Well It Is A Start, MOPAR Fire. Missy Lumpy Lives And Moves After 8 Years!

[cudaken]

 
Well today I started to get the 68 Runner Running again. For the new people that don't know me I got my Runner when I was 17, I am now old!   Well I have had her for 40 years now.

7 Years ago, I got burned out on cars and got into HO scale trains. Train layout has taken up my 2 car garage so the Runner set out side waiting for the Mopar Fire to get relight.

I must say she is a shadow of her former glory.   Here she is the way she was at the start of the day.

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner001_zpsa90dc966.jpg.html]

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner002_zps0dd99496.jpg.html]

Sad to say I let 3 of her 4 tires go flat. I was glad they took air, in fact I was very pleased with the lack of dry rot.

Then there is Miss Lumpy Engine Compartment. (Miss Lumpy his her nickname)  
Anyone that remembers me knows how her motor uses to look, sure is not like this!

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner003_zps437de8c3.jpg.html]

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner004_zpsb1b19b3f.jpg.html]

There is Good and Bad news about today! Good news first.

1 Coolant is still in the radiator after 7 years.  

2 Oil does not have any coolant in it, that is a big plus.

3 She still has brake pedal, I was worry about that! Have no clue if they work yet but pedal is firm.  

4 No rust in the engine compartment that I have found yet!  

5 Think most of the chrome will clean up well!   Reason it looks so nasty, boy this worked in my favor. Power steering box went bad and was spraying fluid all over the places.

6 Rear Wheels still look pretty good, front are so, so but they will get me by.

Now the bad news.

1 Cannot get the trunk to open with a key. Reason I say a Key, not sure which trunk key is hers!   Seems I still have a set of keys for every Mopar I have owned or worked on? So far I have found 15 sets? Found her ignition key, but neither trunk key on the ring will work!  

2 Rust hole in the right sail panel.   This is going to be a pain to fix, it is about 6 to 8 inches up from the quarter panel and 2 inches from the window molding. Now the odd thing, the paint around the hole is clean?   Just seems odd to me, I have seen it at the corners of the windows at the bottom. (I do have some pitted metal there) But not where this hole is.

3 Carpet is wet on the drivers side, but floor still seems solid. Hoping it just from the vent window being cracked open.   But more than likely the vent box has rust in it.

Sat in her for the first time today in 7 years. I wish I could say it felt good, well it did somewhat. But it was sad to she what kind of shape I let her get into. Heck she has mold on the dash and the Pistol Grip shifter is turning green.  

Did get her cleaned up some what today.

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner007_zps0cee4189.jpg.html]

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner008_zps5bddb0b1.jpg.html]

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RoadRunner009_zps7bbbb760.jpg.html]

Next step is to clean up the engine and compartment better so I am not wiping slime off my hand all the time!  

While not a big leap, it is a start.

Cuda Ken

 

[chargermick]

Welcome back Cudaken! Sure have missed you around here. I don't post very often because I don't type very well, but I do come on here a couple times a week, and have missed your humor and excellent advice. Glad the Mopar fire is relit.

[68X426]

While not a big leap, it is a start.  

Seems like a big leap to me. Congrats! 

[A383Wing]

looks good....what happened to the wiper motor?

Bryan

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

While not a big leap, it is a start.  

Seems like a big leap to me. Congrats! 

[nvrbdn]

yep, looking like a great canvas to start with. keep the updates coming.

[skip68]

Excellent!   

[Brightyellow69rtse]

forward progress is forward progress, keep at it man!

[Ponch ®]

Ken!

Good to see the fire is slowly rekindling. Baby steps!

Ponch fka Mojo

[General_01]

Looking good Ken. Keep it up. 

[moparstuart]

wow great start she is looking better already

[70moparman]

model trains cant do burnouts...   

[Todd Wilson]

Welcome back Cudakentay!!!!!!!!






Todd

[Budnicks]

  Congrats... Great start, good to see she's running again, I do love RR's & she looks better already...

[71ChallengeHer]

Welcome back !         

[Steve P.]

