Recent upgrades on my 69 - 2018 time to clean things up

[Dino]

Awesome list!   Looks like you will be busy.        Are you still looking at putting Trick Flow heads on?

Not quite yet    I'm out of money so it will happen later on. I want to hear some real feedback on them first but I might just go with a set of edelbrocks.

That sounds like a fun Saturday morning.  What are you doing the rest of the weekend?   

I need to temporarily reinstall my instrument cluster as well to power up the interior and test out all of the electrical mods I'm working on.  It's probaly one of the jobs on this car that I like least.  I can probably do it blindfolded but I still don't like it.

Saturday morning!     I thought I'd stare at everything til noon, break for lunch, then have a beer, and then get started. Isn't that how most of us work?     The only part I'm dreading is pulling the heater box and flushing the brake fluid. I hate both of those jobs!

Really? I actually like putting in the gauges. It's one of those jobs that I can be done in 10 minutes without looking for tools for an hour. 

I snapped off the right bottom corner of the bezel three times now because my center dash pad is a bit out of whack and I always catch it on there.  Maybe that's why I don't like it.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Well got most of my list taken care of over the weekend. Some projects turned out to be a bigger pain than I anticipated. Had to replace the upper ball joints on the control arms. Moog quality isn't what it used to be.    Only around 10,000 miles on them and both failed. Luckily I had a new set in the tool box so got them swapped in and added dust boots to the heim joints.

Also found some sketchy work done on my last alignment. I try to do as much as possible on my own but somethings just have to be farmed out and a good alignment is one of them. I had a new shop that was close to my work do my alignment a while back but it looks like they forgot to put the cam bolt washer back on the drivers side!     Instead they just put a tiny washer on it. I'm glad I caught this now. It goes in Thursday to get a proper alignment by the shop that usually does it.

The new upgraded Fitech unit went in very smoothly. Got it all wired up to control both fans and kicks up the idle soon as the a/c comes on. Started right way and just had to adjust IAC valve to get it to run like it should.

I like the white valve covers but they make the engine bay paint look duller now.    But I need to do some cleaning so hopefully it will match up better when it is cleaned up.

[garner7555]

Looking good!     

[out there]

Very nice combination of custom pieces!     

[myk]

I can't look at Clayton's car anymore-it's so beautiful it hurts....

[68killerbee]

I was wondering what distributor you used from firecore?  I have just the regular stock replacement type and am using the rev-n-nator ECU, but don't know if they will jive with the EFI. I still need to break my motor in with the old carb, but then I will get the efi on it.  Got the 800 hp unit and the sump/fuel command center is showing up today.
thanks

[WHITE AND RED 69]

I've got the standard Firecore distributor paired up with an MSD 6AL ignition box. I haven't wired up the timing control on the EFI to the distributor yet but will in the future.

I'd call up Fitech and talk to them about compatibility with the rev-n-ator. I would think the EFI would work fine with it since it works with aftermarket ignitions but worst case you can run it without the timing control.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Well lately not much has happened with the charger. Had issues 2 days before the Optima challenge back in February that I couldn't get resolved so I had to throw in the towel and leave the car at home. I still went to watch Marty's blue 68 compete but was a bummer being there without my car.

But on the bright side I have been collecting parts to make it even better. A set of mildly ported aluminum sidewinder cylinder heads are on the way so I should get a nice jump in power once I install them. When the heads come off I will also change up the exhaust for a while. Got a 3" X-pipe, Black Widow mufflers, and turndowns to make it a bit louder. I'll try and post some videos of a before and after to compare the sounds.

Also decided to ditch the vacuum system for the headlight doors and go with an electric kit from Charger Specialties. But forgot to take pictures during the install    It's a nice kit and the install was quick and easy. Only complaint is the pictures on the website show a billet housing but they have switched over to an ABS plastic housing. Not a big deal but I liked the look of the billet ones.

[myk]

Wow!  What setbacks did you have with the car that sidelined it?  Also, I guess that headlight door kit is a bolt-in?  I was under the impression that you had to fab brackets for the motors...

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Wow!  What setbacks did you have with the car that sidelined it?  Also, I guess that headlight door kit is a bolt-in?  I was under the impression that you had to fab brackets for the motors...

