Project Beast Car - My 73 'Cuda Restomod

[nsmall]

"DAD"  Loved the video bro, very cool.  Congratulations

[Brads70]

Nice to hear it run! 

[rdf]

So i got talking with the guy that built my motor and he reminded me to break in my cam because it's a flat tappet cam.  He recommended keeping the rpms at 2000 for 20 minutes but the only issue is my tach isn't working.  The needle is stuck past 10k, even with the key off and battery not hooked up.  I'm really not good with electrical things so I'm probably gonna have to find some help on this one, but is there any other way to break the cam in? 

[YellowThumper]

Borrow a tach, buy a cheap one for temporary usage
Do you have a digital timing light?  Those will show RPM.
Highly recommended for timing and advance setups.

[rdf]

Borrow a tach, buy a cheap one for temporary usage
Do you have a digital timing light?  Those will show RPM.
Highly recommended for timing and advance setups.

I have a timing light but it's not digital.  I just ordered one though so I'm hoping it'll do the trick.  Thanks! 
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BSY9JE/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Chryco Psycho]

Very cool that it is running now after a decade !
I have good & bad news , the cam has no direct oiling only splash feed from the crank & run off from the heads so the cam break in has to be done as soon as it starts for the First time .... so running it at all has wiped the cam lube off of the cam so now basically the cam will survive or it won't , it is basically too late now , you can run the engine for 20 mins at 2000 rpm asap as it will hurt nothing at this point but  the damage could already be done , sorry to say . \
If it is drivable take it for a run on the highway at 60 MPH for 1/2 hr , that will break the cam in !
Did you read my initial fire up thread in the reference section at all ?

[rdf]

Very cool that it is running now after a decade !
I have good & bad news , the cam has no direct oiling only splash feed from the crank & run off from the heads so the cam break in has to be done as soon as it starts for the First time .... so running it at all has wiped the cam lube off of the cam so now basically the cam will survive or it won't , it is basically too late now , you can run the engine for 20 mins at 2000 rpm asap as it will hurt nothing at this point but  the damage could already be done , sorry to say . \
If it is drivable take it for a run on the highway at 60 MPH for 1/2 hr , that will break the cam in !
Did you read my initial fire up thread in the reference section at all ?

Thanks for the info Chryco....I was worried about the cam not being broken in but I was so hung up on why it wasn't firing to begin with that when it ran, it slipped my mind.  I did get it out this weekend and put the digital timing light on it and kept the motor between 2-3k rpm for about 10 minutes.  I had to stop because the electric fans weren't coming on and it was starting to spew collant out of the overflow nub on the radiator (I don't have an overflow can yet).  The transmission dipstick also came loose and spit fluid all on the headers so it was quite the smoke show, lol.  The dipstick I used was a flexible one and I don't think it was in correctly or it too loose.  Either way, I"m going to order a normal one for now to make sure that doesn't happen again.

I won't be able to get it out on the road for a few months because I'm waiting for a local shop to get back with me on a price for installing the floor shifter and a few other things.  But going back to the cam, I didn't get a chance to read your thread on initial startup unfortunately.  I didn't even know it was there (sometimes the site is so big I don't know where to look for things).  I'm sure it would've been beneficial though.....if the cam is bad, how will I be able to tell?

[rdf]

It's been w bit since I've done anything with the car., just been real busy with work.  I managed to find a local mopar guy who has done plenty of restoration work and has worked for Drop Dead Customs here in Florida https://www.dropdeadcustoms.com/.  He's venturing out on his own now and he's given me a great hourly rate for roughly 1-2 weeks of week (estimated).  It'll only be weekends (5-hour days) for now so it'll be a bit before it finished, BUT, at least we're continuing to move forward.

[rdf]

Got to work on the beast a bit this weekend.  The guy I have helping me is really nice and knows a lot more than the last guy that helped me.  He took notes (in an old-school notebook) on what needs to be done so we can have a check list as we go.  Yesterday was mostly spent tucking and hiding wires in the cabin and under the dash since the last guy just left 5ft extra on every wire (not sure why).  I do have a could of questions I hope some of y'all might be able to answer.

1.) The car is originally a 360 auto on the column but as you know, I put a 440 in it and would like to move the shifter to the floor.  I have no center console and I'm looking at aftermarket sihfters like TCI Outlaw, etc.  Can I get away with just removing the column shifter pin and still use the same steering column or will I have to buy a new column that doesn't have a shifter on it?  I'm worried that if I just remove the pin, the collar on the column can (and probably will) still move while driving, possibly causing the steering wheel to lock if the column thinks it's in park.

2.) Does anyone know what adapter I need to fit the pressure hose from the power steering pump to the gearbox?  I assume one or both sides need to be flanged in order for it to seal right but I don't know the size.  I read a few places that said the gearbox is 7/16 but I'm trying not to make 20 trips to Ace Hardware or order multiple different ones online and have to return a bunch.

[rdf]

Did some more work on Sunday...again, not a ton but we welded up the floor in the trunk where it needed it and also got the shifter placement mocked up so we'll be installing that this weekend.  I went with the B&M Stealth Magnum Grip (81059) https://www.summitracing.com/parts/bmm-81059?cm_mmc=ppc-google-_-search-_-brands-_-keyword&gclid=CjwKCAiAnIT9BRAmEiwANaoE1ZeCQzmYTv-3DOrjN2qHeer9Y4bduxMRd5MeesGlnW8C97_AJmJtRBoC_C8QAvD_BwE

Does anyone know where I can get the fitting for the power steering line to the gear box?  Or does anyone know the size on the gear box?

[Cudajason]

I may have the fitting you need for the power steering box...let me have a look.

I believe I have all the parts to convert the steering column from a column shift to a floor shift, if you are interested.

That shifter looks pretty cool!

Jason

[rdf]

I may have the fitting you need for the power steering box...let me have a look.

I believe I have all the parts to convert the steering column from a column shift to a floor shift, if you are interested.

That shifter looks pretty cool!

Jason

That'd be awesome if you have the fitting!  Just let me know or send me a PM.  I may be interested in the other parts as well.

[rdf]

I may have the fitting you need for the power steering box...let me have a look.

I believe I have all the parts to convert the steering column from a column shift to a floor shift, if you are interested.

That shifter looks pretty cool!

Jason

Any luck?

[Cudajason]

I may have the fitting you need for the power steering box...let me have a look.

I believe I have all the parts to convert the steering column from a column shift to a floor shift, if you are interested.

That shifter looks pretty cool!

Jason

Any luck?

Oh man I am so sorry, I thought I posted response but clearly did not.  Unfortunately I do not have the fitting.

I do you the parts for the steering column if you are interested in those.

Jason

[rdf]

Long overdue update but at least progress is being made.  Found another local guy to help me out and he ended up opening his own place called Bare Metal Rat, so I put the 'Cuda on a trailer and got it up to his shop so he could have all his tools and resources.  90% of the interior is in, doors are hung, and shifter is installed.  I have a new fiberglass hood coming next week which he's going to paint to match the car, along with touching up all the nicks and scratches.  I might need a new grill as well but he's trying his best to repair the one I have.  I went up last Friday and had a look at it and it's pretty cracked and looks real fragile....we'll see though.  He plans to start the motor soon and get any electrical/engine items fixed so we can bring it to the dyno and get it dialed in right.  Oh and the exhaust is 3" and gonna cut it short and have them come out in front of the rear wheel.  The guy in the pic is the one doing all the work.

More pix to come as the deadline is May 17th (daughter's graduation) so I'm hoping he's making good progress.