New member -- Help with HLPAG.

[Ghoste]

You have to admit, he did come up with a way to try and improve the look of his Tupperware. 

[skip68]

    Cool deal.   I think that was a good buy for a car like that and you have no idea how much stress you saved by not buying a crap bucket from hlpg. 

[oldgold69]

congrats on dodging the hlpag bullet.  sweet ride. but you are one brave man bringing it home on a uhaul

[General_01]

Congrats man. That is one nice car. By the way, if you are a GL buff, you might want to visit this site:

www.cglfc.com/wforum

GL and DOH fan club site. Lots of nice people there.

[jb666]

congrats on dodging the hlpag bullet.  sweet ride. but you are one brave man bringing it home on a uhaul

You know what's funny about that?? The guy at UHaul said the exact same thing.. The only problem was, it was Labor Day Weekend , which is a HUGE weekend for kids going back to college. ALL of Hertz's "nice" car haulers were gone, so basically I was stuck with this thing.. We did 45 all the way back from Maryland to Boston.. Turned a 7.5 hour trip into 12.5.

Another funny note, on the way home we had to go through NY. Imagine being stuck on the GW Bridge and inside the Bronx Tunnel for 2+ hours while towing behind you a bright Orange car with a confederate flag on the roof  . Needless to say the car got TONS of attention but nothing negative. We were relieved!!

General_01 -- Thanks for the link, that's a great site!!! 

[The70RT]

congrats on dodging the hlpag bullet.  sweet ride. but you are one brave man bringing it home on a uhaul

You know what's funny about that?? The guy at UHaul said the exact same thing.. The only problem was, it was Labor Day Weekend , which is a HUGE weekend for kids going back to college. ALL of Hertz's "nice" car haulers were gone, so basically I was stuck with this thing.. We did 45 all the way back from Maryland to Boston.. Turned a 7.5 hour trip into 12.5.

Another funny note, on the way home we had to go through NY. Imagine being stuck on the GW Bridge and inside the Bronx Tunnel for 2+ hours while towing behind you a bright Orange car with a confederate flag on the roof  . Needless to say the car got TONS of attention but nothing negative. We were relieved!!

General_01 -- Thanks for the link, that's a great site!!! 

It's a good thing most couldn't see the flag when the car was up on the trailer 

[General_01]

congrats on dodging the hlpag bullet.  sweet ride. but you are one brave man bringing it home on a uhaul

You know what's funny about that?? The guy at UHaul said the exact same thing.. The only problem was, it was Labor Day Weekend , which is a HUGE weekend for kids going back to college. ALL of Hertz's "nice" car haulers were gone, so basically I was stuck with this thing.. We did 45 all the way back from Maryland to Boston.. Turned a 7.5 hour trip into 12.5.

Another funny note, on the way home we had to go through NY. Imagine being stuck on the GW Bridge and inside the Bronx Tunnel for 2+ hours while towing behind you a bright Orange car with a confederate flag on the roof  . Needless to say the car got TONS of attention but nothing negative. We were relieved!!

General_01 -- Thanks for the link, that's a great site!!! 

It's a good thing most couldn't see the flag when the car was up on the trailer 

I am going to go out on a limb and say that most people know there is a flag on the roof when they see the "01" on the side of an orange car.

[The70RT]

congrats on dodging the hlpag bullet.  sweet ride. but you are one brave man bringing it home on a uhaul

You know what's funny about that?? The guy at UHaul said the exact same thing.. The only problem was, it was Labor Day Weekend , which is a HUGE weekend for kids going back to college. ALL of Hertz's "nice" car haulers were gone, so basically I was stuck with this thing.. We did 45 all the way back from Maryland to Boston.. Turned a 7.5 hour trip into 12.5.

Another funny note, on the way home we had to go through NY. Imagine being stuck on the GW Bridge and inside the Bronx Tunnel for 2+ hours while towing behind you a bright Orange car with a confederate flag on the roof  . Needless to say the car got TONS of attention but nothing negative. We were relieved!!

General_01 -- Thanks for the link, that's a great site!!! 

It's a good thing most couldn't see the flag when the car was up on the trailer 

I am going to go out on a limb and say that most people know there is a flag on the roof when they see the "01" on the side of an orange car.

I agree. I guess it was the movie where people actually went nuts about it.

[jb666]

Goes to show that even though a motor only has 20 miles on it, not using anti-freeze isn't a good idea..

I'm sure, because the car was built in Texas, they didn't think it needed it, but around here I definitely do.. The T-Stat wasn't opening and the car got up to 220...





I put in a 195, but it's working as it should now.. We also pulled the electric choke mechanism off this carb.. It was binding because of how it was set up and causing the car to choke itself out.. Idles MUCH better now..

[FLG]

Sweet ride. Yep people dont realize antifreeze is not only meant to keep it from freezing, but also acts as a rust inhibitor, and reduces galvanic corrosion.

