GregG48203
Active Member
You may have to get some replacement sockets for the instrument lights. After fifty years, the plastic can get brittle, and (when the tabs break) it may result in a poor connection between the socket and circuit board.
The Road Shark - 1966 Chrysler 300 Project
- Thread starter Boomer
- Start date
Hey Boomer when you get going on the cluster fix please take a few pics as I have the same issue with mine as we discussed in another thread. I am going to pull the front seat out at the same time to get more room to work under the dash and it needs a new cover anyway but it will be 4 months before it is warm enough here to start on it. Any advice will be appreciated!
Boomer
Active Member
Will do. I recall the thread and need to refer back to it before diving in. My thoughts are to actually replace the pins on the board with wires and create a pigtail with sockets further down the line where it can easily be accessed for testing voltages. etc. I have a bunch of sockets used in 50s-60s-70s comms gear, male and female pairs that will work fine. They're still readily-available online. Everything will depend on the condition of the old circuit board. As Greg said, those old tan/brown circuit boards can get rather brittle after decades. Repairing a trace isn't a problem, replacing broken chunks tends to be. The rigidity of the board dictates a lot for holding things in place.
Taking the front seat out would definitely be a big plus. I've got buckets and it's still a pain trying to contort enough to see up under there. Add in all the A/C equipment that's in the way along with 2 fused vertebrae at the base of my skull from a previous incident and it tends to get downright annoying at times. Seems like when I was younger and more flexible, I could almost crawl up inside to work.
Amen brother! Either the working room is getting smaller or I'm getting bigger....think I know the answer
Boomer
Active Member
Okay, well.....another small update, another chance to piss and moan about the car from hell. Okay, that's not really fair, BUT...
A week or so back I had a little time and a replacement tail light socket for the one rotted out in the trunk. Decided to swap it out and do it right, vs. the last person's repair which consisted of wires twisted together and wrapped with a couple turns of electrical tape. That's fine if you break down on the highway but it really needs to be addressed soon after. Photos attached of before/after or how not to/how to.
So aside from the fact that the replacement socket isn't exactly correct (works but too short - doesn't illuminate lens fully), it works and now there is light where there was darkness. How do I know, you ask? Well, foolishly I went and turned on the headlight switch and sure enough - the lights came on. And stayed on, even after I shut the switch off. Yep, the @#&*%$!! switch is roached now as well. Not a big deal except it requires major dash surgery to get to it with the A/C vent directly below and blocking it. That's upside-down, no room to work-surgery. Since I need to pull the gauge cluster anyhow, I'm hoping I can gain access then, despite the wiper switch being between. I mean, c'mon! EVERYtime I fix something, this car repays me with something worse to fix.
Decided to take a few days off from even thinking about anything Chrysler-related as I was really close to putting a match to it. I guess the "good" side of it may be that all of the flaky light issues I was having could be cured with a switch replacement?
I know this stuff sounds petty in comparison to what many others have to go through (I haven't gotten back to the 'big' stuff yet), but I thought I was getting a car that didn't need a shitload of little things repaired constantly. That's why it pisses me off so much. Trusted the old guy I bought it from sight-unseen, should've kept the approach Stan mentioned in another thread: assume EVERYTHING will need to be repaired or replaced. Everything.
It's still a beautiful car. Just starting to wonder if, with the limited time available, it's the car for me. It still needs a floor pan repair, rear quarters repaired, trunk work, paint, a windshield and interior once it's roadworthy.
At least I got to practice my outdoor soldering skills and play with some heatshrink. Eventually I'll find a replacement socket from a parts donor (the socket unplugs from the harness, no soldering required) and do it right. For now it's a little safer to drive, if it ever ends up on the road again.
A week or so back I had a little time and a replacement tail light socket for the one rotted out in the trunk. Decided to swap it out and do it right, vs. the last person's repair which consisted of wires twisted together and wrapped with a couple turns of electrical tape. That's fine if you break down on the highway but it really needs to be addressed soon after. Photos attached of before/after or how not to/how to.
So aside from the fact that the replacement socket isn't exactly correct (works but too short - doesn't illuminate lens fully), it works and now there is light where there was darkness. How do I know, you ask? Well, foolishly I went and turned on the headlight switch and sure enough - the lights came on. And stayed on, even after I shut the switch off. Yep, the @#&*%$!! switch is roached now as well. Not a big deal except it requires major dash surgery to get to it with the A/C vent directly below and blocking it. That's upside-down, no room to work-surgery. Since I need to pull the gauge cluster anyhow, I'm hoping I can gain access then, despite the wiper switch being between. I mean, c'mon! EVERYtime I fix something, this car repays me with something worse to fix.
