Meet Snow White, my 1970 N-code Dodge Polara Convertible

[ayilar]

@71Polara383 is in the process of replacing Snow White's front and rear bumpers with re-plated 1970 Dodge Polara bumpers that I bought from @58Desoto (with that objective in mind) in December 2021.

I will be taking the opportunity to replace the following lenses:

taillight lenses (left P/N 3420721 ; right P/N 3420720 )
front sidemarker lenses (left P/N 3420867 which supersedes 3403445 ; right P/N 3420866 )
rear side marker light lenses (right P/N 3420868 which supersedes 3403462 ; left P/N 3420869 which supersedes 3403463 )

all with NOS units.

 

[ayilar]

Many thanks to Len Dawson (Deception Pass Motor Parts) and @marty mopar (Arizona Parts) for shipping the various lenses back in late April. They arrived safely at @71Polara383. Fast and safe shipping, fair prices, excellent parts, what more can one want?

In related matters, Snow White's front and rear valances need replacing. The front valance is bent, as seen in this Dec. 11, 2019 photo taken by @71Polara383 (when the car was delivered for R&R):

(Edit, 6-25-2023: here are two photos I took yesterday, at the end of the Volo return trip)

The rear valance, in Wyatt's words yesterday, "is kinda beat up and it's got an 1/8" to a 1/4" inch of filler on it."

Wyatt and I had been looking for years for better valances, to no avail. Last week, however, Wyatt found two NOS valances for sale on eBay and I bought them. Here are some photos:

1. front valance P/N 2998637 (eBay):

(notice the slight wave, Wyatt tells me that it is easily fixable)

2. rear valance P/N 2962804 (eBay):

 

[saforwardlook]

Many thanks to Len Dawson (Deception Pass Motor Parts) and @marty mopar (Arizona Parts) for shipping the various lenses back in late April. They arrived safely at @71Polara383. Fast and safe shipping, fair prices, excellent parts, what more can one want?

In related matters, Snow White's front and rear valances need replacing. The front valance is bent, as seen in this Dec. 11, 2019 photo taken by @71Polara383 (when the car was delivered for R&R):

View attachment 602555

The rear valance, in Wyatt's words yesterday, "is kinda beat up and it's got an 1/8" to a 1/4" inch of filler on it."

Wyatt and I had been looking for years for better valances, to no avail. Last week, however, Wyatt found two NOS valances for sale on eBay and I bought them. Here are some photos:

1. front valance P/N 2998637 (eBay):

View attachment 602556

View attachment 602559
(notice the slight wave, Wyatt tells me that it is easily fixable)

View attachment 602560

View attachment 602561

View attachment 602562



2. rear valance P/N 2962804 (eBay):

View attachment 602563

View attachment 602564

View attachment 602565

Wyatt is a miracle worker to be able to find 2 of them no less and nos to boot!!

 

[ayilar]

Wyatt is a miracle worker to be able to find 2 of them no less and nos to boot!!

Miracle is the word. He had sourced an NOS valance for one of his cars from a member 2-3 years back, but neither of us had seen any (front or rear) since then. I don't know the odds of two different sellers' posting front and rear NOS valances the same week on eBay, but I'd say they must be really, really low. I am glad that he saw them, grateful that he gave me a heads up, and excited that he'll be prepping them and installing them this summer.

 

[fury fan]

NOS lenses, rechromed bumpers, new top is planned - rest of the car's gonna look like crap. When's the paintjob?

 

[ayilar]

@71Polara383 has been chasing a vibration that was never fully solved/addressed on Snow White. A few days ago, he changed the harmonic balancer (using one he had saved from a car that he'd parted out, after Wyatt triple-checked that all the BBs with forged cranks use the same balancer) because it appeared to have slipped -- causing a misalignment of the pulleys. Things are lined up better now, so that was definitely an issue resolved.

Before (with the water pump pulley almost touching the power steering belt):

After:

 

[ayilar]

Unfortunately, a vibration still persists. It's felt in park/neutral/gear, suggesting that it is engine/rpm-related and not coming from the driveline.

--> to rule out one possibility, we will be changing the engine mounts (good thing to do in any event, as those on Snow White are still OK but showing their age). I have purchased an extra a set of Mity Mounts and they will be going on (hopefully before the Volo show this coming weekend).

 

[Boydsdodge]

Has there been trans work done? Torque converter may have weights when it should not.

 

[ayilar]

Has there been trans work done? Torque converter may have weights when it should not.

Thank you for the suggestion, but Wyatt tell me he has "checked all the normal or obvious things to check." That's why we are at mounts. It's another thing to elimate from the list of possibilities.

It happens in park, in neutral, and in gear. And it is consistent with engine RPM.

More thoughts?

 

[Boydsdodge]

Unless your mounts are pretty much metal to metal, it might be that.
How is your firing order?
It's a pain in the *** but easier then changing out balancer, has the top dead centre been checked in relation to balancer TDC?
Compression test?
Cam shaft lobe going.

 

[ayilar]

Wyatt does not think it's a firing order issue. Snow doesn't miss or stumble, and the engine (which was rebuilt professionally under prior ownership) runs strong. Regardless, he says that he can check. Thank you for the suggestion you sent via PM re: how to find the Top Dead Center (TDC):

 

[Boydsdodge]

Flex plate tight, maybe crack? Try undoing all the belts and run it.

 

[fury fan]

Has there been trans work done? Torque converter may have weights when it should not.

