73 Monaco wagon

[polara71]

Gate probably hasn't been opened since Reagan was President.

Or farther back..like um, Water - Gate

 

[MonacoBlue]

It just occurred to me the three guides were no doubt from the broken/removed glass. Since there are three guides on the installed glass...uh...maybe it's ok...

 

[MonacoBlue]

Scott, and all our Car-Budz, That little "TIP" switch was on the drivers side tail gate to prevent the glass from being rolled up OR down when the T-gate was AJAR, Jer

Hey Jer...what I am seeing is a metal rod just like a door lock rod, almost at the top of the gate. That is what I would call an actuating rod. It runs from the door/gate lever on the left side of the door/gate. Are you talking about an electrical interlock?

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

Yup. Not sure what rod you're lookin' at. You have a T-gate that swingz both wayz so theirs more iron in there then mine had. My old long roof only swung up 'n down. If you have the carpet pad off(it's held on with about 12 Phillips headz" the gate you should be able to reach between the gate structure and find a double strand of wire "2 wires= power and ground" going to the drivers side of the frame about 6" or so from the top of the frame. That's where that tip switch will be on the outer T-gate frame. 04:45 here, Time to go to Charlotte race-way for the day, Jer

 

[MonacoBlue]

Tonight as the sun was going down I stuck my head inside the tailgate and waved the flashlight around. Didn't have phone to take pics. Only wire harness on driver side was at base of gate. Runs along bottom to pass side, goes up to mechanism/latch, then two wires cross over to motor. There also appears to be wiring going to what looks like some kind of diaphragm or pneumatic actuator? Motor works fine up and down using battery charger as power supply direct to motor, but dash switch doesn't do anything. No evidence of broken wiring. Curiously, there are two black connectors which don't appear to have any thing to hook into. I wondered if the wire harness was just a universal type and those wires were meant to hook into a couple tail lights mounted into the tailgate, on a different model. A lot of times in manufacturing they use a one size fits all wire harness across different models/styles, just to not have to control multiple part numbers for similar vehicles/ economy of scale $$$. Oh well, have to think on this some more.

 

[MonacoBlue]

I found a switch on dash low: "RR Door Lock". So as I sit here thinking: that plunger looking thingie is the solenoid. And that switch should actuate it. So...if I actuate that RR Door Lock, maybe the glass will go up and down and maybe the other dash switch, for the up down of the glass, only works when the Rr Dr Lock is positively engaged...? Is it not just a matter of the tailgate being closed, but also requires door/gate to be locked? Hmm.

 

[MonacoBlue]

Alright I am going to switch topics on this thread. This may not be the best place to post this, but I am looking at a couple key obstacles to getting the car roadworthy. And yes I know there are others these are two biggies:
1) Engine idles pretty good when being fed ethanol free gasoline from a Mason jar to the fuel pump. However when I touch the accelerator pedal it wants to shut off/die. It's a 400 with a two bbl. Strong likelihood the carb needs rebuilt, of course. I bought the rebuild kit. Is that necessarily the next thing I should do for the carb, or is there something else I should check while it is able to run?
2) Fuel does not flow from tank. I know I should remove the tank and have it cleaned... extra special goodness to have to take a tank off a wagon: jack up rear end, remove left rear wheel, remove wheel well, unbolt front leaf spring shackle, loosen two j-bolts, unbolt at fuller neck, wriggle filler neck out carefully, slide tank forward, dump out old fuel, voila! So easy! It haunts my dreams.

 

[traintech55]

Alright I am going to switch topics on this thread. This may not be the best place to post this, but I am looking at a couple key obstacles to getting the car roadworthy. And yes I know there are others these are two biggies:
1) Engine idles pretty good when being fed ethanol free gasoline from a Mason jar to the fuel pump. However when I touch the accelerator pedal it wants to shut off/die. It's a 400 with a two bbl. Strong likelihood the carb needs rebuilt, of course. I bought the rebuild kit. Is that necessarily the next thing I should do for the carb, or is there something else I should check while it is able to run?
2) Fuel does not flow from tank. I know I should remove the tank and have it cleaned... extra special goodness to have to take a tank off a wagon: jack up rear end, remove left rear wheel, remove wheel well, unbolt front leaf spring shackle, loosen two j-bolts, unbolt at fuller neck, wriggle filler neck out carefully, slide tank forward, dump out old fuel, voila! So easy! It haunts my dreams.

