Hello from the Dark Side (DRK SD 73)

[73 New Yorker]

Borgeson steering box & pump

 

[ayilar]

Some eye candy as I visited @david hill for dinner tonight and saw DRK SD as a result.

 

[saforwardlook]

I guess I am very surprised that you say the Borgeson steering box has more slop and less steering feel in it than factory since I find the factory boxes far too vague at higher speeds and plenty of corrections are needed in trying to go down the road in a straight line at steady speeds compared to rack & pinion modern steering gears. I was led to believe the Borgeson boxes should better approach the steering feel of modern cars but apparently you are saying they do not. I have to wonder whether there are some other worn suspension parts in the front end of DRK SD given your outcome.

When you do work on the upper control arm bushings I would recommend using the Moog offset bushings to yield maximum caster (i.e. more than is available with the stock bushings) to improve directional stability going down the road.

 

[73 New Yorker]

I have to wonder whether there are some other worn suspension parts in the frond end of DRK SD given your outcome.

DRK SD front end work as of 6/2022
All New
Inner & Outer Tie Rod Ends
Upper & Lower Ball Joints
Adjusting Sleeves
Rag Joint
Borgeson Steering Box
Borgeson Power Steering Pump
Pitman Arm
Front & Rear Shocks
New NEXEN Tires
Front End Alignment

And I still think not replacing the first link in the chain - bushings - along with my choice in shocks is contributing to the lack of performance.

 

[73 New Yorker]

@davidhill sent pictures today that confirm the need for new bushings. Tuesday morning upper and lower control arm, strut rod and sway bar bushings will be ordered. Also KYB front shocks (KG4507) and Gabriel (81091) rear shocks have been ordered through Rock Auto. A big thank you to @ayilar for providing a road map on where to find these new parts.

 

[Boydsdodge]

Typical of what I see here at my place after guys pay for front end rebuilds, the zip ties and electrical tape bushing is a new one on me.
Great to see your doing it right.

 

[73 New Yorker]

Luckily I have the right guy for the job! @davidhill

 

[73 New Yorker]

Small set back with fixing the driver side window. After replacing the window lift gear (#747-411) and operating the door the new gear was damaged. It was determined that a new door regulator would be needed.
A replacement door regulator was ordered from Murray Park along with a second window lift gear. The door phase of the project will be on hold until the parts arrive.
David will complete the heater box part of the project while waiting on the door parts.

 

[david hill]

The latest from the Darkside stay here. The window regulator went back together perfectly. The failure was heavy wear at the main pivot point on the mounting bracket. Not noticeable on till all the spring preload was removed. Something you don't see often. Next to be done was the heater box rebuild. As you see in the following photos the overall condition of the heater box was very good. All blend doors worked smoothly and the actuators were operating to near perfection. After a good through cleaning the fresh foam from Detroit Muscle Technologies was installed. See photos,

 

[david hill]

Note the heavy corrosion on the liquid line. The inside of the tubing is heavily incrusted. That would spell an early compressor failure and/or poor A/C performance. The replacement evaporator actually fit pretty well. Only had to notch the evaporator for case clearance. Re-install is tomorrow.

 

[saforwardlook]

You do great work David and you provide all of us with a lot of insights.

Just curious, would you have replaced the evaporator if it looked normal (without the corrosion)? I assume your replacement evaporator came from AC Global, Inc. auto parts after they implemented your findings from a post a while back comparing their offerings at the time relative to a factory original one in terms of fit improvement in their reproductions?

Exact Replacement A/C Components Now Becoming Available for Our C bodies

I also had a question regarding one of my 1971 Chrysler 300 2 door models concerning the driver side rear window. It is stuck in the full up position because the motor will not move - when I apply battery voltage directly to the motor it just goes "click" - no movement at all. So I wanted to replace the motor assuming the linkage isn't holding it in place (it is my 1971 triple black 300 with only 19K miles on it and all the other power window work freely) and I wanted to remove the assembly and send the car out to the body/paint shop but wanted to address this before letting it go. I really am not sure how to proceed so any input would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Steve

 

[73 New Yorker]

Picked up some trunk treats. Thank you to Marv for the color & trim book idea. Made two custom spare tire covers on Amazon and picked up a couple Chrysler brochures.

