WHOA!!

I have tried to keep some kind of time line as I write this. While writing the cooling rant I realized I had left out a critical component of the build. BRAKES. Under the title FRAMED I said I had, with professional help, subbed the DeSoto frame with a Dodge Dakota front sub with all the suspension components. Brakes were not included with the frame chapter So.....

First step, get the necessary parts for the front brakes. First I went to CAR- PART.COM for local salvage parts and prices. When I found a power brake booster for a Dakota I went and pulled the unit complete with master cylinder, reservoir etc. All the local yards immediately remove the calipers for rebuild so back to the internet.

I found a pair of Dakota salvage calipers for $34.00, shipped free. Inquiring around, the local NAPA had rebuilt calipers including heavy duty pads, both guaranteed for life for $70.00 the pair. They also had a core charge (discount) of $25.00 per caliper with caliper exchange. I jumped at that! Two (2) rebuilt calipers and pads for a net of $20.00! They also had rotors on sale, again guaranteed for $29.00 each. Load me up. Also got the flexible lines and lock clips to hold them. I have to add with no front clip on, the work was rather simple. I would pay for that later. Read on.

The Dakota frame had majority of the brake line retainer clips and junction blocks, which were still held the brake lines, chopped and sealed. Using clothes line, I laid out the path of the front brake lines then took measurements for the brake lines. I could have gone cheap but I chose stainless lines. I called the two biggest sellers got the best price and placed my order. They come in a big tube and you bend to fit as you go. I did buy a tubing bender which was a great help.

I used a Dodge Viper manually adjustable pedal assembly installed where the DeSoto pedals would have been, utilizing all existing firewall holes and openings. I had to fabricate a box extension for the power brake booster to firewall connection to allow space for the clutch master cylinder hydraulic unit. Then I welded in carriage bolts to mount the booster. Good idea not so good on the welding as the torch had to fit through a small opening and a couple of the welds broke through the repeated course of assembly and disassemble. The bolts often flopped around and the hole was too small for my hand. Tape and a screwdriver helped with that. Then I used marine grade turn buckles for the clutch and brake connections to master cylinder connecting rods. Degreased the calipers, masked them and sprayed them red with caliper paint.

For the clutch master cylinder I used initially used a Ram SRT 1500 Viper unit. Fit like a glove behind the the Dakota power brake booster. Ran into grief with factory cylinder to slave booster cylinder in the transmission which will be covered in an addendum to MO MO MO Power.
                                                     
                        
                                                                           The Dakota power brake booster and master
 cylinder located in the upper right on the
firewall..   

Above and behind the brake booster tank is the replacement Wilwood compact clutch master cylinder and small reservoir. See the addendum already  mentioned above for a complete explanation.

The best shot of the Dakota power brake booster and the Wilwood compact clutch master cylinder. Also seen is the corrected brake line routes. The front line heads to the rear and the rear to the front brakes.
Semi hidden, but view-able, is the "spacer box" bolted to the the firewall which allowed me to use all the existing firewall holes as explained in the narrative.

Dodge Dakota front disc brake, caliper and flex line installed.
Access was a snap with no front clip to contend with.

With all Ford fittings on the rear end as described in Mo Mo Mo Power, I started looking for Ford rear disc brake kits or salvage. I found a Mustang racing rear drum to disc brake conversion kit on ebay. Price wasn't too bad. Also found the same kit through a small local Ford dealership for $65.00 dollars less.  Owned by a local man, pro basketball player, they were sponsoring / owned a race car team. They were more than happy to sell the kit. Even offered instructions and tips for the install. The body to rear end flex hose coupling and junction were recommended by the hard line supplier. Again, degreased and painted the the calipers.

 The Ford racing disc and caliper installed.
I had not yet removed the rotor protective coating.

The flex line and junction from the body to the rear end. Also seen are the hard stainless steel lines to the calipers.












When the time came for the front clip, the first pieces to go on were the inner fender/wheels. The passenger side went on great. The driver side inner fender was a an unanticipated goof up. The Dakota power brake booster is so large, the vacuum chamber completely blocked the inner wheel well. I had made no provision for such a large part! After a lot of frustration and may be a few choice words I laid a tape pattern on it and cut a LARGE opening to clear the body of the booster. After several trial and error fittings and cuttings, it fit. The multiple curves and sloped wheel well drove me craaaazy! Then I had to fabricate, paint and coat a "box" that had to be shallow enough to the clear the wheel and tire in the wheel well. The "box" is attached by heavy duty sheet metal screws. Just in case I made a provision for a small drain hole. I used screws as welding would have required a repaint.

 The underside to the brake booster after the wheel well/inner fender was cut.

The inner fender/wheel well showing the "box" and wheel/ tire proximity. UGLY, but can't be seen with the fender on.












When the front clip was finally complete and everything was in place to start the motor I ran the necessary hose from the manifold to the brake booster. Now it was time to fill the brake lines and bleed them. I started from the passenger side rear, the usual starting point farthest from the master cylinder. I have a small hand brake bleeder kit. I started the usual pumping and squeezing and squeezing and squeezing!!! Little to no fluid. I worked for what seemed like for ever. Finally started the engine and got my wife to pump the pedal still almost nothing. Moved to the driver side near nothing. Disconnect lines and blew them out.  Restarted the whole process. Nothing! Started researching and calling friends. Figured out two problems.

