 

Luke

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Luke!  
..........................
Front brakes adjusted and the dust plugs in.

Fuel filler neck gasket.

A light coat of fuel lube.

Gasket in place and a light coat on the ID to install the neck.

One tight fit and comparing it to the old for depth before I go too far in. Oriented the neck so the wings on the cap sit horizontal when tight..

Had to loosen the keystone clamp and move it and the mounting bracket forward to bolt to the bumper support.

Got my 1/4" keystones from Megaparts.. and they fit the 1/4" hose, so I can finally install the vent tube joiners.
EDIT: I WISH SOMEONE HAD COMMENTED when I asked previously, I have since learned that Ma Chrysler indeed used a light hose on the vents and I could have gone with the correct smaller Keystones I had by sourcing some lighter hose.

Vent tubes joined, so all tank work is done.

[birdsandbees]

I'm my own worst enemy, but everytime I look at a picture of under the car I think "why did we blast and do the "Tremclad overhaul" on the leaf springs".

First I was just going to pop the plastic wear plates and put new leaf retainer clips in place to make it look right. But then I thought hell, all I have to do is pull the U bolts and turn the nut to take the leafs apart. Yah right..

Leaf retainer bolts just spun, so I had to lower the car down so the axle was on THREE stands so I could get at the bolt head.

Now I can get it apart.

SO glad I did.. the galvinized wear plates are pretty much done.

I guess there was more galvinized sheet available in '66.. as the '68/69/70 rebuild kit sure comes up short. Will have to go find a full sheet and sheer some matching length strips.

One retainer bolt is stripped.

[birdsandbees]

Have no fear, I have a hangar full of NOS hardware. Some 160,000 psi NAS bolts should work perfect.

Perfect length match and just enough thread.

Playing it safe... can't lock the lift down this low.

[BDF]

I just caught up on this build and you are going to town now!
I really like the turn downs 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Brent !

I've always preferred the look of my Bee's turn downs to the Birds chrome tips !  

..btw, there'll be no update or work tomorrow... I've got a 9 hour round trip to pick up my new trailer that just came in ! 

[66FBCharger]

What temp. is the RPM good to? What will happen to it when the exhaust pipes get hot?
I have been thinking about using it on my bare metal parts in and on my heater box. I was worried about what would happen when the box is hot. I'm not sure if using RPM is a good idea or not.

[birdsandbees]

It'll probably get too hot and melt off the forward section of the head pipes where temps might hit 1000 for the first foot or so, but from what I've read mufflers only get to about 90/95C (195/203F) on the outside and tail pipes would be cooler yet. Using my toaster oven I need to get it up to about 275/300F for the stuff to flow on to metal smoothly. Not too concerned if it all melts off in the end, just trying to preserve it as long as I can, but it is aluminized as well.

As for the countless hours I've spent coating all the suspension parts, bolts, clips, clamps etc. I'll just have to take Dave Walden's word for it that the stuff works ! 

[tan top]

 

[birdsandbees]

As disassembled. Anyone that's taken (what I believe is) a '66 set apart, can you confirm the passenger side had the 23.5/24" long zinc interleaf between the 3rd and 4th leaf?? The drivers side had it between the main and 2nd leaf where it makes more sense. Kit I ordered was 68/69/70 and had much shorter interleafs. Hopefully someone knows before I assemble tomorrow! (Hell by what I think is a date code on the bottom 1/2 leafs... "0117" ...they may be '61's!)

Marking the ends of the lower 1/2 leaf interleaf for trimming of the taper to match the spring. (ACCORDING TO DIRECTLY CONNECTED.. I should have left them hanging out!  )

Now it won't stick out. (ACCORDING TO DIRECTLY CONNECTED.. I should have left them hanging out! )

Picked up some 0.025 galvanized to shear my own interleafs to match the 18" and 24" lengths of what I disassembled.

All interleafs sheared, edges filed smooth and bolt hole unibit drilled.

Old plastic wear pads removed.

I'd say they were well used!

[birdsandbees]

Found the best way to remove the zinc interliner scale was tapping a dull cold chisel through it.

Lots of wire wheel work to clean up, while trying not to hit the paint.

Everything cleaned up, plastic wear pads installed and ready to reassemble on the car. Passenger 1/2 leaf goes forward, Driver rearward (or at least that is how they were when removed.. now concerned about this as everything I read says they both go forward!)
**UPDATE.. found some Mopar Direct Connection spring pictures of P4120863/4 that show left spring rearward, right spring forward to control spring wrap.. so which ever way yours came off, duplicate it!  

