The Dodge Challenger Message Board

No photos. But an interesting trip. Really old fashioned engineering works. Real old school. Great bunch of (skilled!) lads working there.

Funny enough. While I was there the US distributor for the wheels was over for a visit. I had a word with him (really nice guy - runs a 440 Jensen Interceptor) and he didn't realise there was a hub fitment issue because non of his customers has ever told him?

Well he knows now and is going to inform all of the outlets he supplys to check hub diameter on all classic muscle cars.

Here we are at last!

The car is on axle stands at the moment so the wheels are just hanging there. but you get the gist of how it will look.

Not factory,, but I kinda like that rim pattern Dave. Looks good.

Nice job gettin what you wanted and helping out the distributor to boot. Those guys need to know what works out here in the real world.

coming along nicely dave how long till you expect to have it back on the road
cheers ian

Basically I just have to neatly modify the underside of the hood to clear my air filter (a sunny afternoons job) and bleed the brakes. Still have to seal the windshield in too but the trim is polished ready to go on.
Then a little tidy up of the paint to remove all the dirt and bits of overspray and I am just about ready to rock.

Except the damn post office seems to have lost my replacement line lock so can't do the brakes yet. And the weather has turned crap again.

Superb Dave. Well worth the 500 mile round trip.

So what do you reckon for finishing the car then.......back on the road for, oh lets say, 20th June?

20th June?thats a good date as it is my birthday, i hope you get on the road sooner than that

I was aiming for the weekend after next.

Dave, you are the "MAN"! I think I have a new wheel favorite, I'm not a big fan of aftermarket wheels but those look 'factory' not too much bling.

A very good balance between new and old. Good choice Dave!

dave-r wrote:I was aiming for the weekend after next.

Even better!

As long as it's before we come up to see the Dubbins.

dave-r wrote:Really old fashioned engineering works. Real old school. Great bunch of (skilled!) lads working there.

I really like that kind of people.

dave-r wrote:Funny enough. While I was there the US distributor for the wheels was over for a visit. I had a word with him (really nice guy - runs a 440 Jensen Interceptor) and he didn't realise there was a hub fitment issue because non of his customers has ever told him?

I am not surprised any more when I hear stories like that.

dave-r wrote:Well he knows now and is going to inform all of the outlets he supplys to check hub diameter on all classic muscle cars.

Happy ending!

...and the make of the wheels is? (They reminds me of Minilites...)

Yes Minilites. Did I not say?

www.minilite.co.uk

Look out for a photo of my car on their website once I get the car on the road and polished up.

ahh so those are the much talked about mini lites cool did you weigh them? dave i wonder what they weigh with a tire on them?

dave-r wrote:Look out for a photo of my car on their website once I get the car on the road and polished up.

Cool.

Btw; Doesn´t our friend from Spain ("plum-crazy") have a set of vintage Minilites? I think so.

drewcrane wrote:ahh so those are the much talked about mini lites cool did you weigh them? dave i wonder what they weigh with a tire on them?

Never thought to weigh them. They are lighter than the steel rallye wheels that's for sure. Not as light as drag race alloys but a LOT stronger.

Those wheel's are really nice, Dave! Very clean.

Well today (after a couple of shakdown runs in the last week) was supposed to be my first trip out in the Challenger for many years.

I was meeting some other American car owners locally and we planned to all drive in convoy to a show about an hours drive to the south.

First of all I stripped the sump plug late last night while changing the oil.
So I dropped the steering link and removed the pan. Removed the existing welded in hardened thread insert (they are impossible to drill or tap) and made my own version from a nut and thick washer.

This did the trick and I was done by 10:30 last night.

Got up this morning at 6am to polish the car. Then set out at 8:45am to meet the guys at a McDonalds car park.

Things seemed OK but as I pulled up there was a cloud of smoke from under me.
Then as I filled with gas in the station next door I noticed a pool of transmission oil forming under the car.

I thought i would risk it because it did not look too bad but on the way to the show there was clouds of smoke in my mirrors and the guy behind me called on his cell phone to report a lot of smoke from under my car.

The trans was leaking really bad now and straight onto the exhaust.

So I called it a day and drove home.

Bloody cars. I hate them.

Bloody cars. I hate them. im with ya there dave my starter relay came loose from the inner fender causing all kinds of shorts and such as well as the fusible link i didnt notice it until i was trouble shooting every thing i could think of and then i found it thank god now its on tight but i still hate cars and it is always a love hate affair

Glad to hear you got er out Dave! My pile was driving me crazy the last 2 weeks with all kinds of driveability problems! I should have listened to the wife. It was bad gas all along.

You did'nt make it to the show then Dave? Too bad, i am sorry to hear that... Hope you find energy to get under the car and sort the problems out...

(The nut thing was looking like factory, i think of something like that every time i change the oil in the trans... it should do the work more clean with less oil spillage that way)

airfuelEddie wrote: I should have listened to the wife. It was bad gas all along.

Bad gas in the car or the wife?

Jimiboy wrote:(The nut thing was looking like factory, i think of something like that every time i change the oil in the trans... it should do the work more clean with less oil spillage that way)

Yes I have a drain plug in the trans and in the axle.

Even in the axle?

Cheer up mate. Seems there are always a few bugs to work out on the first outing. Especially after such a involved restore.

I hear ya though, those Friday night DNF's really suck. At least it wasn't a tow home.

There is trans oil all over the underside of the car.

It has baked onto the headers and exhaust pipes but some solvent should bring it off.

The trans sump is dripping in the stuff but I think it all came from the bellhousing and the input shaft seal.

ouch what a pain in the butt

come on then Dave, put the pics up then

Well I finaly have got on top of the trans leak (or leaks as it turned out) and took the car out to the local monthly cruise over the river in Gateshead.

It started to rain as soon as I set out but I didn't let that put me off.

Photos by Neil Engward.