Spring Cleaning & Tuneup on the Hemi

[hemigeno]

With the warmer weather we've had the last week or so here in Missouri, I finally got my rear in gear and did some work out in the shop.  Over the past week I found the time to:

>>  Pull the valve covers and cleaned them all up  - I had totally forgotten how aggravating it is to get that passenger side cover off around those heater hoses!!!   
>>  New spark plugs
>>  Set the valve lash - took me a while to remember how to get that remote starter button hooked up without frying something electrically
>>  Learned the hard way that if you put the #7 plug wire back in the spark plug tube (without the plug) while still adjusting the lash on the passenger's side, it makes a heckuva noise blowing out when you hit the remote starter button.  Quite startling.
>>  Then discovered that the #7 plug wire rubber tip was oil-soaked, split and might have been shorting/misfiring for a while
>>  Took an old #7 plug wire that had a bad distributor cap end/tip and combined the parts to make one good #7 plug wire
>>  Cut 4 or 5 more V-shaped relief cuts in the #7 plug boot (which is flexible rubber, and not rigid plastic) to keep any cylinder blow-by from popping that plug wire off the plug - I had opened the hood before and found the #7 plug wire totally out of that tube before, and was afraid the 2 relief cuts I had on that boot before just weren't enough.
>>  Topped off the antifreeze (was 1-1/2 quarts low!  )
>>  Oil & filter change with my last case of old stock Valvoline SJ/SL rated SynPower 20W50 Full Synthetic (still the good stuff with high ZDDP content)
>>  Found I had nearly no brake fluid left in the master cylinder for the rear brakes.  Scary thought.
>>  Found I had a TON of gunk and debris in the bottom of the master cylinder
>>  Flushed and bled the brakes
>>  Managed to make a huge mess in the floor and on the engine/K-frame with power steering fluid when I turned the steering wheel too fast 
>>  Adjusted the brakes - no auto adjusters on those 11x3 and 11x2-1/2 drums, and it had been a long time since I had tightened 'em up
>>  Checked the oil in the transmission (clean as a whistle and just a little low)
>>  Checked the rear end lube level in the Dana 60 (also clean as a whistle, but leaking some out of the axle pinion seal - gotta fix that sometime)
>>  Finally took the steelies and redline bias ply tires off and put the 255/60 BFGs and 8" Chrome Magnum wheels back on - which gives the car a totally different look and driving feel
>>  Threw half a can of SeaFoam Motor Treatment in the tank since the gas had sat for so long
>>  Timed it at 10 degrees initial and 35 degrees total advance (started on the first cranking after throwing a little gas down the rear carb)
>>  Adjusted the fast and slow idle screws


The reward came yesterday when I was finally able to do some cruising around -- now THAT was fun.  This fall and winter had been so busy for me and the weather particularly lousy when I did have some time, that I had not driven the R/T since early September.  Yeah, I know - that's a crying shame.  Well, I can tell ya that the ol' car is running fantastic!  My cousin went with me, and that was his first ride in a Hemicar.  His reaction was "That thing runs gooooooooooooooooooooood!!!".  Worth the $20 in gas right there, I tell ya.  That cruise was just the ticket to get the juices flowing again, and it reminded me what a cool thing it is to have a musclecar.  It doesn't have to be a Hemi car to be enjoyed, but it doesn't hurt either... 

[Ghoste]

Holy crap!  What did you have, the week off?  In any case, good to hear you got a bunch of stuff done and found time to enjoy the fruits of your labors and still come around here and babysit us. 

[hemigeno]

A lot of that work was long overdue, and really needed to happen before driving the car this year.  That was a good motivator for me, especially with the warmer temps.  About 2 weeks ago it was sunny and in the mid '70s, but all I could do was watch everyone else out tooling around. 

