1949 Mopar More-door build

[falconvan]

Great info; thanks!

 

[Snake Farm]

Bummer on the tach..........still looks cool though.
The shifter definitely looks better! [cl

 

[falconvan]

Thanks! It looks like my sending unit on the fuel gauge is bad; I ran the gauge through the tests in the book and it shows good. I got all my lights wired and working and swaped out the tach for new one. Now that its working I can do the cam break in as soon as I get some exhaust on. I've got everything to build the exhaust, just going with basic 2 1/2 inch duals with Summit glass packs and pipes out the rear.

 

[falconvan]

Lots done this weekend; I got the lead pipes and mufflers on and did the cam break in. Other than a leaky water neck on the intake it went smooth; ran for 20 minutes, vital signs all looked good and cooling fan came on at the right temp. I got the water neck fixed and finished some small wiring issues like tail lights, dome lights, instrument lights, and wipers. Im going to get a driveshaft made up this week and should be able to do a short road test down the block by next weekend.

 

[falconvan]

Well, I was really hoping for a test cruise this weekend but it looks like my slave cylinder for the clutch is bad. I've got a new one on the way; in the meantime I finished up the exhaust and got the driveshaft installed. It sounds really good; so close to driving!

 

[Dirtyrat]

Exhaust looks good, nice, clean, and nice length out the back!

 

[bob w]

Cute little mufflers. That's going to be a nice road car.

 

[falconvan]

Thanks! Bob, those are Summit's brand of glasspacks. They were a little loud before I got the tailpipes on but now they sound just about right.

 

[falconvan]

This is just not my week to get a test drive in; I got new rubber all the way around, got the clutch fixed and was ready to head down the road but it's been raining ever since and supposed to stay that way until Wednesday. Bummer; but on the other hand we could sure use the rain. So in the meantime I started cleaning up and painting hood hinges and parts so I can put the hood back on. I did pull it out of the garage; did a quick 2 or 3 second burnout, and pulled it back in so I could get a taste.

 

[falconvan]

Finally, a trip down the street accomplished!!! I need to bleed the brakes some more but it felt pretty darn good to have it move under its own power!

 

[bob w]

Congratulations on the first drive. You did such a nice job on it I'll bet you put lots of miles on it this coming season.[cl

 

[zpi28]

Thats cool, we all look forward to that first drive.

 

[falconvan]

Thanks, now it's time to start doing some tweaking here and there and making the drives longer. Bob, it's going to get a lot of use this coming year.

 

[falconvan]

After several trips down the road im really happy with how this thing came out. I gave her a good bath and except for a few tweaks here and there this is how she's going to stay for the forseeable future. Im not going to worry about uphostery for now; might takle that a bit at a time later. I think I am going to run a buffer across it and see if I can bring the paint alive a little more. I'm going to try a Corvette manual disc/disc master cylinder. Brakes are ok but no matter how much I bleed them they are still spongy and you've got to pump them. The master cylinder I have on there is from a four wheel drum setup; I just used it because I had it laying around. Also my front shocks are bottoming so I ordered some shorter ones but other than that I'm diggin it and ready to rack up some miles. It sounds great and I was suprised by how much pep the old 318 has.

 

[falconvan]

Got my new MC on; 100% improvement.

 

[RatWax]

Looks like your doing a real nice job on the car. Keep up the good work, it will all be worth it.

 

[falconvan]

Thanks; I havent gone very far yet but I've had it out almost everyday the past week. Still working on a few minor bugs but smooth sailing so far.

 

[jfg455]

Got my new MC on; 100% improvement.

There is no stopping you now! No, wait, Nothing keeping you off the fast track... except good working brakes... Well good job on the car! [cl

 

[falconvan]

There is no stopping you now! No, wait, Nothing keeping you off the fast track... except good working brakes... Well good job on the car! [cl

Thanks, man. The brakes kick butt now; it turned out to be a combo of parts. I'm also pleasantly surprised with the motor; for a 318 it pulls pretty good even through the restrictive stock exhaust manifolds. I've got a little electrical bug to find; something is draining the battery every 3 or four days unless I unhook it at night. But for just starting on it last July I'm pretty happy with how it came together on a low budget.

 

[jfg455]

I've got a little electrical bug to find; something is draining the battery every 3 or four days unless I unhook it at night.

try just unplugging the lead from the altenator. My chevelle had one go bad internally and it would do the same thing