Yep, that's what I saw that evening. Gotta love that fold back at the rearward 25%. Must have been a little "pop" that did that.
Poppy, my first C-body
- Thread starter ayilar
- Start date
Definitely a very avoidable mistake was made by the previous shop since a quick inspection of the rocker shaft issue is very easy to spot. I was also wondering why the "top end" was removed in the first place to fix a cooling system issue given the low miles on the car unless the cooling system was never serviced and there was considerable rusty sludge accumulated in the block passages. I am glad a car that nice is now in the right hands. I do believe, however, that the oil in the engine looks pretty clean at least indicating it has had proper lube change intervals. Hopefully there are no other secondary problems due to the debris that has been in the engine oil. Changing the oil filter numerous times may have avoided any further issues. A Polara convertible that nice deserves a good outcome........................ Thanks once again David for keeping us informed of your expert work.
You were also very helpful when you showed us clearly what the issue has been with the remanufactured heater cores that was an issue with Ayilar's 70 blue 300 convertible. You are becoming a legend!
You were also very helpful when you showed us clearly what the issue has been with the remanufactured heater cores that was an issue with Ayilar's 70 blue 300 convertible. You are becoming a legend!
Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
DAYUM!
I have made various posts here and there about Poppy, my 1970 Polara convertible, but I never created a thread for her. Early on, back in 2018, I made a number of posts in her "For Sale" thread. I had planned on using the latter as the news page for the car but, after all FCBO FS threads started getting locked 30 days post-sale, that stopped being possible. In any event, save for bringing Poppy back to the same shop to solve an overheating issue 2.5 years ago (leading to top end work — done by the same MD shop), there was not much to post about Poppy beside the trips on which I took her as she was and remained in very good shape.
So, why create a Poppy thread now? I did build garage for her, after all! Well, Poppy arrived today in Indy, where @david hill will be giving her the attention that she needs after 5 years of driving with me (especially the engine, which experienced issues when I was driving her with @Trace 300 Hurst last fall). Like all my other C-bodies, I will take the opportunity to document the condition of the car and what is being done to her -- so I am starting this thread, which is dedicated to her.
Her fender tag is here, decoded here. DL27G0D170979 has few options, yet her ER6 Red livery makes her look like a million dollars. Indeed, when she was first listed for sale in 2014, the asking price was an even $200k! Four years later, in March 2018, I acquired her for (far) less from her second owner of 40 years
What is low, and makes her special, are the miles: Poppy had just over 31k miles when I bought her. She spent all of her life with two owners in Pottstown, PA: they were neighbors and, after the first owner passed away in 1978, his widow sold the car to her neighbor and his son (from whom I made the acquisition in 2018). The son drove the car in the mid-Atlantic all the way to Rehoboth Beach, and told me that he was meticulous about washing her underside -- which, together with the factory undercoating, likely explains the fact that the lack of rust.
Poppy was dusty but in great cosmetic shape when I bought her (excellent paint, impeccable interior) as shown in the photos that @polara71 took in 2014. Of course, she had been sitting for 32 years, so she needed a complete mechanical go-over. A classic Mopar specialist from Maryland, recommended by @Imperialist67, did the work in a timely manner -- and here is the result at her first (2018) Carlisle:
Almost 5 years later, Poppy has yet to pass the 35k miles mark -- but I do drive her, she has been on quite a few multi-hours runs, and she has gone to Carlisle four times already. The only year when she missed the Mopar Annuals under my ownership was in 2021, when I brought instead Medina (my 1971 Monaco) for the 50-year reunion.
David will be adding to this thread, as he documents the work that he will be doing so that I can enjoy her for years to come.
I have grown rather fond of this Polara over the years, and have enjoyed numerous rides in it - glad it's getting some needed attention....... keep us posted!
Thank you all for the comments. I had a long conversation with @david hill yesterday, and the news is good -- he'll post an update soon. Let's just say that after my ordering the following items, he'll install them, work his magic, and Poppy should be good to go. Once we are convinced that she is running perfectly, David will take the opportunity to lubricate the chassis and to go through the car with a fine comb.
I got the Melling MR892 and MR893 rocker arms, MPR324 push rods, and VL400 exhaust valve from Summit. They did not have their V1329 exhaust valve in stock, but I found one on eBay (I seldom buy from there, but every online store I have bought from in the past was out of the Melling V1329). The Fel-Pro set, I got from RockAuto as it was the only place (save Amazon) where I could source it for immediate delivery. And, of course, I got the OEM points and condensers from @halifaxhops
I got the Melling MR892 and MR893 rocker arms, MPR324 push rods, and VL400 exhaust valve from Summit. They did not have their V1329 exhaust valve in stock, but I found one on eBay (I seldom buy from there, but every online store I have bought from in the past was out of the Melling V1329). The Fel-Pro set, I got from RockAuto as it was the only place (save Amazon) where I could source it for immediate delivery. And, of course, I got the OEM points and condensers from @halifaxhops
I know, I am looking! See my post requesting recommendations re: dual exhausts for a 1972 Chrysler here.
