What do I need....

JDoe

JDoe

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Hi All-

New owner of a 1973 Newport Custom. Right now it's off the road, but very close to being road worthy.

To do-

Sitting since 2006. Tank seems empty, but need to inspect.

Question: Is that worthy of pulling the tank, cleaning & sloshing, or pop in a gallon & flush it to see what comes out OK?

Need to do a brake job. Has a sticky caliper anyways & who knows how old they are in general.

Also may need to pull the transmission to correct a fluid leak from the torque converter area.

As it is the 2 barrel 400, I was also considering changing that to a 4 barrel if it would provide gains short of doing a cam as well?

This is a car that was babied by the original owner. It's completely original & apart from some very minor spots is rust free - a miracle when it comes to salted winter roads here, so I'm seeking to keep it as original as I can.

Also- I notice in the service manual a fair number of 'special tools' needed to work on them. How many of these actually are or can be substituted? Any I should just buy now?

I've helped restore two cars in the past with my Dad, a 1953 MG TD and a 1962 MG-B, but these are very different things.

Any advice from those who've done this - Would love to hear your thoughts now as to, "Gee, I WISH I did that when..." Hindsight is 20/20, so hopefully I'll grab a bit of the future..:)
 
Pull the fuel tank, there will be some garbage in there if it's been sitting for 13 years.

Pull all the wheels and look at each brake, you may need to change all the hydraulic components , master cylinder, calipers, hoses, etc.

Only a few things really need special tools. I would get them or borrow as required.
 
Do not run the car with stale gas!!.
If you really want to get her running use a gas can and hook it up to the fuel pump with some rubber fuel line.

As mentioned,drop the tank and get it cleaned out.
Replace fuel filter and fuel pump. (Trust me on the pump,it will save you headaches later on)

The Holley 2bbl on the 400 are junk,so I agree going with either a stock iron intake or an aluminum Edelbrock 383 Performer intake. (400 is a low deck B engine so it will fit).
Carb you can do a 650 Edelbrock with stock cam or 750 with mild cam.

Compression was way down in 73 so you do not want to go crazy on the cam choice .
A big cam you will not gain anything. There is a risk of losing compression during overlap.
An RV grind from Summit or Comp Cams will wake her up.
Since you are thinking cam may as well get rid of the nylon gears on the timing chain and go with a Cloyes double roller. Yeah overkill but super reliable and many happy miles of motoring.
For ignition stick with the stock electronic system but with today's corn fed gas do a recurve on the distributor or get one from Summit.
They have a really good curve in them and the big Chrysler will respond very well to that.

I agree that the entire brake system should be gone through.
73 was known to be the most desirable braking system.
Good news the 73 brake parts are still very common and affordable.
New calipers,wheel cylinders,master cylinder,pads and shoes,combi kit and brake hoses.
Do not skimp on the brakes!!

If the seal at the transmission front pump is leaking,the trans has to come out. May as well go through the trans while you are there.
Unless you are rebuilding the trans yourself,or doing the seal that Big John mentioned,there are no real special tools needed to revive your Newport.
Just common sense and better judgement..lol
If sitting that long,and from my experience,knock out the freeze plugs and flush put the block. B/RB are known to build up sludge at the bottom of the block's water jackets (below the freeze plug area) when sitting for a long long time. That can cause an overheating issue..been there done that.
Any rubber related parts must be checked--vacuum hoses,suspension parts,etc.
Electrical system..
Remove bulkhead and clean all connections and use dialectric grease.
Bypass the ammeter gauge before it gives you fits (and it will--give it time).
Check and clean ALL grounds under the hood and all lights.

Congrats and good luck!
PM if you have any questions
Cheers
 
In addition to the good ideas above, the rubber fuel lines on your car were not designed for today's fuels. Save yourself some trouble and replace all the rubber fuel lines as it is only a matter of time until they fail. On a car that sat for an extensive period of time it always a good idea to change all the fluids including the oil in the rear end to remove any moisture contamination. You should also replace the cap, rotor and distributor cap as they are likely to be corroded, plug wires and plugs should be inspected and replaced as necessary. Good idea to replace the radiator and heater hoses as well as all belts. Don't forget to give all hinges and the door mechanisms a few drops of oil.

Dave
 
Wow, thanks for all the tips. The MBar how-to is great - Good to know it can be inspected even beforehand.

Yes, the plan is to use a fuel pump & can temporarily just to ease moving the car. It will also hopefully show up no other issues, but if something does, it's best to know of them in the get-go. But yes, I hadn't thought of the rubbber components of the fuel system. Replacing the lines would eliminate the need to flush 'em too..<g> I'll have to have a peek in the tank. The original owner was a downright stickler for maintenance it seems. It was also stored in a nice heated mouse-free garage for its time in storage, so I'm actually hopeful on it being somewhat clean internally. Far better to be safe than sorry as well.

I actually have a spare fuel pump & starter for it as well. Came with a trunkful of parts he'd collected over the years for it as well. Who knows how old it is though. But noted - They're generally a cheap enough item to not do.

Electrical, yes I've read about the issues they seem to have with the bulkhead pass-through. Will be getting the contact cleaner & wire brush followed by dielectric grease to them all. The car's also got the headlight issues that seem to plague the series & as that is so often mentioned (Along with the dimmer) it's a definite thing I'll be doing. I hate the idea of switches going soft and smelling bad when driving...:)

Yes, the doors & windows are in desperate need of lubrication. It has power windows & I tried to get them to crank up, but they're as good as frozen up as in the winter, if one knows what that's like. The locks themselves are very sluggish, taking a good couple of seconds in their reluctance to turn. The panels will be coming off tomorrow to be doing this.

