RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Ordered the engine bay strap kit, now if I can figure out where they go?
Looked at 100 pics & got the location of 2 or 3!
Looked at 100 pics & got the location of 2 or 3!
Rusty's not very quiet cuda progress
- Thread starter mopar_man
- Start date
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
I finally got the override switch crimped back together tonight. Have a look-see at the finished result.
Yes, those wires are in the correct positions, and none has a tracer on it (nor do any of yours). The updated relay required an additional connector, since the middle opening in the 4-pin connector doesn't align with anything on the switch. That connector is shipping with the red one and the wires in position.
Those wires (all four) have been in and out of the connectors. I bent the retaining tangs so they're just barely hanging on, except for the black one which clicked more solidly than I'd hoped it would. I would suggest leaving it assembled until after you've unpinned the wires from your own connector, since the two yellows and the blue may well fall out and be lost.
The button didn't come out as well as I'd hoped. I was hoping it'd be a brighter red, and despite drying for like a week it still took a bit of a fingerprint. I'm fairly happy with the case, though. I only had gloss silver, which wouldn't have looked right, so after the initial coats dried I fogged on a few "texture" coats from about two feet away. Egregious waste of paint, but I think the result looks much less like spray paint. The paint took a tiny hit at the crimp points, but there's no avoiding that with crimping. However, the metal beneath is plated so it's neither noticeable nor a concern as far as corrosion.
I'll get it shipped out one day this week. I can't promise which day since it'll depend on how busy we are and how miserable Mother Nature decides to be.
Yes, those wires are in the correct positions, and none has a tracer on it (nor do any of yours). The updated relay required an additional connector, since the middle opening in the 4-pin connector doesn't align with anything on the switch. That connector is shipping with the red one and the wires in position.
Those wires (all four) have been in and out of the connectors. I bent the retaining tangs so they're just barely hanging on, except for the black one which clicked more solidly than I'd hoped it would. I would suggest leaving it assembled until after you've unpinned the wires from your own connector, since the two yellows and the blue may well fall out and be lost.
The button didn't come out as well as I'd hoped. I was hoping it'd be a brighter red, and despite drying for like a week it still took a bit of a fingerprint. I'm fairly happy with the case, though. I only had gloss silver, which wouldn't have looked right, so after the initial coats dried I fogged on a few "texture" coats from about two feet away. Egregious waste of paint, but I think the result looks much less like spray paint. The paint took a tiny hit at the crimp points, but there's no avoiding that with crimping. However, the metal beneath is plated so it's neither noticeable nor a concern as far as corrosion.
I'll get it shipped out one day this week. I can't promise which day since it'll depend on how busy we are and how miserable Mother Nature decides to be.
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
That looks amazing, an effort way above the call of duty, thank you again & again & again!
Can't wait to mount that baby!
Can't wait to mount that baby!
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
strap kit has arrived, I have a general idea where a couple go, the rest well I'll be searching engine bay picks for a while!
now I need a heat wave & to feel better, just can't shake this cold!
Any hints on a particular strap will be appreciated!
now I need a heat wave & to feel better, just can't shake this cold!
Any hints on a particular strap will be appreciated!
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Went thru my teardown pics, found about 7 a long way to go!
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
Override switch finally left today... I'd lost your address. I just sent it to "Rich in NJ" but I'm sure it'll get there. I mean, how many guys named Rich could Jersey really have?
Seriously, I did really lose track of your address, but I was able to find it with a little searching. I could've sworn I still had it in PMs, but nope. Anyhow, it went Priority so according to the postman, you should see it Tuesday. I'll PM you the tracking number.
Seriously, I did really lose track of your address, but I was able to find it with a little searching. I could've sworn I still had it in PMs, but nope. Anyhow, it went Priority so according to the postman, you should see it Tuesday. I'll PM you the tracking number.
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
awaiting its arrival, one more obstacle overcome, could not have done it without you, you da mann DOC!
71ChargerRT
Well-known member
I have an uncle Rich in south Jersey, but he's a Chevy guy so I doubt he'd even know what he's looking at.
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
In Jersey, they just write "Wrong Rich" on the box and the post office brings it to the other one.
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
It's awesomeness has arrived, now I need to shake this forever cold & get a little break in the weather, cept for the battery, with the strap kit I should be able to wrap up the drivers inner fender!
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Checked out the storm damage, the car has survived & is actually a little cleaner, just using a dust cover, didn't really look after the snow, dust cover mostly on the ground, no water marks running down the glass anywhere & it was a pretty windy storm, so cept for shooting a hose straight at the glass seals she's pretty tight!
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
ITS in, took me a while to try & get the wires out of the new harness connector, when I finally dropped the paper clip (that worked on the ones you sent) & lost it I found a cotter pin on the ground, opened that up & the extra thickness finally unlocked the spades!
Even had 2 bolts painted & ready to go!
Put in the wire straps that I was sure of.