Parts delays postponed reassembly. One of the more notable finds here was the total lack of proper reassembly procedures. Almost all fasteners were under torqued. effected items were intake manifold, Cyl. heads, and exhaust manifolds. Not to be left out the carb base gasket was reused and the limit sleeves removed. A new gasket will be used on reassembly. All valve guides were checked for proper clearance and the valve seats for correct valve fitment. Rockers and rocker shafts were thoroughly cleaned and examined for unusual wear. If you look at the photos closely, supperfical wear marks on the rocker shafts is visible. Not the heavy carbon build up in the combustion chambers.
I still owe this group the muffler dimensions from my 1971 Chrysler 440 standard (single exhaust with resonator) and HP engines (dual exhaust without resonators) still with their original exhaust systems - I should have them all by the end of this week. I will also look to see if there are any differences between the Imperials and the 300s/New Yorkers with the T code engines ( I only own one 1971 Newport and it has a replacement dual exhaust system, so it will hot be helpful).
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All threaded holes were chased and all assembly bolts were cleaned. Prior to install each bolt was dipped in ATF, then properly torqued. Another unexpected finding was the amount of wear where the push rods rode in the rocker arms. The wear was significant enough to warrant all the remaining rockers and push rods to be replaced. The upper rad. hose was a bit bloated so off to file 13 it went. New contact points and condenser are overdue as well. Startup went well w/ good oil circulation to both rocker shafts. The transmission mount found sagging a bit and was replaced w/ a polyurethane mount. Heater controls are next on the list of repairs as the temp and mode movement is pretty stiff.
Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
Did I say Dayum? Dayum!
Michel and I are lucky we didn't have to walk back to DC from the winery....
Thank you very much, that'll be great -- as soon as I have the info, I will contact Waldron's Exhaust.
rags
Senior Member
did you replace the rocker shafts as well? it's the right thing to do with all new rockers. wear area to the left looks decent. one to the right looks black and scored. maybe it's just the light.
The cause of the discoloration is from the available light when the photo was taken. The rocker shafts were mic'd and spot on factory specs.
OK, what I am seeing on my 71 Chryslers and Imperials with single exhaust is that the muffler cans themselves are the same on both the single and dual exhaust vehicles - they nominally measure 25" long and 10" wide and 5" tall.
On the dual exhaust cars, they use two of these mufflers, one on each of the dual exhaust pipes and they are positioned just before the tailpipes start to bend upward just ahead of the rear axle and there are no resonators.
On the single exhaust systems the muffler is the same dimensions as each of the dual exhaust ones and are located in the same position just ahead of where the exhaust pipe starts to kick up ahead of the rear axle. These single exhaust systems use resonators with cans that are nominally 21" long and 4.5" in circumference.
It seems most muffler lengths in the catalogs include some inlet pipe and outlet pipe, so overall dimensions of the whole muffler would be about 4" more (about 2" of pipe on the inlet and outlet of the cans). I will also post this same information in the muffler thread.
Steve
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I talked with Waldron's today, and learned that -- between the time when I first called them two weeks ago and now -- they had made the correct OEM-specs muffler for Poppy! Total cost is $165. (PS: they also had a mild-imposter muffler in stainless steel ready to ship, but I went with the OEM-quiet setup).
The new muffler should reach @david hill next week. Wonderful communication with Ruth and Beth -- those folks know their stuff and they know customer service.
The new muffler should reach @david hill next week. Wonderful communication with Ruth and Beth -- those folks know their stuff and they know customer service.
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Another of Michel's requests was to improve the operation of the dash heater controls. The temp blend door was very stiff. Glove box removal allowed access to the temp blend door cable. With it disconnected the blend door and the dash controls moved freely. Moving the cable to its furthest travel in both directions and lubing w/ air tool oil, (the lightest grade lube I could find), many many times w/ the cable pointed upward and extending its travel back and forth proper operation was restored. The lighting illumination of the heater controls was pretty poor. I disassembled the assemb. and polished the reflective surfaces. Part of the control base was plated that was quite dull. Using Bare Metal Foil, I cover those surfaces to aid in illumination. The results were quite amazing. See pics below.
The next of Michel's requests was to check and improve rear quarter window operation. they were very stiff and in need of lubrication in the worst way, almost bone dry. The next two photos show just how poorly adjusted both were.
The Cat whiskers were completely dry out and mashed flat by the poor adjustment. check the photo below.
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