I immediately wondered this also.

My 70 300 with 440TNT had a very mild shake as described. Mild enough that I could put ~3000 miles on it.
Upon removing the trans to change a very worn input bushing, I discovered the converter had no weights on it (as a 70-71 440HP should).

Snow White would not need the weights on the converter, of course, but if someone had installed a converter from a 360 for some reason - that would cause a problem.
But if Wyatt has verified, then it's something else.

EDIT - seeing an old post 1970 chrysler 300 converter picture?, what I typed above is not correct memory.
The converter DID have the weights on it, but what I discovered on the converter was some missing teeth on the ring gear. Due to that being closest to the OD, perhaps it was the imbalance I felt.

 

[Boydsdodge]

Is it the original engine? It was mentioned that the engine was rebuilt in it's past. Not unheard of shops grabbing a reman short block, maybe it has a cast crank.

 

[ayilar]

Is it the original engine? It was mentioned that the engine was rebuilt in it's past. Not unheard of shops grabbing a reman short block, maybe it has a cast crank.

Numbers matching.

 

[ayilar]

Snow White would not need the weights on the converter, of course, but if someone had installed a converter from a 360 for some reason - that would cause a problem.
But if Wyatt has verified, then it's something else.

Is it the original engine? It was mentioned that the engine was rebuilt in it's past. Not unheard of shops grabbing a reman short block, maybe it has a cast crank.

When I acquired the car, I got a bunch of documents with maintenance records going back to 1986. There is no guarantee that the history is complete, but it does have the detailed bill for the engine rebuild in 1990 (if memory serves, the car changed ownership in 1990 when it was at the machine shop).

The block was cleaned, bored over +030 and painted, but it is the original block AFAIK. FWIW, I looked at my records last night and found no evidence of any converter work/change.

I confirmed, when buying the car, that the engine is numbers-matching -- here are two photos taken by Wyatt on Dec. 11, 2019 (when he receptioned Snow White).

PS: I am adding two photos below, confirming that the engine is an F-date (1970) 383.

 

[Boydsdodge]

When I acquired the car, I got a bunch of documents with maintenance records going back to 1986. There is no guarantee that the history is complete, but it does have the detailed bill for the engine rebuild in 1990 (if memory serves, the car changed ownership in 1990 when it was at the machine shop).

View attachment 602773

The block was cleaned, bored over +030 and painted, but it is the original block AFAIK. FWIW, I looked at my records last night and found no evidence of any converter work/change.

PS: I confirmed, when buying the car, that the engine is numbers-matching -- here are two photos taken by Wyatt on Dec. 11, 2019 (when he receptioned Snow White).

Might need to be balanced after the new pistons, I did a quick search of the part number and came up with
"OHIO 991P Engine Piston 383
fits model: Std. make: Dodge, Chrysler. year: 1959-71–1963-71."

 

[ayilar]

@71Polara383 drove Snow White to get an alignment at a shop recommended by @sixpkrt (after she was brought back on the road, we discovered that she pulls pretty strongly to the right; some front end work was done by Wyatt, and it was time for an alignment).

The drive was over an hour, and Wyatt said that she drove smoothly at 50-55mph: above 60mph, though, the vibration appears in the top gear.

Here she is in McHenry.

 

[saforwardlook]

@71Polara383 drove Snow White to McHenry today, in order to get an alignment at a shop recommended by @sixpkrt (after she was brought back on the road, we discovered that she pulls pretty strongly to the right; some front end work was done by Wyatt, and it was time for an alignment).

The drive was over an hour, and Wyatt said that she drove smoothly at 50-55mph: above 60mph, though, the vibration appears in the top gear.

She will stay at that shop till Saturday morning, as it is close to the Volo show, and I will pick her up Saturday morning in time for the 7th C-Body show.

Here she is in McHenry.

View attachment 602950

I guess I have been under the impression the source of the vibration had been traced to the engine but now indicating that the vibration appears above 60 mph in top gear makes me suspect it could well be something else.............................such as driveshaft balance or something similar.......................

That is a sharp looking convertible with the road wheels on it!

 

[ayilar]

I guess I have been under the impression the source of the vibration had been traced to the engine but now indicating that the vibration appears above 60 mph in top gear makes me suspect it could well be something else.............................such as driveshaft balance or something similar.......................

Sorry for any confusion: as reported by Wyatt (I will not drive Snow till Saturday), the vibration appears above a certain number of RPMs. On motorways, in top gear, this RPM level happens to correspond to 60-65mph. But I asked him the exact same question (before reading your post), and he confirmed that the vibration is there in park, neutral, and 1-2-3 gears -- which is why we think that it is engine related.

I guess I have been under the impression the source of the vibration had been traced to the engine but now indicating that the vibration appears above 60 mph in top gear makes me suspect it could well be something else.............................such as driveshaft balance or something similar.......................

That is a sharp looking convertible with the road wheels on it!

Thank you, I agree -- I really like the simple black-and-white color scheme! Wyatt has buffed the paint and cleaned up the car, and his work shows. She will look even better after the rechromed front bumper and the new front and rear valances are installed, and the lower rear quarters are repainted (they do not need metal work, luckily, but some tidying up would be good -- EW1 should be "easy" to blend in).

PS: There is a bit of work to do on the Dutchman panel, too, but that is for later this summer (when a new top is also scheduled to be installed). At that point, the only thing left will be the radio.