commando1
Old Man with a Hat
Too many unbelievable restorations going on in this forum.
I'm bi-polar between inspiration and depression....
I'm bi-polar between inspiration and depression....
MrMopar's 1969 California Highway Patrol restoration
- Thread starter MrMoparCHP
- Start date
rexus31
Senior Member
Very nice Alan. It's coming together!
1972_MoNaco_Hideways
New Member
I love this car, beautiful restoration, done with care and expertise. Any idea of what the date is you would like it to be done?
Amazing work as always, I have to hand it to you drilling holes in a brand new dash pad must have been nerve wracking to say the least. I have to cut a hole in my brand new seat cover and I have measured it ten times. I hope you realize how much of an inspiration this thread is for the rest of us.
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
Although I haven't updated this thread (or my Website) I have been busy. I had been targeting a show in a few weeks at the end of April but that isn't realistic now as my paint guy isn't available to do some touch-ups for a few weeks. That being said I am going to keep up the pace but the next target is a show in June.
Thanks, a mistake there would have been a $1200 one, just the other day I had to cut the hole for the dome light, pen in had i pressed till I had the shape and then cut. I recently also had to drill holes in a very nice original package tray.
Alan
Wollfen
Old Man with a Hat
I was having a look through this thread again and noted the black bracket on the back of CHP's engine, no one could confirm the existence on their own engines. It is interesting to note that my 71 GT engine has this same bracket and it IS black.I was recently talking with another owner of a 69 CHP Polara about this bracket and he said his doesn't have it.
The bracket is on the rear of the left head to hold the battery cable. It was originaly painted with the engine and I have chose not to, I still need to paint the bolt, this was only put on for the picture. Is this a standard bracket on C-Body 440's?
Before...
Alan
Good eye! Nice to have conformation, but was is it for?
Wollfen
Old Man with a Hat
I'm pretty sure it holds the battery cable lead
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
That was never a question, my battery cable still had the clip attached to it. I did do mine black.
Alan
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
For the last few months I have been waiting for my body guy to be available to do some touch-ups. While I wait I have started checking the electrical system, right from plugging the battery in nothing went right.
Hooked the battery up and the brake lights come on, disconnect battery, adjust switch, hookup, test, good.
Turn on headlights, nothing. No headlights, no dash lights, no park lights, no taillights.
Pulled the fuse and the switch, checked continuity on all the runs and they were fine, checked for shorts as well.
Meter to the NOS switch, bad. not one position worked, dug out the original, bad. No amount of cycling would get them to work.
Made a jumper and plugged it in, checked each circuit at the switch connector, all good.
NOS Hazard, bad. Made a 4-point jumper, all good, blink, blink, blink.
Original Dimmer/Dome light switch, good, plug switch in, clip ground wire to the switch frame (switch panel is out of the car), test, good. In 69 the door switches were unplugged on the CHP cars, tested, good.
Rear defroster, NOS switch tested bad, cycled a few times, good. Plugged in, tested, good.
Now this is where it starts getting crazy(er).
On to the horn, battery on, push ring, nothing. Pull the relay hook it up to a power supply, nothing. Pull the relay from the Other Polara, test first, good, install, still nothing. Pull the horns, test on power supply, one good one bad. Pull both horns from the Other Polara, tested (just to be sure). Power to relay, check, check continuity to horns from the relay, good. Hooked horns up, used a jumper at the relay and horns blasted.
So we have a grounding issue on the horn circuit. First check column to ground, good. Original horn switch, good. No continuity from horn switch wire, unplug the column, good to the switch, not to the relay. Now the connection from the connector to the relay is a single wire with no splices or other connections. Oh wait, there is a modification done by CHP, they cut the wire to add switch to use the horn ring to run the siren. Ok, cycle switch to siren, nothing in either position. Check wires to switch, nothing? Great maybe I didn't follow the CHP wiring diagram right.
Time to get back to the factory and confirm that it works. A jumper was placed across the CHP cut and the horn tested, works.
Switch tested ok, check wiring to CHP diagram, good, check theory/operation it should work. Arrg!
Now I'm at loss? Recheck the checked known good stuff and now no ground from the column connector to the horn switch.
No keep in mind I have been under the dash a lot and often grab the wheel to get up, so I hook my meter up to the horn switch lead and to the wire at the other end and then turn the wheel, spotty. Then it occurred to me that I haven't actually locked the wheel down, so torqued it down to spec but still not perfect, put a socket ot it and hit it a few times with a soft blow hammer, problem solved. Checked horn, works, switch to siren, works (to relay, siren not installed yet).
Holly cow, about a week plus trying to figure all this out and I'm not done yet.
I'm still looking at options for switches and may take them from the Other Polara but it doesn't have the correct wiper switch so I took one I had the was a mess to see what is involved in cleaning/fixing one. While I was at it I mapped out the switch and made a list of connection for the two speeds and the off position.
Knowing to hookup I used a couple jumpers and a ground wire to test the wiper motor and for once it works as it should, moved to jumpers to the other speed and then park. I also had a cable tie on the wiper post to confirm rotation and park (a friend had the arm 180 out at the motor and the wiper arms try to go down before up)
With the wiper tested the motor was locked down and the crank arm tightened.
This weekend I plan to get my engine builder over (engine doesn't start without him here till he says so), we have run it several times but not through the key or the alternator, voltage regulator... basically none of the charging system. But till then I need to check the rest of the CHP wiring.
Alan
Hooked the battery up and the brake lights come on, disconnect battery, adjust switch, hookup, test, good.
