Hello all,
I just signed up this week so introductions are in order! My name is Don
Verity and I am from Smithfield, R.I.. I seem to be the first person who
has written who has later finned Chryslers. I own a 59 300-E, 60-F, and
61-G. I also have a 66 Imperial Crown Coupe, 69 T&C wagon, 70 New Yorker
4dr. ht., 70 Challenger R/T, and 85 Laser turbo. I have owned my G longest
of all my finned cars. I bought it in November, 91 with 51,000 original
miles and have put about 25,000 on it since. It is a very rust free car and
is the best driving car I own. It is almost completely free of any wind
noise and rattles and the power is awesome! I bought my F in 93. It has a
non-stock 69 440 and 62 aluminum torqueflite. It has the rams on it and
looks like stock until you check the number pad. It has done a best of
14.33 at 93.68 at the drags and is currently being restored (mostly by me).
The 59 E has not run since 66 and has a dealer installed Paxton
supercharger on it. It had an engine compartment fire in 66 and hasn't run
since. I was in the right place at the right time to get this one! It needs
a full restoration. My basic philosophy on the cars is to drive and enjoy
them because that's what they were made for. The best way to really
appreciate a letter car (or any old car) is to drive it!
On to the brake problems! When I brought my G home I had to use dish soap
and a hose so it would slide off the ramp truck. All four wheels were
frozen! It had been in the original owners home which was vacant after his
death. The pipes had frozen and burst at one point and when they thawed,
no-one noticed that they were leaking for quite a while! The G did not
suffer any damage except the moisture from the water froze the drums to the
fresh shoes. Even though all the parts were fairly new, the wheel cylinders
were no good. On cars as old as ours I don't believe in taking chances with
the brakes. I completely rebuilt the system with new cylinders, hoses, and
master cylinder. I cleaned up the shoes and drums figuring they were OK to
use as is since the shoes were new. I also used silicone fluid. After this
the hydraulic part was OK, the brakes still pulled quite badly. To make an
already to long story shorter, the problem was the shoes and their fit to
the drums. What I did was to have the drums turned and ground, and I had
the new shoes contour ground to fit the drums. It made all the difference
in the world! The car stops straight and true and I have had no problems in
over 20,000 miles! There are not to many shops around that can grind drums
and shoes but it is worth the effort to find one. Brake noises are usually
because of shoe fit also. Keep in mind also that if your brake pedal pumps
up, or is spongy, there could be air in the system. I have bled my brakes
myself using a glass jar party filled with fresh fluid and a hose running
from the bleeder valve to the jar. All you have to do is loosen the bleeder
and pump the brakes until there are no bubbles. Another cause of a low
pedal could be the adjustment of the pedal rod from the brake pedal to the
master cylinder. It should be adjusted so there is minimal play in the rod
(not the pedal). If it is to tight, the brakes will drag and quickly
overheat. The adjustment at the wheels is important too. They should be
adjusted according to the shop manual. I have done the same treatment to my
F with the same results. It also has metallic linings that I got from NAPA
a few years ago. I have made back to back runs at the drag strip with no
problems stopping. All the things I have written pertain to center plane
brakes of the power variety. Most of the tips should work on the earlier
design. I also agree that putting a dual system on a car not designed for
it will not help braking performance, and if your brake system and
emergency brake is in top shape, you should enjoy miles and miles of safe
and trouble free driving. The old brakes don't compare to modern disc
brakes, but our Chrysler brakes were actually better than average when they
were new, so you are safer driving a Chrysler product anyway!
Both of my Cross-Ram cars also Idle like they have a two barrel, but Ram
tuning is another story, and I have rambled on long enough! Long live the
fins!!
PS. I live near a Mopar junk yard that has a number of 56-62 Mopars,
mostly Chryslers, but if anyone needs something, let me know.
300ly,
Don
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