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1973 Gold Duster in Tucson
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Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:50 pm ]
Post subject:  1973 Gold Duster in Tucson
Hello all!

I just wanted to say Hi from Tucson. A few weeks ago I picked up a 1973 Gold Duster, and I am very excited to let this consume all of my time and money!

The car was featured on a site when the previous owner was still in Oregon.
http://www.oldparkedcars.com/2013/03/19 ... coupe.html

I really like this bird so far. It's mist green with a black vinyl top, dark green interior (space duster), with a lovely stock 225 /6. The car is almost rust free, with just some in the spare tire well and front passenger floor, but nothing has eaten through yet. The interior is really nice, with just a few tears in the panels and small hole in the back bench, though it is missing carpet and headliner.

I figure I would introduce my self as I am sure I'll be posting question pretty soon.

Thanks!
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Jul 30, 2015 3:57 pm ]
Post subject: 
First Update!

Image
My goal for this project is to restore the car mostly to stock, but I have no real plans for making it a show car. I would like to make a few modifications to give it a bit more power and improve drive-ability. I'm thinking of "upgrading" the intake/carb/exhaust to something a bit bigger, maybe a Super Six intake + carb and dual exhaust headers. I want upgrade to disc brakes and maybe add sway bars. I have some desire to add A/C to this, though it did not have it previously.

The issues (in no particular order):
Rough idle
Worn motor mounts
Air cleaner housing rusty, bent, old
Possible gunk in gas tank
Tranny a little late when shifting
Chipped/faded paint [Buffed paint, looks pretty good for now]
No headliner [FIXED]
No carpet [FIXED]
A little rust in floor, trunk [SANDED, POR15'd]
Missing glovebox- [Replaced]
Power issues (radio, dome light, dash lights do not work) - really only the right turn indicator and glove box light works [FIXED!]
Need to fix driver side door jamb button [FIXED]
Jumpy speedo
Slow oil leak - partially fixed, replaced oil sender, seems to be holding
Lots of play in steering - bushings seem really worn
Seatbelts stick a bit, might upgrade to single piece, 3-point belt [INSTALLED]
Small dent by driver side tail light, bent chrome trim around light
Battery tray is all but rusted away-[FIXED]
Passenger wiper blade not moving-missing bushing and E-clip, ordered
driver side armrest is crushed[Fixed]
Headlight knob is loose, but works [REPLACED]
Missing rear chrome trim for vinyl top[ORDERED]
Small leak in windsheld/cowl by driver's feet (but it doesn't rain much in T-town)
Shocks/Struts seem worn out
Hood does not sit level, seems unsupported on passenger side (rubber bumper is crushed on that side
Trunk light broken [FIXED]
Rear right turn signal not working [FIXED]
Side lights not working, rear passenger is missing the reflector/cover) [FIXED]
Driver door does not stay open (never 'settles' in open position)
E-Brake light and/or sensor is broken - broken wire, need to find tap in the harness
Radio not working [FIXED]
Add electric choke [IN PROGRESS - installed, but pulls off too fast]
Add Cigarette lighter and housing [Installed]

So I guess I have a few things to work on, right?!

The big thing I want resolved is my idle issues/general engine maintenance. I changed the oil with sender and flushed the coolant (and installed an overflow bottle). I will next pull the plugs, see how they look and run a compression test - just to check out the cylinders. I will focus on cleaning/evaluating the carb next, as it looks like a bit of fuel seeps out of it, not sure where.

Any help or advice would be appreciated and I will post updates and more specific questions soon.

[/list]
Author:  Reed [ Thu Jul 30, 2015 4:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Nice score! That sounds like a very handsome color combination. It sounds like you have a good upgrade plan for making a safer, more comfortable and more fun cruiser/daily driver.