HEY HEY..... LOOK WHO'S BACK!!!!!!!

Great to have you back young man!!!!!  Last I knew you were HOOKED ON PHONO'S.... I guess the trains came after that..

Good to see you Ken...   

[GOTWING]

i have to ask, how many guys stopped by over the years to try and buy it?  did you tell them it's not for sale and you are going to restore it someday? 

[cudaken]

Thanks for the welcome back folks!

Far as the wiper motor, I took that apart 30 years ago to have chromed. Could not figure who to rebuild it so I just screwed the motor cover on. Then I got a ram air cleaner and the 2 speed wiper motor would not fit. So I left it off.

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RunnerEngine_zpse1043dd7.jpg.html]

Far as having her running, far from it.

Far as model train engines being able to do a burn out 70 Mopar Man. I have a few that can!  Don't want them to, but I have had a few that will smoke there rubber traction tires if I have to many car hooked up to them. Oh, there motors are not stock. 

Got Wing, So far about 8 people, few idiots that was hoping I was a idiot. Last guy was wanting to bring $6,000.00 over in cash. I am still thinking about it some what.

Right now I have the doors open and running a fan in the car to get the carpet dried out.

See you all later.

Ken

[projectanimal]

Looking great!   
I had a large 3 table HO train layout and took it down to create our "parts" room!  It was okay as I wanted to change things anyway but will most likely turn it back into trains when the parts start going back I to the charger!! 

Keep up the great work on your car!

[Budnicks]

Thanks for the welcome back folks!

Far as the wiper motor, I took that apart 30 years ago to have chromed. Could not figure who to rebuild it so I just screwed the motor cover on. Then I got a ram air cleaner and the 2 speed wiper motor would not fit. So I left it off.

http://s83.photobucket.com/user/cudaken/media/Charger%20Site/1-RunnerEngine_zpse1043dd7.jpg.html]

Far as having her running, far from it.

Far as model train engines being able to do a burn out 70 Mopar Man. I have a few that can!  Don't want them to, but I have had a few that will smoke there rubber traction tires if I have to many car hooked up to them. Oh, there motors are not stock. 

Got Wing, So far about 8 people, few idiots that was hoping I was a idiot. Last guy was wanting to bring $6,000.00 over in cash. I am still thinking about it some what.

Right now I have the doors open and running a fan in the car to get the carpet dried out.

See you all later.

Ken

Oh well not running but you took the 1st step...

[redmist]

Great progress...

I did the same thing with my project, car sat for 9 years, and now it's up and running! I have been having a blast with it. Look forward to seeing where you go with your car!

[Old Moparz]

Hey Ken,

Good to see you post here once again & that the sapling you planted next to the Road Runner when you parked it is now a healthy tree. 

I remember you were buying up vintage stereo equipment from ebay & posting photos. You'll be happy to know & had my mid 70's Marantz turntable repaired by a local guy that got it working better than it did the day I bought it. It lowered the tone arm too quick & he took care of it. I also bought new 15" woofers for my 4 Fisher speakers & they sound great compared to a lot of the newer stuff.

Had forgotten what color your Road Runner was, I think it's the same shade as my '69 Satellite, a B3 blue?

Stay around Ken, it's easy to lose the initiative to work on the cars, it happens more often than you think.   

[41husk]

Great to here from you on the phone.  Now that school is out I am not around a computer very often.  Look foreward to seeing the old beast on the road again.

[cudaken]

 There you are Allen!  It has been great talking to you on the phone! Take a look around the Mopad to see if you can find my paint guns. Well even if you did, more than likely junk by now. Harbor Freight has some cheap ones that should get me by till I am ready to paint her.

This week I am getting home right around 7:00 PM and have no idea when and where I work next week. But sure looking forward to seeing you again and maybe share a Cam 2 with you! 

Cuda Ken

[alenglish]

Ken Its been a long time.  I'm glad to hear the mopar fever has come back. keep it up.  I running on slow meself.  I started the charger up  and fixed a few small problems  this year  but havn't had it out yet,    maybe one of these hot night  the feeling will hit. and off we'll go      BigAl