Super! Congrats, Kevin.

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

A slow steady pace gets the job done.

100% agree. Nice work.

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

I think I have driven the Duster more in the last 2 months, then has been driven in the last 20 years. Mostly test drives. Anyway the "fix list" is down to fiddly things now.

Such as, rejetting the carburetor. The Autolite 2150 currently has #57 jets. This is too rich, with a nice dark brown spark plug color along with a black tail pipe (choke problem, fixed). This quite frankly, surprised me. I was expecting dirty oily black. I have some #56s on hand, so I will start there.

The timing was way off. I think I will swap the Darts distributor in, and work from there. The Darts distributor has 18* built in, with full mechanical advance by 3200 rpm. But the curve was built for a 4 speed and 3.5 gears, so that will need adjusting for an automatic and 3.21 gears. Interesting to note, that the timing was rock solid, the mark was not "wandering". It makes you wander why new engine builds have the "wandering" problem. JustMoparJoe has an interesting explanation, which just boils down to sloppy tolerances with aftermarket parts.

The power steering box has a long standing leak, which I didn't notice until I started cleaning crud off it . I believe the O rings in the aluminum block have harden and need replacement. But for $700+ I could replace it with a Firm Feel box or for $1000 I could use a Borgeson box and be cool. But in my old age, I have grown fond of the OEM box.

A voltage drain has developed. This one may be the worst to fix. But If i leave the battery hooked up, it is drained the next day. Also the right side turn signal has lost the running light again and the right turn signal indicator on the dash stays lite when the headlights are turned on. Maybe there is a connection, who knows.

This weeks YouTube video is on porting the exhaust manifold. You can spend a relaxing hour watching me use a die grinder.

Rebuilding old cars is like remodeling old homes. One step forward, maybe two steps back, if you are lucky.

So the Autolite 2150 I bolted to my super six manifold had a problem with the idle jets. One side didn't do any adjusting. So I tore the carburetor down and soaked it in carb dip for about a week. After the dip, I poked a welding tip cleaner in all of the holes to dislodge any "stuff", blew it out with brake cleaner, degreased it with "Purple Power" and reassembled the carburetor and dropped it back on the engine. I tried to start the engine and it flooded.

Sigh. One step backwards.

So I fiddled with the float adjustment and nothing seemed to help, so I reverted back to the old needle and seat and it also flooded.

Sigh. Another step backwards.

But after more fiddling with the float level, I actually managed to stop the carburetor from flooding, well not really, instead of a gusher, it is now a small ripple. It is nice that you can run an Autolite without the top so you can actually see what is going wrong. I have come to the conclusion that the el cheapo replacement fuel pump is putting out more fuel pressure then the carburetor can handle.

Sigh. Another step backwards.

So I rummaged around in the spare parts and found a old dead head regulator. Except it is set up to use 3/8" line and the Duster is 5/16" line. So off to the hardware store to buy some brass fittings to adapt the line size and off to Summit to buy a reproduction fuel line because somebody attempted the "Dan Stern fuel line mod" and it is a mess.

Sigh. Another step backwards.

And to top that off. I discovered that my fabricated kickdown linkage rubs against the base of the drop down air cleaner when the throttle pedal is just off idle, and I will need to fabricate a carburetor spacer because the base plate of the Autolite is different then a Holley 2300.

Sigh, And, how has your week been going...

At least He abandoned PlanZ to an ambitious Kid (FABO Member) who may make something of it...

Yeah, unfortunately, I've seen stock replacement pumps vary from 5-14psi on a variety of vehicles...

I believe Shane Pulido has it. Honestly? After seeing it in person it should be scrapped for safety reasons.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

That's My impression. After the non-replacement rust removal, & the Tennessee Hole-Saw Massacre, the ever industrious metal-mites have had their way with it...it is a death-trap for sure.

Hopefully kesteb is having a 2-steps forward day Today..

One of the problems of living 20 miles from everything is that the local feed and grain dosen't stock the common 3/8mip to 5/16 compression brass fittings. The online price is like $5 a pop plus shipping. So this will have to be an Amazon buy. Contrast this to the cool AN fittings that flow so much better (at least the advertising says so). You know, I need all the flow in the world to feed that 140hp.

On the other hand the spacer took only a couple of hours to make and now the air cleaner clears the kickdown linkage. This also gives me about 1" of spacer under the carburetor. And everyone knows thats worth at least 10hp. Richard Holdner says so.

I also bought some reproduction pump to carburetor fuel line. It may be the best $41 that I have spent yet. It sure beats trying to hand bend that line.

So lets say, 1 step forward, for now.

So I have a Summit CDI box setting on the shelf. It was originally installed on the Dart. Since it isn't going back into the Dart, why not install it into the Duster. So I wired it in and tried to start the engine. Nothing. So I go to the Summit site and download the instructions. Everything is wired correctly, but the distributor won't trigger the box. After some trouble shooting, it turns out the box is dead. I guess sitting on the shelf for a few years killed the box.

So how much does it cost to replace this box. $204 and it will be shipped the next day.

Hmm, this is 50 year old technology, if this was a computer, it would cost around $50 out the door. A premium price for ancient technology. It is just repackaged MSD stuff and the R & D was paid back years ago.

Anyway, I wired the Chrysler stuff back up, ballast resistor and all, and the car started on the first try. Another example of 50 year old technology.

Interesting enough, a MicroSquirt costs about twice as much as the CDI box, and it would control the whole engine. And I have most of the stuff to wire it all up.

The latest YouTube video is about how to clearance the front fenders so you can run "big" tires on the front. Riveting stuff you need to go watch.

https://youtu.be/YLLEiz4OMh0

Is it an MSD box or a Summit? MSD you can send stuff in and they usually repair it for free.

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Summit repackages some MSD components and resells them, a search on the interwebs will show the specific MSD board used. It came with a 1 year warranty. That expired many years ago.

The only reason to use the CDI box was to get 12v output, to drive a "better" coil. The multi spark would have been nice, since it is active in the rpm range the this engine will mostly operator within. And it was already "paid for".

Oh well, there is always HEI, which has it own set of problems.

I had a MSD 7 A that failed. I contacted MSD about getting it repaired, and they said they couldn't repair it. Could not get parts. One of the members on this site repaired it for me. I think it was CEEJ.

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Charrlie_S
65 Valiant 100 2dr post 170 turbo
66 Valiant Signet 170 nitrous
64 Valiant Signet
64 Valiant 4dr 170
64 Valiant 4dr 225

In the YouTube universe, I am starting a 2v upgrade. Notice I didn't say a SuperSix swap. About the only things that are being used, is the manifold and the spring retainer from that kit. Everything else is going to be custom.

https://youtu.be/F5EJW3IDWjg

Enjoy...