Voltage regulators and fuel pump. Regulator went bad and just wasn't getting enough power to the pump which kept stalling the motor out. The regulator was brand new so I never thought to check it and just ran out of time. So now the pump runs off its own relays rather than just off the EFI power wire. Another issue was the EFI unit did not like the coil so close to it which caused interference with the tach signal so I had to move the coil to the passenger side inner fender.

The headlight door kit was 100% bolt in. No fab work at all, its a well thought out kit. And for the price it better be bolt-in!      Bolts directly where the actuators were and I mounted the control box under the battery. 1 wire to ground, 1 to + on the battery, and 1 wire to the signal wire on the high beam dimmer switch and you're all set. I'll take some pics of it and post them up. 

[myk]

Wow!  What setbacks did you have with the car that sidelined it?  Also, I guess that headlight door kit is a bolt-in?  I was under the impression that you had to fab brackets for the motors...

Voltage regulators and fuel pump. Regulator went bad and just wasn't getting enough power to the pump which kept stalling the motor out. The regulator was brand new so I never thought to check it and just ran out of time. So now the pump runs off its own relays rather than just off the EFI power wire. Another issue was the EFI unit did not like the coil so close to it which caused interference with the tach signal so I had to move the coil to the passenger side inner fender.

The headlight door kit was 100% bolt in. No fab work at all, its a well thought out kit. And for the price it better be bolt-in!      Bolts directly where the actuators were and I mounted the control box under the battery. 1 wire to ground, 1 to + on the battery, and 1 wire to the signal wire on the high beam dimmer switch and you're all set. I'll take some pics of it and post them up. 

That's phenomenal, thanks for the information.  How's your Fitech experience going?  I still consider your car the test bed for my future mods, lol...

[funknut]

I like the white valve covers but they make the engine bay paint look duller now.    But I need to do some cleaning so hopefully it will match up better when it is cleaned up.

Love the white on black look. I wouldn't have thought to do white valve covers but it looks awesome.  Very tidy!

[tan top]

  good stuff 

[daveco]

The black/white and aluminum engine detailing looks great

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Thanks guys    I was on the fence for a while about the white valve covers but I think it goes well in the engine bay.

That's phenomenal, thanks for the information.  How's your Fitech experience going?  I still consider your car the test bed for my future mods, lol...

Overall I'm very happy with Fitech but there are some things that I don't like about it. The internal fuel pressure regulator sounded like a good idea but I'd rather have an external one hooked up to a gauge to be able to see exactly where it is at. The handheld doesn't show the fuel pressure so you can never tell if it is dropping off. Makes troubleshooting a pain and the only area you can add a gauge to is before the regulator so it will never be accurate. This could be fixed if they could add the pressure to the handheld computer but I doubt that will happen.

The wiring is decent but I wish they would add some larger gauge wires on it. They also need to update their instructions to show you what values to aim for on certain things and how to take full advantage of all the features. They have definitions of everything on the website but to someone just getting into it is not going to know what to adjust to make it better.  

And the customer support from them has gone down the shitter. When I got it last summer I could call and speak to someone right away but now they are always busy and it takes them days, sometimes weeks for them to get back to you. But I think they never expected the product to take off like it did and are overwhelmed with how many units are selling so its understandable while they are expanding. I know they have been trying to get more techs hired so this should be improving.

I still think its a great product and was perfect for someone like me who had no experience with EFI to make the jump. I like it way better than the old carb, throttle response is awesome, starts right up, and its nice to be able to adjust idle and everything else from inside the car. But eventually I will make the jump to their port injection system.

[myk]

Good information there, thanks Clayton...

[VegasCharger]

Looking good Clayton. 

[will]

And the customer support from them has gone down the shitter. When I got it last summer I could call and speak to someone right away but now they are always busy and it takes them days, sometimes weeks for them to get back to you. But I think they never expected the product to take off like it did and are overwhelmed with how many units are selling so its understandable while they are expanding. I know they have been trying to get more techs hired so this should be improving.

