Now Complete Restoration / Pulling my 1969 'Bee down for strip and paint

[birdsandbees]

Either I was sold too small of keystone clamps or Chrysler used some light walled 1/4" hose on the vent lines. Something else to figure out.
EDIT: I have since learned that Ma Chrysler indeed used a light hose on the vents and I could have gone with the correct smaller Keystones I had by sourcing some lighter hose.

Checking for continuity from fuel senders base to car body ground. 00.0 Ohms... gotta love it.

Finished the day by giving my baby a cold water bath!

[birdsandbees]

Emergency brake cables from Right Stuff. Kicking myself I didn't order stainless, but these like the front cable will just have to be RPM'd.

RPM'ng the E brake cables.

Rear passenger side Ebrake cable in place.

Both cables in place, just need clips on the attach plate.

[birdsandbees]

Ebrake loop clamp and bolt on the axle hump.

I promised myself I wasn't going to get "OEM Phobic" on this restoration. How's that going for me so far..... Ebrake retainer loops, Left to right..Megaparts, cheap tin from Right Stuff and Original.

3 clips on the left came from Jamie at Megaparts. What I used on the front brake hoses and they matched what I took off originally. Someone elses gold zinc and the two shiny ones that came with the Ebrake cables.

Then I had to go dig out my old adjuster and nut... it's now in degrease and will be RPM'd and used vs the shiny ones Right Stuff sent. Now I'm scratching my head on the Ebrake retainer clips !

[birdsandbees]

Rear tail pipe hangers. The original hangers have a recess so they sit flat over the clip U nut in the frame rail and a shorter location hook.  Also sad that I need to throw new parts in Evaporust !

Originals have dual rivets on the tail pipe mount. 95% certain these hangers are original to the car... but they could have been replacement parts somewhere between '69 and '80.

The other side, showing the differences and the narrower strap on the reproduction.

Hoping these muffler clamp / hangers Frank Badalson sold me are correct for my '69. The service manual shows an open rubber strap (even for the Hemi). Frank sold me closed loop for my '69 and open strap for my '70 bird. If anyone has input.. let me hear it as I have both on hand and can correct with no wait.

[birdsandbees]

I can't say it enough times... Evaporust is amazing stuff ! Just throw them in, doesn't hurt the rubber. Hangers RPM'd after this shot.

AMD's stamped hole for the U nut on the exhaust hanger isn't as big as OEM. Had to slip it up underneath and then down.

Exhaust muffler hangers loosely in place.

Just had to "test fit" a tailpipe.

[birdsandbees]

Remember those longer mounting tabs on the reproduction tailpipe hangers... they won't go in the hole!

Had to cut off a 1/4" or so and touch up the RPM treatment.

Tailpipe hangers in place.

Went with the Megaparts clips on the Ebrake cables. #1 they match the rest I've used and #2 even they needed some reshape to firmly retain the cables. My "as removed" were useless.

[birdsandbees]

I've got to publicly thank, once again, Dave Waldon, Steve and Tom at ECS for making me factory duplicates from my original 383 head pipes and tail pipes FOR FREE and covering the shipping to them of my originals so they could make jigs for the headpipes!

Unfortunately the guy I know with an annealing oven that was big enough for heating my pipes is away for the winter... so heat gun it is to lay on the RPM.

New head pipes ready to be RPM'd tomorrow.

Date coded (Jan 27, 1969) mufflers from ECS. My car was built Feb 25th or so..

[birdsandbees]

Using the old parlour stove to warm up the mufflers to coat them with RPM.

Coated one side and the ends on the stove, and then onto the "rotisserie" to do the other side.

RPM'ng the head pipes.

Both pipes done ready to install to car.

[birdsandbees]

Glad I decided to clean up the original Ebrake equalizer from my car. Note the "center" front cable pull location is NOT centered (like the reproduction is!)

Reading the service manual.. "install equalizer matching the smaller cable end to the smaller slot. HMMM. reproductions have both end balls the same. Looking at removed cables, the drivers side is smaller. So the equalizer gets installed with the front cable pull location closer to the upper PASSENGER side cable.

Drilling out the equalizer hole one up size to fit the reproduction cable end.

Specifically ordered, from to date a 100% as promised supplier, OEM part numbered and Mopar symboled torsion bar boots and 11 days later generics show up. Working with Greg to get me the correct ones Fedex .

[birdsandbees]

I just had to drive that torsion bar home! 3 vise grips locked down and a large 1 3/16" wrench to pry it back. Worked good with minimal marking.

