MOPAR JOHNS EK2 SUPERBIRD RESTORATION!!

[aerolith]

What a wonderful thread John!

12 years in the making and maybe 'never to be repeated again'?

I've done some 'serious' Bodywork on some very fine Mopars but this is mind-blowing stuff indeed.

Removing the rear quarters/tail panel to fit a one piece trunk pan floor is pure genius...

Only teasing John, from Limey John...

[472 R/T SE]

Mr. Mopar John.  Will you be at next years Carlisle?

[Mopar John]

What a wonderful thread John!

12 years in the making and maybe 'never to be repeated again'?

I've done some 'serious' Bodywork on some very fine Mopars but this is mind-blowing stuff indeed.

Removing the rear quarters/tail panel to fit a one piece trunk pan floor is pure genius...

Only teasing John, from Limey John...

aerolith,
Thanks for the comments!
I do want to add that the 1 piece trunk floor was an original Chrysler stamping out of a rust free donor car!
Not many of those to be found any more.
MJ

[Mopar John]

Mr. Mopar John.  Will you be at next years Carlisle?

472 R/T SE,
I will not be at Carlisle this year or next year!
I have only made the haul out there once in 2016 for the Superbird OE judging.
The way we were treated there after purchasing a $500.00 entry I have NO reason to go back!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                                                 SUPERBIRD REAR BRAKE WHEEL CYLINDERS PART 2!
   Almost a year ago now I was browsing on EBAY and noticed a bunch of NOS assembly line wheel cylinders.
I scanned the listings to see if there were any for our Daytona's or Superbird's?
Well I got lucky and purchased a casting number 3461776 rear wheel cylinder that was correct for the Superbird.
Since there was a bunch of different parts listed I sent a message to see if there were any more?
Well the seller got back with me and said he had another 3461776 that was missing the internals on 1 side.
So I bought it and now had a pair and I show them in my first picture.
I took the complete one apart on one side to see what original parts were missing?
I show that in my second and third pictures.
Then I searched my spare brake parts stash and found the correct spring
along with the inner and outer boots and show the progress in my fourth picture.
So the only original item I'm missing is the 15/16" piston with part number 325 cast into it.
The factory part number for that piston is 2260843.
If anyone has a junk original wheel cylinder with that piston or an NOS one
I would like to buy it to complete my original wheel cylinder.
I show that piston in my fifth picture.
The last picture shows an original outer boot close up with the factory part number 2881618 molded into it.
Enjoy! MJ

[Impkidd]

  John, here are my nos wheel cylinders. One has the Chrysler boots 2881618, and the other Wagner Lockheed. So, did the installers at the factory have boxes on each side of the car with two different types of 'assembled' wheel cylinders to be installed? This brings up a question on the actual wheel cylinder bolts, if you like to know...
   My car has mismatched-marked, bolt heads on one side, and the same kind of marked head pair on the other? All four have the same star washers. Bolts in pic left to right, are marked B&H, M, N under L, N under L. And a repro bolt marked E.
   And pics of the MCACN 700 mile Superbird bolts. Not the same bolt heads per side either...?? Interesting investigating.

[hemi68charger]

Looking good John !!! Been so out of touch.... I didn't realize you were restoring your Bird....  I thought you had already done this......

Troy

[Mopar John]

  John, here are my nos wheel cylinders. One has the Chrysler boots 2881618, and the other Wagner Lockheed. So, did the installers at the factory have boxes on each side of the car with two different types of 'assembled' wheel cylinders to be installed? This brings up a question on the actual wheel cylinder bolts, if you like to know...
   My car has mismatched-marked, bolt heads on one side, and the same kind of marked head pair on the other? All four have the same star washers. Bolts in pic left to right, are marked B&H, M, N under L, N under L. And a repro bolt marked E.
   And pics of the MCACN 700 mile Superbird bolts. Not the same bolt heads per side either...?? Interesting investigating.

Rob,
The same wheel cylinder casting was used for a few years after our Superbirds were built!
The Wagner Lockheed parts started to show up a bit later so your wheel cylinders even though
they are NOS they may have been made a bit later.
Thanks for adding the details on the bolt heads for the wheel cylinders!
Now I am going to have to crawl under mine and see what those look like?
Thanks for replying with more info! MJ

[Mopar John]

Looking good John !!! Been so out of touch.... I didn't realize you were restoring your Bird....  I thought you had already done this......

Troy

Troy,
The pictures from the top of the page are from years ago!
The Superbird was restored during the 2013-2015 time frame.
I continue to work on details of the car as I can.
I just started work on these wheel cylinders and thought I would share the info.
Looks like you have been busy with your new HEMI bird!
Thanks! MJ

[Mopar John]

Rob,
I have attached a picture of what I think the logo looks like on the low mile Superbird at the MCACN show.
These would be the non shoulder ones.
The logo and the tooth washers will help find these in coffee cans full of hardware!
MJ

[birdsandbees]

Here's the originals on mine... "anchors".

[Impkidd]

You may have a matching pair on your car. The line lead from back in the day, may have came back from lunch break, and the crew started using the same brand of bolts out of the correct basket... When the cats away, the mice will play.