Decided to take a few days off from even thinking about anything Chrysler-related as I was really close to putting a match to it. I guess the "good" side of it may be that all of the flaky light issues I was having could be cured with a switch replacement?
I know this stuff sounds petty in comparison to what many others have to go through (I haven't gotten back to the 'big' stuff yet), but I thought I was getting a car that didn't need a shitload of little things repaired constantly. That's why it pisses me off so much. Trusted the old guy I bought it from sight-unseen, should've kept the approach Stan mentioned in another thread: assume EVERYTHING will need to be repaired or replaced. Everything.
It's still a beautiful car. Just starting to wonder if, with the limited time available, it's the car for me. It still needs a floor pan repair, rear quarters repaired, trunk work, paint, a windshield and interior once it's roadworthy.
At least I got to practice my outdoor soldering skills and play with some heatshrink. Eventually I'll find a replacement socket from a parts donor (the socket unplugs from the harness, no soldering required) and do it right. For now it's a little safer to drive, if it ever ends up on the road again.
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commando1
Old Man with a Hat
There's no better way to learn about your car.
Invaluable education toward your next one.
Invaluable education toward your next one.
Boomer
Active Member
Absolutely. And a good reminder about buying, too. I can fix most of what is wrong with this car, it's really just an issue of time. I thought I was getting a car that needed a windshield, heater core, fuel gauge repair, and some paint & interior work. That's what I was told by the seller when I asked very specific questions, based on the time I have available. Didn't want to get into something quite this involved, but it is what it is and we will make the best of it.
I just wanted to be driving it before now.
I just wanted to be driving it before now.
Boomer
Active Member
So yes, it's been a couple months. Finally got a little time this past week and have the following updates.
When we last checked in with the Road Shark, numerous bulbs and other simple tasks had been completed. And in typical style, as soon as something was fixed, something broke. At that time, the headlight switch decided to short 'on' which required unhooking the battery when not working on the car or the parking lights stayed on.
Went out a couple weeks back with the wee one so she could sit in the seat and yank on the steering wheel of her preschool car. Decided to hook up the battery so she could blow the horn. Voila - no horn.
Left things alone until this past week when I decided to get after the effed-up mess known as the carburetor linkage. As evidenced in the separate Linkage thread( 1966 300 & Similar: Kickdown Linkage Questions ), it did not go very well due to a number of causes, BUT - some progress was made. The kickdown linkage is now hooked back up under some tension as it should be. No idea if it's adjust right just yet, but an improvement none the less.
Looked over the headlight switch and it just didn't look right - like the knob as out a bit too far or something. So I fiddled around with it, twisting it side-to-side, trying to see if I could break something else. Suddenly the interior lights got slightly brighter, as if there was less of a load. Got out and checked. Sure enough, the tail lights had gone out! Hmmm....interesting. Also checked the horn relay connections, everything looked fine. I'd cleaned up the firewall side of the wiring a while ago anyhow. Decided to try the horn just for shits and giggles. It worked! Wow, maybe this car is just being fickle, like....a......female? Seriously, it's as if spending some time with it or giving it some attention reaps benefits EVEN IF you're not working on that particular problem. Because the good Lord knows, I did nothing particular to fix either issue. But I'm not complaining.
Decided to fire the ol' girl up and see what happened. Took a few cranks to get some gas into the carb I guess, and sure enough - same as before, won't idle, running rough, need to pump the pedal at times just to keep it running. Even though the filter is new and clean, I'm starting to suspect a blockage somewhere. Shut it down and took a break.
Came out later, the car fired right up and idled fairly well, almost as good as the video I posted last year. Okay, feeling brave now. Let's take her down the road and back just to stretch her legs a bit and loosen things up from sitting.
Put-put-sputter.....not much power, feels like it's missing on a few cylinders. Got up to 40 or so, not fast enough to blow off the green blanket of pollen. Made it a couple of miles to the school down the road, turned around and paused for a bit. Revved the engine a couple times, very sluggish. Really suspecting a fuel starvation problem.
Headed for home but could barely get enough power to make it over the small rise. Down the straightaway to my turn, built some speed after pumping the pedal a bit. Slowed to make the gradual right turn when
BOOM!!!!
Thought the neighbors shot at me with a howitzer. Or the engine exploded. Expected to hear metal on the pavement. Nope, car still running, just sounds like a bulldozer now.
Got home and took a look. Sure enough, a backfire inside what looks like a new muffler. Wonder if this has happened before.
Guess it's getting enough gas?
When we last checked in with the Road Shark, numerous bulbs and other simple tasks had been completed. And in typical style, as soon as something was fixed, something broke. At that time, the headlight switch decided to short 'on' which required unhooking the battery when not working on the car or the parking lights stayed on.