Moved to the 2 on the firewall that I had pics for, must have unplugged & rerouted more wires than are there! 
Just laid in the ones I'm pretty sure of on the passenger side. 
& 1 more after the relay, looked like a good spot for one?
Need the battery in to see if the main wire will go under it?
Back inside & cut a bunch of hoses & dug out the clamps, actually had enough of the right sizes for now anyway!
Even had 2 bolts painted & ready to go!
Put in the wire straps that I was sure of.
Moved to the 2 on the firewall that I had pics for, must have unplugged & rerouted more wires than are there! Just laid in the ones I'm pretty sure of on the passenger side. & 1 more after the relay, looked like a good spot for one?
Need the battery in to see if the main wire will go under it?
Back inside & cut a bunch of hoses & dug out the clamps, actually had enough of the right sizes for now anyway!
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RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Looked thru my service manuel & could not find a pic of the heater hose from the valve to the box, I laid out the old hoses to where they seemed to fit & then put in the new ones, no matter what I do, a little longer, cut it 2 times & it just keeps kinking a little on me, don't know where to go from here, 
Don't know if they are crisscrossed or not, but, going to the lower port with that might ease the tension?
Cut the vac lines same as the old, pcv to carb looks quite long, & not sure the old valve seated right in the valve cover, I think it's hitting the metal plate in there?
same with the line to the booster, I think the fitting was in a different place on the other manifold, can I use the side port at the booster, much nicer run, It will loop around to the front one, but that doesn't look great? 
Finally there's one more hole that looks like it would fit the black round wire strap, only thing I can see that would go in it is the washer bottle water line?
Pass. side near the fender
Don't know if they are crisscrossed or not, but, going to the lower port with that might ease the tension?Cut the vac lines same as the old, pcv to carb looks quite long, & not sure the old valve seated right in the valve cover, I think it's hitting the metal plate in there?
same with the line to the booster, I think the fitting was in a different place on the other manifold, can I use the side port at the booster, much nicer run, It will loop around to the front one, but that doesn't look great? Finally there's one more hole that looks like it would fit the black round wire strap, only thing I can see that would go in it is the washer bottle water line?
Pass. side near the fender
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Messed with the drivers door a bit, got it a little higher, I have to double check the body lines, but this may be as close as it will get, looking at the upsweep in the fender they don't match. 
At least the water beads up nice! 
With that done (I hope) I put in the end dash trim & the kick panel.
Laid in the A/C duct, still not really engaging at the drivers vent, but if I could figure out a way to strap it up I could live with it? 
got the glove box liner in, what a pain, had to take it apart to worm it in there from the back & then fight with lining up all the screws, dang I got every one in!
don't look too bad, see how it looks with3/4 of a lower trim! 
Dug that &the ashtray out for next session. 
At least the water beads up nice! With that done (I hope) I put in the end dash trim & the kick panel.
Laid in the A/C duct, still not really engaging at the drivers vent, but if I could figure out a way to strap it up I could live with it? got the glove box liner in, what a pain, had to take it apart to worm it in there from the back & then fight with lining up all the screws, dang I got every one in!
don't look too bad, see how it looks with3/4 of a lower trim! Dug that &the ashtray out for next session.
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
Back to digging around in the garage, found the leftover light bulbs from the other car................
if that fails I have the wagner rack I got when my bro in law passed away, I miss you man.
more lights & fuses at the top
I suspect this ids from an old caprice, he had a ton of those, if anyone can use it & I can't speak up! 
if that fails I have the wagner rack I got when my bro in law passed away, I miss you man.more lights & fuses at the topI suspect this ids from an old caprice, he had a ton of those, if anyone can use it & I can't speak up!
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
On your heater hoses: It looks like if you take about another inch off the valve end of the upper, you'll straighten those kinks.
Don't forget the lower dash trim around the radio. It's essentially a mirror image of the one around the heater controls. I think you need to have that in place before you can install the AC-only trim panel, which until seeing your picture I never realized was so necessary. Man, that duct sticks out like a sore thumb. I still need to find that duct, which I'm sure you're aware is brutally expensive. At least I need two of 'em (both my main project and my '71 are AC cars and missing it).
I'm not sure where you came up with a 550 flasher, but I can honestly say I've sold exactly one in 37 years, for a custom application. We had 'em in stock everywhere I've hawked parts, but it never moved. The only reasonably-common applications for it were 1962-only Ford T-bird/Lincoln Continental, Toyota Land Cruisers through '77, and some 1972 Dodge P-chassis trucks. Everything else is Euro. Lots of little sports cars, Jags, and some Benzes. In fairness, my buyer's guide only goes back to 1962, so some older Fords (and other makes) might've used it, but being 12-volt means it's mostly '56-up.
Don't forget the lower dash trim around the radio. It's essentially a mirror image of the one around the heater controls. I think you need to have that in place before you can install the AC-only trim panel, which until seeing your picture I never realized was so necessary. Man, that duct sticks out like a sore thumb. I still need to find that duct, which I'm sure you're aware is brutally expensive. At least I need two of 'em (both my main project and my '71 are AC cars and missing it).