Why I went with "twinkle dinkle" for paint vs black as most do. It's darn close to the original bare steel and I understand at Lynch Road the '69's where not painted black from the supplier. (Directly Connected specifies Stainless Steel colour paint, or 20% Black)

[birdsandbees]

Well over 65 views and no comments as to why I have longer interleafs than come in kits or the correct placement of my 24" long ones, so I did a bunch of Googling, without much luck, and threw caution to the wind and installed the 24" ones between #3 and #4, seeing #4 doesn't have plastic wear pads it made the most sense to give them some. I also found that my one 1/2 leaf forward and one 1/2 leaf rearward is how some Direct Connection springs come "to stop wrap", so again possibly how they should be. Also found my part # 2539214 springs showed up a few places on '69 x 383 Roadrunners, so I guess these springs are original to the car and we only swapped out the rear axle back in '79 ! Getting old.. memory sucks!   Anyhow, todays work:

I put Krown on all the mating leaf spring and interleaf surfaces to hold off any rust and stop squeaks.

Everything set together and almost ready to install back to car.

Then I found the lower 1/2 spring interleafs a tad short as they didn't make it to the spring ends or cover out to where the original interleaf covered the non-painted.

So I sheared up some new ones a 1/2" longer!

All ready to put back under the car. Decided that both springs should have the full 24" interleaf between # 3 and #4 spring since #4 doesn't have plastic wear pads. Also with a lot of Googling found that these are indeed '69 springs part #2539214, so back in 1979 we must have only changed the rear end.. not the springs. Memory sucks...

[birdsandbees]

Prebent the lock tab on all the clamps so they weren't tight to the spring. A tad ticked that all 4 are the same depth from the kit. Ended up being a tad too short for the 4 leaf spots and too long for the 3 leaf spots.

Clamped from the top and sides to peen the clamp sides under.

Added another clamp to get the springs nice and tight.

All peened into place. As I noted, just a bit short for the 4 leaf spot but it'll work and she's TIGHT.

Certainly looks cleaner now.

Rear 3 leaf spot the clamps a bit long and I peened the tab tight in the lock hole so it hopefully stays tight. If not I'll redo them down the road.

Car lifted back up, axle in place and U bolts and lower shock attach plate going back in.

U bolts all torqued again to 50 ft-lbs (well ready to be.. wrong picture)

[birdsandbees]

Now I'm happy. Clean black plastic tabs sticking through, bare (RPM'd) leaf clamps in place and shiny interleaf's showing between each leaf.

Torsion bars going back in. These boots slipped on without effort in about 3 seconds. Cluster F on trying to get the proper part # ones I ordered, so I ended up getting these for free and can't wait to move forward so on they went.

Torsion bars in and lock wire in place on each one.

Just about ready to put the wheels on this thing! Down to rear shocks I think.

Snugged the torsion bar adjusters up a tad. Need to find my notes as to where they were set before, for a good starting place for ride height.

Got my clutch fork / rod "insulator" from Jeff Brown / 521 Restorations. He's been great with parts and always correct. Got my OEM sway bar links from him and many other things.

Insulator being installed to throwout fork.

Clutch throwout rod all assembled. Note factory spring position is from fork to the hole in the arm above the pivot.. not the bell housing. Mine's been this way since 1980 and will stay that way.

[birdsandbees]

Good progress

Thanks Dirty Turban!  

[birdsandbees]

OEM correct upper shock bolts/nuts and lower washers. Bolts part # is Partsmix, can't remember on the washers.

Some will cringe, but going with air shocks again.. just in case I have 4 in the trunk going to the Drive-In.

Upper bolts in place and not quite long enough to make it to the bottom mounts.

Carefully lifting the rear axle without taking weight off the frame pads.

Rear shocks in.

Trying to keep the air lines neat and up into the axle hump with the fill valve.

Filler on the hump behind the rear seat, using an existing body plug hole. I will drill the plug for the valve.

Wheel time..

[birdsandbees]

Almost forgot the spindle caps. Grease smeared inside and installed using the special tool.

Nice and clean, no dents!

Old trick I've been doing for decades, so you don't scratch the lug chrome or washers.

Back on her own wheels after 2 years and 2 weeks.

Ready for the stock car races !

I think I'm in love all over again. Still need to torque the LCA pivot nuts and the brace strut front nuts. That and an instrument cluster to restore, steering column....

Turned out wheely nice !

[Dino]

Dammit Wayne that is looking fan-tas-tic! 

What a journey!