1969 Imperial progress thread

MrMoparCHP · Feb 11, 2021

It looks like that boards only function is to hold the potentiometers and LEDs, to me that makes it much easier to dump it all and fab something new, no engineering needed, just wiring.

Alan

Big_John · Feb 11, 2021

But, please correct me if I'm wrong, the only LED that I see on that board that shows when something is running is the A/C.

The other 4 under the knobs are probably just to light up the knobs and add no other value.

So, adding a separate "A/C on" light is just a matter of wiring a light to come on when the compressor does, if you really need that function. Lighting the knobs can also easily be done.

3175375 · Feb 13, 2021

Don’t think can’t...

ceebuddy · Feb 14, 2021

I do not think that altering the original appearance of the Imperial dashboard is a worthy goal. Hiding aftermarket controls is what I would do, too.

vdk2010 · Mar 2, 2021

I have a comprehension question.

I had a .030 shim underneath the rear pinion bearing in the third member from the factory.
In the rebuild kit from doctor diff were only smaller shims for the front pinion bearing and searching online I can't find the bigger shims for the rear bearing at all.

But in my mind it does matter which bearing you shim to setup correct pinion depth tho. Isn't that correct?

barnfind · Mar 2, 2021

The AC portion of your build is what I've been chomping at the bit about. The C body manual AC is what I'm pulling for. I'm hoping there is another way to make this appear more factory- ish, at least on the dash side of things. Your build is second to none, there must be another way. Keep up the good work.

65sporty · Mar 5, 2021

vdk2010 said:
I have a comprehension question.

I had a .030 shim underneath the rear pinion bearing in the third member from the factory.
In the rebuild kit from doctor diff were only smaller shims for the front pinion bearing and searching online I can't find the bigger shims for the rear bearing at all.

But in my mind it does matter which bearing you shim to setup correct pinion depth tho. Isn't that correct?

View attachment 442844 View attachment 442845

Under the bearing on the pinion? It matters for the pinion depth.

vdk2010 · Mar 6, 2021

65sporty said:
Under the bearing on the pinion? It matters for the pinion depth.

Haha! Your question lead me into the right direction.

From the factory, the .030 shim was underneath the rear bearing race.
The new shims are for between the rear bearing and the pinion itself! And it shouldn't matter if the shim is under the race or in front on the bearing!
Now, this makes sense to me

vdk2010 · Mar 27, 2021

The Steering Coupler and Rag Joint is done now.

I used the readily available Land Rover NTC3486 Rag Joint. It's a little thicker, but that shouldn't be a problem.
Because of that, the spring tension of the ground spring for the horn was a little loose, so I made me a little spacer out of a stainless steel bolt to keep a good ground connection.
Other then that, I used a rebuild kit from DMT for the coupler.

I prefered the parts out of the '72 Imperial with the 2 "bones" and the thicker spring over the tiny, fragile spring that was originally used in the '69.

vdk2010 · Mar 27, 2021

The Accelerator Pedal gave me a couple of headaches for a while, because of the original plastic bushings. They were not removable without destroying them so I had to come up with another solution.
After some not that good ideas, I finally came up with the perfect one. I found almost perfect fitting "selfoil" bronze bushings. I just had to drill them out a little bit larger on the inside and now they are fitting like a glove.

Because the shaft was pinched to keep everything together, I had to find another way to reattach everything. I used a collar and a set screw for that.
A new Cable, bought from Rick Ehrenberg, completed everything.

vdk2010 · Mar 27, 2021

The rear Drum Brakes are back together as well. Bisedes the Backing Plates, some small parts and brackets and the parking brake levers, everything is new.

vdk2010 · Mar 27, 2021

The Steering Box is a freshly rebuild Stage 2 Box from FirmFeel. It was then painted in the same Black as the Frame and Suspension Parts and finally mounted on the Frame with all new zinc plated OEM fasteners.

vdk2010 · Mar 27, 2021

The Cone Type Sure Grip was in pretty good shape (not really a surprise since the car had only 43k miles). All parts were disassembled, thoroughly cleaned, all the "contact surfaces" deburred and polished. New Carrier Bearings were installed and then, everything went back together with fresh gear oil.