[Mopar John]

                Assembly Line Correct NOS Wheel Valve Stem Extensions!
When we restored our Superbird we looked for some NOS wheel valve stem extensions.
In my first 2 attached pictures I show the 1970-71 parts book pages.
You will notice that 2660315 is the part number for the valve stem extensions.
I was able to find a set of 4 NOS extensions and installed them on our Superbird.
The 3rd picture shows them installed.
These turn out to be the later more common superceded over the counter parts.
I have noticed on some Superbirds and even recently on one of the low mileage survivors
that the extensions were not installed and look like my 4th picture.
The information I have seen says that the extensions were supplied in a plastic bag
in the trunk with the trim rings for our Superbirds and up to dealer prep to install them.
I believe this would lead to all different scenarios!
So that leads me up to a few months ago when I found out that the assembly line
NOS valve stem extensions should have had a small hole in the center of the white core. WOW!
So I started looking for assembly line valve stem extensions for part number 2660315.
I discussed this with fellow Superbird owner Rob Kidd at the Indy Mopar Swap Meet.
Rob is working on a Superbird restoration and spending a great deal of time
looking for correct parts for his Superbird.
It wasn't long after I spoke with him about the valve stem extensions that he sent me a link.
I was able to buy a set of 4 NOS assembly line correct 2660315 valve stem extensions!
I show them still in the factory sealed bag in my 5th picture.
This is the bag that would have been in the trunk of our Superbirds.
My last picture shows the end of the stems with the small hole in the centers!
I would like to thank Rob for helping me find the correct extensions
and being able to add another correct detail to the restoration!
MJ

[Impkidd]

You're welcome John! Investigating the details is a hobby in itself. You've been a great source of information and spare parts from your restoration. 

[Mopar John]

                          ORIGINAL SUPERBIRD WASHER BOTTLE!
Recently a friend of mine got in touch with me an informed me that he had purchased a very nice original washer bottle. He asked me what date code that I was looking for? So I went to my Superbird parts stash and told him that my original bottle was dated the 274th day of 1969. So I told him I would go a bit earlier and up to 45 days
( 319 9 ) later with and early December assembly date. My first picture shows the 274 9 date on my original bottle. He checks his bottle and gets back with me and tells me that he has the same date of 274 9! WOW!
Needless to say I ended up purchasing that bottle. My second picture shows the date on that bottle. The reason I was so excited is that the closest I could come up to this point was an NOS bottle that was dated 145 0. I got a deduction for this by the engine compartment judge at Carlisle because the date was after the car was built.
So I can now cross another deduction off my shrinking list! My third picture shows the 145 0 bottle installed and the just purchased 274 9 bottle for comparison and how nice it looks! My fourth picture again shows the the 145 0 bottle installed and the original 274 9 original bottle for comparison. My last picture shows the recently purchased original 274 9 bottle installed!
MJ

[69hemidaytona]

Great find!

[bannedbird]

John, my bird has "OK" wax or crayon on the drivers headlight bucket.  Was this factory or added sometime after car delivery?

thx - SB Steve

[Mopar John]

Steve,
 It is my opinion that this was a verification that the vacuum system test of the headlights was "OK".
The vacuum line connectors for the nose was near there on that side.
I assume this would have been done when the nose assembly was complete and not yet installed.
MJ

[KurtfromLaQuinta]

There's so much detail here my head hurts. 

Great over the top job M. John!

[Mopar John]

There's so much detail here my head hurts. 

Great over the top job M. John!

Thanks!
A lot of original details have been highlighted along the way.
MJ

[70gtx440dana]

John - The bottle looks great on your Bird!  Glad I could help you with another hard to find part. It looks perfectly at home for such a nice original bottle.  Joe

ORIGINAL SUPERBIRD WASHER BOTTLE!
Recently a friend of mine got in touch with me an informed me that he had purchased a very nice original washer bottle. He asked me what date code that I was looking for? So I went to my Superbird parts stash and told him that my original bottle was dated the 274th day of 1969. So I told him I would go a bit earlier and up to 45 days
( 319 9 ) later with and early December assembly date. My first picture shows the 274 9 date on my original bottle. He checks his bottle and gets back with me and tells me that he has the same date of 274 9! WOW!
Needless to say I ended up purchasing that bottle. My second picture shows the date on that bottle. The reason I was so excited is that the closest I could come up to this point was an NOS bottle that was dated 145 0. I got a deduction for this by the engine compartment judge at Carlisle because the date was after the car was built.
So I can now cross another deduction off my shrinking list! My third picture shows the 145 0 bottle installed and the just purchased 274 9 bottle for comparison and how nice it looks! My fourth picture again shows the the 145 0 bottle installed and the original 274 9 original bottle for comparison. My last picture shows the recently purchased original 274 9 bottle installed!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                     ORIGINAL SUPERBIRD IDLE SOLENID!
 Going back to the judging list from Carlisle Frank Badelson stated that the idle solenoid
should be plated and not painted! Thus a deduction for this item!
So over the winter I spotted an ad for Harms Auto out west.
They do a complete cosmetic restoration on these solenoids.
My first 2 pictures show the solenoid on the Superbird and loose and ready to be shipped out.
The last 2 pictures show the cosmetically restored solenoid when it came back
and then installed back on the Superbird.
So just another neat little item taken care of!
Glad to be back after my wife 426 Linda took care of the spam on out computor!
MJ

[70 sublime]

Where does the solenoid get its power from and what turns the power on and off ?
I put a 6 pack on my 440 and trying to sort out this detail also

[Mopar John]

Where does the solenoid get its power from and what turns the power on and off ?
I put a 6 pack on my 440 and trying to sort out this detail also

The power would need to be off an item that is powered up when the key is on.
The way it works is when the ignition is on and the car running the plunger
is up at the idle position of the carburetor linkage.
When you turn the ignition off the plunger drops and backs off the carb
to help stop hot engine run on.
MJ

[70 sublime]

So basically it is just making the idle a bit faster all the time until you turn the key off so the idle drops some and helps the engine stall out ?