Yes - Lots of original '71's with Argent Shakers.
I do know the rear window stainless was black on rear window louvred cars. It was on my 71 'Cuda

Thanks to 67Novaboy I have a F70x14 bias ply to use as my spare tire.

I was able to find a correct sized (though rusty)14x5-1/2 steel wheel off ebay from a seller in Rhode Island. After soaking it in four gallons of Evaporust for about a week I was able to get all the crustiness off it. I then used body filler to fill in the pits and it worked out pretty well.

It is probably from the mid 1970's so I am happy since I only paid $45 for it instead of several hundred for a part-number-perfect example of a 1970 rim. This one is a 3699402 rim which is stamped in tiny numbers above the valve stem hole which is totally not visible when the spare is mounted in the car. It also has a 4026530 sticker inside the rim. Anyone have any idea what its actually from or the date range?

I didn't know you needed one of those wheels. I would have given you this one. It may not be what you were looking for. I've been trying to get someone to take it, but no luck.

Wish I knew you had it a couple weeks ago. I think I spent $40 in Evaporust alone soaking the other one! Are you still looking to get rid of it? Never hurts to have a spare spare. :-)

Yes, I would love to get it to someone who could use it.

Big Gear Head, I sent you a PM. :-)

Got it.

I sent off the original, Prestolite cast iron #3438317 distributor to Joe White who previously restored it for Dave.

Although it was already setup with the original dual points and ready to go, I wanted it upgraded to the Pertronix electronic ignition setup before I installed it. Dave had already put in a generic single point distributor that he converted with a Pertronix system when he was trouble shooting the original non-start problem (that turned out to be the defective ignition switch). That's why the dual point was in a box when the car project initially arrived. Unfortunately the Pertronix unit he used is not the same one for the dual point applications.

Joe White's specialty is restoring old distributors and upgrading them if requested. He also reverified the ignition advance curve and set it at 18 degrees at 3,600 rpm. Check out his facebook site for prior restoration photo at "Joes Mopar Distributor Restorations." He also does vintage aftermarket distributors and other makes as well.

I installed a recently acquired Pertronix 40,000 volt, 1.5 ohm coil, and I'm using the "deballasted" ballast resistor that Dave converted with a section of 10 gauge wire, as the Pertronix needs full voltage to run optimally.

The distributor should be back here and installed next week. (fingers crossed).

Joe is all done and ready to ship out after doing some extra detailing on the unit.

I spent an hour or so trying to finagle with the 1970's FM converter that I installed. It does work ok and gets the local FM stations but since the factory AM radio only puts out 2 watts, it wont power the speakers with any degree of volume that you can actually hear when the car is running. I even disconnected the fader switch and wired the dash speaker directly to the two speaker leads coming out of the radio itself, with no improvement.

So I am on the hunt for a vintage 25 or 40 watt underdash amp to get some sound output. There are several on ebay - like the Audiovox Sound Exploder AMP500-D. I've seen several on Ebay (that's where I got the two photos below), unless someone here has some old sound equipment lying around.

I spent an hour installing the black plastic mudflaps from my old 70 Charger just to protect the paint. That was after I spent four hours using a clay bar and then waxing the car for the first time. It's probably been 43 years since the last time it was waxed (or even on the road, for that matter)

I took the Cuda out for a drive today, down to my buddy's shop. The old car drives very nicely. Tracks straight as an arrow down the road, so I guess my attempt at doing the alignment myself actually worked!

When rolling you don't even notice that is has manual steering. It's actually nice and tight with actual road feel compared to how a normal Mopar with power steering feels. And the manual drums aren't that bad either.

If I could get some decent tunes on the radio, I'd be all set.

Update: I found a vintage NOS Audiovox Sound Exploder amp. The guy wanted $80, I offered him $35 and he accepted. I mentioned that the two prior NOS units sold within the past month for $23 and $25 plus shipping, so he agreed $35 including shipping was a reasonable offer.

Da car's lookin' super-snazzy, Steve! Nice score on the Audiovox unit, too!:biggthumpup:

Your ‘cuda looks DAZZLING!:3gears:

I got the updated original Prestolite cast iron dual point (now with Pertronix) installed and she started right up. I set the timing and then adjusted the idle mixture. That took a little thinking since the carb only has a vacuum port for the distributor's ported vacuum and the car has manual brakes, so no manifold fitting either. I ended up pulling the pipe plug from the intake and installing a GM vacuum fitting (I think it's from a GM?) and routed the vacuum gauge to that so I could see what the highest reading was while adjusting mixture. I got it up to 19 inches of vaccum at 1500 rpm. I then set the idle back down to the factory 900 rpm. I think I'll leave the fitting there for the moment with a rubber cap on it, in case I need to readjust the mixture again in the near future.

Well, plans for the audio system sort of evolved. I received the NOS Audiovox Amp but one channel wasn't working - so much for 50 year-old electronic equipment. Even with the one channel hooked up, it only raised the output volume by maybe 50% - still too quiet, and since it was plumbed through the original AM, it stilll sounded crackly.

So I went through my boxes of "crap I never threw out from the past-half century" and found the original no-name, K-Mart AM/FM Cassette deck that I had in my 70 Superbird that I drove to high school. Yeah, vintage 1979 or so. So I threw that in the car and hooked up the speakers.

YEAH BABY!

It sounds great. I then went and found my old stash of cassettes and located my favorite Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band cassettes from the same era.