I did take some time off during the day when I could from officework though.  That's one nice thing about being the boss, I suppose     Plus, the car is now stored at my place of business so it was no big deal to toil away on a few things during lunchtime and for a couple of hours after hours.  I only have a few skinned knuckles to show for it, thankfully   

[1969chargerrtse]

Dang that's a good amount of work.  So there is "normal" blow out around the plugs?  Odd.  Isn't that a little tiny bit of lost power, and do just big ass Hemi's do that, or all cars?

[Todd Wilson]

A lot of that work was long overdue, and really needed to happen before driving the car this year.  That was a good motivator for me, especially with the warmer temps.  About 2 weeks ago it was sunny and in the mid '70s, but all I could do was watch everyone else out tooling around. 

I did take some time off during the day when I could from officework though.  That's one nice thing about being the boss, I suppose     Plus, the car is now stored at my place of business so it was no big deal to toil away on a few things during lunchtime and for a couple of hours after hours.  I only have a few skinned knuckles to show for it, thankfully   

You gonna make it to Hutchinson in May with that truck?   



Todd

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

Sounds like a great time....wrenchin' & drivin' 

I gotta wait about a month or so before I get my but outside & do a little maintenance......still a bit cold outside for me

[69_500]

Gee whizz Gene. Did you manage to get any work done in the office this week? Sounds like a lot of the same maintenace as I have to do on the 500 here in a few weeks before taking it out for a joy ride.

[hemigeno]

Dang that's a good amount of work.  So there is "normal" blow out around the plugs?  Odd.  Isn't that a little tiny bit of lost power, and do just big ass Hemi's do that, or all cars?

I don't think it's exactly "normal" to have much blow-by, but the spark plugs actually seal to the spark plug tube and not directly to the head.  The tube is sorta sandwiched between the plug and the head.  I think my tubes are originals (made of aluminum?) and might not be perfectly flat or smooth after all this time - which might be a source of the blow-by.  Another cause could be that the plugs tend to back out just a little bit.  I'm always afraid of overtorquing the plugs, and it could be that the plugs need to be tightened a little more than 1/2 turn after seating (due to the tube being between the plug gasket and the head itself) like the box instructions say.  That rubber #7 plug wire boot has a flange on it that is very tight against the spark plug tube when the wire is seated on the plug.  ANY amount of blow-by will pop that wire either off of the plug or totally out of the tube itself.  I regularly check that wire because it's happened to me so many times, and those extra "V" cuts might help keep the plug wire on if there is any blow-by.  Now, I think I'm gonna periodically tighten all the plugs just in case.

You gonna make it to Hutchinson in May with that truck?

Todd, I'll really try to make it to one of those Kansas shows sometime, but perhaps not for the reason I mentioned to you before .  The truck might be in Wisconsin for a few minor repairs (headers rebuilt to eliminate suspension interference, and fixing that nagging problem with spitting oil out the exhaust) and for tuning in the dual carburetors a bit better on a dyno.  Norm will probably have it for a month or two which means I might not have it back by the Hutchinson show.  Last night I drained the oil and set the valve lash on the truck, which was also something I'd been putting off for a while.  Still have to finish up the oil change and check the brake system before bringing it out of hibernation. 

If I get it back from Wisconsin and it's running like it should, I am actually considering taking it and the Charger to Carlisle.  I'd want to talk to one of the honcho's there at Carlisle to see if they'd let me park with the Chargers or not.  No sense in driving it there if they'll just relegate me to the top of the hill with the rest of the trucks.

I'll make it to Kansas and/or one of the ATHS shows with it soon though.

Sounds like a great time....wrenchin' & drivin'

I gotta wait about a month or so before I get my but outside & do a little maintenance......still a bit cold outside for me

It really did me some good to work on the car some.  Cleaning them up is one thing, but tweaking around and getting them to run right is particularly rewarding.  Winter weather really blows, doesn't it, Chris?

Gee whizz Gene. Did you manage to get any work done in the office this week? Sounds like a lot of the same maintenace as I have to do on the 500 here in a few weeks before taking it out for a joy ride.

