Been gone awhile!--New radiator in!

[Kevin68N71]

Hey guys, have not been here in ages.  Put off working on my 68 Charger and 71 Super Bee because of other projects.  I still have the brakes apart on my 68 (for like 5 months now!) and decided to take part of a bonus and apply it to the Super Bee.  The Bee is drivable but for years has had lousy cracked tires and a single row, incorrect inlet/outlet radiator on it for years.  I basically take it out for quick spins as anything more it overheats.

I think it was likely hit sometime in the front, as the SE style front end is wrong.  Eventually I gotta get the right one on there.  There are alot of things that were done "incorrectly".  So I have started in.  Over previous years I think I have replaced every pump, bearing, hose, line and brake component in there, and had my 727 Auto rebuilt when I blew first (in a fit of stupid anger---but it needed a rebuild anyways!).

I really thought alot about tires.  I like the Dunlop GT Qualifiers on my Corvette, even though all you hear is people trash talking about them.  Oh well, I like them, but they didn't have them in the size I have here.

I am not crazy about my wheels, but when I pulled them off in an attempt to finally clean them I noticed they were Westerns 14x7.  I always liked Western Wheels, still have the dish mags on the 68.  Yeah, I should have bought real Mopar style replacements, but that is going to have to wait.

I cleaned them the best I could (still need center caps if anyone has an idea on that!) and went and got new Radial TAs on them.  Came out pretty nice, though hard to see in the picture.

I just took possession of a Year One radiator, and ebayed a correct inlet water pump housing.  So, this weekend, I will bolt that in.  I got the kind of radiator that looks like a Mopar, but of course does not have the emblem and number.  I will probably sell my single row, likely came out of a 318 or 6 banger.

So this weekend, I am looking forward to a LONG drive, something I have not done since I bought the car in 1998--shocking but true.

Other plans include taking out and restoring the tail panel, painting it a proper flavor of "argent" and fixing the cracks.  Putting on the Super Bee Emblem, which I have but needs to be restored, on the trunk, and figuring how to add the thin stripes that were never there on either side of the big stripe.  All little details that are wrong but are cheaply fixed with time.

[1969chargerrtse]

Hello, real nice looking Charger you got there.  Hope you have a nice long cruise.   

[Charger666]

Very nice car indeed!
Hope it's up and running soon for that nice long cruise!

[richard pettys 73]

Very nice car indeed!
Hope it's up and running soon for that nice long cruise!

          WELCOME BACK!!!

[69*F5*SE]

Welcome back, sweet Super Bee Charger.   

[Brock Samson]

  howdy,..  I remember ya'.. welcome home. 

[69bronzeT5]

Welcome back and have fun on the drive

[Silver R/T]

welcome back, that's one clean Charger

[RD]

welcome back kevin...i see you and i have the same taste in rims

[mopar73]

welcome back :cheers:nice looking ride

[Ghoste]

Welcome back and it's nice to see you are going to get the Super Bee into a more useable state.  You won't regret it.

[Kevin68N71]

Thanks guys, and RD, if you come across a good source for large diameter center caps, let me know!  I thought old Western Wheel center caps would be easy, but no one has them!!!!

[Kevin68N71]

Got the Year One radiator installed, and actually drove it more than a few miles!

Two freeway runs and alot of around town runs...all of which would have over heated the car before, so think I am in the clear.  No, have not taken the "long drive" yet, still keeping an eye on it.

I finally got everything in yesterday, it was unusually warm for this time of year and the sun was just beating down, so it was not pleasant.  Fired it up and leaking all over, apparently where the housing meets the block.  Damn!  So I took a break (after about 5 hours straight working on the thing and swearing), had a steak and went back to it.  Clearer head allowed me to see that this little plug next to the heater hose was never tightened.  The fluid was coming out of there and leaking down making it look like it was leaking at the block.  Tightened that little SOB down and BOOM! dry and tight.

I will say there is one disappointment.  I got the Year One radiator that has the basic Mopar look, but of course no Mopar stamp or number, which is good enough for me. The issue is, you just TOUCH the cooling fins and the paint falls off...and the cooling fins themselves are beyond fragile.   Even the top tank has had paint fleck off, just by handling it.  I am going to call them and complain about that, pretty lousy for a new unit.

[69*F5*SE]

Awesome car, glad you got the bugs worked out.  Yeah, that's a drag that the paint is coming off of the rad like it is.  Yearone is starting to scare me with all of the bad things I been reading about them lately.  Good luck.

[Kevin68N71]

I called Year One on the radiator.

The guy in customer service told me that ALL new radiators have fragile core material that you can bend with slight pressure.  He recommended just to respray the top of the radiator with black paint.

Kind of disappointed, but it works ok.  I don't know if I buy any of the above--and I don't think I would buy from Year One another radiator without looking at competitors.  (Luckily, I should not have to, most of my other cars have units that are rebuildable should they ever give me trouble.)  I would expect any radiator cooling fins to not be that fragile.  For laughs I went to my 2006 Taurus just to check it out, but I can't GET to the radiator!!!!