The master cylinder was defective. More NAPA. Still no progress but SOME fluid. More calls and research. Can't remember who or where but....... I had applied logic when hooking up the brake lines to the master cylinder. Front brakes to the front hole, rear line to the rear hole. NOPE!!!! For what ever reason the front brakes connect to the rear hole and the rears connect to the front hole!!! To make matters worse they have different fittings so I had to rebend and reroute the lines  to the first junction block. Then everything worked.

To date the brakes have worked as expected. Pedal pressure is not excessive feel is good. Haven't had to make any emergency stops, but have tested them a bit to be sure. The red brake caliper paint isn't worth a crap. Its peeling and flaking.

THAT NEW CAR SMELL!

I am not even going to try to say I know anything about sewing, cloth or different types of materials. What I will do is cover what I did and had done .

First and foremost, I researched the hell out of DeSoto interiors and vintage material suppliers. I found that for 1956 DeSoto upgraded most of their interior materials and offered a multitude of colors, designs and materials all aimed to look as luxury, high end, fit, finish and feel designs. And based on the research they succeeded as written in the automotive press of the time. The materials leaned to multi colored brocades color matched to the exterior colors. For me, too old school. What I envisioned was more '70s style, subdued whites and my addition of blues to match the car, using as much of the original trim as possible. Before I go any further lets see what will be pitched.

 

Back in the day power steering was almost never heard of. You had to have a lot of leverage, hence the LARGE steering wheel. Look carefully on the left side of the dash. See that cluster of four (4) buttons? That's for the automatic transmission; Park, Neutral, Drive and Reverse.  Very unique and very Chrysler design through the mid 1960's.

 Seen from the passenger side, the rear seat and
side trim panel. The seat covers when I purchased the car were not stock from the factory. Back in the day you could get replacement seat covers from Montgomery Ward, Sears, Western Auto and others. As far as I could determine the side panels were original.  Note the crappy replacement red carpet somebody added later and used to hide holes in the front seat floor area.

 The driver side door panel. The bottom is heavily damaged by water and wear. One of it's trim stripes has fallen off. It looks blueish but is faded blacks and grays.

 The passenger side rear, with the driver side front seat tipped forward. The front seat tilted forward on both sides to allow access to the rear. There were NO tilt safety locks in the event of a crash! Seat belts were still eight to ten years away Two door Chrysler Motors vehicles had asymmetrical front seat splits which allowed easier entry from the passenger side. It was also considered safer due to enter from the curb side.

The passenger side door panel. Again look at the heavy water damage.

 One of the rear seat side panels. Just below the white color is an arm rest. Although hard to see, there was an ash tray for smokers in each arm rest. I tried to convert them into cup holders but the arm rest was too small.

I considered bucket seats, power seats, heated seats,  and a console but decided that the extra fabrication for floor to seat track structures, wiring, control switches and panels was just too much. I did know that I wanted leather or at least high end vinyl and or naugahyde.

Then I started going to shops that do automotive interiors and spent hours looking at materials and colors. What I found out was kind of a SHOCK to the mind and to the wallet. Six (6) to eight (8) K for a complete interior. And that was considered cheap! The best automotive interior shops were forty to eighty miles away, required the car in the shop AND WORST OF ALL they had a one and half to two year WAIT TIME to get in. In the meantime, I kept working on the car and looking at materials. On a parts run, I was lamenting the above, and the parts guy said there was a new person right here in town who had just moved back from Florida and did car and boat upholstery work. He gave me her card. I kind of figured what did I have to loose and gave her a call.

 She invited me over to her shop(her parents garage and barn) and we went over what she could do, showed me around and said she could start as soon as I decided on the colors and materials.  She gave a bunch of material samples to take home and layout with the car colors. She assured me that she could have the car done within a few months and her PRICE WAS RIGHT! About half of what I had found elsewhere! She did say this would be her first complete car top to bottom. She had pictures of car seats, panels, furniture and boat interiors but not a complete car.

I continued to go to local furniture upholstery shops looking at materials as well. One shop had leather and recycled leather backed urethane that matched the leather. Researching, I found urethane is cooler to sit on, lasts and tests just as well for wear as vinyl and might be a smidge cheaper. The colors were perfect for the car. BUT, the shop would not sell it unless they did the work. I memorized the name and company, looked it on line, then passed  it on to "my" upholstery person. I asked her to check to see if she could get it.

A few days later she said she could, if she jumped through some hoops, filled out business papers, provided state business numbers, state tax forms  etc. She said she need to pay a fee upfront but it was refundable on her first order. I said I would pay it, as a down payment for the work as long as she wrote it up as a down payment. Which she did. We were on the way.

Reading the 1956 DeSoto repair manual section on interiors helped me and my son deconstruct the interior without destroying it when we disassembled the car.  We stored everything in the rafters of the garage, where it laid in the heat and cold for ten years. It was now time to retrieve it all and take it to the upholstery shop.  The headliner was dry rotted when we took it down, rolled it up with the bows still in place, and stored it. It was now crumbling. I carefully laid it out, removed the bows one at a time and numbered them front to back. Good thing too as each bow is a different length front to back. They also had a "hook" some what like a number 7 on each end. The bow slipped into it then plugged into a roof frame body hole.

 The DeSoto manual said to replace the head liner required that all the glass, rubber seals and metal window window tracks had to be out. FYI, in today's cars, most don't have a rubber seal for the windshield or rear window they are glued/caulked in place. Removal wasn't problem as everything was all out before sandblasting. I cut, fit and glued a recycled aluminized  insulation two (2) piece roof pad.  That was a real trip, working it up overhead all floppy, sticky and damp with glueby myself! There was none in the original car. Just bare metal. The book said working front to back the installer would slit the headliner at each stamped hook or "tooth", press the material over the tooth and move to each "tooth" in turn. That then down the sides inserting the bows, slitting and gluing as necessary.

