When installing the center dash duct be sure the contact cement has thoroughly dried. To help position the duct on the air discharge bezel, use a long thin screwdriver plain blade inserted through the front to help the clips engage.
Introducing a 1970 300 TNT convertible
- Thread starter ayilar
- Start date
fury fan
Senior Member
@ayilar @david hill
If we can align schedules, I'd love to see this car and meet the 2 of you when the car is ready to go back home.
Pls clean your inbox. PM can’t be sent
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fury fan
Senior Member
Just deleted a few...
The TNT has received a lot of TLC from @david hill -- including, but not limited to, a new correct rim blow wheel has been installed (super thanks to a member who agreed to sell me a very nice used one he had, with un-cracked rim; Edit: and kudos to David for making sure that the horn works, by replacing a relay — the previous owner had disconnected switches apparently, possibly to avoid draining the battery), engine-bay splash shields (repops from DMT), repair of the console base (repop from Van's), reinstallation of the dash (with the refurbished original dimmer switch, courtesy of @Devinism ), and fixing various interior lights. Here are some night pics of the inside.
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I like the leds used to illuminate the cluster area - that area being way too dim with the factory lights is a big turn off to driving the 69/70 models at night. At least the 71 models were much better with the standard setup to begin with. Once again David makes big improvements. Nicely done work.
fury fan
Senior Member
Don't want to hijack, but wanted to add:
For the C-bodies that use 'floodlight' dash lighting, some LEDs + ingenuity toward mounting them go a long way.
With the variety of LED styles available, inexpensive PWM dimmers, and RGB LEDs with full adjustment of the outlet color (can even adjust from your smartphone app), there are lots of possibilities for upgrading dashboard lighting. Based on the datestamp, I put these in back in 2003 and are really due for an update. A little too bright and a lot too greeeeeen.
For the C-bodies that use 'floodlight' dash lighting, some LEDs + ingenuity toward mounting them go a long way.
With the variety of LED styles available, inexpensive PWM dimmers, and RGB LEDs with full adjustment of the outlet color (can even adjust from your smartphone app), there are lots of possibilities for upgrading dashboard lighting. Based on the datestamp, I put these in back in 2003 and are really due for an update. A little too bright and a lot too greeeeeen.
Super Brite Leds was my choice for led bulbs. Send me your bulb model number and I'll find out what's available from them.
fury fan
Senior Member
Don't know the number, but were little bayonet-type bulbs.
But I removed all the 'cans' and used some strip-lighting.
I'll probably find some newer configuration of surface-mount LEDs with adjustable color.
Might CNC some crude prisms to go in the rectangular slots, depends on how nuts I want to get.
But I removed all the 'cans' and used some strip-lighting.
I'll probably find some newer configuration of surface-mount LEDs with adjustable color.
Might CNC some crude prisms to go in the rectangular slots, depends on how nuts I want to get.
Part of refurbishing the interior lights was disassemble and clean the light housing in the rear console. The light it output was pretty poor. What I found was someone had used fiberglass resin to glue the lens to the bezel. The base was held together w/ fiberglass matt and lots of resin. First order of business was to separate the light reflector and lens from the bezel. Next was to grind off the resin off the lens and polish it back to a clear useable lens. Found the missing lens tab and epoxied it back on. Cleaning and painting the reflector was last. See photos below.
@david hill has managed to bring the TNT's EB7 blue paint back to an impressive shine, and her vinyls (interior and top) are now white again!
Here is a photo that he took of the car a few days ago:
@Ripinator and I plan to drive the TNT, together with Buttercup (my 1972 NYB), to the 6th Annual C-Body Show organized by @sixpkrt in Volo, IL on June 25.
Here is a photo that he took of the car a few days ago:
@Ripinator and I plan to drive the TNT, together with Buttercup (my 1972 NYB), to the 6th Annual C-Body Show organized by @sixpkrt in Volo, IL on June 25.
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It's now a rolling piece of art - the styling on those in my view is unmatched and now it even runs very well. It is always a strong plus when you know that the car has been gone through in detail by an expert to ensure it will be reliable. Congratulations!
330dTA
Senior Member
Beautiful color combo on a beautiful car. Congrats!
Samplingman
Old Man with a Hat
I can only dream that one day my project will look just as good! Great job @david hill!
Looks beautiful !
Thank you. Here is another shot, taken this evening on the way to dinner in Indiana.
If you have good eyes, you can see that @Ripinator is at the helm. He joined me at Volo, where I drove the TNT this morning. The two of us are now driving the TNT to the East Coast in anticipation of Carlisle. We shall be meeting up with @fury fan for coffee this Sunday morning, before heading toward Ohio and Pennsylvania.
