Progress on my 61 Chrysler build

[robndi43]

Been a while since I've posted on my car. Busy making a living and taking care of a sick wife to play very much.

Purists will hate me, but it's what I want.

Going with a 440, but claiming 413. Motor is 1971. Carberation is a 69 six pack set up. It's already all rebuilt and ready to go, if I ever get the engine bay prepped and the motor in.
Have test fired the 440 in the donor car with the 4 barrel carb. Ran great.
Also pulling the pushbutton 727 and installing an A833 4 speed tranny.
Painted the valve covers in original gold colors and applied new 413 Golden Lion decals.

Painted the six pack air cleaner lid and shipped it off to an airbrush artist in Louisiana to paint the lion on top of it. I've enclosed a picture of the design, but its in black and white. He will do it in color and make it larger than I could with my printer.
It will also have the words CHRYSLER GOLDEN LION at the top and 413 SIX PACK at the bottom of the lip around the edge. The lettering will be red to match the red on the valve cover decals.
Aluminum factory 6 pack intake manifold, has been powder coated in Aluminum.

Going to use a hydroboost brake system from an Astro Van as the cam will take too much vacuum from the power brake . Have a late model New Yorker front disc brake system to slow the go down.

Scored a cool interior from a 73 New Yorker. It has the front buckets with buddy seat. The backseat has the fold down arm rest in the center. Drivers seat is six way power. Have all the seat and shoulder belts with hardware to .

Some pictures to follow:

 

[live4theking]

Well, it is yours so have some fun with it. You could've gotten valve cover decals made with 440 instead of 413 rather easily, regardless. Anyway it looks like you have a plan put together for it.

 

[robndi43]

Well, it is yours so have some fun with it. You could've gotten valve cover decals made with 440 instead of 413 rather easily, regardless. Anyway it looks like you have a plan put together for it.

Didn't want 440 decals. 440 is a punched out and stroked 413. Same family.
did it intentionally as I Wanted to claim 413 anyway, since that was an engine available for 1961.
Think it'll have some heads scratching when they see the 413 six pack with all the Golden Lion stuff too!
I like different!
Thanks for the comments!

 

[Snotty]

did it intentionally as I Wanted to claim 413 anyway, since that was an engine available for 1961.
I like different!

OK, so why not claim it to be a 440 as it is; that's different.

It's your car, do with it as you want, but I don't get this decision.

By the way, if those valve covers only have 4 holes, you're going to have an interesting time installing them on 6 hole 440 heads.

 

[Davea Lux]

This will be an interesting sleeper when you get it done. Have you been able to locate pedals for the stick setup? Those are sometimes a hard item to find. There is a work around for the low vacuum from a big cam. You can use a Mopar vacuum pump off a later model with fuel injection, this setup does not use manifold vacuum to power the booster unit. Snotty is correct, those valve covers are for the early closed chamber heads and can't be readily adapted to the later style head.

Dave

 

[65sporty]

Interesting build, I will be following along.

 

[thrashingcows]

By the way, if those valve covers only have 4 holes, you're going to have an interesting time installing them on 6 hole 440 heads.

Good eye....I think those are only 4 hole valve covers, you can see the ends of them in the pic of the six pack carb and air cleaner and I can't make out any bolt holes.

 

[Snotty]

Good eye....I think those are only 4 hole valve covers, you can see the ends of them in the pic of the six pack carb and air cleaner and I can't make out any bolt holes.

Thanks. I had the same on my '62 413. Always wanted to put custom covers on, but none came in that style.

 

[robndi43]

Well, thanks for the education!
Now in search of 440 valve covers. Painted these before I bought the 440. Have a low mileage 413 in the garage from a 59 Imperial that I was going to use. then found this motor and tranny combination and decided to go this route instead.
Didn't realize until tonight that there was a difference.
Part of my tuition of getting back into MOPARs this late in my life.
If it was AMC, I could do it blindfolded. Spoiled as everything that bolts to the outside of one AMC motor will bolt to another with only a couple exceptions due to years.
The 304 and 360 AMC motor will share every part with the exception of pistons.
Rods, Crank etc. Interchange in those two. Piston bore the only exception. Only other issue is, on the 360 heads, the valves are larger than the 304. 360 heads will work on the 304 if you champher the edge of the cylinder bore to allow the valve to clear.

Well, not a big deal, just source a set of 440 covers and do it over. I have another set of spare decals anyway. If this is the biggest mistake I make in my learning curve, I'll be happy!

I have the pedals and the tunnel opening for the shifter from the 75 rust bucket Plymouth Road Runner donor car that everything else came from.
If I cant fabricate them to work, and I haven't even looked at it yet, then I know where two 62 Chrysler non letter 300 stick shift parts cars are.
Glad to know now verses when I start to put them on later.
One thing I still don't know yet, is if that 6 pack air cleaner will clear the A/C /heater box on the firewall of my Newport without modification.
Haven't had time to deal with it while working and taking care of my wife with Alzheimer's.
That will be an interesting day when I see if that will work easier than I'm expecting.

 

[robndi43]

This will be an interesting sleeper when you get it done. Have you been able to locate pedals for the stick setup? Those are sometimes a hard item to find. There is a work around for the low vacuum from a big cam. You can use a Mopar vacuum pump off a later model with fuel injection, this setup does not use manifold vacuum to power the booster unit. Snotty is correct, those valve covers are for the early closed chamber heads and can't be readily adapted to the later style head.

