Resurrection of my 1970 Chrysler 300 Convertible

I have an original spare as well. It sits in my trunk because I haven't found a 5 on 5 spare wheel. Ok, truth be told, I haven't found one because I haven't looked for one. I figure I'll just call AAA. I hate admitting that, since I always laugh at people who can't change their own tires, but there you have it!
 
I have one of those original tires too. I decided not to use it as a spare... A 47 year old tire might not get me home.


My 64 crew cab still had the original spare under it when I shreaded a tire one day. I lowered it out, mounted it and eased it down off the jack. It had about 15 lbs of air in it and got me to a air machine three miles away. I pumped it up and it got me the additional 7 miles home. It had cracks so big you could almost see the air.
 
My 64 crew cab still had the original spare under it when I shreaded a tire one day. I lowered it out, mounted it and eased it down off the jack. It had about 15 lbs of air in it and got me to a air machine three miles away. I pumped it up and it got me the additional 7 miles home. It had cracks so big you could almost see the air.
Last "on the road" flat I had was 100 miles away and in a rain storm.... I fully expect the next flat to be under similar circumstances....
 
Well, here we are, the end of a very rainy 8th season of this project for 2018. I was not able to get the car out of the garage as many times as I would have liked, but was still able check some items off the list.

First up, I spent the better part of a Saturday carefully bending and fitting a looooong steal line from the front to the back.
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Of course, I went one bend too far.

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Not to be discouraged, I ordered new stainless with the correct sized chip guard and started over. I was very satisfied with the results.

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Next, the rear brake hose was giving me fits since the "correct" part was too short. I ended up ordering an additional front hose and that did the trick.

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Finally got the calipers cleaned, painted and installed with new lining and hoses. I still have not figured out how to install the anti-rattle wires. I see that most installers just leave them off.
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Old and new pads side by side. the new ones are noticeably thinner.

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One of the only nice days for an outside shot.

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So many pedals, so little time! Why the heck did Chrysler have make so many variations? I went with the the larger, non-adjustable.

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Finally got the calipers cleaned, painted and installed with new lining and hoses. I still have not figured out how to install the anti-rattle wires. I see that most installers just leave them off.
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Old and new pads side by side. the new ones are noticeably thinner.

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One of the only nice days for an outside shot.

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James: Your work is truly beautiful. Very nice job.
 
The booster backing plate and foam. Again with the variations, although the one on the left is from '73 with the integral boot. Though that was cleaner, but I when with the original.

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Made my own gasket.

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Not too shabby with the new master.

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James: Your work is truly beautiful. Very nice job.
Thanks! I swore this was only going to be a driver, but when I'm finished I will have touched, cleaned and painted every nut and bolt on this thing. It still may only end up looking like a used car, but it will drive nice.

:steering:
 
The e-brake bracket needed some attention, and re-welding.

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I was originally going to go with this e-brake unit from the '73, but decided to not complicate things. That extra vacuum pod must be the reason for the narrower brake pedal.

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For the main brake pedal bracket I had a choice between two very rusty parts or the cleaner one from the '73.

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I examined them and saw no difference between 1969-1970 and 1973, so I went with the cleaner one. Fits perfectly.

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With everything installed I realized I did not have the correct clips to attach the e-brake cable to the rear frame bracket. They are not the same as the clips that hold the brake hoses in place. I specifically visited Inline Tube at Carlisle and asked about the special clips but they looked at me like I had two heads. They do list them on the website, but again, I'm not paying $5 each plus shipping for two cents worth of metal. I eventually found them on my way out of the meet, both in a little baggy, stapled to a peg board for $2. OCD does have it's benefits.

:)

Next up, heater box rebuild.....twice.
 
Once again, I had some choices to make. I had two heater boxes from 1970 and a nice clean one from 1973. The first thing I did was line everything up and closely examine the differences. For the most part, 1973 used many carry-over parts and part numbers. Since I'm not really a numbers guy, I looked at the parts for functionality. I started with the blower motor housing. For 1970 there is a timing sensor mounted in a hole in the front, that was eliminated in '73. I had a crack-free housing for '70, so I used that one.

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The heater box had some changes, notably in the way the blend door linkage was configured. They appear to do the same function, so I went with the cleaner 1973 box.

1970 (notice the kick plate cover):
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1973:
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The lower vent cover was also changed in '73, from bolts to tension clips.

1970:
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1973 (cover still attached):

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The cores were the same as were the evaporator for the ac.

Everything was taken apart, scrubbed clean and set out to dry.

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I purchased the heater box rebuild kit from DMT.

Mopar C Body 69-73 AC Heater Box Resto Rebuild Kit Set Fury Polara Newport DMT | eBay

I can't say enough about Detroit Muscle Technologies (DMT). I wish they could make all the parts I need, their attention to detail is extraordinary.

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Laser cut and labeled:

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One thing to note. When the instructions say to use 3m 77 spray adhesive and 3m black trim adhesive, don't go with the cheapo stuff. As stated earlier, you will end up doing the job twice!

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Cheapo trim adhesive clogged and adhered to everything but the part:
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Beyond that, it was very simple to apply the foams and then put everything back together. It also helped to have a reference box, and plenty of photos.

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A couple of notes. I was unsure how to apply this extra long foam for the evaporator. I took apart another box for reference and could see that it was extended into the box like this:

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Also, the new foam around the evaporator tubes was thin and narrower than the original. When I bolted the box to the firewall there was a noticeable gap. I ended up salvaging the original foams in the corners to use instead. It was a much better fit.

DMT foam:

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Original on the left:
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Spliced in:
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The blower motor was crusty but still worked well. I still couldn't resist taking it apart to be cleaned and painted.

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Simulated before and after:

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Firewall coming along:
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