Road Trip !!

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It's update time! Sorry info has been so sparse, if you've not traveled northern MT and ID you are unaware that cell service is just this side of non-existent for thousands of square miles. I couldn't get hooked up to wifi at either of the overnight places, and there's no way in hell I'm thumb typing this much on my phone which had zip for bars.

Anyway, I got to the PO's house yesterday around 8:30 Montana time. I was able to do the inspection inside his shop which was helpful.

Before I get started, let's give a H-U-G-E shoutout to @Bodyperson who stopped by to help with the visuals, paint, body repair, and other issues. He gave this thing the thumbs up. Thanks for the help amigo!

Here's what I found after four hours going over the car and taking it for a drive.

The good:
The car starts easy when hot or cold and runs smoothly.
Other than a few very minor areas the rust situation is excellent, as in just about none. The spare tire well, cargo well, and what I could get at the floor under the vinyl are all shiny, factory painted, and intact.
The tires have tons of tread but will be replaced, they are 14 years old. They were inside heated shops all that time, but still I'm not taking any chances. They will do for putting around town a bit while I get the car sorted out.
The interior is in excellent shape. The front seat was recovered but springs are soggy so I look like a lowrider at the moment. I will get a pillow so I can see over the dash :rolleyes:. The rest of the interior is certainly original to the car and in excellent shape. Headliner, door cards, flooring (vinyl), dash are all good. The dash pad is cracked in a few places but that's a cosmetic issue I can work on later.
Steering is good and goes in a straight line. Brakes also are good and straight line.
The rear end is a 8.75 741 open with 2.94 gears. I intend to set this up as a high mileage (haha, in a 4000 lb car) touring car so the gears don't bother me. Trans is a 904 that works well and does not appear to be leaking. Engine is a stock 318 two barrel.
Wheels are 15", not sure how wide.
Paint is good with about a half dozen dings and minor dents to fix. There is one old repair to the left quarter that needs to be cleaned up and a couple of minor paint bubbles.
The engine bay is all stock and quite clean. It has three-speed wipers and an AM radio that works well.

The bad:
The front seat doesn't adjust, the passenger side won't release when you pull the knob. Easy fix.
The carb is showing seepage, probably time for a rebuild or replacement. The car has some smog stuff on it that will go in the garbage.
Fuel gauge doesn't work.
The tailgate only opens like a door. Probably some kind of linkage issue, will fix it later.
The engine has fair compression (110-120) on six holes, but the other two are 80 and 90. It still runs well, but I suspect it's getting tired. It is leaking from both front and rear mains, but it doesn't leave puddles.
Radiator may have a very small leak somewhere, I'll check it out later. Meanwhile keep some extra antifreeze in the back.
The oil, trans, and PS fluids all were topped off and looked good. The brake fluid was nasty, it will need to be completely flushed with new.
When we went for a test drive, we found a mouse nest in the drivers underdash fresh air box. Mouse crud went everywhere. We shopvac'ed it out. Fast forward to 700+ miles going home at 65-70 MPH with the air doors open. Yes, you guessed it, another gallon of mouse crud all over the floor and front seat. At least I can feel comfortable there's nothing else to blow out of there!
Both left doors were replaced at some time. They look OK, but the color is off and they are not well aligned. No big deal for now, but will be sorted out later.

The ugly:
There is no currently known ugly, it's a turnkey driver!

Some photos upon arrival home.

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i'm into it!

perfect road tripper, just add a motor and OD trans...
*cough* G3 hemi *cough* *cough*
 
I'll except the participation trophy. lol Zack knows his stuff. He didn't buy that thing without some due diligence. Have fun with it amigo!!!
 
Sounds like quite the road trip, I’ve been up thru Idaho as my old platoon sergeant lives up there. Def no signal, lots of deer.
 
I like this more than the yellow wagon.
It is funny how as a young driver, nobody wanted to drive the family station wagon. It just wasn't cool to be seen in a 4 door or a wagon.
Nostalgia has a way of changing our perspective.
Nicely done, Sir.
 
Cool ride!
4 hour inspection and I thought the guys that checked out my builds for 3 hours were totally anal! ha
OK what did we pay!?? This was a joint purchase! ha
 
That's a really nice car! Congrats Zach!
 
