For Sale Hidden headlight Grill Motor $595?

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1970FuryConv

1970FuryConv

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Not mine: saw this while browsing Fury parts. $595 Buy It Now
Price seems insanely high. Going to have mine rebuilt at some point. Not interested in this motor, but wanted to know: Does it really fit all these applications? What do you think this motor is worth?

"Don't waste your time on remanufactured when you can get NOS right now. Charger, 300, Sport Fury, Cordoba and Magnum, etc. NOS MoPar #3431438 headlamp door actuating motor for most Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler cars, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979."
1970 1971 1972-74-79 Charger Cordoba 300 Sport Fury Headlight MOTOR NOS MoPar | eBay
s-l500.jpg
 
I tried checking part numbers on this one, but it's impossible to tell exactly because of all the superseded part numbers. I believe there are at least four different motors, the main difference between them being only the switch plates. Some were set up to stop in slightly different locations than others, with the possible exception of the one for the '72-'73 Monacos, which may be more different. I put a later NOS motor in my '72 Fury and it really slams the doors closed because the stops on the switch plate aren't quite in the right spot. It's probably for an '81-'83 Imperial.

Here's what I came up with:

2889247 1968 300

3431026 1969 300 and Imperial

3431437 '70-'72 Fury, '71-'72 Charger, '75-'77 Royal Monaco, '76-'78 NYB,
'75 Imperial

3431438 '70 Charger, '70-'71 300, '70-'74 Imperial

3431692 '72-'73 Monaco

4240502 '79-'81 St.Regis, '79-'81 New Yorker

4240524 '81-'83 Imperial

Part number 4240524 superseded both 3431437 and 3431438, so there couldn't have been much of a difference between the two. That's also born out by the '74 Imperial using 438 and the '75 Imperial using 437. The two earliest part numbers were probably superseded by the 437 or 438 motors, but I have no way to tell for sure.

As far as price goes, it's probably on the high side. The cheaper ones that Mitchell is selling look like they were partially under water, explaining the lesser price tag.


Jeff
 
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Speaking of hidden lights, would a 1971 Fury setup work on a 1970 Fury?
 
bigmoparjeff said:
I tried checking part numbers on this one, but it's impossible to tell exactly because of all the superseded part numbers. I believe there are at least four different motors, the main difference between them being only the switch plates. Some were set up to stop in slightly different locations than others, with the possible exception of the one for the '72-'73 Monacos, which may be more different. I put a later NOS motor in my '72 Fury and it really slams the doors closed because the stops on the switch plate aren't quite in the right spot. It's probably for an '81-'83 Imperial.

Here's what I came up with:

2889247 1968 300

3431026 1969 300 and Imperial

3431437 '70-'71 Fury, '71-'72 Charger, '75-'77 Royal Monaco, '76-'78 NYB,
'75 Imperial

3431438 '70 Charger, '70-'71 300, '70-'74 Imperial

3431692 '72-'73 Monaco

4240502 '79-'81 St.Regis, '79-'81 New Yorker

4240524 '81-'83 Imperial

Part number 4240524 superseded both 3431437 and 3431438, so there couldn't have been much of a difference between the two. That's also born out by the '74 Imperial using 438 and the '75 Imperial using 437. The two earliest part numbers were probably superseded by the 437 or 438 motors, but I have no way to tell for sure.

As far as price goes, it's probably on the high side. The cheaper ones that Mitchell is selling look like they were partially under water, explaining the lesser price tag.


Jeff
Click to expand...
 
1970FuryConv said:
Not mine: saw this while browsing Fury parts. $595 Buy It Now
Price seems insanely high. Going to have mine rebuilt at some point. Not interested in this motor, but wanted to know: Does it really fit all these applications? What do you think this motor is worth?

"Don't waste your time on remanufactured when you can get NOS right now. Charger, 300, Sport Fury, Cordoba and Magnum, etc. NOS MoPar #3431438 headlamp door actuating motor for most Dodge, Plymouth and Chrysler cars, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979."
1970 1971 1972-74-79 Charger Cordoba 300 Sport Fury Headlight MOTOR NOS MoPar | eBay
View attachment 161105
Click to expand...
Chris at www.headlightmotorman.com does high quality rebuilds of these for about $275. $595 is highway robbery for this unit, since it looks really beat up. Chris's E-Mail is: topher@headlightmotorman.com. If you tell him the application, he will set it up correctly with the proper switch plates. Takes about two weeks to get your unit back.