 

[73 New Yorker]

The wrap up on this installment of the DRK SD upgrades.
Doors - Door/glass alignment, door seals (all the way from Norway), driver side door strap, driver side window regulator, both driver side and passenger side door lift gear.
Heater box - Replaced all gaskets, heater core, evaporator, heater control cable (heater works great!)
Bushings - Upper/lower control arm, upper/lower control arm rebound bumpers, strut rod, sway bar inner/outer frame
Sway bar supports - Fabricated by @david hill
Shocks - KYB fronts, Gabriel rears
Master cylinder
Coil
Ground cable
Barbed fuel line fitting - replaced glass fuel filter
Valve cover bolts/washers - replaced the T bolts that came with the valve cover kit
Torsion bar adjustment - lowered front end 2 & 1/4 inches

Now the entire front end has been replaced right down to the bushings. It was well worth the effort. There is a subtle difference in appearance in the ride height but a big difference in drive feel.

Before

After

Slightly cleaner look to engine bay

Later this year "to do" list includes reinstall cruise control and air conditioning. Yes, I realize heat in the summer and AC in the fall is bass ackwards but that's how it worked out. Again, big thanks to @david hill & @ayilar for there help with the project.

 

[saforwardlook]

Lowering the front ride height will likely reduce your directional stability going down the road because it reduces maximum caster quite a bit. I am not sure why so many folks make that change on a C body.

Great that you had all the other improvements taken care of - progress always feels good......................

 

[73 New Yorker]

The Chrysler dealership got a new sign. I wonder how far back their service manual goes?

 

[david hill]

Here is the update you all have been waiting for. As per Randy's request the front suspension was disassemble and bead blasted for refinishing. the upper control arms were in pretty good condition needing just a bead blast and new bushings. Below are the rest of the front suspension after new bushings and painting. Note the orientation marks and the date codes clearly legible on both lower control arms.

 

[david hill]

Always remember to tap your torsion bars far enough forward to allow the retainer clip adequate clearance to seat.

 

[david hill]

I made wittness marks on both upper control arm eccentric cams on both sides to keep the initial alignment close. The aligment was still way off, my guess it was aligned w/ bad control arm bushings present. As it turned out I used my bubble level a fixed to the front brake rotor w/ the dust caps removed. Randy confirmed it was very close at the alignment shop.

 

[73 New Yorker]

Driving back from a local car show September 24th my car started to lose power. When I tried to give it more gas I heard a loud pop and saw a small cloud of black smoke come out of the back of the car. When I checked under the car I noticed both mufflers were bulging. I had the car towed to my local garage. I told my mechanic to take his time getting it back to me. I was hoping it wasn't an internal engine problem.

This past weekend I received a text telling me the car was ready. Turns out it was mostly an ignition problem. The carburetor also needed tuning.

The following is a list of parts that were tested & replaced:
Remanufactured Distributor
Distributor Rotor
Ignition Module
Ignition Coil
External Voltage Regulator
Spark Plugs (black from running rich)
Heater Valve (leaking anti freeze)
Tuned Carburetor

I only had time to take it out for a 15 minute drive yesterday but it ran as well as it ever has since I've owned it. Even though the mufflers are misshaped the car doesn't sound much different. Since the car will be in storage soon I'm thinking about waiting until next spring to have the mufflers replaced. Does any one see a problem with that?

 

[73 New Yorker]

Replaced both blown mufflers and the “hot rod” tips that came with the car. I think the turndowns look much better.
I was surprised when my mechanic said the cost of the mufflers actually went down. Good to know not everyone is using Covid as an excuse.