Inferno Red 74 Duster!
Well, winter will be over before I know it so I better get my but in gear and make this car ready for the road! I pulled the grille, bumper etc. off so I could fit an AC condenser up there in front of the 26” factory rad. I think I’ll put a trans cooler up there too. I am taking the rad to the rad shop to have them check it out and fix a couple little things. I will ask them how much to recore it (3 core) and likely go that route since I want reliability more than anything else. I have a 5 blade, 18" fan and I need a clutch for it (Low profile Hayden). The factory fan was a 7 blade so I may need more fan.
I found an intake that will allow me to use a stock 85 Dodge truck AC compressor and brackets, so with some custom hoses and a mix of stock and aftermarket pieces, I hope to have a functioning AC system this year too. I was going to use the condenser from the same truck but it doesn't quite fit and its not the best for modern refrigerant. I have found some aftermarket universal ones that may work but I want to avoid cheap China made crap and not having luck finding anything else. It needs to be about 26" wide, 14" deep and max an inch thick.
I sealed up the windshield with rope caulk and it passed the ”dump 5 gallons of water on me” test so I am hoping that will be taken care of. I will do the back window too.
I have been fooling around trying to wrap my steering wheel with vinyl (Superior 500 with foam grip). It seems to be working out OK and I am learning lots. When I have it the way I like it, I’ll redo it in black leather. Upholstery really interests me and I want to try and recover my front seats to somewhat match my rear seats with matching width vertical stripes up the center.
I have a bunch of little projects that I can do over the summer for free like my "Line Lock" cause I already bought the stuff I need to finish them. I have some M/T valve covers I'll put on when I change intakes. But that stuff doesn't even hit the budget!
I am waiting for my bonus to come through before I allow myself to think about doing any more. Next on my hit list will likely be gauges. My fuel gauge is the only factory gauge that works and I have cheap Equus gauges temporarily hanging under the dash looking like crap. I’m thinking Dakota digital. I really like their stuff from the research I have done and my buddy installed it on his old international truck. He was very happy with it too. They also have a cruise control system that looks like it would be a nice addition.
No matter, I really want to be back running and driving when the snow melts. The ground hog gave me a little more time today which is good and bad. I'm ready for winter to be over! And I usually love winter.
Cley
Well, winter will be over before I know it so I better get my but in gear and make this car ready for the road! I pulled the grille, bumper etc. off so I could fit an AC condenser up there in front of the 26” factory rad. I think I’ll put a trans cooler up there too. I am taking the rad to the rad shop to have them check it out and fix a couple little things. I will ask them how much to recore it (3 core) and likely go that route since I want reliability more than anything else. I have a 5 blade, 18" fan and I need a clutch for it (Low profile Hayden). The factory fan was a 7 blade so I may need more fan.
I found an intake that will allow me to use a stock 85 Dodge truck AC compressor and brackets, so with some custom hoses and a mix of stock and aftermarket pieces, I hope to have a functioning AC system this year too. I was going to use the condenser from the same truck but it doesn't quite fit and its not the best for modern refrigerant. I have found some aftermarket universal ones that may work but I want to avoid cheap China made crap and not having luck finding anything else. It needs to be about 26" wide, 14" deep and max an inch thick.
I sealed up the windshield with rope caulk and it passed the ”dump 5 gallons of water on me” test so I am hoping that will be taken care of. I will do the back window too.
I have been fooling around trying to wrap my steering wheel with vinyl (Superior 500 with foam grip). It seems to be working out OK and I am learning lots. When I have it the way I like it, I’ll redo it in black leather. Upholstery really interests me and I want to try and recover my front seats to somewhat match my rear seats with matching width vertical stripes up the center.
I have a bunch of little projects that I can do over the summer for free like my "Line Lock" cause I already bought the stuff I need to finish them. I have some M/T valve covers I'll put on when I change intakes. But that stuff doesn't even hit the budget!
I am waiting for my bonus to come through before I allow myself to think about doing any more. Next on my hit list will likely be gauges. My fuel gauge is the only factory gauge that works and I have cheap Equus gauges temporarily hanging under the dash looking like crap. I’m thinking Dakota digital. I really like their stuff from the research I have done and my buddy installed it on his old international truck. He was very happy with it too. They also have a cruise control system that looks like it would be a nice addition.
No matter, I really want to be back running and driving when the snow melts. The ground hog gave me a little more time today which is good and bad. I'm ready for winter to be over! And I usually love winter.
Cley
