67 Polara 500 convertible

Today I got the parts back from the powder coater. They did a fine job, as usual.
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Sweet Will, nice work! Will you be driving this up to Michigan this summer?
 
I refurbished the distributor yesterday, reassembled it today. A through cleaning, refinished the housing, NOS Mopar points, and prestolite rotor, and a new cap I got from Ray. One more thing done.
Cleaned a bunch more parts, The original cam gear didn't look to bad for 86K. The chain had a lot of slack though.
I'll start in prepping the deck for the heads, more degreasing, polish the inner fenders and other detail stuff tomorrow. To hot to continue today.


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I refurbished the distributor yesterday, reassembled it today. A through cleaning, refinished the housing, NOS Mopar points, and prestolite rotor, and a new cap I got from Ray. One more thing done.
Cleaned a bunch more parts, The original cam gear didn't look to bad for 86K. The chain had a lot of slack though.
I'll start in prepping the deck for the heads, more degreasing, polish the inner fenders and other detail stuff tomorrow. To hot to continue today.


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Wil: I love it! So glad to see you are installing NOS points, condenser, rotor, cap, etc. The engine is gonna run great.
 
Just for reference, the Polara I have came out of a long time storage and was made to run by the seller. I did a full tune up and made all the necessary adjustments but it still had a "skip" in the engine. I drove it approx. 6-700 miles, (a 550 mile road trip), which was the first mileage on the car in 45 years. The skip was still present. A compression check showed zero in #1 cylinder.


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This condition did not occur in the time I drove the car so it may be the reason the car was parked in 1974. 86Kmiles.
 
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The 383 is back together and runs great! It was my intension to keep it as original as possible, but after disassembling for the valve job it made no sense to put it back together without detailing. I painted the engine but only cleaned, polished and detailed all else under the hood. No modifications except a mini starter.
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Before.
 
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View attachment 406716 View attachment 406717 The 383 is back together and runs great! It was my intension to keep it as original as possible, but after disassembling for the valve job it made no sense to put it back together without detailing. I painted the engine but only cleaned, polished and detailed all else under the hood. No modifications except a mini starter.

Show-off!
 
I bought a new top for the Polara from "ARO" in Walden NY. It's a direct replacement, Hartz pinpoint vinal in white with glass window and a set of four pads.
Cost was $660.00, including shipping. There are cheaper tops available but you get what you pay for. This is my third top from them and their quality can't be beat. Having it installed will cost another $700.00. (It's worth it!)
I won't be able to get it installed before the Ocala show though.

Convertible Tops and Convertible Top Parts
 
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I bought a new top for the Polara from "ARO" in Walden NY. It's a direct replacement, Hartz pinpoint vinal in white with glass window and a set of four pads.
Cost was $660.00. There are cheaper tops available but you get what you pay for. This is my third top from them and their quality can't be beat. Having it installed will cost another $700.00. (It's worth it!)
I won't be able to get it installed before the Ocala show though.

Convertible Tops and Convertible Top Parts
Dying to see her after that gets installed.
 
You finally figured that out, huh? :lol:

Yes Stan. I've done four convertible tops in the past. Toughest was Jezebelle, I had to seek professional help with that one. Labor time says 7 hours. A reputable trim shop usually works at $100.00 per hour labor rate. :)
 
I finally got the correct 67/68 trunk mat, well almost. Had to fight my way through one A** hole and a couple of Morons. Only took 6 months to get it.
The mat is reproduced by REM. If they won't sell direct to you than Vanns is probably the safest route to buy from. Just be specific about your application and the herringbone pattern.
I found the luggage in a junk/antique shop in Michigan, Great place to store my cleaning/detailing stuff.



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I picked up a repop fuel sending unit at Ocala for a decent deal. I was able to install it without dropping the tank out of the car. Gage works now. The unit I swapped out looks brand new but the float was full of gas, (no longer a float, I guess). So I've got a spare now.
 
I had the front end aligned in anticipation of the drive to New Orleans tomorrow.
The torsion bars had been cranked up way back in 1974 by the PO. I took a full 7 turns out of the adjustor bolt but it still sat to high for me. I had the alignment guy set the front 1" lower than the rear, (measured at the rocker pinch flange, front and rear), figuring it would compensate for a full tank of gas and a moderate load in the trunk as well as passengers. I now think it's to low in the front, but not to bad. I'll make this trip, (drives great now), and decide if I want to bring the front up an inch later.
I haven't had the new top installed yet, Maybe by the end of this month.
This how it looks now with a full tank of gas and some junk in the trunk.


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