New Member, New Polara

[MoPar~Man]

Is this a '65 Polara? If so, if it has the original stub, it would have the unique '65-only motor mounts wouldn't it?

Was it originally a US or Canadian wagon?

Where did you get the replacement stub?

 

[Stev]

Is this a '65 Polara? If so, if it has the original stub, it would have the unique '65-only motor mounts wouldn't it?

Was it originally a US or Canadian wagon?

Where did you get the replacement stub?

'66. It's a canadian wagon, the last of the 880 Polaras, Stub came off an american '66 Polara hardtop from Wildcat Wrecking in sandy oregon, meaning it has the "incorrect" dodge/chrysler tortion bars, not the "correct" plymouth ones canadian cars had.

Theoretically the hardtop should have weaker non wagon tortion bars, but that just means i can get a higher spring rate with the car sitting lower, so i'm actually ok with that.

Also I guess the pinion leaks like a siv. Only drove the thing twice and the diff is already coated in gear oil. Oops.

 

[Stev]

Someone just sent me a shot from the rod run. Lookin' good.

 

[Stev]

Cool.

Looks to be the original water pump too. Maybe I should've left well enough alone. Bearing feels perfect, zero play, and it's on there good. Heat, deadblow hammer, even some cautious chiselling, the pump is still stuck on there. Reticent as all get out.

Intended to have the motor painted by now but a massive storm is rolling through, no sign of letting up. If it keeps going I'll just start pulling apart the old stub in the garage while I wait.

Once the blocks painted I'll test fit the headers, really hoping I can keep the stock starter. TTI says I can use OEM starters, and that gear reduction sound is half the reason to own a mopar. Plus i've spent enough money on this heap as it is.

 

[3175375]

Maybe an air chisel would

View attachment 678220

View attachment 678221


Cool.

Looks to be the original water pump too. Maybe I should've left well enough alone. Bearing feels perfect, zero play, and it's on there good. Heat, deadblow hammer, even some cautious chiselling, the pump is still stuck on there. Reticent as all get out.

Intended to have the motor painted by now but a massive storm is rolling through, no sign of letting up. If it keeps going I'll just start pulling apart the old stub in the garage while I wait.

Once the blocks painted I'll test fit the headers, really hoping I can keep the stock starter. TTI says I can use OEM starters, and that gear reduction sound is half the reason to own a mopar. Plus i've spent enough money on this heap as it is.

Maybe an air chisel would knock it loose?

 

[Dads300]

It’s still weird to me when you Canadians post pics of red big blocks. Seems so unnatural and out of place to me. Probably the way you feel about our turquoise.
Travis..

 

[Just Carbs]

View attachment 678220

View attachment 678221


Cool.

Looks to be the original water pump too. Maybe I should've left well enough alone. Bearing feels perfect, zero play, and it's on there good. Heat, deadblow hammer, even some cautious chiselling, the pump is still stuck on there. Reticent as all get out.

Intended to have the motor painted by now but a massive storm is rolling through, no sign of letting up. If it keeps going I'll just start pulling apart the old stub in the garage while I wait.

Once the blocks painted I'll test fit the headers, really hoping I can keep the stock starter. TTI says I can use OEM starters, and that gear reduction sound is half the reason to own a mopar. Plus i've spent enough money on this heap as it is.

The last one like that came off for me with 4 painters 5 in 1 painter's scrapers around the edges. I tapped around the rim evenly from one to the next until it came off.

 

[Stev]

Back in monster truck mode.

Tortion bars were junk. Car was sitting on the bumpstops but the adjusters were maxxed out. Hopefully the mere sedan bars from the donor are ok.

Gonna use the original hubs/brakes, sway bar and steering gear. Everything else is junk.


Mercifully, despite the condition of everything on this car, somehow the cowl drains are perfect. The drains aren't even plugged.

Go figure.

 

[Stev]

What the hell was holding this car together?

That's the tortion bar box section, the thing that holds the car up. There is nothing here.

Also may have set fire to myself a little. Turns out grease explodes and that factory fuel line i bypassed when i turned the car around a month ago still had 4 year old gas in it. Oops.


Stub out tomorrow. Got some floor patches to make, that's for sure.

 

[Just Carbs]

Oh my.

 

[cuda hunter]

A little fire might cleanse that rusty ride!

Cool pic!

I'm just blown away by the amount of rust and the lack of connecting metal on this ride.
Amazing you drove it like you did in the beginning, and it made it.
It's meant to be an heirloom keep sake.

 

[Stev]

I have spent all day fighting the stub frame bolts. Everyone has been a disaster, one even ate my nut buster.

Cool.

 

[3175375]

I have spent all day fighting the stub frame bolts. Everyone has been a disaster, one even ate my nut buster.

Cool.

Tows! It’s GOT to get better for you…

 

[Stev]

Little progress yet. But I did make a discovery.

At the front of the frame, where the bumper bolts go, there's a channel that ends at an intentional drain hole, in the gaps between the panels. I found someone had welded it up, with weld wire still in the channels.

I don't know for sure, but I suspect this same clown also welded up the similar drain holes at the back of the frame, mistaking them for a fault in production. Little wonder it all went to pot.

 

[Stev]

So the oil pan doesn't have the baffle in it, and is so dinged up there's a witness mark where the sump was touching it. Not great.

Bottom end looks terrific though. Bit of slop in the chain but that's going away when i do the top end so who cares. Otherwise spotless, i was expecting a lot of sludge and it was immaculate inside. Thanks for the oil changes, grandpa.

Couple of sparklies in the tranny pan, but not much. Otherwise looked great. Replaced the filter while i was in there.

Water pump was also in really good shape. Shouldn't have messed with it. Oops.

Onto the spare pile that goes.

Test fit the pipes though. Hot damn.

Had to tweak the dipstick tube a bunch, brok the welds and made it clear. Likewise, it does clear the stock starter, hell yes. Have to replumb the tranny cooler lines though, drats.

TTI instructions say I can use the exhaust studs on the driver's side but not on passenger. There's only one stud left on the right side though so hopfully i can just get away with that. Someone had fun with studs at some point, most of the studs were drilled out in coarse thread and half of the holes are helicoiled. One or two drilled into the coolant jacket.

Can't wait to get those 440 source heads on there.


Hit it with a slathering of nuclear grade paint stripper again. If this doesn't get all the paint off I'm just going to give up and paint over what's left on there. Whatever.

 

[Stev]

"""affordable"""

Guess i'm making a baffle and beating the **** out of this pan instead.

 

[3175375]

View attachment 679043

"""affordable"""

Guess i'm making a baffle and beating the **** out of this pan instead.

I’m sure that there’s other suppliers for much less.

 

[Just Carbs]

I speculate that it was best to get the pump off while you could get at it.

 

[Dads300]

It’s ok for the pickup tube to touch the pan, they have designed in clearance for oil flow.
Travis..

 

[Stev]

It's bad!

Also you'll note that's not dirt on top, it's sand. From the popular location, the ocean.

I also found some rust holes in the foot well on the inside of the stub frame mounting box sections, which are entirely sealed on all sides. Meaning this had to have rotten through from this side.

I know grandpa got flooded in about 2009, when a storm kicked up the ocean over the levee. I think this is irrefutable proof that the car was flooded up to the rockers, and the salt water was retained by the carpet. Explains a lot of weirdness and peculiar rust spots i've seen

I'd bet anything the car was absolutely fine before then, too.

Happily the actual stub mounting faces are ok. Not good, but not bad either. Got some floor patches to make and I'll paint the underside while all this is off. Then the new stub is going on within the week.

Avanti.