It should be threaded into the 66 speedo.
66 Monaco Wagon Preservation
- Thread starter TxDon
- Start date
TxDon
Well-Known Member
Still waiting for the cable lube I ordered, my 2 local parts stores did not carry, "who uses cables on a speedometer".
I did give the wagon a bit of a stress test over the last 3 days. I had to take my Durango SRT in for service and leave it so the wagon was the daily. DFW temps have been from 99 to 109 this week so I was more than nervous. Made two roughly 25 mile round trips to the dealer on toll road frontage lanes with both front and rear A/C on max cool and high blower. It kept us cool all the way, the only challenge was cooling it down after sitting in the parking lot for 15-20 minutes but it did the job. The factory temp gauge stayed in the center all the time I was cruising but did creep up when sitting at long stoplights - never got to the hot end though. I did notice with both blowers cranked the ammeter goes to a little discharge when stopped, I put it in neutral which stopped that. All in all I was pretty pleased, although I would not want to be caught in a traffic jam!
I did give the wagon a bit of a stress test over the last 3 days. I had to take my Durango SRT in for service and leave it so the wagon was the daily. DFW temps have been from 99 to 109 this week so I was more than nervous. Made two roughly 25 mile round trips to the dealer on toll road frontage lanes with both front and rear A/C on max cool and high blower. It kept us cool all the way, the only challenge was cooling it down after sitting in the parking lot for 15-20 minutes but it did the job. The factory temp gauge stayed in the center all the time I was cruising but did creep up when sitting at long stoplights - never got to the hot end though. I did notice with both blowers cranked the ammeter goes to a little discharge when stopped, I put it in neutral which stopped that. All in all I was pretty pleased, although I would not want to be caught in a traffic jam!
Nice. The way it should be!!
TxDon
Well-Known Member
We are finally getting a bit of improvement in the heat so I have jacked the car up again and the wheels are off. I'm going to get the wheels balanced, do the speedometer cable lube, finish brake adjustment including the emergency brake, and do a compression test. Also some cleaning and waxing if my energy level holds up. Forgive the super wide angle pictures, I was playing with my camera phone adjustments. It does make my garage look gigantic, which it is not.
TxDon
Well-Known Member
First on my list, I got the wheels balanced today. The tires are Hankook Optimos about 7 years old, I considered replacing but they have great even tread and no sign of damage. I was getting some vibration at 65-70 mph so hope the balance will correct. For most old car tire service I use Thomason Tire in the old downtown area of McKinney, TX where I live. Most of their business is truck and agricultural along with golf carts and fork lifts but they service cars also. They do mounting, dismounting. balancing etc. without looking at tire age or condition, as you know that is no longer possible at the large chain tire stores. If you live in my neck of the woods check them out, see link below.
Thomason Tire | Tire Service & Auto Service | McKinney, TX
I was pleasantly surprised to see very minimal weight added to all four tires, they removed a lot more old weights than they replaced. Hopefully that is good, I will see when they are back on.
Thomason Tire | Tire Service & Auto Service | McKinney, TX
I was pleasantly surprised to see very minimal weight added to all four tires, they removed a lot more old weights than they replaced. Hopefully that is good, I will see when they are back on.
TxDon
Well-Known Member
A little sidestep here - I thought I had done this before but apparently not. Can anyone tell me what my paint and interior color names are based on the fender tag?
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
YY1 Bronze Poly
The 1970 Hamtramck Registry - 1966 Paint Chip Charts
H4T Tan vinyl interior
The 1970 Hamtramck Registry - 1966 Dodge Color & Trim Book - Monaco
TxDon
Well-Known Member
Thanks, appreciate it.
TxDon
Well-Known Member
Another sidestep - I am definitely not any type of social media influencer but I have taken some homemade videos of my hobby cars and put them on YouTube, mostly so I can share them on forums and Facebook pages. Most have less than 100 views, a few have a couple hundred but then we come to this one. It's a less than two minute shot of my 1966 Dodge Monaco station wagon coming off the truck when I first got it four years ago. For reasons beyond my comprehension it now has 25,530 views! I have always loved tin woody station wagons but I had no idea so many other people did!
https://youtu.be/H8a8tQ_MFmY
https://youtu.be/H8a8tQ_MFmY
TxDon
Well-Known Member
OK, after way too much time passing I have finished most of my checklist items:
-All brakes adjusted including parking brake
-Balanced wheels back on
-Speedometer cable (And speedometer) lubed
-Compression test
-New plugs
I say speedometer lubed, the cable actually came out clean but the little brass piece it fits into on the speedometer had hardened grease on it and did not turn freely. I cleaned it up, shot it with a little brake cleaner then some wd-40. That loosened it up but I also relubed the cable. That whole job was a lot easier than I expected.
The compression test came out ok, better than expected. The car has 125,000 miles and as far as I can tell the engine has never been apart. One cylinder was 170 psi, one was 100, and the rest were 140-145, I'll take that.
When I pulled the plugs for the test I noticed they were pretty sooty so I got a new set of RJ-14Y. Stock is J-13Y, but the plugs in there were RJ-12Y, probably kinda cold for the sedate driving this car gets. I took it out for a ride this afternoon and everything is working well, I will be switching this car into the storage garage and bringing home my Buick for the winter months.