Cleaning up the minor vise grip marks.

Using my "colour chips" to determine which "black" I have that matches the body shops paint the best.

Bar repainted and baking.

[birdsandbees]

Warming up my Cosmoline to touch up the lower control arm socket.

A little dab'l do yah !

Drive shaft and rear axle bubble wrapped for exhaust installation.

..and the second piss off of the day. Exhaust gasket kit has the wrong size head pipe gaskets in it! I really should start drinking again...

EDIT: did the loop around town to all 5 jobbers this morning. Last one bailed me out while I held a spare manifold and he went bin to bin comparing gaskets. Felpro 60025 is a correct number, but they had no stock. Walker 31311's that we found in an unmarked bin are correct size as well !!  

[darbgnik]

Wow, you're really moving again. Keep it comin'. 

[birdsandbees]

Wow, you're really moving again. Keep it comin'. 

Thanks, was starting to think I was talking to myself again!! 

Exhaust hopefully going on this morning before I sit down to watch the final day of BJackson and this years low car prices.

[birdsandbees]

Ebrake equalizer cleaned up nice after a few days of Evaporust and lots of scrubbing. It and nut RPM'd. Note the little bumps on the (what I have to assume is an) OEM nuts flange.

Correct exhaust flange gasket. Walker 31311 (or Felpro 60025).

My "helping hands" for today, while I install the head pipes to the exhaust manifolds.

Passenger side muffler set in place. Green tape is so I know how far the pipe is inside the muffler.

[birdsandbees]

Tailpipe in place to check fit, clearance etc.

Everything together and still loose.

Nice even muffler clearance. Up tight the way it should be.

Both sides all slipped together and evening out everything so the tips are in exactly the same positions.

All together and I wasn't happy that the passenger side sat just a bit lower than the drivers.

[birdsandbees]

F'd with fate and put a bending mandrel between pipe and body. (should have put a heavy metal plate between it and body as I dented the floor slightly).

Bottle jack under the pipe further back (centered under the car so I don't lift car off the arms) and jacked it up almost tight to the floor.

..and I didn't break anything!! Pipes perfectly even !

Now I'm HAPPY ! Very happy...

[birdsandbees]

Beautiful fit on the tail pipes.

Exhaust all done and you can see the proper style clamp ring on the tailpipe hangers. They should have a welded nut and a bolt, mine have bolt and loose nut.

Thanks Dave, Steve and Tom at ECS for giving me a happy day in the shop! Absolutely perfect...

[timmycharger]

Great job! Great to see you back at it!   

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Tim !

[birdsandbees]

Speedo cable clip from Megaparts. These 5 buck parts add up... 

Speedo clip installed to frame, just aft of the clutch z bar.

Ebrake equalizer installed. Note the offset front cable hole is closer to the top (passenger) rear cable.

Had a hell of a time finding the anti-rattle springs for the Ebrake cross lever, so posting for part number / mfg.

[birdsandbees]

Rear brakes laid out to install. Sad when the new ones have thinner lining than the old removed! Note that I also have regular "hook" style auto adjuster cables. My rear axle (with 10" brakes) is from a '66 and not a '69 that would have the spring style adjuster cables.

Going with the original rear adjusters that I cleaned up in Evaporust, they're a little more robust than the new ones!

DON'T make this mistake. I knew better, but still somehow managed to install an Ebrake lever to the wrong shoe. The partially lined (primary) shoe goes towards the front. The fully lined (secondary) shoe is the rear that takes the lever.

Rear brakes installed.

[birdsandbees]

Front brakes laid out to install.

Fronts installed. Bottom spring different than original, but seems to work as intended. I have the originals in Evaporust in case I change my mind before I get bearings in the front drum assemblies.

Rear drums in place, ready for brake adjustment.

Had to throw a wheel on..

[Lennard]

All I can say is WOW and that this thread deserves to be a sticky for references and such, since many parts are the same as a second generation Charger and there must be at least a thousand pictures in it.

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Lennard! 

Like I have said many times on this thread, "they're all B bodies" and most info is interchangeable whether it's a Bee, Charger, RR, etc. I've also asked many times for any info I put up that is questionable to correct it for me and I'll edit as needed so I don't lead anyone down the garden path. 

Wayne

[green69rt]

I notice that there are no self adjusters on the front.  Was that a common thing?  I really sure that my old charger, with drums all around, had adjusters on all four wheels.