Update. Lots of tinkering some driving. now theres a little oil in the coolant and the radiator is pressurizing. On the upside, I wanted to look at the cylinders and heads anyway. If the cylinders look good I may have the heads done and consider a new cam. If not, ill be looking for a new motor and transmission. This early 4.030 bore 383 RB mopar isnt worth having custom pistons made for. Same for the cast iron A488 automatic. It works, but I like 727s better. Although, i do have an extra 4 speed! Haha.
Wire wheels are available from True Spoke in California. They make repo wheels for all the 50s Mopar, Ford and GM cars. Great people to deal with. I have a set on my 53 ChryslerT&C that are great. I also did the disc brake update and used Kanter,s kit. They work great and will include a dual master cyl. That big Chrysler is gonna make a neat ride. Sent from my iPad using H.A.M.B.
Thanks. I wasn’t aware Kanter had kits! I enjoy it. It’s very different than the later 60-70s stuff I have.
Don't remove the door handles.... Have them powder coated black and they will disappear. Cool more door. I had a 64 Cadillac 4 dr HT.... I wish I still did. Duper nice cruisers! Just like that Chrysler!
Scarebird is the way to go IMO, i know the FL guys have a hard on for the AAJ kit or for the late 70's NY spindle swap, but the AAJ seems to have pedal feel issues a LOT and you won't catch me messing with a spindle that screws up the camber curve on the car either. I have a wilwood setup for mine, that was pricey but came with the car, if i didn't have it i'd be doing the scarebird more than likely. The explorer 8.8 swaps into the car super easy in the back and gets you an LSD, 3.73's and discs/ebrake on the cheap if you want to fully modernize things.
Hello, For that look of class, those wire wheels would be the choice. nice work @THEMOOSE nice wheels @CORVETTE FEVER So, it will depend on what your taste will be. The Chrysler wire wheels are a little expensive, but if it is a “forever car”, then go for it. Get the wires. Nothing else is needed, just the wires and cruise to your destination with a very cool looking car. No pinstriping, no flames, no scallops, just a classy, good looking Chrysler Sedan for endless cruising. Jnaki A cool custom look or more of a hot rod look like these two choices would be a different look. The 5 spoke American mag wheel style looks too aggressive, although those have been just about everyone’s favorite. We had a set on one of our El Caminos, it totally changed the overall look. If you wanted to go a different way, there are nice looking black cars with thin pinstriping all along the edging lines for a wilder look. Halibrand style mag wheels on black wall tires, no knockoffs… Very clean and custom. With the possible Bonneville races coming up soon, this just might go over with the smooth styling and less wind resistance for the big cruiser.
Thanks fellas. the engines back together. And as expected, it needs rebuilt. It is the dirtiest engine i have ever seen. It still runs well but there was .25” of carbon sludge And gray crud on everything. Valley. Heads. Etc. I inspected the top end and the heads weren’t awful, but due for a rebuild due to guides. Small leaks but no obvious burned valves. Tons of tan porcelain ash and crud. Cylinders had a decent ridge, probably .005-.010. lifters were so dirty they were all stuck. Like Almost 100% solid. I dont know how it ran so well. It took a month of individually soaking them in Berrymans carb soak and some very careful percussive adjustments to disassemble all 16 and refurb them. All pumped up like a champ. I filled the cups with oil prior to reassembly. Edelbrock rpm manifold and an AVS2 installed and it runs very well. The OE throttle and kickdown linkage is brilliant and didn’t require any modifications, just adjustment... as long as the firewall and engine stay in the same general vicinity. Now it’s getting a dual reservoir master cylinder and im going to drive it a bit and see what i think. May sell, may keep, it will tell me. (Lifter detail for those inclined) The lifters would mostly pump down but not up to the retaining clip. Yes, its cheap, but I don’t want to put s new cam or lifters and pushrods in an obsolete 4.030 bore RB Mopar. Berrymans carb soak will remove everything to white metal given enough time. To expedite, i pulled the pushrod cup with a light tap on a rag covered vise. Then the piston/check assembly was stuck from crud. I flipped the cup and using a spacer (tiny brass nut) slowly pumped the old oil out on an arbor press (with rags covering the base to not mar the lifter base). I refilled the piston with carb cleaner and pumped a couple volumes of that through. then i would smack the lifter on the rag covered vise to bring the piston up as far as the crud would go, then use the press to move it down. Spinning it with a O ring tool helps. Eventually the varnish layer would let the piston come free for a good cleaning. Thankfully these pistons are hardened. then reassemble and fill the piston with oil, leaving the base of the lifter empty, not losing the clips, amd Bobs your uncle.
The Jalopy Journal
