Samplingman
Old Man with a Hat
What a great looking car! @ayilar will
we see this one at Carlisle?
we see this one at Carlisle?
Meet Regina FQ3, a 1970 Polara convertible who turns 51 today
- Thread starter ayilar
- Start date
71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
Hoping to have 2 Fq3 70 polaras on the fairgrounds next year. If I can escape for the week
The plan is indeed to bring Regina east after @71Polara383 finishes a few more things: U-joints will be replaced, axle bearings will be repacked, differential fluid will be drained/replaced, and rear tail lenses will be replaced with NOS items (P/N 3420720 and 3420721) so that the car is fully refreshed.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Nothing, but nothing warms the cockles of my heart more than perfectly hung exhaust system.
Rods welded to the pipe are blasphemy.
Rods welded to the pipe are blasphemy.
I was very lucky that @marty mopar had several of the correct parts for sale back in 2021 (when I needed one for Medina, my 1971 Monaco) and another in 2022 -- I bought all four that he had (P/N 2823929 and 3466646), thinking that I might need them not just for Medina but also for later cars.
Here's a photo after @71Polara383 reception them from Arizona Parts back in Feb. 2021:
Guess what? Regina used the fourth one, bought in 2022, this month!
PS: More photos for @commando1 here of the exhaust work that was done on Medina.
I did post in the past that Accurate Exhaust Systems reproduces these hangers in case Marty runs out of them as NOS. Their prices for each one are not inexpensive and nos ones from Marty might be less expensive...........................
C Body Hangers, muffler and tail pipe
Thank you for the information. I was not aware of that post, this is excellent news as I don't think I have any spare left.
73Coupe
Senior Member
Good to hear, last time I checked they were out of stock, but looks like they have them now.
I have OEM hangers but I need the bottom wire clamp, figured that I could make one....
For my original hangers, At one point I had a tire cut up and had found some of the big rivets on a corvette site. My plan was to rebuild mine. But I acid etched the steel and then soaked the rubber in ammonia which seems to reinvigorate it. Still hanging strong, so haven’t rebuilt them. So if anyone finds the big rivets used let me know
I plan to bring Regina home from the shop after the winter, and it'd be good to have her "done" so that I can enjoy her for a while. Yes, I know, nothing is ever "done" on an old car but...
--> @71Polara383 will change the engine mounts. They are intact but dry rotted. I had planned on doing that when I bought the car more than 3 years ago, but other things needed fixing first and the car has been driven less than 1k miles since then. Now that she is almost done (minus the OEM radio) and she’ll be driving long distance, I have bought a set of MityMounts from DynaTech Engineering for that job.
--> We will replace the U-joints. On this car, the measurements are for 7260 so I am buying Moog 246 greasable (two for F/R).
--> On a minor note, the wipers need new inserts, so those will be replaced too.
--> Wyatt also recommends a tune-up for Regina as she'll be away from him for a while. To that effect, I have ordered from Summit an Accel 8320 cap and rotor kit plus eight spark plugs (I was thinking of getting the Champion Copper Plus J12YC -- rather than the RJ12YC that I have on Medina, my 1971 Monaco and on Ming, my 1973 NYB -- because they are more appropriate for a 2-barrel engine like Regina's, as per this thread; but, I decided to try NGK Iridium IX 7189 on @CBODY67 comments re" forever plugs" in that same thread). I have also bought an air filter (WIX 42044) from RA as Summit does not carry WIX anymore apparently. Finally, I have ordered reproduction plug wires from Lectric Limited (correctly dated-coded Q3-1969).
--> @71Polara383 will change the engine mounts. They are intact but dry rotted. I had planned on doing that when I bought the car more than 3 years ago, but other things needed fixing first and the car has been driven less than 1k miles since then. Now that she is almost done (minus the OEM radio) and she’ll be driving long distance, I have bought a set of MityMounts from DynaTech Engineering for that job.
--> We will replace the U-joints. On this car, the measurements are for 7260 so I am buying Moog 246 greasable (two for F/R).
--> On a minor note, the wipers need new inserts, so those will be replaced too.