 My upholsterer had never done a headliner before. She used the old 'liner" as a pattern, added extra material based on experience sewed in the bow pockets etc. We picked a common newer car cloth and vinyl headliner versus the all cloth original. We both liked the perforated versus solid material. When done, she brought the liner over and we installed it together. It took both of us to handle, unroll, slide in the bows, slip on the hooks, "bend" them into their respective holes, spray glue, slit,  poke, pull and tug the liner into place. At the rear roof line she had to cut the final contours as the original was most rotted and missing there. She and I also had to cut openings for the rear roof pillar interior lights and then I installed them.

It took us more than four (4) hours to complete the head liner. If you look carefully at the nearest upper edge of the windshield opening you can see the hooks or "tooth" the "liner" had to be slit, glued  and pushed over. In a couple of stubborn areas we used clothes pins to hold the "liner" in place while the glue set up. Visible on the  rear side roof and quarter panel are the stock coat hook and interior light.






While work continued on the other interior parts I prepared the dash board top for the tachometer and wires. The dash top is a full size "cover" over a double layer of structural steel.. It also serves as part of the duct for defrosting the windshield. Sitting on a milk crate I guessed as to a good location for the tachometer, marking it for location and drilling. With no glass, it was a snap to drill the holes for the layers. I then took it the upholstery shop for covering.

As I said the front and rear windshields as well as the side glass could not be installed until the headliner was in. Not knowing how to install glass or the rubber seals I looked high and low for an automotive glass shop who could. After a lot of phone calls and a couple of shop visits I found a guy who specialized in what I needed. Separately I had ordered several glass and body rubber seal kits mostly from STEELE Rubber. They specialize in that kind of stuff. ASIDE: Their stuff is high quality BUT mostly made for GM . A lot of their stuff is thicker than original causing fitting issues. Nothing you can do about it!

The glass guy came and together we spent a full eight (8) hours installing the rubber, glass and trim for the front and rear windows. The trim and clips drove the glass guy CRAZY. He was so frustrated with one piece remaining he almost left! I kind of talked him down and on the last attempt the trim piece snapped in place. WHEW!And of course it was blazing hot. I had salvaged the necessary trim clips. Originally the trim clips and some of the upholstery was factory installed using factory 1/4" inch long flat head spiral nails. They were a bitch pulling them out! I/we used 1/2" number 6  and 8 stainless steel sheet metal screws to reattach the trim and later upholstery.

 Most interesting for me was the rubber seal. A piece of rope was inserted into the groove where the glass would go. The you or the installer would then pull the rope out opening the grove and the glass would drop in. I followed along applying pressure as directed.

Later I installed the roof line side window trim and seal with door window "flipper". The door window "flipper"is a hinged metal and rubber window seal that "flips" up about forty-five (45) degrees when the door is opened. When the door is closed it flips down creating a seal against the window 's metal frame.

 The front windshield and trim installed. Also seen installed is the side glass roof trim seal and door "flipper."

The rear windshield now installed.  Also visible is the roof line side window trim and seal with door "flipper." If looked at carefully, the upper side window trim is bright, polished, then seems abruptly cut off. That is where the "flipper" begins and is in the up position when the picture was taken.









I installed the rear quarter side glass next. They were a royal pain. It required a pivot pin be inserted
into the lifting mechanism while partially raised but not bolted into position. It also had a tracking wheel that had to sit in a curving track. Several large and heavy pieces flopping around, limited access and only two hands!

The quarter window glass installed.

Next up for description purposes is the door panels and rear seat side panels. Each door panel had a metal upper quarter with the rest made of cardboard or other paper type material. As the above pictures show they were heavily damaged. The upholster tried several methods for patterns and had her father cut untempered 1/8"inch board. NOTE: Most car upholstery shops use some kind of weatherproof  thin plastic or rigid foam board I found out later. I picked up several attempts at the door panels, bringing them home to check for fit on the doors. None were any good. I finally got more material, attached them to the upper metal section. I then laid them on the doors, locked them down in their door slots and traced then out. Rough cut, I then relaid them marking them for the holes for the panel push lock clips. Even then I had to "guess" as to the hole size for the push clips. They then went back to her for padding, trim location and covering. When they were done they came back to me so I could install the window opening "fuzz" pieces which act as spacers and weather seals on the door panels and doors. They are stapled into place on factory new builds or were "nailed" with those odd nails I described earlier. Not having any type of stapler that shoots through metal I called around and including Steele was told use small sheet metal screws. There were holes in the doors and door panel metal which worked with # 6  X 1/2" sheet metal screws. The doors even had stamped holes for inserting tools/screwdriver to reach across the window slot structure and screw holes for  the screws.

The rear seat side panels were less troublesome in that they were all metal. The had large tabs for screws to attach them to the body. Throughout the restoration those tabs snagged my pants or cut my legs. I finally got smart and covered them in duct tape. The window "fuzz" strips went on as previously described.  Overlooked was the position, of the screw holes for attachment.  The upholstery was wrapped over and on the reverse side covered the holes. Very careful positioning and use of a hat pin located the holes on installation.

