carfreak6970
Member
Yea something there looks screwy... a pulley may also be bent, so keep that in mind. but keep us appraised with what you find
Meet Snow White, my 1970 N-code Dodge Polara Convertible
- Thread starter ayilar
- Start date
Yea something there looks screwy... a pulley may also be bent, so keep that in mind. but keep us appraised with what you find
This. If I look at the Snow White video that Wyatt uploaded, it does not seem to be an optical illusion: one of the pulleys is wobbling, whereas the other is not.
71Polara383
Kid with ballcap
The power steering pump needs help.
Snow White has incorrect center caps on her road wheels. That issue has been solved as I won an eBay auction ending yesterday. They are not perfect, but then Snow White is meant to be driven and I think I got a fair deal. Here are some pics:
Very nice score!
Just a caution--I almost lost the center "spline" out of this cap because the tiny bolts were loose (one missing, the other loose). Check them, use Loctite, etc.
Just a caution--I almost lost the center "spline" out of this cap because the tiny bolts were loose (one missing, the other loose). Check them, use Loctite, etc.
Thank you for the sentiment and for the warning. The reason why I posted the pic is because I had noticed that several of the tiny bolts would need to be reinforced. What did you do to yours, exactly?
Yes, it looks like you're missing one screw that I can see...or is the head wrung (twisted) off?
I took all four caps apart, cleaned the internal threads in the "spline" portion of dirt and corrosion, used quality stainless steel screws (hardware store) with thin washers, and assembled using Loctite. Loctite is the key step, as you don't need to rely on excessive torque (to keep the screws tight) and risk stripping the threads. Snug is good enough with Loctite.
I didn't much worry about the bolts that hold the cap to the wheel. Cleaned the threads, no Loctite, hand tight.
When I say "hardware store", I mean "my hardware store".
When I got the car and first started driving it a few years ago, I heard this jingle/rattle noise. I figured it was a typical Old Car rattle, but by sheer luck I thought to check those caps, not even realizing they were of two-piece construction. That spline was VERY loose and ready to jettison itself into the weeds, and I shuddered to think how hard it would be to find a replacement.
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polara71
Old Man with a Hat
Were these the ones on Facebook? I thought about those for a second and thought better ..
Nice centers. That car wasn't an original roadwheel car?
That is what happened to a friend, so I will ask @71Polara383 to check/fix the caps as per your suggestion when they get to his shop. Thanks again!
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
I posted a photo of what bolts fit. An off the shelf product at the Lowes, used lock washers and Loctite.
I forget what thread that was in.I've had three NOS sets, one I used. I NEVER wanted to hear that puppy come loose.
Thank you. I actually bought two sets this weekend -- the FB set to which I think you're referring for Buttercup (my GY4 1972 NYB) and this set on eBay. Both cars came with road wheels when I bought them, but the center caps were of the later (incorrect) model in both cases.
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polara71
Old Man with a Hat
So likely not Roadwheel cars. Another curiosity, they weren't expensive, why not order them when the car was new...?... remarkable, we all want them now.
polara71
Old Man with a Hat
I posted a photo of what bolts fit. An off the shelf product at the Lowes, used lock washers and Loctite.
I've had three NOS sets, one I used. I NEVER wanted to hear that puppy come loose.
I know I know, I can not find American made hardware ...these are what I used on my centers on Adleen and Missouri.
Fratzog
Old Man with a Hat
Nice score on the centers. Considering they had them for a few years, a decent set is surprisingly hard to find.
@71Polara383 recommended that I order new springs for Snow White. She has the A35 trailer-towing package, so I went for the correct 7-leaf springs from ESPO. They are $340/pair, front eye bolts $8/pair, bushings $21/set, U-bolts $20/set of 4, and shipping to Wyatt's shop is $139.34. They are made in Mexico to US specs.
The total is $528.34. That is 5% up, compared to the price when I ordered springs for Snow's sister Regina 6 months ago ($502.27 -- "$375 for the 6-leaf springs, front eye bolts, rear shackle bushings and U-bolts plus $127.27 for shipping"). Almost half of the price difference is from the shipping, and it's supposed to take approximately 6 weeks to ship instead of 3 weeks in May.
PS: Back when I ordered 6-leaf springs for Regina, I went for USPO over Eaton. Either company would have been fine, here's why I went with ESPO in the end. @carfreak6970 may find the links useful.
The total is $528.34. That is 5% up, compared to the price when I ordered springs for Snow's sister Regina 6 months ago ($502.27 -- "$375 for the 6-leaf springs, front eye bolts, rear shackle bushings and U-bolts plus $127.27 for shipping"). Almost half of the price difference is from the shipping, and it's supposed to take approximately 6 weeks to ship instead of 3 weeks in May.
PS: Back when I ordered 6-leaf springs for Regina, I went for USPO over Eaton. Either company would have been fine, here's why I went with ESPO in the end. @carfreak6970 may find the links useful.
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Regina FQ3, my L-code Polara 'vert, has been getting all the attention posts-wise, so it is time to talk a bit about Snow White.