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
Sharp looking car, M.
Amazing car! Congrats on finding this one!
Well, folks, this weekend was the big test for the TNT: together with @Ripinator, I drove her just a bit more than 1,000 miles in just 2 days. Saturday morning I went to pick up Rip on the way to @sixpkrt 's 6th Midwest C-Body Show in Volo IL, and Saturday afternoon I drove with him to Indianapolis where we met @fury fan on Sunday morning. Then, the rest of Sunday, we drove the car from Indy to the East Coast (I plan to bring the car to Carlisle in 3 weeks).
I can't thank @david hill enough for the work he did last fall and this spring to bring her to this condition. The car ran, rode, and braked flawlessly.
--> Given the power and how we drove, I am quite pleased with the 440 HP's gas mileage. David tuned the engine and carb perfectly. We averaged close to the legal speed limit (70mph) and got about 13mpg overall. We got between 11.1 mpg (by far the worst mileage of the trip, at the end of the leg when one of us drove her the fastest) to 14 mpg (during the leg with a downpour), with the other tanks all between 12.8-13.4 mpg. I am confident that the mileage would have been 15mpg, had we driven the car at 65mph throughout.
--> She used less than a quart of oil over the course of the trip (in reality, that's since David's oil change last fall, so that means less than a quart of oil in 1.4k miles).
We went through quite a bit of rain on Saturday, but it was nothing compared to the deluge between Janesville, OH and Wheeling, WV. Kinda like a full-blown car wash lasting 15-20 minutes. Scores of drivers decided to park their cars on the side of I-70, but not @Ripinator who was at the helm between Columbus, OH and Morgantown, WV!
--> Getting a classic car, let alone a ragtop, through this amount of water is never my plan, but the weather forecasts were just not accurate this weekend (sixpkrt ran into the same issue). In any event, there is an upside: it proved without a shred of doubt that the car is water-tight: I only got a few droplets of water on my foot in the passenger footwell (8-10 in total — I was paying attentio) toward the end of the deluge. I checked after the rain ended: the rest of the car, including the trunk, was bone dry. Now that I know it can go through this kind of downpour, I will be comfortable taking this 'vert anywhere.
Here she is, parked briefly last night at a friend's place in MD (just a few miles from where she lived for 51 years until I bought her last year from the first owner). The picture is a bit grainy (quick phone shot at night), but doesn't this 300 looks great? She is ready for a trip to Carlisle and her next adventures.
I can't thank @david hill enough for the work he did last fall and this spring to bring her to this condition. The car ran, rode, and braked flawlessly.
--> Given the power and how we drove, I am quite pleased with the 440 HP's gas mileage. David tuned the engine and carb perfectly. We averaged close to the legal speed limit (70mph) and got about 13mpg overall. We got between 11.1 mpg (by far the worst mileage of the trip, at the end of the leg when one of us drove her the fastest) to 14 mpg (during the leg with a downpour), with the other tanks all between 12.8-13.4 mpg. I am confident that the mileage would have been 15mpg, had we driven the car at 65mph throughout.
--> She used less than a quart of oil over the course of the trip (in reality, that's since David's oil change last fall, so that means less than a quart of oil in 1.4k miles).
We went through quite a bit of rain on Saturday, but it was nothing compared to the deluge between Janesville, OH and Wheeling, WV. Kinda like a full-blown car wash lasting 15-20 minutes. Scores of drivers decided to park their cars on the side of I-70, but not @Ripinator who was at the helm between Columbus, OH and Morgantown, WV!
--> Getting a classic car, let alone a ragtop, through this amount of water is never my plan, but the weather forecasts were just not accurate this weekend (sixpkrt ran into the same issue). In any event, there is an upside: it proved without a shred of doubt that the car is water-tight: I only got a few droplets of water on my foot in the passenger footwell (8-10 in total — I was paying attentio) toward the end of the deluge. I checked after the rain ended: the rest of the car, including the trunk, was bone dry. Now that I know it can go through this kind of downpour, I will be comfortable taking this 'vert anywhere.
Here she is, parked briefly last night at a friend's place in MD (just a few miles from where she lived for 51 years until I bought her last year from the first owner). The picture is a bit grainy (quick phone shot at night), but doesn't this 300 looks great? She is ready for a trip to Carlisle and her next adventures.
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Thanks for the update on your trip. It's good to hear that you completed it with no mechanical woes and trouble-free operation. That was my goal when I took on resurrecting this car from it garage hibernation. I look forward to seeing you again at Carlisle in a few weeks.
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