[The70RT]

Pretty crazy. I figured any car guy would know to put in antifreeze or the block would rust 

[jb666]

Pretty crazy. I figured any car guy would know to put in antifreeze or the block would rust 

Yeah, me too.. When I was flushing it I couldn't believe the brown water that was coming out.. All clean & green now though 

[jb666]

Pretty crazy. I figured any car guy would know to put in antifreeze or the block would rust 

Well.. It's been about 3 weeks since I brought the General home..

I cleaned the Hell out of it for the first few days, then decided to bring it to my buddy's shop to have him check everything over... And WOW , was I glad I did that.. First, pulling out of my driveway I noticed the brakes went to the floor and barely slowed the car down (PROBLEM #1 of mannnnnnnnnnny).. I decided to leave the car with him and I told him "make it perfect!!".

Every brake line needed to be replaced (re-used all OLD ORIGINAL LINES). They were in rough shape.
Valve covers both had clearance issues so we modified them to fit
Fuel tank leaking (brand new!!) put in wrong , and LOOSE. Vibration/abrasion made it wear a small hole in the top.
Electric choke kit on carb installed wrong.
Speedo cable held on by one thread, o-ring inside housing trashed.
Rear main tranny seal leaking bad.
Front upper AND lower ball joints LITERALLY fell off when we were inspecting them... They were TRASH!!
Front bearings were both MUNCHED. Grease helps, guys..
Front caliper installed loose, allowing the inside of the pad to dig a nice track in the rotor. Replaced those. Front pads were TRASHED.
MSD Ignition installed (personal preference. I don't like the old ballast resistor "electronic ignition" system)
I was told there was Royal Purple in the motor. We drained 6 quarts of convention motor oil, 10/40 by the looks of it. (why lie about OIL??)
Thermostat (as seen above) completely seized because system was 100% water.
Entire steering column loose and shorting out. The horn would go off when ever you moved the wheel.
Tail lights grounded out (and drilled through lip) of GAS TANK.
Rear shocks BOTH about to fall off car. Edelbrock shocks up front, Koni's in the rear. The rears are OBVIOUSLY about 15 years old, and trashed. Replaced with Edelbrock.
Driver's door (upper) hinge missing PIN!! Yeah, the door was sagging in ALL of the pictures I saw from the "restoration". Why would someone leave a PIN out?? Took about 15 seconds to fix and adjust properly.


And.. I think that's it, for now!! I'm hoping to get this thing to the last car show of the season next weekend.. So far I have ZERO road time in this car except bringing it to my buddy's shop..

[General_01]

WOW!!  

That is a lot of crappy work on a car for what he was asking. 

Glad you were able to get it all fixed. Have fun at the car show.

[jb666]

WOW!!  

That is a lot of crappy work on a car for what he was asking. 

Glad you were able to get it all fixed. Have fun at the car show.

And lemme tell you, we're just doing this so I can enjoy it for the rest of the season.. And not worry about crashing and/or burning while driving to a car show.

I'm already planning on gutting the interior (which I swear is held together with one screw) and finishing it right.

I expected to find a couple of things, but WOW, this was a LOT. Most of which we kept looking at each other saying "How could a shop send a car to someone like THIS?!?!?". Half of the things they did just weren't SAFE!! And WHY would any shop take $60k+ from someone and put it together like this??

I've got a TON of work ahead of me (Haven't even started on the body yet...) but I've got years to get this the way I want it. In the meantime, I plan on enjoying the Hell out of it.. This motor is AMAZING!!

[The70RT]

Start on the body???  I would think the body was solid if you paid anything near the asking price.

[jb666]

Start on the body???  I would think the body was solid if you paid anything near the asking price.

The body is solid, yes, but I'm a perfectionist. It's got it's fair share of body filler and corners were cut all over the place. I think they hired a blind man to apply the undercoating.. It's EVERYWHERE. Overspray.. GOT IT... 

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this car, it's just taking a bit more then I'd have hoped to get it road worthy..

And yes, I didn't argue with his asking price.. NOT the $45k last posted in the ad though.

[472 R/T SE]

I thought you checked the car out before buying it?  Or was it the same guy who did the undercoating that looked at it for ya'?  Just razzin' ya'. 

What kind of work did the valve covers need? 

I have never bought an old Mopar that didn't need work, even the rotisserie restored car I bought 3 or so years ago needed/s work.  Some more than others.  Glad you got your brakes fixed before you had to try out that push bar.

I lost the booster in my old Blue car, had my 2 year old in the back.  No warning, just up and quit. 

[jb666]

I thought you checked the car out before buying it?  Or was it the same guy who did the undercoating that looked at it for ya'?  Just razzin' ya'. 

What kind of work did the valve covers need? 

I have never bought an old Mopar that didn't need work, even the rotisserie restored car I bought 3 or so years ago needed/s work.  Some more than others.  Glad you got your brakes fixed before you had to try out that push bar.

