My 71 Duster work in progress

[RUSTY Cuda]

Sounds like your moving in the right direction, get that thing buttoned up the A12 will keep you busy a while!

 

[68R/T]

The last time I had it out I was getting kind of good at matching revs and that fixed a lot of the gear grinding downshifts - if I remember to do it.

Providing that your syncros are good condition you shouldn't get any grinding on down shifts. The only other cause could be the clutch is not fully releasing. Or your co-ordination is off.

 

[b-body-bob]

Providing that your syncros are good condition you shouldn't get any grinding on down shifts. The only other cause could be the clutch is not fully releasing. Or your co-ordination is off.

Right-o. I didn't rebuild the trans. It's the synchros. I've got photos here somewhere but TBH I'm not the right guy to judge from that. My thinking at the time was it's not that hard to drop the trans if it grinds. Now it's how can I get around the grinding and avoid dropping the trans.

 

[68R/T]

Now it's how can I get around the grinding and avoid dropping the trans.

Sometimes a simple "band-aid" for worn syncros is thicker lube. If you're not running 80W-90, do it. You could even try to get a bottle of STP in there. But have fun squeezing it in.

 

[b-body-bob]

It's got 80w90 in it now

I've got a bigger problem. Out of the blue the clutch linkage started a noise from the rod rubbing the firewall where it passes through. AFAICT it's caused by the z-bar being crooked and the linkage all cocks around because of it. What causes that? The engine sitting crooked in the frame. It wasn't doing it until a couple of drives ago so it might have shifted? Probably didn't tighten something up enough.

I definitely torqued the k-frame.

I need to find someone and hire it fixed LOL.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

Geeze I think my 'Cuda goul has found a new home!

& why is it that we love these cars?

 

[b-body-bob]

Love? I barely tolerate mine. If I could get out even I probably would

I raised it up, loosened the motor and trans mounts and tried to move it. No dice. I'd need to take it all apart again to do that and old man me says no to that.

I had about 1/8" of shims under the passenger side mount for some reason. I took those out. Now the other side header kind of lays on the torsion bar. I do not care. The clutch seems less creaky after that but I can still see the z-bar isn't square to the frame. Old man me spoke up again and said quit worrying if the linkage is not about to pop apart and it's not.

The car shows no evidence of crash damage so I don't understand why it has fought me every step of the way putting it together but it has.

I also noticed an exhaust leak at the collector. I tightened the heck out of the clamps and am hoping that takes care of what seems to be a valve tapping that starts above 2k. I revved it up, didn't hear anything, but really need to take it down the road to be sure.

 

[b-body-bob]

We drove it around for an hour or so. No overheating, no valve float. I still hear what sounds like valvetrain noise but I'm almost sure it's an exhaust leak. I'm considering giving all the rockers another 1/8 turn.

It has developed an off-idle stumble but I'm pretty sure I brought that on myself and it should tune out.

 

[b-body-bob]

Fuel and temp gauges - I replaced the IVR with one of the fancy digital ones from RT engineering, but that didn't help. I have tested everything, so replacing the IVR was a hail Mary.

The gauge works when you ground the wire, the voltage at the far end of the wire pulses like it should, the senders vary resistance as they should. I took the cluster out, loosened the nuts connecting the gauges to the circuit boards and retightened them. I checked continuity across the circuit board including the gauges and it all seems OK. It beats me why the gauges don't work because there's nothing else that could be failed but that's apparently not the case.

 

[b-body-bob]

Fuel and temp gauges - I replaced the IVR with one of the fancy digital ones from RT engineering, but that didn't help. I have tested everything, so replacing the IVR was a hail Mary.

The gauge works when you ground the wire, the voltage at the far end of the wire pulses like it should, the senders vary resistance as they should. I took the cluster out, loosened the nuts connecting the gauges to the circuit boards and retightened them. I checked continuity across the circuit board including the gauges and it all seems OK. It beats me why the gauges don't work because there's nothing else that could be failed but that's apparently not the case.

I spent a couple of hours trying different variations of those tests with the cluster on the bench, based on recommendations from the internet. No dice. Everything is in order, but neither gauge works.

 

[b-body-bob]

I spent a couple of hours trying different variations of those tests with the cluster on the bench, based on recommendations from the internet. No dice. Everything is in order, but neither gauge works.

I bought a 100 Ohm pot and it seems the gauges both work as they should with the cluster on the bench.

I reinstalled it and used an old temp sender to test things by heating it up with a heat gun while plugged into the car and grounded. Of course the gauge worked that way. Then I plugged the in the new installed temp sender, ran the car up to 160* per the mechanical gauge and the temp gauge didn't move a hair.

I think I've got a case of two bad sending units, both new, at the same time. I am not surprised.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

The amount of new stuff that doesn't work is just crazy. I had quire a few.
My Dad was in the auto parts buss. if he had to deal with that I doubt he could have stayed in business!

 

[b-body-bob]

I'm going to make a point tonight to drain the coolant and pop the sender out of the intake. Then I'm going to hook it up like I did the old one (outside the engine) and heat it up to see if it works or not before I put the old one in.

 

[68R/T]

These situations of new electrical components being bad out-of-the-box is rampant right now. So much of this stuff is being out-sourced to China. And they are creating junk. Slave labor, no idea of what they are even making and a total lack of quality control. You are better off to source used parts than new garbage.

 

[b-body-bob]

You are better off to source used parts than new garbage.

Sometimes, yeah.

I think this sender was a factory part from the old 400 because it was kind of painted with worn orange.

 

[b-body-bob]

OK, the temp gauge works now with the old sender. It ain't correct, but it's working.

The fuel gauge still doesn't work though, and measuring the resistance under the car with about 1/2 tank it reads 75 ohms, which represents Empty to the gauge. So I guess I need to run out what gas is left (or pump it out with an electric pump) and replace the sender.

The fun part is now that I got the cluster back in the dash, the speedo cable doesn't line up. Seems like it's on the wrong side of something between the firewall and cluster. Out comes the seat, in goes my old self under the dash to figure that out today.

 

[RUSTY Cuda]

I feel ya, I remember the olden days when the seat didn't have to come out, even with it out I struggle!

 

[b-body-bob]

It's all back together now. Have you ever paid attention to your speedo while backing up? I had the back wheels off the ground and revved it in reverse. The speedo turned backward and bounced.

With my luck, now the speedo is broken.

 

[68R/T]

I had the back wheels off the ground and revved it in reverse. The speedo turned backward and bounced.

With my luck, now the speedo is broken.

It IS a good way to destroy the hairspring. It would depend on how high you revved and for how long.

 

[b-body-bob]

This stupid car has sprung an oil leak seemingly directly down on the front lip of the k-frame. The only thing that could oil that up is the timing cover but everything is pretty much dry there.