Went out a couple weeks back with the wee one so she could sit in the seat and yank on the steering wheel of her preschool car. Decided to hook up the battery so she could blow the horn. Voila - no horn.
Left things alone until this past week when I decided to get after the effed-up mess known as the carburetor linkage. As evidenced in the separate Linkage thread( 1966 300 & Similar: Kickdown Linkage Questions ), it did not go very well due to a number of causes, BUT - some progress was made. The kickdown linkage is now hooked back up under some tension as it should be. No idea if it's adjust right just yet, but an improvement none the less.
Looked over the headlight switch and it just didn't look right - like the knob as out a bit too far or something. So I fiddled around with it, twisting it side-to-side, trying to see if I could break something else. Suddenly the interior lights got slightly brighter, as if there was less of a load. Got out and checked. Sure enough, the tail lights had gone out! Hmmm....interesting. Also checked the horn relay connections, everything looked fine. I'd cleaned up the firewall side of the wiring a while ago anyhow. Decided to try the horn just for shits and giggles. It worked! Wow, maybe this car is just being fickle, like....a......female? Seriously, it's as if spending some time with it or giving it some attention reaps benefits EVEN IF you're not working on that particular problem. Because the good Lord knows, I did nothing particular to fix either issue. But I'm not complaining.
Decided to fire the ol' girl up and see what happened. Took a few cranks to get some gas into the carb I guess, and sure enough - same as before, won't idle, running rough, need to pump the pedal at times just to keep it running. Even though the filter is new and clean, I'm starting to suspect a blockage somewhere. Shut it down and took a break.
Came out later, the car fired right up and idled fairly well, almost as good as the video I posted last year. Okay, feeling brave now. Let's take her down the road and back just to stretch her legs a bit and loosen things up from sitting.
Put-put-sputter.....not much power, feels like it's missing on a few cylinders. Got up to 40 or so, not fast enough to blow off the green blanket of pollen. Made it a couple of miles to the school down the road, turned around and paused for a bit. Revved the engine a couple times, very sluggish. Really suspecting a fuel starvation problem.
Headed for home but could barely get enough power to make it over the small rise. Down the straightaway to my turn, built some speed after pumping the pedal a bit. Slowed to make the gradual right turn when
BOOM!!!!
Thought the neighbors shot at me with a howitzer. Or the engine exploded. Expected to hear metal on the pavement. Nope, car still running, just sounds like a bulldozer now.
Got home and took a look. Sure enough, a backfire inside what looks like a new muffler. Wonder if this has happened before.
Guess it's getting enough gas?
traintech55
Senior Member
Boomer, after your last outing sounds like a good name, but let me ask you this, how did the car run after the muffler exploded. If it ran better it could have been plugged their.
mr. fix it
Old Man with a Hat
I've seen this more than once...
GregG48203
Active Member
If the horn should start acting up again, twist the steering wheel while pressing the horn. This should tell you if the horn contacts in the wheel need to be cleaned.
Boomer
Active Member
Thanks Greg, will do. I'm pretty much convinced now that I'm going to have to disassemble all the electrical contacts, grounds, etc and clean them up due to the moisture damage inside. Getting a replacement heel pan welded into the passenger side where the physical damage from the leak is will be the easy part. It's all the collateral damage done from sitting with condensation inside causing problems.
As to a plugged muffler, that wasn't the case. It was still running as poorly afterward. Had a buddy over last weekend who took a look. He suggested checking/replacing plugs, wires (even though they look almost new) and most importantly - tracking down and fixing all the vacuum leaks. He suggested hooking up the vacuum advance but when I told him the car has a seizure when I do, he suspected timing issues if not a bad vac. advance.
Still plenty to do *just* to get it to run reliably.
As to a plugged muffler, that wasn't the case. It was still running as poorly afterward. Had a buddy over last weekend who took a look. He suggested checking/replacing plugs, wires (even though they look almost new) and most importantly - tracking down and fixing all the vacuum leaks. He suggested hooking up the vacuum advance but when I told him the car has a seizure when I do, he suspected timing issues if not a bad vac. advance.
Still plenty to do *just* to get it to run reliably.
traintech55
Senior Member
I know what you mean, I have been working on my 300 for the last ten years. At least now I can drive it. But boy those little gremlins.
rags
Senior Member
just a reminder, the ign. rotor and cam on the distributor shaft for the points have to be aligned correctly. if either is loose or otherwise offset, adding vacuum advance can cause cross firing in the cap. check in the cap for cracks, moisture, carbon tracks, etc. checked dwell? mechanical advance weights free?
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