1970 Dodge Challenger A66

[kawahonda]

I can tell you love your car from all your posts.  Cool!  Im in my garage at 11:37 pm checking out my ride and its nice to have pride in our rides.

Cheers my friend. Sometimes you just need to go have a few drinks while looking at it.

[303 Mopar]

Agreed. Like I said guys, I think I'm the right man for this car.

Your car looks fantastic!   

[blown motor]

Looks way better and was way cheaper vs a new paint job.

Mine goes in this week for exactly that purpose. I said I want them to make it look good enough that I don't want to paint it!

It looks awesome kawahonda.

[kawahonda]

Windshield replaced this morning.

[kawahonda]

New wheels/tires (finally). I feel like the front can come down a little.

[blown motor]

I think it looks great the way it is. Wheels look sharp.

[RUNCHARGER]

Ditto: That looks great.

[kawahonda]

Wayne's Transmission in Boise, who is ran by a Mopar guy, just finished servicing the Challenger. What a cool guy...an encyclopedia of 727 knowledge. Loved the car. Glad to have him apart of the journey. He enjoyed being waved at for his test drives.

* Transgo TF2 Shift Kit installed.
* Two seals replaced. The shift shaft (the obvious leak point) and another one that he identified that was internal.
* Band Power Wedge upgrade.
* Partial throttle kit added.
* HD Bandstrut upgrade.
* Dex III transmission fluid.
* New filter and pan gasket (Mopar OEM).

He identified shot engine mounts. Told me to drive it like a grandpa and to replace ASAP. I think I know why. The more the motor "moves" or "tilts" under force the more it puts pressure on the shaft seal since the carb is connected via a mechanical linkage. Ordered via forum recommendations. If your shaft seal was leaking like mine (about a pint every 5 days) you MAY want to check your motor mounts to see what the true CAUSE is. I have not verified what he said, but I trust his 25 years of experience racing and working on Mopars...take it for what it is.

I didn't want to drive it too harshly back home by his recommendations, but man, Wayne works magic. Shifts are firm, immediate. Downshifting into first automatically happens much more often--I'm not sure how he did it. I don't think the "21 MPH limit" is there anymore while it's in "D" mode..need to figure out if that MPH point has moved. Have not tried slap-stick yet. You feel a little bit of a "jolt" (minor, but a positive feeling) during upshifts. That just lets you know that the transmission is doing its job and is decreasing wear and increasing longevity. Partial throttle kit works, and downshifting and upshifting is IMMEDIATE. Best of all, the transmission does what you WANT it to do WHEN you want it to do. The car GOES when the pedal is mostly the way down (not "all the way" anymore with lag). I have not driven it hard, but I'm loving every bit I'm feeling so far. It's night and day difference. When the motor mounts get replaced, I will have some fun with it and really test it.

My girlfriend took it on a 2 mile ride when I got home. I asked her if she noticed a difference and all she said "it feels really solid". I asked her if she notices the slight positive "jolts" during upshifts and she said "nope, it feels smooth to me." So yea...take that for what it's worth.

Go TF2 or go home. This 727 ain't no "slush box" anymore.

Hat's off to Wayne's Transmission's in Boise. A couple pieces of advice that he gave:

1) Do not use Type F fluid. Use Dextron III or Dextron IV. Type F has friction modifiers that our 727s just do not need anymore. It creates MORE wear..simulates "harsher" shifting in the WRONG way. Sorry, I can't get more technical because my knowledge is limited.

2) Do not use your transmission to brake! By doing so (slapstick mode) it puts full wear on the internal clutches. Treat it like an automatic and not like a manual: Use your brakes, fellas.

I wouldn't be surprised if this added a few hundredths off the 1/4 mile time.

[Husk Challenger]

Nice upgrade!

And the car looks great with her new wheels!

Congrats.

[nsmall]

She sure buffed out well.  What an improvement.  Looking great.

[Morty426]

I like the car and the color - I own two cars in this color.

However I am curious as to why you didn't paint the trunk since you obviously had the paint to do the hinges?

[kawahonda]

Because painting the area underneath the trunk mat wasn't a priority compared to hanging my drivers door so I can actually drive the car after being parked for 3 weeks. In time, in time. The trunk pan is sealed and it isn't going anywhere.

More importantly, the trunk lid and filler panel are rusting away and should be replaced.

[kawahonda]

Installed tachometer. I did not use any soldering or splicing, all professional and stock crimping was used on existing connections.

Took this time to clean the gauge plastic covering. It all shines now. Stock "clock" blank is boxed up and stored in safe keeping. Not sure why anyone would want to put that back in, though.

[kawahonda]

TTI 2.5" Exhaust installed. Working on sealing up the HRV right now to stop it from rattling and leaking using a spring and J-B Weld Extreme Heat.

[kawahonda]

New upper fuel line in bone stock routing. New repo mopar heater hoses. She's now pretty close to how she looked new under the hood.