Post more pictures!
Author:  Reed [ Fri Jul 31, 2015 10:15 am ]
Post subject: 
Quote:

The issues (in no particular order):
Rough idle
Worn motor mounts
These could be related. Worn motor mounts can let the motor wobble more and send more vibrations through the car.
Quote:
Tranny a little late when shifting
Adjust the kick down linkage and the bands.
Quote:
Missing glovebox-ordered, I think I will need to take a part the dash to install, so I will wait until I can tackle the whole dash issue (lights, speedo)
No, you should be able to install it through the opening or from the back. AC will make it a little tight, but you should be able to d it.
Quote:
Power issues (radio, dome light, dash lights do not work) - really only the right turn indicator and glove box light works
Probabley burnt out bulbs. I once purchased a 1972 Demon that had every single light bulb burnt out in the dash. The seller gave me a flashlight so I could drive at night.
Quote:
Jumpy speedo
Lube the speedo cable (SlantSixDan has posted a good method for this elsewhere on this site) but be ready to have the speedometer worked on.
Quote:
bushings seem really worn
This is a safety item than needs to be corrected quickly.
Quote:
Seatbelts stick a bit, might upgrade to single piece, 3-point belt
Try cleaning the retractor mechanism. I have seen all sort of crap get sucked into the latch and spring mechanism.

Quote:
Small leak in windsheld/cowl by driver's feet (but it doesn't rain much in T-town)
Windshield wiper pivot seals. Cheap part, a bit of a pisser to replace. you will be under there fixing the linkage anyway, take the opportunity to replace the pivot seals.
Quote:
Shocks/Struts seem worn out
Comfort and potentially a safety item. Replace ASAP. Rocket usually has good deals on KYB shocks.
Quote:
Rear right turn signal not working (can't seem to get light socket out of housing)
Gently twist the plug, usually counterclockwise.
Quote:
Driver door does not stay open (never 'settles' in open position)
Need new hinges.

Quote:
E-Brake light and/or sensor is broken
Little plunger like the door jamb switch. Try cleaning it and making sure it is still connected.

Quote:
I will focus on cleaning/evaluating the carb next, as it looks like a bit of fuel seeps out of it, not sure where.
Worn throttle shaft. You can get it rebutted. Good carburetors are hard to find these days.
Author:  Louise76 [ Sat Aug 01, 2015 10:01 pm ]
Post subject: 
Glove box door removed, the glove box collapses partially for install/removal action.
Yeh, you'll be back here every week! :lol: :lol: :lol:
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:02 pm ]
Post subject: 
It's been a while so I thought I would post a few updates! I have been kinda busy with work and fixing up an old honda civic I was selling to a buddy, so now I have one less thing to worry about. I bought a carb kit from SSDan, but I have not taken the time to rebuild it yet. The car is running pretty well, though still seeping gas from the bowl and throttle rod. As of recently I have been hunting down and installing some small parts:
-Armrest
-Light covers
-Headliner

I did the fuel line mod this weekend and I hope it will put an end to some of my vapor lock symptoms.
Image

I also am going to spend some time to determine if some of the vacuum lines were removed for a good reason or not. See below:
Image
Image

Any comments if I should hook these back up?
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:05 pm ]
Post subject: 
I also have spent some time replace basically every burnt bulb I can find (which is almost all of them). I ordered new covers and bulbs for the side running lights, and fix my RH backup light. I also replaced the pressure switch for the trunk lid, so now I have trunk lighting. Now I just have to get all the dash lights working!
Author:  Louise76 [ Thu Sep 10, 2015 10:36 am ]
Post subject: 
Try aggressively blowing out the seat belt retractors with an air nozzle. Sometimes that clears out the crud just enough to make a difference. And it's a quick easy fix, if it works for you.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Mon Sep 21, 2015 3:50 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quick update from the last week or so, though I will be starting an instrument light thread soon. :)

