68 Fury III Resurrection in MA

[RGORHAM29]

Update....66 degrees yesterday and near 70 today in New England....wait what?!!

Frame patch repair being delayed so I took a little QT yesterday with some tunes and cleaned off the spindles (wire wheeled and lots of break cleaner). Lots of grease and grime removed. Noticed some pitting on surface of the plate. Anything to be concerned with?...I am thinking its ok for now but know that it will be a trap for dirt in the future.

Hope to move to control arms next.

Last but not least - disc brake dust shields. the ones that came with the set up are toast...but i knew that was possible going in. Do all manf dust shields on C bodies interchange or is it brake or vehicle specific? Ie: NY vs Fury vs Imperial vs....BUDD, KH, Etc.

Last but not least - any suggestions for color? flat black or cast gray.

Thx all.

 

[65sporty]

That pitting wont be a problem. Do you have a grinder? You could clean it up some.

 

[HWYCRZR]

Cast grey will most closely match original look. Original was un-painted cast.

 

[RGORHAM29]

so...forgot to ask this the other week.

The disk brake set up / spindles have a stamp on them. reads " 0761 "....at least that is what i see. is this a date stamp? Rotors are 11.75".

may be nothing but saw this and wondered for future reference.

 

[RGORHAM29]

bright side of staying home these days - time to finish up projects on hold.
calipers stripped, evapo-rusted and painted.

 

[RGORHAM29]

UCAs cleaned and primed. Great way to spend a rainy AM. I really like the evaporust ...along with easy use of the wire brush - does a great job!

before and afters

 

[polarus]

Nice use of the snow blower it's a great feeling to get rid of the grunge and restore all the bits and pieces.

 

[RGORHAM29]

minor update.

Finally. After trying for a couple of weekends of trying to push the spindles and bushings out of the LCA's without a press ... I gave in.
Lessons learned....
1. near impossible without a press
2. sometimes it is worth paying $75 to have shop do it for you. Saves time and aggravation.
3. may need to look at a few shops. Not all shops know how to...or....what the LCA was. Best chance with garage that has some older vehicles and mechanics over the age of 50.

I found one. (Plains Auto in Milford). He has a 66 Buick LeSabre covert, 70 impala, 63 chevy pick up and a 72 Olds Convertible (daily driver condition) for sale....among other vehicles. when i showed the owner the LCA's and told him what i was doing - he said - "good ole chrysler" with a smile. Yep - he passed the test.

LCA's cleaned, bushings/sleeves removed and now soaking in a bath of Evaporust.

 

[RGORHAM29]

Update.

Took the car out of the garage this weekend. Primed the cylinders with some mystery oil, cleaned the plugs, gas in the carb, fresh charge on the battery - starts first try. Did forget to change the antifreeze....will do that too. Great start to the spring weather.

LCA's sat for a week without much progress. Changed the bath water with fresh Evaporust this weekend. Then BAM - night and day. Does have some pitting but no biggie. pretty solid. will finish cleaning it up tomorrow. Next - ordering bushings. Forgot to get them earlier. then paint...maybe clear.

I am beginning to wonder - should i invest in a Harbor Freight 15 gal compressor and blasting cabinet? All in all i think i have only used 4 gals of Evaporust on the front end components.

Before and afters.

 

[Davea Lux]

The Harbor Freight air compressors are a POS. Those LCAs do not need to be blasted.

Dave

 

[RGORHAM29]

Hi all. Not much since last report. LCAs will be pressed this week. Now starting to clean up steering linkage, tie rods and struts. Will paint and prep this week. Components below. Anything I should be watchful of?

last but definitely not least. I had the opportunity to meet @SportFury today. Great guy - father and son duo. Picked up some needed parts for later in the year.. Straight shooting people. Enjoyed the stories, cars and the trip. And I got a good cup of motivation after he showed me his sport fury motor.

 

[SportFury70]

Hi Ron,

Just found your build thread, and just saw this page so I gotta start at the beginning. Thank you for mentioning me, but just fyi you forgot the 70 after the end of my name. Add me to the now following list, looking forward to seeing more!

 

[RGORHAM29]

Had some free time this afternoon.

The old sway bar cleaned and primed for paint. Hanging from the lilacs to dry.

Will need to look into new sway bar links and bushings. One of the links was bent slight at the threads. I want no chances. Will look into PST for the sway bar links and MOOG bushings. I keep reading that MOOG holds up better to the new poly bushings. Sway bar links $50 a pop at PST! Eeesh - but hoping it will be stronger than the original link.

As for the tie rods, struts arms and idler arm - should i clean those up or simply replace? (pic above from the other day).

My gut says better to swap out with new to get a better ride and no worries. Can you mix old and new? (refurbished UCA, LCA with new tie rods, struts, idler arm, etc? Open to hear what others have done.

Soon enough - this will all be ready to mount on the replacement stub frame.

Happy Memorial Day.
Ron

 

[LocuMob]

I've kept the old pitman arm in while replacing the tie rods and idler arm, it was my only option. Two cars with no issues, but I'd like to replace the pitman arm in both cars someday soon. Over 2,000 miles on both cars since parts were replaced.