Windlace is a 1/'2" inch or larger rope like appearing upholstery piece used in older cars to cover and provide a seal at the doors, windows and other body structures. The upholster made roughly tent (10) feet of it for the door and body openings. It was a bit of a trip gluing and installing it, especially around the door/windshield body curves. Those curves came unglued so I had to drill a few holes for the stainless screws. In a few places I had to pull it out, and reposition it, as the panels and trim pieces went back on as we had done it wrong.

The seats front and rear have blur rolled and pleated leather. Each roll is a separate piece, then each roll is sewed together forming the panel. The rest of the upholstery material it is urethane backed with recycled leather. I wanted a "french" stitch. She said she did not how to do it and that her sewing machine wouldn't do it. I was disappointed but accepted it. A week or so later she called and said she had gone to the best local shop, a former Amish man, in the area and he would teach her to do it using her machine!  When all said and done she made a number of trips to his shop learning a number of techniques.

At some point the upholsterer said the interior need just a bit of "POP" to go with the rest of the car. That 'pop" wound up costing her time and money! She said a friend of hers had an computerized embroidery sewing machine. She suggested doing something utilizing it. At no additional cost. I scrambled around looking for pictures of what might look cool. I wound up with the Ferdinand DeSoto head logo used by DeSoto and the latest Viper head logo for the Viper. We both agreed the red snake head was COOL!  That lead to a disaster! The first go round her friend laid them out wrong and embroidered them crooked!! Needless to say this caused a lot of consternation for her and a major material replacement and redo for her.

The rear seats also had their problems. The Viper heads were the first. The second was the seat back and seat cushion panels were shifted an inch or more. They did not line up back rest to seat cushion. Worse, one went left the other right. That required more rework on her part.

The rear package shelf and dash went pretty much as planned. The only difficulty was the multiple curves on the package shelf trying to pop up and unglue. Then later I had to cut it for the stereo speaker openings.

In all her few months turned into over a year to complete. You can be the judge as to what was done as you look at the interior. I am more than happy even though I know where all the flaws are.  In truth it didn't matter as so much as the restoration work was not done and I was found to have lymphoma cancer. That was almost four years ago. The prognosis is and continues to be good.

During the built I laid in and glued an insulated, recycled and aluminized floor pad. I also purchased a factory automotive type floor carpet. I cut and fit it then took all the pieces to a local shop for edge binding.

The last pieces were the front "kick panels" under the dash. I had run the battery cable, ground and lighting wires inside the car. I had to cut the bottom of the side panel and add a metal "tunnel" to accommodate the wiring below and behind the panel. There was a bit of a valley just inside the door and the floor. I used the insulation pad to make the valley deeper. The car has full length aluminum floor kick plates at the doors which successfully and protectively cover the wiring.

 We won this steering wheel in a contest on line. My son entered our incomplete car and they thought it was so cool they gave us the choice of their Forever Sharp steering wheel line. Note how much smaller it is.










The back side with finger slots for added grip

and comfort.

Front and rear seats with the asymmetrical passenger side seat folded forward. Driver side rear panel is also seen along with rear quarter window and driver's door window.

Front and rear seats with windows down.

 The complete dash. Note the old school "gasser" tach location. All gauges are Auto Meter Ultra Lite II.  Also seen is the retro bench seat shift lever. The dark stripe on the door frame is the windlace that runs floor to top of the door frame. It kept coming loose following the curves until a few well placed screws were put in. The side kick panel is also visible.







A full view of the dash.

The manually adjustable Viper pedal assembly.
Carpet was hand cut by me and sent out for edge binding. The transmission carpet cover folds back to allow access to the transmission/ floor panel. It is removable for access to rear of the transmission bell housing bolts engine and coil mounting bracket. Not complete at the time of the picture, was the shifter boot and trim plate.

The finished trunk. The original DeSoto had a bare floor or optional cheap mat floor. Visible is the relocated battery. The "hole" on the right side of the floor was where the spare tire used to reside.

NOT SO COOL PART 2

This whole time frame just pisses me off. I HAD RESTORED A CAR! I shouldn't be faced with a hulk in the garage that I would be taking apart. AGAIN! I had it DONE! IT RAN! It was DIFFERENT from anything else.

SO.... To fix it, I had to take it apart. And it just made me sick to do it.

 Since the car is one of a kind and unusual to begin with, this is what had to be done. I can't just unbolt 4 bolts for the radiator and a couple of hoses and lift it out. First, all the painted joints and nearby painted surfaces had to be masked off for protection. Then the headlights, bucket assemblies, gaskets, trim rings, and wiring etc. had to come off. Then the bumper, turn signal bodies, wiring and grill. The overflow bottle. brackets, hoses and horn were next. Obviously, drain the system and remove the upper and lower hoses. The fan and shroud, which by now I can do blindfolded followed. To get the space necessary to remove the radiator the body nose piece has to come off. That requires going through the fenders via the head light openings to get at the  bolts. The hood latch, attached at the core support, rock shield and on the the nose piece were next. All the trim around the grill opening had to be removed to access the lower brackets for nose piece. And looking at the pictures, all of this is painted surfaces and in a couple of places gasket-ed. The stealth ram air scoops below the bumper had to be dropped down and suspended. The brackets for the AC radiator had to go and carefully move it out of the way without disconnecting the lines. Same with the power steering fluid radiator. Then pull the left side of the radiator out, forward first. Remember, the I drilled the core support for the inlet and outlet tubes to pass through the core support.. Then lean the radiator forward, clearing the outlet tube, swivel the left side and rotate that end up to clearing the outlet tube while watching the right side of the AC radiator, then forward to pull the inlet tube free. Could not forget to pull the fan controller rheostat and probe. and what do I do I drop it! Supposedly fragile. We'll find out on the restart.  SIMPLE! Working with care it took 10 hours!
 Then I started looking for an answer for the radiator. Repair or replace? Local, regional or national?
The local shops said they could not repair an aluminum radiator. Most said it couldn't be done period!  One said they would "plug" it. I found a nearby regional shop which said they "MIGHT" be able to fix it; with their work backlog, in six (6) months! Same with a custom replacement.