Oh yes the joy's of removing a Fusie wagon gas tank, you will probably invent some new swear words by the time it is done. The filter screen in the tank can get plugged real easy on an old car. I would flush the fuel lines out also and if there is a lot of gunk replace the fuel pump and filter before I did the carb. The two barrel Holley is not that hard to rebuild, just take your time and don't have any left over parts.
As for the wiring to the tailgate, Check for output at the back of the switch, if you have power going out it is probably a break in the harness between the body and gate. after all the wires flex at that point, and are 45 years old.

 

[MonacoBlue]

I bought a replacement fuel pump. But I removed and cleaned up the existing pump with throttle body solvent and figured since the car could run with it, it works, so why bother. Do you think I should still replace it? I still have the replacement f.p. Easy enough to install, just be careful about rod actuator position, right? Thanks for encouragement on 2bbl Holley rebuild. I may tackle that next. I tried using 40psi compressed air on fuel line, put a couple gallons fresh gas in tank, it was very dry and since Oregon desert car, not rusty. Yesterday I replaced rubber hose that is at pass door location with new. It had slight blockage but not too bad. I tried fishing a weed eater line from that location into the metal fuel line back to the fuel tank, but it stops eventually.No fuel comes out. Removal of fuel tank seems inevitable. Wish I had an expert to assist with this. I have some concern over filler neck removal. The rest of it I think I could manage. One.Step.At.A.Time.

 

[MonacoBlue]

Oh and you bet I replaced the fuel filter. For sure.

 

[traintech55]

I bought a replacement fuel pump. But I removed and cleaned up the existing pump with throttle body solvent and figured since the car could run with it, it works, so why bother. Do you think I should still replace it? I still have the replacement f.p. Easy enough to install, just be careful about rod actuator position, right? Thanks for encouragement on 2bbl Holley rebuild. I may tackle that next. I tried using 40psi compressed air on fuel line, put a couple gallons fresh gas in tank, it was very dry and since Oregon desert car, not rusty. Yesterday I replaced rubber hose that is at pass door location with new. It had slight blockage but not too bad. I tried fishing a weed eater line from that location into the metal fuel line back to the fuel tank, but it stops eventually.No fuel comes out. Removal of fuel tank seems inevitable. Wish I had an expert to assist with this. I have some concern over filler neck removal. The rest of it I think I could manage. One.Step.At.A.Time.

Although I have never done it on a Chrysler product, G.M.'s are worse for the filter in the tank clogging. What we used to do was blow compressed air into the fuel line, it would blow the clogged filter off the sending unit and then allow gas thru.

 

[BIGBARNEYCARS]

Scott. P.M. me so we can swap cell #s. Ah few thingz I can help you with here. My pecker fingerz won't last if we keep doin' it like this, Jer

 

[MonacoBlue]

Stripping off some dead paint.

 

[MonacoBlue]

"Restoration" seems a bit presumptuous and overly ambitious at this point. I figured this was as good a place as any to post some pics of some work I've begun. My goal right now is just to make it roadworthy. It's not far off from that, but we'll see what happens as things progress.

Today I got the tailgate glass up. Seems like a small thing, but the motor works, that is a relief! $$$ saved. With electrical power on the car, the switch does not cause the motor to work. Continuity, or lack thereof. So it could be the switch, breaker, or wiring. Not sure if there is a relay, that is a possibility also.

 

[MonacoBlue]

Dirty carb now clean. Throttle response much much improved, but idle is way too fast. Fed fuel pump from mason jar, empties it of gasoline in no time flat. How to fix? Adjust screws on bottom of carb in a half a turn or...?