Dave

Hmm!
I'll have to research this vacuum pump thing out. This is all a big time learning curve for me.
Is this pump something that is belt driven and attatched to the engine?
What cars had that set up that I can both research the workings and if I decided to go that route, scrounge up the parts?

 

[robndi43]

The purists would have really blown a gasket had I of done the roof swap with a 61 Plymouth Fury that I considered.
Measurements across the roof at the front and from back to front were spot on. The problem is the Fury roof tapers as it goes back and is 3" narrower than the Chrysler across the back. It coukd be done, but beyond my wallet to pull it off. I love yhat Fury roofline though. My friend that welds and I are still mulling it over, but not looking favorable at this time. It'd be tough getting the rear windows to roll up without some major modifications.

I have an artist rendition of the look.
Also a picture of my potential 61 Plymouth donor car for the roof, rear windows and other componets.

 

[thrashingcows]

I would grab all the fury roof and any other parts you think you might need now before those parts either disappear or the car gets crushed. I think that would be a super cool mod though!!

 

[robndi43]

I would grab all the fury roof and any other parts you think you might need now before those parts either disappear or the car gets crushed. I think that would be a super cool mod though!!

Car won't get crushed. It's on a farm with around 200 mopars mid 50s through mid 60s. He sells cars, parts and restores 5-6 cars per year. There is a 61 Dart Phoenix there with the same roof also.
Still trying to work out a solution for how narrow the Fury is across the rear of the roof.
If we can solve that, and it wouldn't break the bank, I'd go for it.
I can get everything I need off of the car for $700.00.

 

[Snotty]

I have the pedals and the tunnel opening for the shifter from the 75 rust bucket Plymouth Road Runner donor car that everything else came from.
then I know where two 62 Chrysler non letter 300 stick shift parts cars are.

You had better check the fit on those pedals too. A Road Runner of any year is a B Body, quite smaller and different from a Chrysler, as well as a C Body (which your car technically is not.) I would grab the pedals from those '62s as quick as possible if they are still available. I don't know if that RR tunnel will fit either. Might have to do some fabricating.

Ah, another AMC man! My Son and I built a '73 Gremlin X using a 401 from a '77 Wagoneer. You are very right about those external dimensions, but squeezing the "high deck" 401 into a place where only a 304 had fit was fun!!! (Car was originally a 258.)

 

[Davea Lux]

Hmm!
I'll have to research this vacuum pump thing out. This is all a big time learning curve for me.
Is this pump something that is belt driven and attatched to the engine?
What cars had that set up that I can both research the workings and if I decided to go that route, scrounge up the parts?

The vacuum pump is electric and does not need a belt etc. The later 6BBL and 6Pack cars were not offered with A/C because the air cleaner would not clear the compressor.

Dave

 

[robndi43]

The vacuum pump is electric and does not need a belt etc. The later 6BBL and 6Pack cars were not offered with A/C because the air cleaner would not clear the compressor.

Dave

I'll look into the vacuum pump. What car could I scrounge the junk yards in search of one?

There is an aftermarket company that I have in my notes, that sells an aftermarket AC set up for six pack cars.
The impending issue is the plastic box on the firewall. Wondering if that will clear. Haven't had time to investigate that yet.

 

[robndi43]

You had better check the fit on those pedals too. A Road Runner of any year is a B Body, quite smaller and different from a Chrysler, as well as a C Body (which your car technically is not.) I would grab the pedals from those '62s as quick as possible if they are still available. I don't know if that RR tunnel will fit either. Might have to do some fabricating.

Ah, another AMC man! My Son and I built a '73 Gremlin X using a 401 from a '77 Wagoneer. You are very right about those external dimensions, but squeezing the "high deck" 401 into a place where only a 304 had fit was fun!!! (Car was originally a 258.)

View attachment 324887 View attachment 324888

Haven't had time yo check that pedal layout yet. Those 2 62s have been on this farm for a while. He has about 200 mid 50s-mid 60s Mopars on his property. buys and sells all the time. I'm getting the pushbutton block off plate out of it too.

I race a 401 mid 10 second spirit. Building a 417 Stroker motor that should put me in the mid 9s

 

[Snotty]

Always liked the Spirit body. Converted our Gremlin to front disks by getting the parts off of a '79 Spirit.

Those block-out plates are getting very hard to find, so good that you were able to find one.

 

[robndi43]

Always liked the Spirit body. Converted our Gremlin to front disks by getting the parts off of a '79 Spirit.

Those block-out plates are getting very hard to find, so good that you were able to find one.

If you noticed, I don't have the Spirit quad headlight Factory front end on my car.
It has the front clip from a one year, one model only, 78 Concord AMX. I like round headlights.

 

[Davea Lux]

I'll look into the vacuum pump. What car could I scrounge the junk yards in search of one?

There is an aftermarket company that I have in my notes, that sells an aftermarket AC set up for six pack cars.
The impending issue is the plastic box on the firewall. Wondering if that will clear. Haven't had time to investigate that yet.

The vacuum set up I saw was on a street rod with a blower. The guy who built it said he used the pump and booster from a Dodge Caravan with front discs and rear drums.

Dave