I would totally agree with this. I ordered the meanstreet 800 efi, the fuel command center, and the throttle return spring to get me to free shipping. Guess what, the website won't allow this, you have to fedex for 57.50. I e-mailed them and said I wasn't paying that and mailed them a check this morning. We'll see what happens. Plus the voicemail box is full, sorry guys, 3 of them are mine. They don't call back. I e-mailed Ken and hopefully they can remedy the situation. It looks like a great product, I bought the 800 for a/c control and expansion. You never know how much horsepower is too much

[69wannabe]

Thanks guys    I was on the fence for a while about the white valve covers but I think it goes well in the engine bay.

That's phenomenal, thanks for the information.  How's your Fitech experience going?  I still consider your car the test bed for my future mods, lol...

Overall I'm very happy with Fitech but there are some things that I don't like about it. The internal fuel pressure regulator sounded like a good idea but I'd rather have an external one hooked up to a gauge to be able to see exactly where it is at. The handheld doesn't show the fuel pressure so you can never tell if it is dropping off. Makes troubleshooting a pain and the only area you can add a gauge to is before the regulator so it will never be accurate. This could be fixed if they could add the pressure to the handheld computer but I doubt that will happen.

The wiring is decent but I wish they would add some larger gauge wires on it. They also need to update their instructions to show you what values to aim for on certain things and how to take full advantage of all the features. They have definitions of everything on the website but to someone just getting into it is not going to know what to adjust to make it better.  

And the customer support from them has gone down the shitter. When I got it last summer I could call and speak to someone right away but now they are always busy and it takes them days, sometimes weeks for them to get back to you. But I think they never expected the product to take off like it did and are overwhelmed with how many units are selling so its understandable while they are expanding. I know they have been trying to get more techs hired so this should be improving.

I still think its a great product and was perfect for someone like me who had no experience with EFI to make the jump. I like it way better than the old carb, throttle response is awesome, starts right up, and its nice to be able to adjust idle and everything else from inside the car. But eventually I will make the jump to their port injection system.

I wish the fi tech guys would make up a troubleshooting page on their website or print one up to go with the instructions. Mine runs great but I have just a few adjustments on my cold and hot start that I think could be a little better too but overall it runs great and is an improvement over the carb I was running. Like you sad above maybe one day the port fuel injection will be on my to do list too!!!

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Well not a whole lot of updates happening but I have been collecting parts. 

With the electric fans, fuel pump, efi, a/c, stereo, headlights, and rest of the accessories sapping power my voltage gauge isn't where I want it to be. So it's time to upgrade the wiring even further. I feel as I pushed the stock wiring setup as far as it can safely go so I just picked up the American Auto Wire 68-70 B body kit and will get to installing it soon. This way everything runs into a modern fuse block that can handle the power of everything and has areas that I can add more stuff to later on (power windows maybe?). This kit is very well thought out and made to handle any electrical demands you throw at it. Hopefully it won't be too bad to install but it will make things in the engine bay a bit cleaner looking. I wish it came out last year when I replaced the old stuff with a new M&H harness but I'll sell that off to help recoup some of the cost.

Along with the wiring I'll be adding this new billet alternator from Mechman. Most of my voltage issues were at idle and this sucker puts out 138 amps at 800 RPMs! And 158 amps at cruising speed. It's a one wire setup with 4 gauge wire running to the starter relay and battery. It was pricey but I needed something that would be a direct bolt on and matched the original style alternators since I already have all the brackets that match the other parts.

[WHITE AND RED 69]

Also finally got my mid level ported Sidewinder heads. They look great and can't wait to get them installed. 

[keepat]

 Nice-looking pile of new parts,  look forward to seeing them installed and hearing how well you like that wiring harness.
Pat

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Nice shiny stuff! 

[TexasStroker]

I've been hoping to see some first hand feedback on the Classic Update kit...hope it goes well.  Alternator looks great as well!

[darbgnik]

Finished up the 67 charger arm rest and had it wrapped in leather to match the seats.

Hey, I thought I remembered this from this thread...... My car is finally out of paint, and just waiting on a headliner. I found a 66-67 front console lid with the armrest on it, where you lift up the armrest to access the console. The bottom of the lid(the part you replace our lid with) is bare. Could you tell me what hardware I need to connect to my console? A hinge and a latch I assume? Or do you bolt it to the console using the 4 holes hidden under the armrest?

Also, is the height of that center console where you'd actually need it to be for it to be useful to rest you elbow on?

Thanks again
Brad