Silly question- How shiny is 'Harvest Gold" supposed to be? Paint doesn't look or feel oxidized, but it's more of a flat colour. Seems to lack life, but it's smooth, so wondering if buffing is warranted... Could just be decades of built up wax...lol
 
JDoe said:
Wow, thanks for all the tips. The MBar how-to is great - Good to know it can be inspected even beforehand.

Yes, the plan is to use a fuel pump & can temporarily just to ease moving the car. It will also hopefully show up no other issues, but if something does, it's best to know of them in the get-go. But yes, I hadn't thought of the rubbber components of the fuel system. Replacing the lines would eliminate the need to flush 'em too..<g> I'll have to have a peek in the tank. The original owner was a downright stickler for maintenance it seems. It was also stored in a nice heated mouse-free garage for its time in storage, so I'm actually hopeful on it being somewhat clean internally. Far better to be safe than sorry as well.

I actually have a spare fuel pump & starter for it as well. Came with a trunkful of parts he'd collected over the years for it as well. Who knows how old it is though. But noted - They're generally a cheap enough item to not do.

Electrical, yes I've read about the issues they seem to have with the bulkhead pass-through. Will be getting the contact cleaner & wire brush followed by dielectric grease to them all. The car's also got the headlight issues that seem to plague the series & as that is so often mentioned (Along with the dimmer) it's a definite thing I'll be doing. I hate the idea of switches going soft and smelling bad when driving...:)

Yes, the doors & windows are in desperate need of lubrication. It has power windows & I tried to get them to crank up, but they're as good as frozen up as in the winter, if one knows what that's like. The locks themselves are very sluggish, taking a good couple of seconds in their reluctance to turn. The panels will be coming off tomorrow to be doing this.

Silly question- How shiny is 'Harvest Gold" supposed to be? Paint doesn't look or feel oxidized, but it's more of a flat colour. Seems to lack life, but it's smooth, so wondering if buffing is warranted... Could just be decades of built up wax...lol
Click to expand...

Try waxing a small area with a quality wax and see how it looks. This car still has single process paint so there is no clear coat to go bad if the paint is factory. If it sat for a long time there is probably no wax left on it. The bulk of the fuel lines are metal. There is a rubber hose that hooks to the tank, another at the rear of the stub frame and another between the fuel pump and the steel line coming out of the stub. There will also be some rubber connectors for the fuel filter. If the car was in indoor storage, you probably should not have a lot of issues with corrosion of the electrical parts, a big plus.

Dave

Dave
 
Surprisingly, the finish still beaded when I washed it prior to moving it. Truly made the water turn colour when rinsing. But I should do that anyways to give it something new.

Here you go..
IM000945.JPG
IM000962.JPG
IM000965.JPG
IM000972.JPG
IM000973.JPG
 
When you get this car road worthy, it probably has an EGR valve. These do not play well with today's blended fuels. The result is a thick carbon buildup on the EGR valve seat. This causes very poor performance. You should invest in one of the EGR valve eliminator plates to improve overall performance.

Dave
 
If the fuel tank turns out to be really nasty inside, Rockauto lists Spectra Premium tanks for that application for $300 +/- depending on how many vent tubes.

Replacing the timing chain would be a good idea too. If it's never been done, the nylon teeth are now 46 years old and if some of them aren't already in the oil pan they will be. You can get a low end performance boost and a little fuel efficiency for almost free if you use a multi key timing gear and roller chain set and degree the cam in 4 degrees advanced. To do it properly you need to get a degree wheel to verify the cam centerline etc because the timing marks aren't always where they are supposed to be on new parts.

A timing recurve on the original distributor and verifying the vacuum advance functions properly.

A factory iron intake with Thermoquad carb and a set of 2.5" duals along with the cam timing and ignition advance will make a huge difference in it.

It should have a 9.25" rear diff in it, likely a 2.76 ratio. A 3.21 was optional and would make a big difference getting away without making it a complete pain on the freeway.

I had one of those in a 2dr hardtop in 1976.

edit

Just noticed you're in Ontario and I quoted US$ for the tank. It is close to $400 CDN.

Kevin
 
Last edited:
You have a great looking ride. On my Polara I took the tank to a reputable rad shop to have it flushed and lined. That was back in about 2003 and its been fine ever since. I also put a kit in the Carter 2 bbl and no issues after that. I'd recommend the carb kit first and leave the time and expense of an aftermarket intake/carb as a last resort. That would also allow you to stay factory original under the hood.
 
Fratzog said:
You have a great looking ride. On my Polara I took the tank to a reputable rad shop to have it flushed and lined. That was back in about 2003 and its been fine ever since. I also put a kit in the Carter 2 bbl and no issues after that. I'd recommend the carb kit first and leave the time and expense of an aftermarket intake/carb as a last resort. That would also allow you to stay factory original under the hood.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but the guy I got the car from deserves all the credit. His maintenance was spectacular. The oil is actually oil coloured! Coolant is even full & a real nice neon green..

Yea, I'm going to be having a peek at the carb shortly just to get it moving for ease of movement. Quick peek showed it to look clean, but have to check the bowls. Picked up an inline pump & hopefully get the carb done this week & fire it up this weekend.

I've just heard the 2 barrels are real wet dogs in terms of any performance, although I suppose it never really was in that class to begin with. The 2 barrel will get a few miles on it anyhow - I'd like to get it roadworthy first & foremost. I do prefer the idea of originality overall, just figure it's really just a few bolts to put it back if I did anyhow. But hey! might have enough pep for me anyways. The real speed demon days are long gone....<g>

btw- The Archipelago should be required reading. Good quote.
 
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