My 70 Charger acquisition thread (Cross country road trip ahead).

[Dodge Don]

Bring lots of cash. Those Canadian socialist will kill you at the pump and they de-value our American dollar.  

Yeah that is what we do. Go read a book.

[XH29N0G]

  

For Canadians to enjoy:  I went to school in Alberta and parked my car in a low spot during November of the first year I was there.  Snow melted and refroze water up to the rims.  I gave up until March when the incentive of a visit from my girlfriend motivated me to spend a week with a rock hammer chipping away the ice to free the car. 

For the Drivers:  Have a great trip.

[birdsandbees]

Bring lots of cash. Those Canadian socialist will kill you at the pump and they de-value our American dollar.  

Yeah that is what we do. Go read a book.

Yah to quote Air America  "who fuckin who General" !

[Pat1973charger]

Hope you have a safe trip. I won't bother saying have a good one because we all know that will be for certain! Very awesome way to start charger ownership!

[472 R/T SE]

My Super Bee was bought from original owner up in Abbottsford, B.C.

If you don't mind 2 lane, there's a highway up in Idaho that cuts across so you're not going through Utah at all (saves a few miles).  It dumps you out @ Little America, Wyoming.  The 2 lane is busy.  I've had trailer tire blow outs & it was no issue finding a place to replace it.

Oh yeah, duct tape & vice grips.  I don't leave home without them, lol.

The Charger you're buying looks just like one my buddy just picked up.  V code, Dana automatic, manual steering/brakes, factory no radio.  Basically a stripper built for one reason.  I'd be tugging on my buddy's ear about doing a trade if it was a real RED car.  Green on black, pffft.

[ACUDANUT]

Bring lots of cash. Those Canadian socialist will kill you at the pump and they de-value our American dollar.  

Yeah that is what we do. Go read a book.

Relax, I was just joking around.  However, everything is more expensive up there.  BTW, I love the Canadians. 
Maple leaf fan here !!

[smithenhiven]

Hey guys, real quick update.  I landed, got the car, made it through customs, picked my buddy up in Seattle, drove a few hours, and we are now starting out for our day.  Next stop Boise ID.

As for the car, it runs like a dream, and it everything and more that I thought it would be.

[E86/A47]

Awesome! Keep us updated, take plenty of pictures and videos and have a great trip.

[charger chris]

   

[CDN72SE]

Excellent, good luck on the rest of the trip and post pics when you can. 

[nvrbdn]

Sounds great.

[crj1968]

I just met up with Jason (smithenhaven) and his co-pilot, Rich in Boise. So far so good and car looks great !   


(third try on trying to post pics...we'll see)

[charger chris]

Nice rides glad to hear everything is going good.

[smithenhiven]

Nice to meet ya Chris, cool car ya got too.

We are now about to cross into Wyoming and find a hotel for the night.  Id post some pics, but cant resize them from my phone.  Thanks Chris for posting some of our cars.

Only issue so far, is that blinkers blink slow when headlights are on.

[crj1968]

Nice meeting you guys also.

I will trade you 3 different fluid leaks for one slow blinker issue!   

Wyoming eh?  Cheyenne or Rock Springs? 

[smithenhiven]

We where hoping to make it to Wyoming, but failed short.  This blinker issue has me concerned, now the dash lights won't come on, and the Amp gauge is showing in the negative.  I don't think the alternator is charging.  Figured it safer to call it a night, and do some trouble shooting research and do some testing in the morning.  Worst case scenario, we drive only in daylight hours (which we were trying to do for the most part anyway, with the exception of adding a few hours here and there from like dusk to 10p.m. or so).

[birdsandbees]

First light, buy yourself a booster pack if you're not already carrying one!

Give the voltage regulator a tap and see if the alternator comes back on line. If dash lights are out.. means you have no tailights so the fuse is probably blown in the glove box.

[b5blue]

We where hoping to make it to Wyoming, but failed short.  This blinker issue has me concerned, now the dash lights won't come on, and the Amp gauge is showing in the negative.  I don't think the alternator is charging.  Figured it safer to call it a night, and do some trouble shooting research and do some testing in the morning.  Worst case scenario, we drive only in daylight hours (which we were trying to do for the most part anyway, with the exception of adding a few hours here and there from like dusk to 10p.m. or so).

Alt gauge reading - means you are drawing off battery volts. Gauge lights can sometimes fail/dim just from weak/aged contacts in the rotary switch. Cycle the dimmer up and down a bunch of times through it's full range, at the very end of it's travel the dome light should come on.
  Look under dash by the steering column find the wide/long white connector for it. (Ignition switch.) Check that the terminal with the big red wire is not overheating or looking baked/burnt/toasted. That red wire is main feed for everything when ignition switch is on. Be certain the volt regulator is grounded and check all other grounds. Check/clean connections at the foot dimmer switch. Check that the fuse block terminals are not rusty. 
 

[LaOtto70Charger]

Was the alt gauge negative when parked and car at idle with the lights on?  Can get really dim when the brakes are on and in D or R.  If so that is normal for my car.  Raise the engine rpm and the alt should go positive.  When driving at night I drop to neutral at stop lights and raise the engine rpm to keep the lights bright.  There is an upgrade that can be done for that.  Search the website on electrical.  (Check the last results first when searching.)

[smithenhiven]

All wiring and fuses look intact.  Maybe it was dark and i thought the dash lights weren't working, but they are, just very dim.  I swapped out voltage reg, same problem.  Im thinking its the alternator.  Theres a napa down the street that opens at 7, gonna stop there for more diagnosis.

[b5blue]

Was the alt gauge negative when parked and car at idle with the lights on?  Can get really dim when the brakes are on and in D or R.  If so that is normal for my car.  Raise the engine rpm and the alt should go positive.  When driving at night I drop to neutral at stop lights and raise the engine rpm to keep the lights bright.  There is an upgrade that can be done for that.  Search the website on electrical.  (Check the last results first when searching.)

Lazy idle Alt. output can be maddening at night, even worse in the rain with defrost on. I upgraded to a Denso 120amp Alt. from Mancini Racing years ago. (Works well.)
smith try working the dashlight dimmer wheel up and down a bunch, many times it clears the contacts and you can get more light on the gauges.   

[smithenhiven]

Quick update, car is running 100% again.  It was the Alternator that crapped out.  Replaced it, had some concern since its now a 60 amp, and the alternator gauge was pegged at +40.  After some driving, that too came down to near 0, so all is well.  Our goal for tonight to get as far East through Wyoming as we can before dark.

[nvrbdn]

Great news. Glad to hear everything is powered up. 

[472 R/T SE]

I'd make sure the dash harness is up to snuff before I'd go upgrading the charging system.

While you're at the NAPA store, it might not hurt to pick up a turn signal switch (not cause they're blinking slow either).  If you do, don't pay more than $50-$60.
There's power leads that run in & out of the switch that do more than light up turn signals

[Dino]

Quick update, car is running 100% again.  It was the Alternator that crapped out.  Replaced it, had some concern since its now a 60 amp, and the alternator gauge was pegged at +40.  After some driving, that too came down to near 0, so all is well.  Our goal for tonight to get as far East through Wyoming as we can before dark.

I'd be very careful here; your stock wiring may not like the extra amps. There's an easy fix though. Run a wire from the alternator stud to the starter relay to take the load off the stock wiring. An 8 gauge wire from a parts store will do. Your ammeter reading will be off but at least the wiring is safe.