I had met a guy at one of the cruises who had a custom radiator and  four (4) fan shroud made in western New York. I scrambled around on the internet and found them about three pages in on GOOGLE. Called them. They thought they could fix it. So I decided to roll the dice. Shop was three plus (3) hours from me so  I asked if I could bring it up. They said yes so we set up a day.  Drove the 180 + miles thinking I would drop it off, they would do their thing and ship it back. They said wait it will only take an hour or so, $30.00 bucks.  Located in the boonies, SW of Buffalo, it is a small company shop, 5-7 men. Nice web site, 8-9 radiators were done and being prepped for shipment, looked beautiful. Lots of stock ready for build. The owner did the work! He had worked at Harrison Radiator, a division of GM , until they closed. Engineer, manager, factory worker? Don't know. Didn't press.

At the end he was kind of pissed, complaining it took too long, something of an attitude,missing phone calls. I almost expressed regret for the time and told him I had expected to leave it and have it shipped home. He tested it with air pressure and said it was OK. Thankful, I left. Took another 10 hours to reinstall and road test.

It FAILED in the same place!!!!!!!!! AND, the fan would not start unless I jiggled the controller rheostat knob! Guess I broke it when I dropped it. I called NY to them to tell them and ask about what they would need for a quote on a new build. I guess I made a MISTAKE when I said I would be seeking quotes from other companies. They NEVER BOTHERED with a quote and never responded to several calls I made.

Obviously, I had to tear down the nose of the car, AGAIN!!!! Then start researching custom radiator companies. What I found is that many call themselves custom, but build only for Chevy, Ford, Camaro, Mustang etc. Several looked promising but were in Oregon and Idaho. Could see the shipping costs from there. Almost all say give us your specs via their web site and they will come back with a quote. Yea right! Don't even bother to ask questions as they don't read anything other than the numbers you provide.  Good luck getting a knowledgeable person on the phone. I'll get blasted for this...TOO DAMN BAD... a number of companies use women for their phones or on-line, take your specs, probably using CAD for design...... They don't know common terminology, part names, etc.  Then they spit out a price.

I did find several good sites. Ron Davis Racing, Saldana Racing, Coolcraft, C&R Racing, and c,g&j. (They use the lower case! Not a typo.) Ron D. provided the most information voluntarily, probably the best site; and Saldana was very close. As a reader you might think  I used them to get information. We were talking about what I had, what failed and how to correct the issues I saw and what they felt might be flaws.  Maybe I did, maybe not. I was trying to gain knowledge to prevent another disaster. RD was was expensive at $$$$. Griffin was slightly lower at $$$$. Saldana was quite reasonable at $$$ but long lead time, build time and slow to respond to phone and email. Based on their quotes, I used the information gained and went  with c,g&j. They are a custom builder AND repair located in Gadsden, Ala. They seem to specialize in industrial, marine,  mining, custom and local radiator shop work,
They were the MOST REASONABLE. Their lead time was one (1) month and they hit it. What they seem to lack is detail in proper paperwork, invoices and updates on times, shipping dates, tracking numbers etc. They made a major mistake with the auxiliary pressure feed tank. After a phone call, I got a call back, an apology and the properly fabricated tank by the time I had the new radiator installed.

The front of the car with the new radiator, and new auxiliary tank. Yeah, I know its small.. But it fits the space under the hood. The other alternative was a larger tank on the inner fender or four (4) feet away on the firewall. To square up the radiator tanks top and bottom required cutting 2 holes in the rock shield. The square tank tops eliminated the 1" 1/2" air gap inside the radiator and fills 3 rows of cooling tubes.
The position of the auxiliary tank does allow it to back fill the radiator if the fluid level drops and check the fluid level. The main fill hole for the radiator is a 1/2" plug on the top of the right tank top.

The radiator fan shroud as seen looking to the front of the car

Looking down from the front of the car, note the clearance from the back edge of the fan motor and the blue nose of the water pump pulley. On the lower left is the new stainless steel elbow for the outlet. It eliminated the 1/2" restriction of my old outlet pipe and hose design.
The row of screws at the top edge are for the rubber shroud seal I described earlier.

Everything is back in place in this picture. The hood latch and lock are clearly in place. As described it stabilizes the core support and helps connect and strengthen the body nose piece. The radiator feed and overflow hoses are visible. Also seen is the main fill plug on the right tank top.

The full engine bay! Gen 2 Dodge Viper engine. Note the two (2) modified Dodge Dakota handmade air filter boxes. They are ram air from under the front bumper!











It's all put together and everything is double checked. I started and ran it in the garage. Not going to chance a failure or leak on the road. Ran it until it came up to temperature. The fan would not start and the rheostat controller would not function the way it used to. Got a hold of Summit Racing and ordered another one. Had it in one day and installed it in an hour. I also cleaned up a tangle of wires for the relay, rheostat and fan. Made them look more presentable. Fired up the car and let run to warm up. As soon as it got to 195 F I started resetting the rheostat. It worked as it should! WOOO!
No more scheduled car shows or cruises this fall and the weather has turned crappy.