--> ESPO delivered the Springs ten days or so ago. Now they need installed, which will happen when temps go up.
--> Thanks to @70 Sport Suburban, I have been able to acquire the hard-to-find R35 AM/FM radio that I needed to replace the aftermarket unit currently on Snow. I will now send the radio to S&M Electro-tech for refurbishing and will take the opportunity to replace the three front speakers as well (Snow, like her sister Regina, does not have the R31 rear speaker). Here is a photo that he sent me of the radio that will go into Snow:
--> ESPO delivered the Springs ten days or so ago. Now they need installed, which will happen when temps go up.
--> Thanks to @70 Sport Suburban, I have been able to acquire the hard-to-find R35 AM/FM radio that I needed to replace the aftermarket unit currently on Snow. I will now send the radio to S&M Electro-tech for refurbishing and will take the opportunity to replace the three front speakers as well (Snow, like her sister Regina, does not have the R31 rear speaker). Here is a photo that he sent me of the radio that will go into Snow:
We are at the stage when the PS belt needs to be replaced. Looking at Rock Auto and the usual online vendors (OR, SR, etc.), for once I can't figure out which one to get. Snow has an N-code engine, manual A/C, and a Saginaw pump. What belt would you recommend?
@CBODY67, @cbarge and some others have commented on Saginaw pumps in the past, but nothing dealing with this specific question AFAICT. I did find a post claiming that, at least for a 1968 (Snow is a 1970), the belt is the same for the Federal and Saginaw pumps despite the different pulleys, so I was thinking of getting a Gates 7425.
Thoughts? Recommendations for the PS fluid would be welcome as well.
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Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
Not sure about the belts, but I would use normal PS fluid in the pump.
It has been a while since I posted about Snow White. Her restoration had been on the back burner as other cars got more attention, but she is almost ready. Time, then, to post an update:
1. First is something that's been bugging me, the positive battery cable. Snow had an incorrect cable on, and I ordered a new one from Evans (see this thread) that @71Polara383 installed this weekend. Here are the before/after photos:
2. Two weekends ago, @71Polara383 installed the new springs (7-leaf, as correct for the A35 towing package) that I'd ordered from ESPO Springs 'n Things back in November 2021 (yep, it's been a while -- I stuffed my C-body Resto pipeline too deeply, but we are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel ).
One of the shackles broke during the replacement, as often happens, but Wyatt had one from a parts car and that solved the problem. Those shackles are not available new (NOS or repop) to the best of my knowledge), so my advice is to not start on this repair unless you have access to a friend with parts on his shelf. Here is a pic that Wyatt took:
Here's how the car looks like now, underneath and stance-wise (photos courtesy @71Polara383):
3. In the picture above, taken this weekend by Wyatt, the later-style caps are still on. As you may remember, I'd been the lucky winner of a set of correct 1969-1973 center caps on eBay (that, too, was a while back: July 2001 in this case...):
The later-style caps will be replaced by Wyatt before Snow goes to Indy next month, where she will get her convertible top replaced by the shop that did such a great job on Buttercup's vinyl top.
--> Should anyone need four later-style road wheel center caps, feel free to contact me via PM to ask for photos and make me an offer.
4. More importantly, Snow will get an alignment before she goes to @david hill (who has kindly agreed to shepherd the top replacement process). Here is a photo of the front end seen from under the car, with some of the new steering and suspension components bits whose installation that I have documented before:
1. First is something that's been bugging me, the positive battery cable. Snow had an incorrect cable on, and I ordered a new one from Evans (see this thread) that @71Polara383 installed this weekend. Here are the before/after photos:
2. Two weekends ago, @71Polara383 installed the new springs (7-leaf, as correct for the A35 towing package) that I'd ordered from ESPO Springs 'n Things back in November 2021 (yep, it's been a while -- I stuffed my C-body Resto pipeline too deeply
, but we are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel ).One of the shackles broke during the replacement, as often happens, but Wyatt had one from a parts car and that solved the problem. Those shackles are not available new (NOS or repop) to the best of my knowledge), so my advice is to not start on this repair unless you have access to a friend with parts on his shelf. Here is a pic that Wyatt took:
Here's how the car looks like now, underneath and stance-wise (photos courtesy @71Polara383):
3. In the picture above, taken this weekend by Wyatt, the later-style caps are still on. As you may remember, I'd been the lucky winner of a set of correct 1969-1973 center caps on eBay (that, too, was a while back: July 2001 in this case...):
The later-style caps will be replaced by Wyatt before Snow goes to Indy next month, where she will get her convertible top replaced by the shop that did such a great job on Buttercup's vinyl top.
--> Should anyone need four later-style road wheel center caps, feel free to contact me via PM to ask for photos and make me an offer.
4. More importantly, Snow will get an alignment before she goes to @david hill (who has kindly agreed to shepherd the top replacement process). Here is a photo of the front end seen from under the car, with some of the new steering and suspension components bits whose installation that I have documented before:
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