The Current Classic Project

Stuff that doesn't pertain to PWs and general chit-chat
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Retired BLM Rig
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The Current Classic Project

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Sat May 12, 2018 3:33 am

Finishing up a valve job on this beast. Made it breathe fire before I left work tonight. It's not a 426 Hemi, but it's close (I think that came a year or two later). Dodge has a long history of performance minded production vehicles.

1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 1.jpg
1963 Dodge Polara 500
1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 2.jpg
Not much to look at really, until you open the hood.
1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 3.jpg
Factory 426 Max Wedge, dual 4 barrel carbs, solid lifter cam, factory cast iron headers and a little, tiny non-power brake master cylinder to stop all that horsepower.
1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 4.jpg
The left carb feeds the right cylinders and vise versa, through a low profile long runner intake manifold.
1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 5.jpg
This sign was in the backseat of the car.
1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 6.jpg
Factory 3" dual exhaust w/crossover pipe and blow off tubes.
1963 Dodge Polara 500 - 7.jpg
Close up of one of the exhaust plates you would remove for drag racing.
To be continued... :patriot:

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Colibri » Sat May 12, 2018 9:38 am

That is a thing of beauty!!!!
Central Texas and Houston area
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Carli 3” coils deaver leafs 3” kings with 4 tube bypass rear and fr/rr hydro bumps
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Lots of other stuff lol

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by RustyPW » Sat May 12, 2018 7:21 pm

Nice! :drool: They had 2 versions of the cross ram intake. A short ram version and a long ram version.
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Mule007 » Sun May 13, 2018 9:44 am

Sweet !!!👍
:patriot:2005 Mineral Grey; QC- #0666: "Laramie", power heated Leather seats, tow mirrors, dual zones, Alpine 9 speaker surround sound, steering wheel cruise control, music & volume controls; remote start, 6 CD player, AC; dark charcoal silver interior.
Additions: Frame mounted .188 DOM 3" steel rock rails, low profile steps;1.5” Skyjacker leveling kit; Bully Dog GT Platinum A-pillar mount programmable performance chip, monitor,& tuner; Linex Platinum OTR HD bed & rock panel coating; Red Ryder matching cab high fiberglass canopy; 2” Linex brush guard w/4-4” Halogen off road lights; Hopkins Trailer Mate brake controller; Bearcat Pro 68XL CB; Mopar black fender flares; PW winch accessory kit/remote control.
Tools: hand tools, 60” Extreme High Lift; rigging; straps; shackles; F&R chains; (2ea) rear wheel well NATO 20 L narrow gas cans & 5# extinguishers
Updates: Jasper Remfgr’d 5.7 Hemi Engine; Open Range AT 35x12.5 x17 MP3 10 ply E tires; Moog HD U/L front axle ball joints & wheel bearings; new link, sway, y bar & bushing assemblies; fuel pump; A/C exhaust fan & compressor;1 ton HEMI transmission cooler; OEM radiator; front pinion seal & bearing; Denso 180-amp alternator; Megatron 850 CCA HD battery; water pump, serpentine belt, Bilstein 2 5100 shocks/HD steering damper; F&R locker assembly & sensors/u joints; 3" Magna flow cat back rear exit dual exhausts; Performance Brake/slotted rotor/caliper/pads

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by w2dodge » Sun May 13, 2018 6:35 pm

that's awesome...

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by TwinStick » Mon May 14, 2018 10:53 am

That is super cool !!!

I wish I could find a definitive answer on how many trucks they made exactly like mine. Same color, same exact options as mine.

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Tue May 15, 2018 2:34 am

Just finished this one today. It's a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray split window with a 327 and a two speed Power Glide transmission. The story I got was that it had been a show car at one time, which was evident from all the parts that had been chromed, but after being stored in a garage for the last 38 years, all that chrome is in pretty bad shape. The paint is in bad shape as well. It's going to take some :cash: and TLC to get this one back to show quality. Actually, the new owner bought it for his wife. Now they own two classic Corvettes and two Toyotas. :lol:

1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 2.jpg
Classic lines
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 3.jpg
The coveted split rear window.
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 4.jpg
I did a tune up which is made more difficult by all that chrome shielding covering the distributor and wires. The wires drop down the back of the engine and come up to the plugs from underneath The front plug wires thread up through the motor mounts.
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 5.jpg
Look at those two tiny air cleaner snorkles drawing hot air right from the radiator. I don't know how they expected the engine to breathe.
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 7.jpg
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 8.jpg
The interior is in good shape, but that new car smell is long gone and was replaced by 38 years of storage stagnation.
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 9.jpg
Vertically mounted radio. LOL
1963 Corvette Sting Ray - 1.jpg
The majority of the work on this one was the brakes. All the drums were 1/8" oversize. All new hydraulics including hand bent steel lines. New shoes, springs and parking brake cables Much safer now.