A regional restaurant, QUAKER STEAK and LUBE near us has a cruise every Sunday. No prizes, raffles, no 50/50s. Just music, show your car and dine if you so desire. Usually 125+ cars or more. Last time for the season was 9/30/18. The weather turned nice, mid 70's, eight  (8) miles one way. We were goin'! First thing I noticed was that the temperature gauge always hit 210 F within a mile of leaving home. We went nearly three (3) miles before it hit 210 and it did not move at a couple of stops and traffic lights! Came up to 210 quickly on the way home but was partially warm to begin with. Just stayed at 210! Not the 90s stuck in stop and go but very encouraging. AND no leaks, no spotting on the windshield. The next morning I checked the auxiliary tank and had to put in a few ounces to refresh it.  Still no leaks, spots on the floor or any of the fittings, pipes or tubes. Maybe the weather will get back to average or an Indian summer break but for now it is parked for the season.

By my less than scientific knowledge the new radiator is nine (9%) percent more efficient. By changing the design there three (3) double rows of 1/2" tubes which are wet now and part of the airflow/heat exchange. The air space has been eliminated inside the radiator. That should greatly reduce the chance of boiling inside the radiator. The 1/2" restriction in the outlet pipe and hose should steady the flow and reduce turbulence. It may also reduce or eliminate aeration.

We'll see next summer. Chomping at the bit!

NOT SO COOL

Lets start with some basics that you will need to keep in mind as you read this. It is also information that initially I did not have or that I did not pay enough attention to during the build, acquiring a cooling system and first season on the road.

The Viper Generation 2 motor RUNS HOT by design.  A fact I did not know until much later, and failed to pick up on. The water pump flows at a linear rate, pumping 13 gallons per minute (gpm) at idle to 114 gpm at 5,600 rpm. It generates 30,000 British Thermal Unit (btu) maximum.

By design, it's thermostat opens between 195 F and 205 F! For nearly all of us, that is 15 to 25 degrees HOTTER than past experience tells us what is OK!! Again, the thermostat DOES NOT FULLY OPEN until 212 F to 219 F!!! YIKES!!. I present a range, as the factory Viper Crate motor book is slightly different than the factory service technicians trouble shooting books. Further, the service manual says that 250 F is OK under "extreme conditions"!!!!!! Probably racing. YOW!!!!!!!!
The crate motor book lists a thermostat that starts to open at 180 F. It fully opens around 195 F.  In all probability the engine will still run in the 200's.

Which would have been great had I read the book more carefully. I would have been able to change it more easily. Changing a "stat" on the Gen 2 motor requires removing the entire fuel/air manifold, lines etc. Roughly a 4 hour job on a Viper. On my car accessibility is definitely a problem. Due to more stuff to remove, I probably would need closer to 8 hours.

The Gen 2 Viper radiator sits lower than the engine, which requires an extra pressure tank and lines. It has a 2 speed electric fan providing low and high speeds, which cycles according to engine temperature low to high and reverse when cooling. It also has a shroud than has flap doors which open allowing more air flow as speed increases.

Radiator caps increase the pressure inside the radiator. That increased pressure keeps the coolant from boiling. Water boils at 212 F. Most antifreeze boils around 238 F. A radiator cap increases the boiling point by 3 degrees F for each psi increase. Therefore, if a cap is rated 16 pounds per square inch (psi) the boiling point inside the radiator/engine is 212 F + 48 F  or 260 F. Most cars use a 16 psi cap.

I saw an article in HOT ROD MAGAZINE about a company in Michigan that made custom radiators. I started calling and investigating my needs for a radiator almost as soon as the motor mounts were done and the motor and transmission were initially fitted in. Remember this build took the better part of 17 years to complete. Being ever the optimist, beginning in 2011, I contacted all the usual custom build vendors, Summit Racing, Griffin, Be Cool, Champion, etc.etc. I made an assumption, WRONGLY, that they all knew cooling systems and what was required for a good design. Even today they seek minimum information about the engine, how it will be run etc. Generally, they ask opening size, engine horsepower and ask for a sketch of the core support.

They all were somewhat helpful, and depending on when I contacted them, had poor to very good web sites for designing a radiator. I finally settled on MARK 7 Custom Radiator in Michigan. The company featured in the magazine article. As it turns out, that was A MAJOR MISTAKE!
MARK 7 was a specialty machine shop fabricating custom and regular car parts for the industry. In addition, it WAS a custom radiator builder.

After much discussion, I provided them a full sized pattern of the radiator core support, core support opening measurements, Viper engine coolant flow rates from idle to wide open throttle. As listed, they are 13 gpm to 114 gpm. I also provided them with maximum BTU (British Thermal Units) per hour with a maximum of 30,000 BTU. We exchanged a lot of communications about opening size, radiator position in front of the core support or behind the support, clearances from the motor to the core support, water pump inlet location, fan thickness and potential clearance  issues and more.

The first issue was the water pump inlet pipe/tube. As manufactured it projected upward and though the opening in the radiator core support. I removed the pump, cut off the inlet tube, shortened it and turned it, utilizing an already existing bend, 90 degrees, and had it welded into its new position. Space issue solved I thought! Adding an oil cooler and lines created space problems directly under the pulley tensioner on the lower left as seen in the picture below..