I lost the booster in my old Blue car, had my 2 year old in the back.  No warning, just up and quit. 

Well, I "checked it out" as good as you guys did.. The raving reviews by the seller, and the write-up of the restoration done by the shop that built it.

The frame/floors are nice and solid, and the drivetrain is awesome.. Once these "kinks" are worked out the car will be great.. I just wish I had some forwarning about these things.. Had I been warned, I wouldn't have changed my mind on the car..

We drove 8+ hours to get it and 12+ hours to get home.. I still say it was worth it.. I'm proud to own it, and proud to be working on it. I look forward to MANY years with this car.. I just think these things could have been disclosed.

In a sense, I guess I was blind.. Blinded my my dream of owning this car 

[jb666]

Well, after almost 3 weeks at my buddy's shop, The General's almost ready to come home.. He was almost done when he noticed the steering column was loose.. Further inspection revealed the bolts holding it at the firewall had a problem. THEY WERE MISSING. No wonder things were a bit loose under there..

We were also wondering why the fenders "creaked" each time we'd lean against them to work on the motor.. It normally helps if ALL of the fender bolts are more then finger tight..

I can NOT BELIEVE a shop would send a car out like this. There has not been one nut/bolt that wasn't loose, so far..

The shocks cracked us up. We wondered why the rears were so loose, until we took the top bolts out of each side.. They were 6" long, first. Second they were 3 sizes too small for the inside of the shock mount. Third there were no rubber bushings.

Correct hardware and 4 new Edelbrock shocks have been installed.

The only thing I can say for the shop that built this is they did a damn good job making sure the bodywork was straight. I've had numerous compliments on the paint and body work. HOW, I don't know, but I'm thanking my lucky stars for that (and that they didn't have to assemble the Hemi!!)

The car is running INCREDIBLE with the new MSD ignition, especially since the timing isn't 15 degrees off any longer.

The throttle feels a bit better too since removing the BARN DOOR spring that was being used as a carb return spring 

Here you can see the new ignition setup(most of it) and the new billet waterneck (tired of trying to get the cheap chrome thing not to leak). The old barn door spring is still on , in this shot, I didn't take any late this afternoon. The brake booster is just hanging there, but now it and the new polished master are installed and the brakes have been bled. It feels great to have a brake pedal!!! We had to swap out the other rad hose, too, someone had cut the other one so bad at the end that it was holding on to the radiator by a thread!!




We liked the driver's fender for a mounting location for the MSD box. It's secure and vibration proof, and the wiring is very clean and out of the way. I want to keep the firewall semi-clear for when we install the vintage air next spring.

[joflaig]

I'd be surprised if that was the end of your problems. Based on some of the basic things you described that were let go, I'd wonder how many hidden body problems there may be. Did you ever take a magnet over the body to look for bondo? Undercoating can hide a lot too. 

[jb666]

I'd be surprised if that was the end of your problems. Based on some of the basic things you described that were let go, I'd wonder how many hidden body problems there may be. Did you ever take a magnet over the body to look for bondo? Undercoating can hide a lot too. 

Oh yeah.. We've checked the floors/frame/body out in depth. There are obviously a few areas where they tried the old fiberglass over a small hole and undercoat it trick.. All of these things will be taken care of, one by one.. I'm not worried about ANYTHING I find with the body, because overall the frame/floors/trunk and body are solid. I'm fairly pleased with that aspect of the car...

But yes, they DEFINITELY cut some serious corners putting this together. Scary part is the guy I bought it from had over $70k into the car... I would have been disappointed if I was him and took delivery of the car this way, knowing I had just dumped all of my money into a car I would EXPECT to be a turn-key driver. Maybe I'm inexperienced in the Mopar world, but $70k's still a lot of $$.

[The70RT]

I'd be surprised if that was the end of your problems. Based on some of the basic things you described that were let go, I'd wonder how many hidden body problems there may be. Did you ever take a magnet over the body to look for bondo? Undercoating can hide a lot too. 

No mater what is under the paint i would leave it alone if it is straight and you are happy. If you redid that it kinda defeats buying the car if you are going to restore it. Hopefully the problems are all solved. I would just make sure the suspension is in good driving condition though.

[jb666]

I'd be surprised if that was the end of your problems. Based on some of the basic things you described that were let go, I'd wonder how many hidden body problems there may be. Did you ever take a magnet over the body to look for bondo? Undercoating can hide a lot too. 

No mater what is under the paint i would leave it alone if it is straight and you are happy. If you redid that it kinda defeats buying the car if you are going to restore it. Hopefully the problems are all solved. I would just make sure the suspension is in good driving condition though.

The suspension is perfect because we replaced every piece of it. There's nothing, besides the springs that we left..

And yes, the body's very straight, I'm happy with that.. So it's time to ENJOY IT!!

[The70RT]

I meant the front suspension mostly. Bushings,ball joints etc.