To be continued. :patriot:

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by OffroadTreks » Tue May 15, 2018 9:37 am

Retired BLM Rig wrote:
Tue May 15, 2018 2:34 am
Just finished this one today. It's a 1963 Corvette Sting Ray split window with a 327 and a two speed Power Glide transmission.
That's pretty. LAter Stingrays tended towards bloat, and the suspension was mhem. So was the ride. But I loved the looks and lines. Always have.
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Numbnuts » Wed May 16, 2018 7:32 pm

That Dodge Polara is the bees knees......cool profession you have, especially to work on those hi dollar classics.

About 30 yrs ago I had a 1969 tri-power 427 w factory sidepipes, matching numbers with all the fiberglass seams intact (never hit). Bought it for $12,500 had it for about 5 yrs and sold it for $12,500.......prolly worth 60K nowadays

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Thu May 17, 2018 3:06 am

So one of my service writers used to work at a classic car shop and after they went out of business a lot of his old customers followed him to his new gig. Thats why I have such an inordinately high number of these vehicles that I work on. Plus I guess they figure the oldest guy in the shop should know how to fix them. :lol:

Today I began the process of evaluating this black beauty, A 1953 Cadillac DeVille convertible.
The customer has a lot of complaints, mostly regarding electrical issues and after looking at the wiring, I could see why. :sick:

1953 Cadillac - 1.jpg
Complete with the iconic Dagmar bumper (Google it).
1953 Cadillac - 2.jpg
1953 Cadillac - 3.jpg
Can you find the hidden gas cap? Just push the reflector button...
1953 Cadillac - 4.jpg
...and lift up the taillight housing.
1953 Cadillac - 5.jpg
1953 Cadillac - 6.jpg
One complaint is that the Autronic Eye system no longer works. It's supposed to automatically dim the headlights when it senses light from opposing traffic. This is called the amplifier.
1953 Cadillac - 7.jpg
I personally believe that it's an early version of the flux capacitor.
1953 Cadillac - 8.jpg
When was the last time you saw vacuum tubes used in a car?
1953 Cadillac - 9.jpg
I'm not sure when trip meters entered the scene, but here it is in 1953.
1953 Cadillac - 10.jpg
Most of the space behind the dashboard is occupied by that radio. I'm sure there's vacuum tubes in there as well. The radio has an automatic station search function that isn't working.
1953 Cadillac - 11.jpg
Miles of solid steel dashboard and not an airbag in sight. How did we ever survive without them?
1953 Cadillac - 12.jpg
This is the Autronic Eye light sensitive photocell mounted to the corner of the dashboard.

Wish me luck, I'll need it with this one.
To be continued. :patriot:

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by olyelr » Thu May 17, 2018 12:57 pm

LOL, my wife's '16 Yukon Denali does not even have auto dimming headlight capability LMAO.

Some sweet cars there, David!
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Numbnuts » Thu May 17, 2018 10:04 pm

BLM- Keep those pics coming as u work on these beauties. That Caddy is Barrett Jackson material....wonder what shes worth?

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by adeluca73 » Sat May 19, 2018 10:53 am

Really nice seeing the old classics come to life...guess not every neatcar gizmo was invented in the last 5yrs
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Sun May 20, 2018 11:23 am

Well the Caddy is on hold for now waiting for customer approval. In the meantime, here's one that I worked on last year.

Pantera - 1.jpg
1974 De Tomaso Pantera

Pantera - 2.jpg
We sent out the leaking shocks to be rebuilt and had the wheels polished. I also addressed some brake line routing/chaffing issues, replaced the battery and serviced some fluids.

Pantera3.jpg
Remove the rear trunk liner...

Pantera4.jpg
...for more access to the engine and transaxle.
The power is provided by a Ford 351 Cleveland mated to a ZF transaxle


Pantera5.jpg
The interior is tight. I'm 6'1" and I would have to say it was the most uncomfortable test drive I've ever taken. The pedals are so close together, I was having a hard time managing them with my work boots.
Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I bought a pair of skinny Italian shoes. :lol:


The car was nicely restored, however the headlights didn't work due to a twofold problem. When it was restored and the interior was reassembled they wired the relay incorrectly. When I would turn on the headlights, all it would do was buzz under the dash.
Panterarelay.jpg
It uses a DPDT relay with a clear housing cover like this one, which was handy for being able to identify the internal circuit flow for each pin.
Luckily there are pretty good resources available online with forums and enthusiasts where I was able to find a proper wiring diagram to get the electrical side of the problem figured out and wired correctly. However the headlights still wouldn't pop up, but at least there was no more buzzing and I could hear the motor running.

Panteragear.jpg
It turned out that the main drive gear in the lift motor was made of plastic and had become brittle and stripped out. The motor is used for a lot of other european applications (power windows) and a brass replacement is available. After making some adjustments to the travel limit switches, everything works like it should.

To be continued... :patriot:

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by w2dodge » Sun May 20, 2018 7:18 pm

man some nice rides.....I'd love to work on some.of those ..