Sorry for getting into this late. I owned a 73 wagon. Did you check the bottom of the rear door? That’s an area where rot occurs. The door has poor drainage.
 
To anyone who sent message to me I've been out of touch for about a week but now back. Sorry for no response till now Wasn't trying to ignore anyone.
 
Fixed a couple of stupid quick things, loose mirror and armrests. Took it for a little shakedown run doing errands. I REALLY like this car.

I stole the tires and rims from the Dart (sorry, Mr. Dart). It's a huge improvement from the skinnies on there before. Steelies and dog dishes forever!


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I ordered the first thing any old car owner should have, a FSM.

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Rock Auto to the rescue. New plugs, cap, rotor, wires, and radiator hoses along with a spare ballast and ECU are on the way.

Next up, figure out and fix why the wipers are getting fouled up on the hood. And fix the washers.
 
RAT ROD AL said:
Zach is that car red or Hemi Orange ?
Click to expand...

Here's the fender tag info, it just says "red" for the color. I don't think it has been repainted.

WL45:

Dodge Coronet,Charger

Low

6 Passenger Wagon



G2G: 318 150HP(net) or 155HP(net) 1-2BBL 8 CYL

1972

St. Louis, MO, USA



112064: Sequence number



E44: 318 cid 2 barrel V8 230hp

D34: Light Duty Automatic Transmission

FE5: Red Exterior Color

W2T5: Trim - W, Vinyl Bench Seat, Tan

HT8: Dark Tan Metallic (Dodge), Chestnut Metallic (Plymouth, Chrysler, Imperial) Int. Door Frames

820: Build Date: August 20

116900: Order number



FE5: Red Top Color

U: USA Specifications

B41: Front Disc Brakes w/Standard 10in RR Drum

B51: Power Brakes

G33: LH Remote Racing Mirror

J25: 3 Speed Wipers



J52: Inside Hood Release

L31: Hood/Fender Mounted Turn Signals

L61: Dome Lamp Switch Rear Doors

R11: Radio Solid State AM (2 Watts)

END: End of Sales Codes




New parts! Who doesn't love boxes of goodies to put on your new ride?

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I spent yesterday draining the cooling system (it was a mucky brown-green color) back flushed it, and put in all new heater hoses and formed radiator hoses. I also added an overflow bottle, it had none previously. For some reason it has two fuel filters, both of which were filthy. One is just before the fuel pump, the other is in the normal place just before the carb. I'm guessing there was crap in the gas tank and this was the fix? I'll know more when I get into the gas tank to fix the non-op gas gauge. Either way, both fuel filters are replaced now. I got both new fan belts on, and checked the timing which was spot on. The new plugs, wires, cap and rotor were all installed.

Then I figured I'd clean out the muck in the cowl, which has the coolest access panels - why don't all cars have these? Super simple, pop off the plastic covers and you have good access to the cowl. That's the good news. The bad news is, that wasn't muck in there it was yuck. As in two inches of mouse poop and pee. And then I found the rest of the mouse nest, it was huge. I already took a big pile out of the fresh air box, and there were two more double handfuls of the junk in the cowl. Several hours later I think I have it all scraped loose and vacuumed out. I need to get a bunch of Lysol to spray in there, it was nasty. However, I think my issue with the mice is resolved. We shall give it a true test later today. This is the heap-o-mouse fully plugging the driver's side of the cowl, and then down into the fresh air box.

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When I did the compression test while checking out the car, the plugs looked not so great - caked on crud, running rich, and semi-nasty. Much to my surprise when I pulled them to replace them, they looked pretty good. I've only put 30-40 miles on the car so far, maybe that was enough to burn it off? These almost look good enough to clean up for spares, but I pitched them and got a new set for the spare parts pile.

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I suspect the PO took reasonable care of the car, but mostly just put gas in it and drove it. Most everything I've changed or updated has needed it. I still need to change the oil and filter, along with the same for the trans. I'll drain and refill the rear end too, all of which will wait till I get the lift opened up to get under this thing. The engine bay looks a little better now.

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