 

[RGORHAM29]

Quick little update.

Disk Brake components, Front end parts and pieces have been cleaned up, new replacement parts have been delivered (Idler arm, tie rod sleeves and ends, lower ball joints, sway bar bushings, links, strut bushings - thanks craig @mobileparts).

I have started to assemble the tie rods, and bushings to the sway bars, and cleaning up the original strut rods and torsion bars (will clean and paint black). Will start to lay components out on a table too. Will move car outside to replace stubframe while we have some work done in the house in my garage/basement. Frame will be ready soon enough. Will look through various postings for tips and trick for “driveway replacement” of stub frame.

So close I can taste it. LOL.

 

[Davea Lux]

Quick little update.

Disk Brake components, Front end parts and pieces have been cleaned up, new replacement parts have been delivered (Idler arm, tie rod sleeves and ends, lower ball joints, sway bar bushings, links, strut bushings - thanks craig @mobileparts).

I have started to assemble the tie rods, and bushings to the sway bars, and cleaning up the original strut rods and torsion bars (will clean and paint black). Will start to lay components out on a table too. Will move car outside to replace stubframe while we have some work done in the house in my garage/basement. Frame will be ready soon enough. Will look through various postings for tips and trick for “driveway replacement” of stub frame.

So close I can taste it. LOL.

You can take the new stub once it is assembled and attach the front wheels, put a floor jack under the rear cross member and roll the whole thing in place. This can also be done with the engine and transmission installed onto the stub. When you remove the old stub, if there are any shims installed at the attachment points, be sure to save them as they may be needed when the replacement stub is installed.

Dave

 

[RGORHAM29]

Thanks Dave. I realize too that I will need to get some 15” wheels, even if temp, as I now have disk brakes on the fronts.

As I mentally walk through the steps....
1. Place jar on jacks (or make shift dolly). When placing the car on jacks/blocks while removing the old stub, do I set the car on the unirails or rockers? High enough to roll out the old?
2. Remove carpet to access bolts? Probably best in case I need the hot wrench to loosen any frozen bolts or so that I can see if I need to patch any metal at the connection points - although it seems ok from underside.
3. Disconnect hoses, accessories, motor, tranny. I did hear you can actually remove the frame without removing the fenders. But I assume I will need to lift the care pretty high.
4. Roll out the old, slide in the new. Reuse the 318 mounts. Ok - sounds simple but I am sure there will be much cursing involved at the time.
5. Although the motor runs and sounds good - It still leaks oils out of every gasket. At this time I will freshen up the engine while it is out - new gaskets, check the valves, lifters, rods, paint. The kid in me is also conserving a resto on the motor. Maybe put a more aggressive cam , header and 4 barrel to get some more HP....but I digress.

so far so good? Thanks again for the advice.

 

[Davea Lux]

1.) I would set in on the rails
2.) Carpet will need to be rolled back from the edges to access the bolts. Use a hot wrench on as a last resort, load up the threaded end of the bolt with a good penetrating oil, usually that will suffice to get them out.
3.) You will save yourself a lot of grief by removing the front clip as a unit. Makes access to everything a lot easier.
4.) As long as the 318 mounts are in good shape you can reuse them. If they are rotted or oil soaked discard them and replace with new units.
5.) If the engine is a leaker, at least a pan, timing cover and valve cover gaskets should be replaced. Plastigauge the rods and mains and check for exposed copper on the bearings. With the engine out this would be a good time to pull the heads and replace the valve seals, stem to guide clearance and the condition of the valve seats should also be checked. Timing gears should be replaced at this time also.

Dave

 

[RGORHAM29]

1.) I would set in on the rails
2.) Carpet will need to be rolled back from the edges to access the bolts. Use a hot wrench on as a last resort, load up the threaded end of the bolt with a good penetrating oil, usually that will suffice to get them out.
3.) You will save yourself a lot of grief by removing the front clip as a unit. Makes access to everything a lot easier.
4.) As long as the 318 mounts are in good shape you can reuse them. If they are rotted or oil soaked discard them and replace with new units.
5.) If the engine is a leaker, at least a pan, timing cover and valve cover gaskets should be replaced. Plastigauge the rods and mains and check for exposed copper on the bearings. With the engine out this would be a good time to pull the heads and replace the valve seals, stem to guide clearance and the condition of the valve seats should also be checked. Timing gears should be replaced at this time also.

Dave

Thanks Dave for the tips.

when you say removing the front clip as a unit - you are talking about with the fenders, radiator mounts, etc correct?

I have a good feeling that the mounts are very much oiled.....so I will purchase new to play it safe. The car has 86k original miles. I agree on all the points of rods, valves, heads, timing, gaskets, etc. I got this from the Original owners - I would not be surprised to see some copper in the bearings. More I think about it - I will mentally prep to have the engine sent out to be cleaned, honed, surfaced, etc. best to do this only once when it is all free and accessible.

 

[Davea Lux]

Yes, pull the hood and take the rest off as a unit. Saves a lot of work.

Dave