Turn on headlights, nothing. No headlights, no dash lights, no park lights, no taillights.
Pulled the fuse and the switch, checked continuity on all the runs and they were fine, checked for shorts as well.
Meter to the NOS switch, bad. not one position worked, dug out the original, bad. No amount of cycling would get them to work.
Made a jumper and plugged it in, checked each circuit at the switch connector, all good.
NOS Hazard, bad. Made a 4-point jumper, all good, blink, blink, blink.
Original Dimmer/Dome light switch, good, plug switch in, clip ground wire to the switch frame (switch panel is out of the car), test, good. In 69 the door switches were unplugged on the CHP cars, tested, good.
Rear defroster, NOS switch tested bad, cycled a few times, good. Plugged in, tested, good.
Now this is where it starts getting crazy(er).
On to the horn, battery on, push ring, nothing. Pull the relay hook it up to a power supply, nothing. Pull the relay from the Other Polara, test first, good, install, still nothing. Pull the horns, test on power supply, one good one bad. Pull both horns from the Other Polara, tested (just to be sure). Power to relay, check, check continuity to horns from the relay, good. Hooked horns up, used a jumper at the relay and horns blasted.
So we have a grounding issue on the horn circuit. First check column to ground, good. Original horn switch, good. No continuity from horn switch wire, unplug the column, good to the switch, not to the relay. Now the connection from the connector to the relay is a single wire with no splices or other connections. Oh wait, there is a modification done by CHP, they cut the wire to add switch to use the horn ring to run the siren. Ok, cycle switch to siren, nothing in either position. Check wires to switch, nothing? Great maybe I didn't follow the CHP wiring diagram right.
Time to get back to the factory and confirm that it works. A jumper was placed across the CHP cut and the horn tested, works.
Switch tested ok, check wiring to CHP diagram, good, check theory/operation it should work. Arrg!
Now I'm at loss? Recheck the checked known good stuff and now no ground from the column connector to the horn switch.
No keep in mind I have been under the dash a lot and often grab the wheel to get up, so I hook my meter up to the horn switch lead and to the wire at the other end and then turn the wheel, spotty. Then it occurred to me that I haven't actually locked the wheel down, so torqued it down to spec but still not perfect, put a socket ot it and hit it a few times with a soft blow hammer, problem solved. Checked horn, works, switch to siren, works (to relay, siren not installed yet).
Holly cow, about a week plus trying to figure all this out and I'm not done yet.
I'm still looking at options for switches and may take them from the Other Polara but it doesn't have the correct wiper switch so I took one I had the was a mess to see what is involved in cleaning/fixing one. While I was at it I mapped out the switch and made a list of connection for the two speeds and the off position.
Knowing to hookup I used a couple jumpers and a ground wire to test the wiper motor and for once it works as it should, moved to jumpers to the other speed and then park. I also had a cable tie on the wiper post to confirm rotation and park (a friend had the arm 180 out at the motor and the wiper arms try to go down before up)
With the wiper tested the motor was locked down and the crank arm tightened.
This weekend I plan to get my engine builder over (engine doesn't start without him here till he says so), we have run it several times but not through the key or the alternator, voltage regulator... basically none of the charging system. But till then I need to check the rest of the CHP wiring.
Alan
mr. fix it
Old Man with a Hat
Wow!
Good thing you know what to do with this stuff. some of the members would have thrown in the towel
Good thing you know what to do with this stuff. some of the members would have thrown in the towel
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
It is actually quite simple when you think about it as point A to B, but what makes it difficult is that the car is more like point A to Z. The second something didn't work I would go to the wiring diagram and make a single line drawing of the connectors, splices, switches, everything from the battery to the component. With that I would start at the battery and check everything, once I was confident I might start at the fuse block or a switch but even that can be a mistake sometimes.
Alan
Alan
Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
I found this color diagram to be a big help:
Classic Car Wiring . Com : Home of the original color laminated classic car wiring diagram
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
The reality is I could probably draw a wiring diagram for these cars from memory. Till now I have never dissected the wiper operation, I still want to look at the motor side and see what is happening. The wiper is one of those things that just works so you never need to look at it. I have always been fascinated with automotive electrical.
Alan
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
That's the trouble with "NOS". Especially electrical components.
Most of the ones on the market are the original defective components in the warranty replacement component's package.
BTW, Alan, once again, your stick-to-it-ness continues to inspire me. Halfway through your Hell Week, I would have lost it.
Most of the ones on the market are the original defective components in the warranty replacement component's package.
BTW, Alan, once again, your stick-to-it-ness continues to inspire me. Halfway through your Hell Week, I would have lost it.
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
I have more than once received NOS parts in the box that had evidence of being used, I'm not saying these dealers do this intentionally but they should at least look at the parts before the ship them. The problem with switches is they tarnish over with time, just my luck, 5 switches, 5 bad.
More than once I needed to take a break.
Alan
More than once I needed to take a break.
Alan
Last edited:
Wow... sorry you have been having so many electrical issues. Sounds like your getting it under control.
MrMoparCHP
Old Man with a Hat
Big update today, on August 22 2010 I towed this car home and right away work started, six years later and over 375 days working on the car, spread that over 5 day work weeks it would be about 1-1/2 years. Although there is still work to do everything was in place to take it for a quick test drive, without front and rear glass i kept it to the street in front of my house.
Although not a real test drive it was still big, this car has not run under its own power in over 35 years.
Alan
Although not a real test drive it was still big, this car has not run under its own power in over 35 years.
Alan
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