-All brakes adjusted including parking brake
-Balanced wheels back on
-Speedometer cable (And speedometer) lubed
-Compression test
-New plugs
I say speedometer lubed, the cable actually came out clean but the little brass piece it fits into on the speedometer had hardened grease on it and did not turn freely. I cleaned it up, shot it with a little brake cleaner then some wd-40. That loosened it up but I also relubed the cable. That whole job was a lot easier than I expected.
The compression test came out ok, better than expected. The car has 125,000 miles and as far as I can tell the engine has never been apart. One cylinder was 170 psi, one was 100, and the rest were 140-145, I'll take that.
When I pulled the plugs for the test I noticed they were pretty sooty so I got a new set of RJ-14Y. Stock is J-13Y, but the plugs in there were RJ-12Y, probably kinda cold for the sedate driving this car gets. I took it out for a ride this afternoon and everything is working well, I will be switching this car into the storage garage and bringing home my Buick for the winter months.
TxDon
Well-Known Member
No, #6. Why do you ask about #7?
Possibly due to being leaned out as it's near the vacuum port for the power brakes etc...
TxDon
Well-Known Member
Today I finished the last two list items on this car. Winter has arrived even here in Texas and I was glad my antique garage heater still works. I gave the interior a complete vacuuming and wipedown. The seats are a combination of original and replacement vinyl, the original is a bit baked due to the southwest origin of this car but not too bad, the replacement is probably closer to the original color but looks brighter due to the wear of the original. The carpeting and windlace was all replaced by the previous owner and while I was vacuuming I noticed the carpet really looks excellent. It is a molded set and the fit is great compared to many past replacements I've seen.
The hard job was getting a coat of wax on the painted surfaces. About 80 to 85% of the paint is original with plenty of patina, fading and wear spots. For some reason the right top side of the car has much more wear than the left side, perhaps the right side stuck out of a carport a little too much over the years. Luckily no surface rust but I want to keep it all coated. For the first and probably only time I used my DeWalt slow speed buffer to apply the wax on the flatter top surfaces to see if I could improve the gloss a bit. No miracle results but a noticeable improvement that I'm happy with. Glad that is done but I will need a cocktail or two tonight!
The hard job was getting a coat of wax on the painted surfaces. About 80 to 85% of the paint is original with plenty of patina, fading and wear spots. For some reason the right top side of the car has much more wear than the left side, perhaps the right side stuck out of a carport a little too much over the years. Luckily no surface rust but I want to keep it all coated. For the first and probably only time I used my DeWalt slow speed buffer to apply the wax on the flatter top surfaces to see if I could improve the gloss a bit. No miracle results but a noticeable improvement that I'm happy with. Glad that is done but I will need a cocktail or two tonight!
'66 Fury I
Active Member
You probably know, but the wrinkles behind the arm rest bases can be removed (carefully) with a heat gun after removing the bases. It worked for me and after some 30 years, I may have to repeat the proceedure. Beautiful wagon! Lindsay
TxDon
Well-Known Member
Question - where is the VIN stamping on a 383 block located? I can't find it.
On your 66 block (if it's original), there isn't one. The practice of adding VIN stampings started I believe in 1968 and it's along the oil pan rail.
All your engine will have is a casting date. It should be several weeks to a couple of months prior to the scheduled build date found on your fender tag.
All your engine will have is a casting date. It should be several weeks to a couple of months prior to the scheduled build date found on your fender tag.
TxDon
Well-Known Member
Thanks Ross.
TxDon
Well-Known Member
I have just sold this Monaco wagon after owning it almost exactly five years. While it challenged me at times I really enjoyed working on it, improving certain things and preserving a pretty nice original car. I owned B and E body cars but this was my first C body and I quickly learned why so many here love them.
The biggest job I did was converting the dual air conditioning system to R134 and updating the underhood setup with a new compressor, condensor and most of the lines. I bought the tools and taught myself how to crimp hose fittings, flush and vacuum a system and successfully charge it. It was very rewarding to have a system that worked in DFW heat for 3 years.
The second biggest but most punishing (I'm 74 years old) job was a full brake replacement along with suspension updates. Parts of this were frustrating but also educational and when I was done the car rode and stopped like it came from the factory.
I want to thank all the experts on this forum who generously shared their knowledge and calmed me down when I was freaking out, I could not have finished my projects without you. I will still be on the forum and if I can pass along what I learned I will do so gladly.
The biggest job I did was converting the dual air conditioning system to R134 and updating the underhood setup with a new compressor, condensor and most of the lines. I bought the tools and taught myself how to crimp hose fittings, flush and vacuum a system and successfully charge it. It was very rewarding to have a system that worked in DFW heat for 3 years.
The second biggest but most punishing (I'm 74 years old) job was a full brake replacement along with suspension updates. Parts of this were frustrating but also educational and when I was done the car rode and stopped like it came from the factory.
I want to thank all the experts on this forum who generously shared their knowledge and calmed me down when I was freaking out, I could not have finished my projects without you. I will still be on the forum and if I can pass along what I learned I will do so gladly.
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