Sure brings back memories from driving out to the Street Machine Nats in '79, '80 and '81. I had that cassette running in a constant tape loop for the the entire trips. Nothing like hearing "Turn The Page" cruising down I-80, watching the sunrise.

Way to go, Steve! Crank the car 'n crank up the tunes!:biggthumpup: In the immortal words of Mr. Matthew McConaughey (from the film "Dazed and Confused"), "Awright, awright, awright!"

Does anyone know what the lubrication specs are for oiling the weird, little, oil port on the side of the distributor?

Another fantastic restoration Steve. It's always enjoyable to watch your work and eye for detail.

What's next?;)

Tim

Next? Finally getting some good weather to drive it around!

Or maybe building a stroker smallblock to sneak under that shaker?

Next?
 

Maybe fly out to visit Dave and help him finish the 507 build?

Ha, he's got a plane. He can fly me out himself!

Hey, Steve! In response to your inquiry about lubing the Prestolite distributor, I’m including a pic spanning 1 column each from pp. 8-54 & 8-55 (Ignition System-Electrical) of the ’71 Dodge Chassis Service Manual. Starting at the bottom of p 8-54 “Distributor Lubrication,” it states the complete info. The specific answer to your inquiry is item #1.”Add 3 drops of SAE 10W oil in the oiler on outside of distributor base, (Prestolite only)” I hope that this helps the cause!

Very cool info Bob. Now I guess I have to find a vintage drum of 10W oil.

3in1 Electric Motor oil is 10W. Ya gotta be sure it says 'Electric Motor' on the can, cause the garden variety can has different (unknown to me) stuff in it.

I remember that stuff! But now I have to find a 1970 era tin can of it. I may actually have it somewhere! Looks like the new stuff is rated at SAE20

I pulled a plug out to check how things are burning. Looks very nice. The color change point on the electrode is right at the 90 degree bend point from light grey to dark grey. I am quite pleased with that. (Running 1/4 tank of 100 octane leaded avgas and 3/4 tank of 93 unleaded super.)

And Fedex Ground strikes again.

I found the only remaining TurboStart reproduction Mopar group 27 size AGM battery left in the United States. (No other sizes available either - this was an orphan sitting on a shelf).

TurboStart stopped making them a over a year and half ago and keeps delaying any new production til who knows when (maybe later this summer, last I heard from them).

Shipped from Jegs on Tuesday for a Thursday delivery via Fedex Ground...Shows up Monday busted and leaking acid from the bottom of the box.

Jegs immediately refunded my money. Fedex doesn't give a crap and won't pick it up because it's toxic waste (LOL). Jegs told me to dumpster it.

Cut Top off and make a battery topper out of it for future use on a modern battery.
Nice Work Steve on that Cuda !

I was thinking of that but where/how do you dispose of the acid and battery guts? And how do you cut the case without causing a high amperage short. You cant use a sawzall, it would ground out between the cells.

Any advice?

I empty the acid out first through the top holes then cut along the very top edges with a cutting wheel, never had a problem with electricity or sparks. A few of my friends had those older Acid Filled DELCO Reproduction batteries that went capute on them and I tell them don't toss it I'll take it LOL in the end they make a very nice looking topper IMO.
Side terminal battery I just Velcro the top on to a modern battery. Top post batteries takes a little more time as you have to cut those poles away first and free up the plastic around them using a small dremel bit to dig around the edges of the poles.

Keep in mind the batteries were DEAD before I started. Maybe after you empty the Acid it will loose it's Power or actually use the battery some how to kill the power ?

The problem is that this is an AGM battery with the gel-coated plates and does not use liquid acid so there’s no way to pour out the acid.

OMG! No gloves, sandals, and squeezing out the acid with his hands. Then hand-filing the lead plates in the open air with a flame to melt the lead.
Sure isn't any OSHA regs over in that place. Truly frightening indeed.

And when he dips his bare hand holding a cut-off soda bottle, into the blue barrel of sulphuric acid to fill the battery - now that's exciting!!!

You can put baking soda in an acid proof plastic drain pan, then pour the acid in.

I mix baking soda and water, then fill the battery back up with that solution.

Now all the acid is neutralized.

I have a thread on this somewhere in the last couple years. Put a Braille battery inside my old battery. Works great.

Here:

https://www.yenko.net/forum/showthre...raille+battery

Hook a headlight bulb to the battery and let it sit until there's no more juice left in it. Might take a day or two.... or less?

Well the Lucky Horseshoe have been at work overtime...

After I had the episode with Fedex smashing the last known repro AGM Group 27 battery in existence, I told my buddy Al who owns the local old-timer garage where we all hang out at.

He promptly tilts his head, looks up (which means he is reviewing his internal inventory of junk he has never thrown out) and then walks over the the corner of his garage and pulls out an NOS 2444607 Group 27 Mopar replacement battery from 1973 that he has had sitting in the corner cabinet under a pile of alternators since 1973.

This is the exact part number for the 1970 battery for a 1970 Cuda, although a dealer replacement part since the later style had the dual three-vent caps instead of the single red verticle venting caps.

He called the local Napa store and they brought over a carton of battery electrolyte and we filled it up. It initially only read 6 volts but after the charger went through the de-sulfating process it is currently charging and holding 12+ volts. We stopped the charger for the day and he will hook it back up on Monday to let it run the full charging cycle for a new battery.

How's that for happy Saturday?

It was meant to be!

'

Crazy stuff just like the 70's again...Purple cars and now w/ the Acid.:crazy:
:beers:
~ Pete

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