You can also see the radiator outlet hose, home made pipe and hose leading to the pump. My design made from electrical conduit and 45 degree angles. The pipe was necessary to get a proper bend and spacing from the radiator to the pump.
It was a poor design! The radiator outlet is 2", the hose 2" and the pipe angle IDs reduce to 1 1/2"inch then 2" inch, then 1 1/2" then 2" inch hose. It leaked due to the angles and welds requiring two (2) hose clamps per end..




The next issue was the amount of space from the nose of the water pump pulley to the radiator.  A three (3) inch thick radiator would be within a fraction of an inch. Also in play were the inner wheel well/fender supports and battery tray. A larger radiator would require hacking them up to make a radiator fit if installed in the normal position on the back side of the core support leaving NO ROOM for any type of fan! They also are structural members for the core support and outer fenders.

There is a hood support and hood opening latch attached to the front of the radiator core support for vertical and horizontal strength as well as attaching a cross nose body piece. There was approximately two (2) inches of space from the face of the support to the back side of the hood support. I needed at a minimum 3" inches of space for a radiator and if mounted in front of the core support it had to be lower than the hood latch/support assemble making any radiator lower than the core support opening. The final design had the radiator in front of the core support and behind the hood latch assembly and using a low profile, heavy duty, 1,900 cfm flat blade, electric puller, 16 inch fan.. Attached directly to the back side of the radiator with no shroud. It came with a relay, temperature sensor and fuse.

 The hood support structure required that it be cut where the tape is positioned. The hollow core was reinforced with a solid round bar and welded in. Not seen is the latch and locking mechanism.

Reassembled, with the latch and lock in place, the support now allows space for a radiator in front of the core support.

 The core support and radiator installed. I had to cut circular openings in the core support for the inlet and outlet pipes. Note the sloped corners of the radiator top and bottom.  The core support contour matching the hood, making near zero clearance. The radiator builder said nothing about the slope or the fact that the top 1 1/2" inches of the radiator would be dry due to the slope and position of the radiator cap.  Further nothing was said about the possibility of using a remote fill pressure tank as found on many cars today. Also note the billet cap. It hid the fact that the radiator was shipped with a 13 psi cap.  The small radiator on the bottom right is a stock power steering fluid cooler. The air gap inside the radiator provided space inside the radiator for the fluid to boil and ultimately FAIL!! BIG $$$.

The back side of the radiator and core support.
Note how the 16" inch electric puller fan is installed. While the design worked, I found out later there should have been some kind of shroud creating a "tunnel" for the fan to pull air through the entire opening. Nothing was ever said about shrouds during the design process! I also learned later that ideally a fan should be a minimum       1 1/2" inches from the back side of the radiator.

Ok, so after the car was fully assembled ( The hood did not go on until the fall. Too big for me to handle alone.) it went on the road the spring of 2017. First was a number of laps around the neighborhood doing safety and operational checks and adjustments.
Beginning with the first trip to the gas station nearly every each trip was was an adventure in MURPHY's LAW. It ran ok and temperature was ok to the station, approximately four (4) miles. As soon as I pulled away the car was at 230 F! Stopped IMMEDIATELY and started checking. The fuse had blown. Two fuses later I called the fan manufacturer. Due to the economic downturn and auto bankruptcies they had closed ALL their American offices and tech support. A few days later I did get a call. Their written instructions failed to say they were for a light duty fan! My fan needed a higher rated fuse. Mark 7 supplied the fan and should have known or said something.

I was not getting a good temperature reading at the Auto Meter gauge. I had jumper-ed into the Viper head temperature sensor and Viper harness.  More calls. The Viper sensor registers a different voltage. The corrugated hose you see in the above picture was scrapped. In its place went a new hose, Auto Meter pipe with sensor fitting, sensor and ground. That meant I was not reading the engine temperature, only the coolant temperature. The PCM reads and monitors the engine but there is no after market fixes for that. I have since found out you can monitor engine temperature and other functions by plugging a scan tool into the OBD port and selecting the desired function

On its way to its first official cruise-in the weather was hot, humid a slight threat of rain and about 88 degrees, roughly ten (10) miles. There was a little "splatter" or spray on the windshield. The indicated temperature was between 210 and 220 F. (Remember no hood). Checked everything and found some coolant around the overflow and the radiator.  No problems going home. Called Mark 7 and told them about the  noisy fan, fuse and spray. After a lot of himing and hawing they said pry off the billet cap cover and check the radiator cap. It was shipped with a 13 psi cap! Remember I said most cars come with a 16 psi cap? Vipers require a 17 psi cap! I got a 17 psi cap and put it on.

Episodes like this continued on and off all summer.  After a lot of research and talking to a local restoration shop I fabricated a fan shroud removed the fan and reinstalled everything. It helped a little. I added an adjustable temperature fan control switch. That helped a little.

 Further research said move the fan off the radiator and back as far as possible. I removed everything and re-fabricated the shroud allowing me to pull it back a full 1 1/2" inches off the radiator. That helped a bit. Kept researching, found a diesel truck 16" inch, low profile, 3,000 cfm (cubic feet per minute) curved blade (quieter than flat, more efficient) fan with a two (2) year warranty, circuit breaker and wiring for a VERY reasonable price. Tried it in close to the radiator first, then flipped the shroud and pulled it back. That helped keep it near 210 F unless caught traffic. At steady cruise 2,000 rpm to 2.5 k rpm temperature stayed at 210 F.