--> Wyatt also recommends a tune-up for Regina as she'll be away from him for a while. To that effect, I have ordered from Summit an Accel 8320 cap and rotor kit plus eight spark plugs (I was thinking of getting the Champion Copper Plus J12YC -- rather than the RJ12YC that I have on Medina, my 1971 Monaco and on Ming, my 1973 NYB -- because they are more appropriate for a 2-barrel engine like Regina's, as per this thread; but, I decided to try NGK Iridium IX 7189 on @CBODY67 comments re" forever plugs" in that same thread). I have also bought an air filter (WIX 42044) from RA as Summit does not carry WIX anymore apparently. Finally, I have ordered reproduction plug wires from Lectric Limited (correctly dated-coded Q3-1969).
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When checking the idle, @71Polara383 noticed it was running a bit high (above 900 rpms). When making adjustments to get it around 700 rpms, the patterns he noticed with his timing light suggested that it would be a good idea to replace the timing chain.
I ordered from Rock Auto the same Cloyes C3044 (Edit: aka C-3044) that Wyatt installed on Medina, my 1971 Monaco, and that @david hill installed on the 1970 Chrysler 300 TNT that is now owned by @Ripinator. The chain has performed very well so far on both cars.
I ordered from Rock Auto the same Cloyes C3044 (Edit: aka C-3044) that Wyatt installed on Medina, my 1971 Monaco, and that @david hill installed on the 1970 Chrysler 300 TNT that is now owned by @Ripinator. The chain has performed very well so far on both cars.
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For the rear axle bearings, I ordered a Timken Set7 and matching components from DoctorDiff: details here. @71Polara383 will get the axles out and get the packing done at a local shop. For the differential carrier gasket, I ordered a Fel-Pro RDS6583 from Rock Auto.
Regina now has nice road wheels, but her lugs are held by an assortment of mismatched nuts. Based on the assessment of @saforwardlook here (see also this thread here), I have ordered a set of 10 new reproduction L/H threaded lug nuts and a set of 10 R/H lug nuts from PG Classic. FYI: 1.25" length, 1/2-20 thread and 3/4 Hex. The price of the L/H nuts is almost twice that of the R/H ones...
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Since we are reaching the stage (fingers crossed) of cleaning up the cosmetics, Regina's air cleaner needed attending to. That is because she currently sports one that is correct but whose finish does not look great, and that has had holes punched into its side (why, who knows?).
Here's the old one. You can see three of the holes here, there are more on the other side:
Here's the new one.
This replacement was sourced locally, and comes from a 1970 Polara. The previous owner had it very nicely refinished at the same shop that redid a hard-to-find dual-snorkel air cleaner for Medina, my 1971 Monaco.
Here's the old one. You can see three of the holes here, there are more on the other side:
Here's the new one.
This replacement was sourced locally, and comes from a 1970 Polara. The previous owner had it very nicely refinished at the same shop that redid a hard-to-find dual-snorkel air cleaner for Medina, my 1971 Monaco.
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71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
With the finish line in sight, I decided it was time to go over some of the mechanical stuff on Regina before we ship her east for @ayilar to enjoy this spring.
First I had to dig her out of the tight parking space I put her in for the winter. Had I known she would be coming out sooner than expected, I wouldn't have tucked her away. Luckily @sixpkrt stopped out and was a second set of eyes to play "musical cars" with me to get everyone parked away for the time being.
First up I changed the plugs and wires, as well as the cap and rotor...nothing too exciting.
After doing the tune up, I fired her up and threw my fancy timing light on. The idle speed was a little excessive without the choke fast idle it sat at about 1050 RPM. I turned the idle screw down to get it to idle between 750-800 and the timing was still way off. I loosened the dizzy and set it at 14 degrees and rechecked. Idle was good, but I observed the timing mark bouncing around quite a bit. With 101k on the clock. I decided it would be best to replace the timing chain before I release her from my custody.
Going forward. I replaced the U joints and unfortunately had a mishap with one cap while setting the clip. It busted part of the cap right off. Luckily advance had another one on hand and I zipped across town to get a replacement. This time I was more cautious when squeezing the joint together to get the last clip in. I re installed the driveshaft and ran her on the lift up to cruising speed to make sure we don't have any surprises on the road.
After this it was time to install our last set of Mity Mounts. I dread this job, especially considering the lift was occupied and I had to do it the old fashioned way. After a long battle with the fine thread bolts...the mounts were removed and replaced. ARGH. What a P.I.T.A.