Dave
 
I feel like I got a good price on my working motor from a 69 300, after seeing that price. Now I just need the car to put it in. :)

Since I don't have the car I got the bracket and rod too. Thought I would post a picture for comparison, for anyone in the future this part # 3431438


1969 300 headlight motor.jpg


IMG_20180106_103928477.jpg
 
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Zymurgy said:
I feel like I got a good price on my working motor from a 69 300, after seeing that price. Now I just need the car to put it in. :)

Since I don't have the car I got the bracket and rod too. Thought I would post a picture for comparison, for anyone in the future this part # 3431438


View attachment 161142

View attachment 161152
Click to expand...

Might want to check how much amperage it is drawing, the tar waterproofing looks melted at the harness mount points. This is usually caused by a short inside someplace which causes overheating. Do not tear the motor apart as there is a very fragile bake-lite brush holder board inside the top cap that cannot be replaced.

Dave
 
Thanks for all the terrific info, especially BigMoparJeff and Davea Lux! I'll probably have Chris rebuild mine. Glad to know he corrects issues with the door closing limit/limit switch.
SF Grill Motor 7.JPG
 
Big_John said:
Here's a thread on what the inside looks like and how the different cams change how far it opens. I also give my opinion after opening up a rebuilt motor and I'll leave it at that.

Headlamp Door Motor - '69 300, Gear replacement
Click to expand...

Hi Big John. Thanks for the reminder. I ran into some serious health issues, starting in Feb 2015. I'm making a comeback now. I never did anything with my grill motor. It still opens perfectly and soundlessly. It just doesn't close, so I use the handwheel at the bottom after the very rare occasion that I drive at night. I book marked the thread you linked.
 
1970FuryConv said:
Hi Big John. Thanks for the reminder. I ran into some serious health issues, starting in Feb 2015. I'm making a comeback now. I never did anything with my grill motor. It still opens perfectly and soundlessly. It just doesn't close, so I use the handwheel at the bottom after the very rare occasion that I drive at night. I book marked the thread you linked.
Click to expand...
Are you shutting it off with the car running? The ignition has to be on for the doors to close. The lights will still shut off, but the doors won't work.

That could also be a problem with the relay... which can be replaced with a $10 Tyco relay rather than spending $$$$ for a NOS.

Glad to hear you are doing better!
 
Big_John said:
Are you shutting it off with the car running? The ignition has to be on for the doors to close. The lights will still shut off, but the doors won't work.

That could also be a problem with the relay... which can be replaced with a $10 Tyco relay rather than spending $$$$ for a NOS.

Glad to hear you are doing better!
Click to expand...
Might also be a problem with the switch plate, the contacts some times get corroded or burnt so that they do not make contact. The switch plate is located under the square hub for the drive torsion bar. John posted pics of the disassembled parts.

Dave
 
Last time I checked voltage at the connector at the motor,
HL switch on, car running, 13.95V at Blue/Yellow & 0.0V at Black/Red
Blue/Yellow is from relay & opens the grill
HL switch off, car running,13.95V at Black/Red wires & 0.0V at Blue Yellow
Black/Red is from relay & closes the grill
I thought my relay was OK. Should I be measuring Amps instead of Volts? If so, what amperage should I test for?
 
1970FuryConv said:
Last time I checked voltage at the connector at the motor,
HL switch on, car running, 13.95V at Blue/Yellow & 0.0V at Black/Red
Blue/Yellow is from relay & opens the grill
HL switch off, car running,13.95V at Black/Red wires & 0.0V at Blue Yellow
Black/Red is from relay & closes the grill
I thought my relay was OK. Should I be measuring Amps instead of Volts? If so, what amperage should I test for?
Click to expand...

There is another test that is simpler to try first. Disconnect the two wire plug from the headlight motor. Next hook one end of a wire with alligator clips to the positive terminal of the battery. Now touch the other alligator clip to one of terminals on the motor harness to see of the motor runs to the full open or closed position. If the motor runs until the doors have opened or closed, hook the alligator clip to the other terminal on the motor harness. The open or closing process should reverse. If that happens, you know the switch plate is good and your relay is bad. If the motor only runs in one direction, the switch plate is bad. Have the headlight doors about half open when you start this test.

Dave
 
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