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by RustyPW » Mon May 21, 2018 1:52 am

When I was a kid. My neighbor had an old Caddy like that. The one thing I remembered about it was the gas cap under the tail light, :lol:


When I was in high school. One of the guys I knew. His older brother had a Pantera. I remember him picking up his younger brother at school. All we could do was drool. :drool: :drool: :drool: :drool:
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Bill2014 » Mon May 21, 2018 7:34 am

I do miss the days when it was common for the gas cap to be behind the license plate...
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by RustyPW » Mon May 21, 2018 12:22 pm

Bill2014 wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 7:34 am
I do miss the days when it was common for the gas cap to be behind the license plate...
I don't know about that. We used to smear grease a long the top of the plate. So when you went to open the gas cap. You pulled down the plate. You got a handful of grease. :lol:
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My build thread. http://forum.powerwagonregistry.org/vie ... =13&t=2826 :cash: :cash:

Moab '09, '10, '12, '14.
Rausch Creek - Summer '10, Spring-Fall '11, Spring '12, Summer '13, Summer '14, Summer '15, Summer '16, Summer '17, Summer '18, Summer '20, Summer '22,
AOAA Summer '19.

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Bill2014 » Mon May 21, 2018 1:11 pm

RustyPW wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 12:22 pm
Bill2014 wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 7:34 am
I do miss the days when it was common for the gas cap to be behind the license plate...
I don't know about that. We used to smear grease a long the top of the plate. So when you went to open the gas cap. You pulled down the plate. You got a handful of grease. :lol:
That was YOU???? :wink:
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Warn wireless winch controller
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by RustyPW » Mon May 21, 2018 7:25 pm

Bill2014 wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 1:11 pm
RustyPW wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 12:22 pm
Bill2014 wrote:
Mon May 21, 2018 7:34 am
I do miss the days when it was common for the gas cap to be behind the license plate...
I don't know about that. We used to smear grease a long the top of the plate. So when you went to open the gas cap. You pulled down the plate. You got a handful of grease. :lol:
That was YOU???? :wink:
Yep!!!!! :lol:
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My build thread. http://forum.powerwagonregistry.org/vie ... =13&t=2826 :cash: :cash:

Moab '09, '10, '12, '14.
Rausch Creek - Summer '10, Spring-Fall '11, Spring '12, Summer '13, Summer '14, Summer '15, Summer '16, Summer '17, Summer '18, Summer '20, Summer '22,
AOAA Summer '19.

Russ
NRA - Benefactor, Golden Eagle. :lockedandloaded:


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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Sun May 27, 2018 6:13 pm

Got the engine installed and finished yesterday. It's a 1968 Mercury Cougar. The customer was hoping to have it for a special occasion this weekend, I'm glad it worked out!


68 Cougar - 2.jpg
Ford 302 V8 following the cars Edelbrock theme.
68 Cougar - 3.jpg
68 Cougar - 4.jpg
Still needs some finish detail on the spark plug wires.

He says it's an original "Dan Gurney Special" but the graphics wrap appears to be a combination of a tribute to a Dan Gurney race car and a Hot Wheels Edelbrock Cougar.

68 Cougar - 1.jpg
The graphics are actually a wrap that's fading and peeling pretty badly. There's still a long way to go to make this restoration complete.
But at least it runs and moves reliably under it's own power now and sounds awesome with the new Flowmaster exhaust system.

To be continued... :patriot:

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by Retired BLM Rig » Sun Jun 03, 2018 11:56 am

I had the opportunity to work on one of these modern classics.

2006  Dodge Ram SRT10 - 3.jpg
2006 Dodge Ram SRT-10
These trucks still hold the record for being the worlds fastest production truck @ 154.587 MPH.

2006  Dodge Ram SRT10 - 2.jpg
8.3L (505 cu. in.) Viper V-10, 500 HP, 525 lb. ft. torque
Lots of power, however I've never gotten used to the drone of a V-10. I still prefer the note of a healthy V-8, it just sounds right. I'm looking forward to the introduction of a 7.0L Hemi! :excited:

2006  Dodge Ram SRT10 - 1.jpg
Maybe this is the engine that should have come in the Power Wagon (if the winch would still fit).
I replaced the front pads and rotors, which were quite massive for a 1500. They went metal to metal with only 20K on the clock. :jawdrop: Lots of hard braking apparently.

To be continued... :patriot:

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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by OffroadTreks » Sun Jun 03, 2018 6:08 pm

That's a truck I just don't see anymore. Kind of like the Ford Lighting. Maybe just not popular in the part of the country we moved too. I recall seeing those all the time down in Florida.
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Re: The Current Classic Project

Post by RustyPW » Wed Jun 13, 2018 11:58 pm

Ace had a SRT10 before he bought the PW.

One of the instructors at Pittsburgh International Raceway has one. He gives demo laps in it around the road coarse. :shock:
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My build thread. http://forum.powerwagonregistry.org/vie ... =13&t=2826 :cash: :cash:

Moab '09, '10, '12, '14.
Rausch Creek - Summer '10, Spring-Fall '11, Spring '12, Summer '13, Summer '14, Summer '15, Summer '16, Summer '17, Summer '18, Summer '20, Summer '22,
AOAA Summer '19.

Russ
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