Golden Lion Grrrages
Page 7

Let's jump into the installation of the new interior from Legendary. We have the carpet completed so we can install the front console along with the side carpets. Installation of the side carpets works better if you start at the front and work back. Some holes don't line up with clips but you don't really need all the clips. Rotating the clips may get you better alignment.

The rebuilt power window motors are installed in the rear quarters. Check now that up is up and down is down on the window switches, then install the interior panels. Install the left and right sill plate extensions because you can't get the rear screw in once the lower seat cushion is installed.

There are screws on the chrome housing on the upper seat cushion that will scratch the package tray during install, so mask these now. The lower seat cushion went in and latched with the floor easily. Sometimes these are a wrestle. Install both rear arm rests. The trick on the rear arm rest screws -- they aren't horizontal, they angle up to bite. Installed the original sill plate. All the screws bit and the sill plate made a nice anchor for the carpet edge.

The passenger front seat is a manual seat. Just as with a power seat, install the mounts loosely. The seat cushion does a lot of the alignment work and most times the cushion front bolts won't line up, so loose mounts help. There is a trick to starting those two rear nuts on the lower cushion. Place the nut on the seat track with the seat raised off the stud. This will put the nut flat and perpendicular to the stud. Lower the cushion until the nut catches the head of the stud and then it is easy to start the threading. In the F G H and J, there is an anti-flop spring for the passenger side upper cushion. You can get these springs from the Chrysler 30 Club International. The driver side doesn't use the spring.

Install the lower chrome to the driver seat cushion. It is much easier to install before the seat is on the frame. I was surprised to see the seat frame did not have holes for the power motor switch. The original frame had the holes but we sent a spare frame for install of the new upholstery and it did not. I would have thought all frames had holes so the factory would not have had to drill just for power seats. Made template, drilled holes, installed switch.
Installed power seat frame, remembered to install the plastic bases. Installed driver side sill plate, all screws bit and catch the carpet well. Installed cushion on power seat frame. Tested seat for vertical and horizontal. It all works but lowering requires body load to work well.

Swapped seat back upper chrome from original to new seats. Once you have one screw located, use the chrome to get alignment on the other screw. Installed seat back uppers. I use a suitable shaft through one pivot and then install the pin and cap on the other -- it can be a little bit of a wrestle to install an upper by yourself.

We have a video of the interior work here.

The roof rail gaskets and the quarter window gasket were replaced. Quirey has the new pieces. Removal of the roof rail gasket is easy. Except for the forward pieces by the vent window, the gasket is not glued and the old gasket pulls out of the retainer. Same for the quarter window vertical gasket. Be prepared to adjust your front window glass; the new gaskets are bigger and will cause the glass to tilt out. Adjusting the top stops should take most of the problem away. I adjusted both top stops to be a little lower and set the rear stop again a little lower. This gives the glass a little rearward tilt which helps close any gap between the front and quarter windows. We have a video here.

I was under the hood and just happened to look at throttle shaft bracket. The plastic bushing was very worn with lots of movement on the shaft. I removed the bracket, put in a new bushing, installed the bracket. On only the first or second try, the shaft popped out. The bracket itself is too worn to hold a new bushing. Removed the bracket thinking I'd swap in a spare but found ram brackets are different than non ram cars. I don't have any spare ram brackets but found one that will work and installed. It might even work better since the force tends to push the rod into the bushing and it is unlikely to pop out. During all this the throttle shaft connection fell off at the bottom of the ram bail lever. With long 1/4" drive extensions we got in there and tightened.

There was light surface rust on some of the parts in the engine bay from storage. Most of it was on pieces that had been painted years ago with Nyalic clear. This is disappointing. I've used Nyalic for years without problems.
The rust was removed and various parts and pieces were painted again.

2017 was the last time we had this car running. A check of the fluids, some cranking to circulate the oil, then prime down the carbs and it fired right off. The oil light went off, the ammeter charged and I was reminded that the exhaust system needed attention; the passenger side muffler was in pieces. Although some of the other pipes were adequate, I decided the car deserved a new exhaust system. I used Classic Exhaust out of Ohio. I bought regular steel pipes with standard mufflers. The pipes should be here before Christmas.


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