I spoke with the machine shop that handled Mings engine and we will be having them press off the old axle bearings and press on the new ones when they arrive.
I've been trying to go over this car before she leaves so @ayilar can have a trouble free cruising season with her in 24. She's always been a great car, but with her going to the other side of the country...I want to cross the Ts and dot the lower case j's before she goes.
Stay tuned for more on Regina!
First I had to dig her out of the tight parking space I put her in for the winter. Had I known she would be coming out sooner than expected, I wouldn't have tucked her away. Luckily @sixpkrt stopped out and was a second set of eyes to play "musical cars" with me to get everyone parked away for the time being.
First up I changed the plugs and wires, as well as the cap and rotor...nothing too exciting.
After doing the tune up, I fired her up and threw my fancy timing light on. The idle speed was a little excessive without the choke fast idle it sat at about 1050 RPM. I turned the idle screw down to get it to idle between 750-800 and the timing was still way off. I loosened the dizzy and set it at 14 degrees and rechecked. Idle was good, but I observed the timing mark bouncing around quite a bit. With 101k on the clock. I decided it would be best to replace the timing chain before I release her from my custody.
Going forward. I replaced the U joints and unfortunately had a mishap with one cap while setting the clip. It busted part of the cap right off. Luckily advance had another one on hand and I zipped across town to get a replacement. This time I was more cautious when squeezing the joint together to get the last clip in. I re installed the driveshaft and ran her on the lift up to cruising speed to make sure we don't have any surprises on the road.
After this it was time to install our last set of Mity Mounts. I dread this job, especially considering the lift was occupied and I had to do it the old fashioned way. After a long battle with the fine thread bolts...the mounts were removed and replaced. ARGH. What a P.I.T.A.
I spoke with the machine shop that handled Mings engine and we will be having them press off the old axle bearings and press on the new ones when they arrive.
I've been trying to go over this car before she leaves so @ayilar can have a trouble free cruising season with her in 24. She's always been a great car, but with her going to the other side of the country...I want to cross the Ts and dot the lower case j's before she goes.
Stay tuned for more on Regina!
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Thank you @71Polara383 for posting this illustrated update!
PS: For folks who think that old-looking but still "intact" engine mounts are fine, I beg to differ. The mounts on Buttercup, my 1972 NYB, and Regina both looked intact, no cracks. Yet, if one looked under the hood when feeding some gas in neutral, there was way too much movement with both of those cars' old mounts. The latter clearly did not restrain engine movements properly anymore. @fury fan and @david hill noticed that last June on Buttercup, and @71Polara383 showed me the same movements on Regina over videos last week. Both cars are now good to go; I have been happy with the MityMounts which, while expensive, seem to perform well and last (cue Medina, my 1971 Monaco, who's had hers for 4 years)!
PS: For folks who think that old-looking but still "intact" engine mounts are fine, I beg to differ. The mounts on Buttercup, my 1972 NYB, and Regina both looked intact, no cracks. Yet, if one looked under the hood when feeding some gas in neutral, there was way too much movement with both of those cars' old mounts. The latter clearly did not restrain engine movements properly anymore. @fury fan and @david hill noticed that last June on Buttercup, and @71Polara383 showed me the same movements on Regina over videos last week. Both cars are now good to go; I have been happy with the MityMounts which, while expensive, seem to perform well and last (cue Medina, my 1971 Monaco, who's had hers for 4 years)!
71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
It won't jump in neutral or park...however in gear with the slightest little "brake torque" they will flop around like a fish.
Check your mounts folks!!! This could break a fan shroud, crack or break an exhaust manifold, or worse yet make the throttle stick wide open.
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73Coupe
Senior Member
What's up with the above mentioned "Mity mounts" - engineering wise? Better rubber than the chicom equivalents available at nappa? Considering how much of a biotch they are to replace, I'll gladly pay 10x to never replace them again.
73Coupe
Senior Member
Thanks for the reminder! Ah, and I had even commented on that thread too. I'm losing it.
A side note RE: the Anchor mounts I talked about in that thread - they were still holding good when I sold the car in the summer of '22, with approx. 50k miles on them. And haven't heard of a breakage (yet) from the new owner. I can't believe the napa mount only lasted two weeks!
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