 

[MonacoBlue]

Dirty carb now clean. Throttle response much much improved, but idle is way too fast. Fed fuel pump from mason jar, empties it of gasoline in no time flat. How to fix? Adjust screws on bottom of carb in a half a turn or...?

I just got inspired looking at these photos. Noticed white plastic part was tilted up in clean photo. Tilted it to level ran out and stuck my last half quart of non ethanol gas in the jar and started the engine. It is cool and rainy here today so car needed choke. It ran fast at first but I see when the plastic part (fast idle cam) is kicked to 'level', the engine runs slightly slower. Still wants to shut down when set to level, however, if it's not just that the engine is cold, may need an adjustment or two, or automatic choke replaced. So nice to have throttle response instead of engine dying when I touch the accelerator. I will need to get the tank & fuel line cleaned up so I can actually run/fuel the car normally. That will take time I currently cannot spare. One.Step.At.A.Time.

 

[MonacoBlue]

Oh yes the joy's of removing a Fusie wagon gas tank, you will probably invent some new swear words by the time it is done. The filter screen in the tank can get plugged real easy on an old car. I would flush the fuel lines out also and if there is a lot of gunk replace the fuel pump and filter before I did the carb. The two barrel Holley is not that hard to rebuild, just take your time and don't have any left over parts.
As for the wiring to the tailgate, Check for output at the back of the switch, if you have power going out it is probably a break in the harness between the body and gate. after all the wires flex at that point, and are 45 years old.

Disassembled carb (and got a parts kit) a couple weeks ago and let it soak an afternoon in a clean metal bucket, of carb cleaner. Made a huge difference, got it back together, just need to get it to automatically idle ok. The auto choke may need replaced. There may also be a vacuum line issue as well(?). I noticed there was a line at the back of the carb that was plugged off with a screw, and another large (1/2"?) vacuum line coming from emissions canister that is hanging loose and does not connect to anything but obviously should go somewhere. The plates on this car are from 1986. The fact that it runs at all is a miracle. I just hope it doesn't have any engine main bearing/cam/oil starvation related issues. Main seal leak I would expect, but, well... time will tell.

 

[Beep Beep Dave]

Here's some pics of my car that could help you. Let me know if you need any others. As you can see I went with a reman carb from Rock Auto...runs really good with it.

Dave

 

[thrashingcows]

The carb will need to be adjusted. Just basic setting of the air/fuel screws. Turn all the way in...don't be forceful when they stop. Then back them out 1.5 turns each....that will get you close. The choke in the intake might be bad.....does it have any power/wires running to it, or is it just a simple thermatic spring? Sometimes they over center and just need to be wiggled and pushed back down.

Make sure you put a small cheap fram G2 inline fuel filter before the fuel pump, especially once you get the fuel line cleared up. I always run the clear ones, one before and after the fuel pump, you'd be surprised how much crud actually gets caught in that primary filter. I'd toss more then 40lbs air pressure at the fuel line. Leave the gas cap off, then charge the compressor and hook it up and blast it through. Might take a few cycles....air/no air/air....to get it to free up.

My 68 T/C wagon was from the high desert of Yakima WA, and had a blocked fuel line.....I did as I mentioned above and it has been working great for many years.

 

[glennb49]

Its nice to have a small victory! I don't quite have mine working yet. I got it to move maybe 2 inches but the motor doesn't have enough power. I have everything lubed up. I got a NOS Motor in the box that was sold to me as new but I think it is actually used. It works on the bench but I don't know if it will have enough power either.

Do you have your tailgate opening both ways? So far I have mine only swinging like a door...I haven't figured out why it won't drop down. Before I got it open I don't think it was opened up in 30 years.

Dave

I had to get inside and with the tailgate closed kick it good in the left upper corner several times and it released! Then dropped it down and lubed up good and its been working ever since on my 72!!