So I have spent a lot of time digging into my instrument cluster issues, with some success, as well as some other lighting/electrical issues. I having been working on my cluster to start, but I debugged in the wrong order. I was able to remove the cluster, only to discover that most the bulbs seemed to be in great shape, though a few sockets were broken or missing, 4 of the 8. I was not able to find them at my local autozone or oreillys, so I went ahead and replaced some of the bulbs and left some of the better of the broken sockets still connected, then I reassembled. No real improvement, but the bulbs that did not need the dimmer power seemed to work now (brights, left and right indicators). So I looked at fuse box, cleaned the contacts and replaced all the fuses that were nasty or where the wrong value (read: all of them), and based on my schematic I found that rheostat dimmer was not outputting voltage (on inspection it was broken). Ordered the switch and more sockets, and attacked it again this weekend. The switch replaced, I had the right voltage to the cluster lights, but they were not working unless the pigtail to the cluster was held just right. So I pulled the whole cluster again and found the dimmer pin was lose, so I soldered it down a bit and that seemed to do the trick. I don't think its bright enough though, and that's what the next thread will be about.

Also, using my handy color coded schematic I matched up some of my un-attached connector that were hanging behind the dash to their appropriate mate. I purchased a flasher for my hazard lights that was missing, and now (if it was hooked up) I would have my seatbelt light as well. Also, while mucking around I got my horn working. Also some conditions got my lights on buzzer working (just a little, sounded worn out), so I might be replacing/cleaning that sometime soon.

While under the dash I found my map light / foot light, so now that's working, and I got my glove box installed.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Tue Oct 20, 2015 3:03 pm ]
Post subject: 
After some delay, I got the new speaker and reinstalled the radio. I was a little disappointed with the speaker. A few sites listed this as the replace, but it was about 3/4 inch too short, so I kinda jimmy'd it with a piece of metal holding up one end. Eventually I will try to find the true replacement.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Tue Nov 24, 2015 2:44 pm ]
Post subject: 
Quick update: Now that I am back in town (work trip to Germany) I want to get some carpet and headliner in the car. It is cooling down in Tucson and my bare-metal floor and ceiling could become a problem. I have ordered a few color samples from stockinteriors.com for carpet, and a few months ago I snagged a charcoal ABS headliner on craigslist for a steal ($50)! It's not a color match but I think it will look okay with dark green. I will be installing some Dynamat on the floor and ceiling as well, and I was considering adding some Reflectix insulation under the carpet as well.
Author:  limedust70 [ Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:14 pm ]
Post subject: 
You may want to take it out to the Tucson Mopar Club get together next Saturday between 11 & 2 at Larry H Miller Dodge. See below:

Please join us at the last show of 2015 for the Tucson Mopar Club show at Larry H. Miller Dodge Ram Tucson.

We will have a day show from 11am-2pm and will be on the east side of the service/parts department. Bring your Mopar powered vehicle to show and join us for hamburgers and hotdogs off the grill. LHM will also provide the free assorted sodas, water and chips. If you would like to bring a dish to share or a dessert, please feel free to do so.

We will also have a toy drive to benefit the Avivia Children's Services. Bring a new, unwrapped toy to the show so that Josh can fill the back of his Magnum to take to the organization to share with kids in need and make their Christmas brighter this year.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Mon Nov 30, 2015 8:24 am ]
Post subject: 
Cool, I'll try to check it out, but I don't think my seats will be back in the car by then!

This weekend I got most of old glue and grime off the floor and sanded off the surface rust. I then got two good coats of POR15 on the floor.
Image

I'll get going to my shop in the evenings this week to get the insulation and dynamat installed. I hope my carpet samples come soon so I can get that ordered, but I should be able to get my headliner installed soon.
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Dec 03, 2015 12:52 pm ]
Post subject: 
Updates!

I have decided that if I was going to get carpet, I might as well refurnish the carpeted section behind the passenger seat as well. I pulled the space duster door, as well as the two ?quarter-panels? (the plastic parts that are adjacent to the back seat. I pulled the carpet from the bottom panel and then removed the panel from the car for sanding.
Image

I started laying dynamat on the passenger side as well as two full sheets on the ceiling. This is some cool stuff, really easy to apply.
Image
Author:  JamesKPolk [ Thu Dec 03, 2015 12:55 pm ]
Post subject: 
I also pulled the package tray. I think I can cut a new board out of MDF or something and then re-cover it. I am not sure if I will just cover it with carpet, or if I will try to find some green vinyl that would work.
Image
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