Danny, this was actually an easier week for me work-wise, which was a little unusual and much appreciated.  Have you started on your gear ratio swap yet?  That'll make highway cruising a lot nicer for ya.  Hope your Dad's deal works out too.

[69_500]

Still working on the deal for with my dad too. That one hasn't finalized as of yet. Still keeping the fingers crossed though.

As far as the gear swap, its not done yet. I have taken the new rear end completely apart, and went through it. Now I'm thinking of just swapping the entire rear end, rather than just swapping center sections. Probably won't decide on that one for a few more weeks. Depends on if the other deal with my dad comes through. If it does,  I won't have much room in the garage to be doing a lot of work. So will have to wait until its a bit warmer outside.

[Daytona R/T SE]

Quote from Hemigeno:

">>  Finally took the steelies and redline bias ply tires off and put the 255/60 BFGs and 8" Chrome Magnum wheels back on - which gives the car a totally different look and driving feel"



I'm thinkin' we need to see some pictures of the wheel upgrade, Geno


      P-L-E-A-S-E 

[hemigeno]

Here's one from a good while back, same tires/wheels with much less tread now though

[Daytona R/T SE]

Excellent 

[Charger-Bodie]

I think it looks AWESOME either way! 

[472 R/T SE]

   Hard to put a set of Magnums on something and not improve the looks.  Geno, your car looked great before, hard to imagine it lookin' better but it does IMO.  I love the magnums.  If they were correct, I'd have a set on my car.

That's some old rubber.  There's a guy local with a v code Chally he bought new with old BFG's on it.  They're different than yours.  The font is bigger and spaced out a little more and says Belted T/A on them.

[justin1987]

That looks amazing. 

[LeeBoy]

I like the magnums as well. Much more rubber to get that Hemi torque to the road! 

[hemigeno]

Thanks guys,

Looks or no looks, the car drives totally differently (much better!) with those nice meaty radial tires on there vs. the skinny banana-peel biasply tires.  I can actually relax and enjoy cruising in the car a lot more, rather than worrying about whether the next rut in the road will suddenly propel the car to the left or right   

Both the original sleeper/taxicab look and the street brawler look have their place, and I like them both for their respective benefits.  However... if I'm not worried about making the car look historically correct, these Magnums and BFG's are definitely my choice.

[69_500]

Did some cleaning on my car today too. Its not nearly as nice as Gene's though.

[tan top]

Here's one from a good while back, same tires/wheels with much less tread now though

      

Did some cleaning on my car today too. Its not nearly as nice as Gene's though.

    ............


wow awesome looking chargers guys

[hemigeno]

Thanks, tantop...   

Its not nearly as nice as Gene's though.

Mine is "just" an R/T though - not a C500.  BTW, how's your axle swap deal going lately?  Those highway gears will make it a lot more fun to cruise (and a lot easier on the pocketbook too!).

[69_500]

Didn't get around to swapping in the 2.76 gears as of yet. The weekends have been crazy lately, and with more bdays coming up soon, and now with my son playing baseball, and me doing softball, the week nights are pretty booked too. But it will get done long before Carlisle, because I plan on driving it to that show. Heck that is the first time since I've bought the car that I've actually cleaned the rims. They don't look half bad now.

Oh and yeah its a 500, but its just a 440 car its not a HEMI like in your R/T.

[bzabodyn]

Gene - the HEMI looks good! Would love to see some more recent pics of the car/engine bay...

Love magnums, but something always keep calling me back to the good 'ole dog dishes!

BZ

[hemigeno]

Gene - the HEMI looks good! Would love to see some more recent pics of the car/engine bay...

Love magnums, but something always keep calling me back to the good 'ole dog dishes!

BZ

Thanks BZ, and per your request:









Geno

[694spdRT]

I got a pic of you out in the wild with the Magnums. 

[hemigeno]

I got a pic of you out in the wild with the Magnums. 

That was a good time - but I wasn't the only DC.com member who enjoyed that show.  Just wish I could have made the cruise with everyone else...