I'm not sure where you came up with a 550 flasher, but I can honestly say I've sold exactly one in 37 years, for a custom application. We had 'em in stock everywhere I've hawked parts, but it never moved. The only reasonably-common applications for it were 1962-only Ford T-bird/Lincoln Continental, Toyota Land Cruisers through '77, and some 1972 Dodge P-chassis trucks. Everything else is Euro. Lots of little sports cars, Jags, and some Benzes. In fairness, my buyer's guide only goes back to 1962, so some older Fords (and other makes) might've used it, but being 12-volt means it's mostly '56-up.
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
I'm down to my last piece of 3/4 hose, I'll check to see if it's longer or shorter before I cut that one, would like to have a backup if I go too short & not have to buy more at this stage of the game!
The 550 came from my bro on laws stuff, he had a carb rebuilding shop for a couple of years (could have used him now, he probably had an original carb in the basement) he took over the shop from a long time rebuilder, they junked hundreds of old carbs when he went bankrupt.
don't know why he took that one home?
Yes duct was 150 ish, the guy had 2, the other was 10 bucks less but had a mark on it, this one looks brandy new, I don't think it was ever on a car?
Not as bad as those outlet vents, 875, I didn't think I would ever see them anywhere else, those too looked brand new!
Lower trim is a problem, I have one short thinner piece that broke off the one in the pic, but no screw holes in the bottom, was actually looking for it the other day & it now eludes me, I had it in my hands not more that a week ago, the even skinnier piece at the radio end was not there.
I think that was all one piece & also really hard to find & spensive!
The 550 came from my bro on laws stuff, he had a carb rebuilding shop for a couple of years (could have used him now, he probably had an original carb in the basement) he took over the shop from a long time rebuilder, they junked hundreds of old carbs when he went bankrupt.
don't know why he took that one home?
Yes duct was 150 ish, the guy had 2, the other was 10 bucks less but had a mark on it, this one looks brandy new, I don't think it was ever on a car?
Not as bad as those outlet vents, 875, I didn't think I would ever see them anywhere else, those too looked brand new!
Lower trim is a problem, I have one short thinner piece that broke off the one in the pic, but no screw holes in the bottom, was actually looking for it the other day & it now eludes me, I had it in my hands not more that a week ago, the even skinnier piece at the radio end was not there.
I think that was all one piece & also really hard to find & spensive!
RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
not sure if this is the whole thing, 200 for a broken one?
1970-1974 OEM E-Body Mopar Lower Dash Trim A/C Dodge Challenger Cuda Barracuda | eBay
1970-1974 OEM E-Body Mopar Lower Dash Trim A/C Dodge Challenger Cuda Barracuda | eBay
Dr.Jass
Pastor of Muppets
$150 is a steal for that duct these days. Almost every one I see is $250+. Of course, there was a guy at the fall Jefferson swap meet that sold a whole set of E-body ducts for $30 the day before I asked about 'em. The bitch of it was I'd been in his spot the previous day looking at a compressor and I didn't bother to ask. On the other hand, I got very lucky with my dash vents. I got a set with my car, and another set with a "driver condition" dash pad I bought for $160--which also had complete speaker/grille assemblies still in it. Don't know if you had to find your grilles, but they're big money as well.
$200 is high for a broken panel, in my estimation. One pic with them butted against each other shows there's a little material missing, but not much. He does have the "make an offer" option on that listing, so you could try chiseling him down to something more comfortable. I lucked out a couple of months back and found one for $160 shipped on eBay whilst I was bedridden because of my back, but I still need another for the '71.
Long & short of it, when I bought my primary '74* back in 2014 I knew parts prices were going to be stupid, so I just buckled down and accepted it. I still hunt around and wait for better deals, but I have the luxury of time. It's saved me a ton of money, but I've been gathering parts for almost 10 years now.
*It's really a pain in the ass having two of the same year/make/model, especially when they're the same color.
$200 is high for a broken panel, in my estimation. One pic with them butted against each other shows there's a little material missing, but not much. He does have the "make an offer" option on that listing, so you could try chiseling him down to something more comfortable. I lucked out a couple of months back and found one for $160 shipped on eBay whilst I was bedridden because of my back, but I still need another for the '71.
Long & short of it, when I bought my primary '74* back in 2014 I knew parts prices were going to be stupid, so I just buckled down and accepted it. I still hunt around and wait for better deals, but I have the luxury of time. It's saved me a ton of money, but I've been gathering parts for almost 10 years now.
*It's really a pain in the ass having two of the same year/make/model, especially when they're the same color.
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RUSTY Cuda
In over my head!
I have to search for that broken piece, from the look of those pics I'm not missing much, then I'll put what I have ready on & see what it looks like & decide from there if it's worth it or just leave it as is>