Seeing shrouds at the various cruise-ins I noticed that they virtually seal the radiator creating a tunnel. My shroud would have to be remade from scratch. I found some 1/8" thick rubber, measured cut and fit it, made some brackets, yanked it out again, and attached it all to the shroud. There still are few small gaps but for all intents there is an air flow tunnel the fan is pulling through. It may be my imagination but I think there was improvement. I wasn't getting spray on the windshield but I was still seeing the coolant level drop  a bit after each cruise.

Thinking of the Viper fan/shroud set-up I pulled the fan and shroud again! This time I cut in six (6) 3" x 2" inch vents and made flapper doors from heavy duty truck inner tube. A hair dryer test showed they would open while driving and close when stopped. That helped.

I made it through winter and again hit the cruise-in shows. First hot day 10 mile drive, with the hood now on, droplets showed on the windshield. Definitely coolant! I started wrapping various possible locations with white cloth trying to find the source. Nothing! Then in late June 2018 a mid week show & cruise 92 degrees humid, 18 mile drive Car was happy at 210 F or a needle width less, until we hit stop and go rush hour.  Immediately started climbing 220 F+. Got rolling then stopped at traffic light. Temp went up and then down then back up then down some. Droplets on the windshield! Pulled into the cruise grounds and started setting up, chairs etc, opened the hood and set up the display sign. Did not see anything. First two guys who stopped, viewed the car and said the radiator was leaking and bubbling.
Sure enough, three inches from the left tank and about 5 inches down there was fluid and bubbles. We got the car home ok, but I could see additional fluid in the cooling fins and down the front of the radiator. I went straight to the MARK 7 web site. The Machine Shop was there but for radiators it said go to Rad AIR or whoever. I called the next morning and the woman who answered took a message. She said the radiator business was gone; shutdown, out of business!!! but she would pass along my message to the owner.  After a day or two I called several more times and left messages.
He NEVER RETURNED THE CALL!!!  The radiator is JUNK in 746 miles!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IN MY OPINION, The radiator was defective from the start.  Poor design, 1" 1/2" air gap inside allowing boiling, wrong cap and probably defective from the start; leaking about 2 inches below the air gap. I guess that's what happens when you get sick, plans are delayed, stuff can't be done and things don't go as planned or you run into trouble trying to get things done.

BZZZ ZT-Colored Spagetti

Sorry only one picture with this post. Too hard to take individual pictures of dozens of wires.
Also, it dawned on me that everything you have seen and read up to this point up did not happen in simple, separate steps. There were multiple things happening at the same time. Especially after the body work was essentially completed.

Starting with the basics, the engine came with its original wiring harness. It also came with the original Viper car harness, ECM and PCM. ECM is the electronic control module and the PCM is the process control module. For us dummies and old people, Fuse Block and Computer. At some point I traded the ECM and body harness to a local performance salvage yard for Viper type parts I needed like the Viper adjustable clutch, brake and gas pedal assembly.

Online I found a VIPER Crate motor harness made by Chrysler. The difference between it and the stock harness is that it has a number of built in relays which block government mandated electronic functions for modern cars like Anti-Lock Braking (ABS) functions and built in car features but does allow the PCM to monitor and control the various engine functions. It came with a nearly fully size drawing, about seven feet long! Finding a place for the rather bulky relays and wire was difficult. Placing the PCM for accessibility and the trouble shooting plug in were problematic in that the dash was completely disassembled. Wiper motor, linkages, heaters, ducts and other wiring considerations had to be guesstimated but planned for.

If you can read, follow instructions and are not color blind you should be able to wire a car! For the car itself, there a number of systems and subsystems to consider. Also, before you start, what do you intend to add that wasn't in the original car?  A few basics are: headlights, tail lights, interior lights, turn signals, ignition, starter, battery etc., etc. What do you intend to add? A/C, monster stereo, light bars???

There a few choices available to rewire a car. Two (2) of the most popular commercially available  are Painless Wiring and Ron Francis Wiring. Both have one or more options. Their kits contain a fuse blocks either hard wired or loose wires you measure, cut, fit and connect.. They have fuse blocks rated for simple circuits, multi circuits, higher rated amperage and more fuses. Some have circuit breakers. Both seem to use General Motors wiring code and have each individual wire marked by color AND about every 8-12 inches printed on the wire is its function! ie. Headlight, Taillight, right turn signal etc. Both have have their supporters and detractors. I chose the Ron Francis brand; separate upgraded fuse block, individual wires and connectors.

The hardest parts of doing it was: Finding a good route or location; then having all the right wires in hand. Remember two (2) wires for left headlight, 2 for right, 2 for left turn etc plus ground. They add up quickly. They are flippy floppy like cooked spaghetti; requiring passage through body panels, grommets, and threading the wires into protective wire loom.

That wire loom cover IS A PAIN IN THE ASS!!! It looks really nice and professional when done. But.... As you thread the wires in they pop out at the first kink or bend. Taping them together in bundles helps a little. More buts... you can tape every foot or so. Then, if you forgot or add a system or circuit, GOOD LUCK! If  you have everything clipped, tie wrapped or through panels it either comes out and start over or you try to cram it though. Then you get it stuck, bulged, lumpy or out pops everything! OR if you taped the loom closed you have to cut it open. FRUSTRATION!!!

Suggestion. Wherever possible use existing body/panel openings. You can buy body panel plugs and grommets of various sizes, some are already donuts or you can make them either using a knife or carefully using a drill bit, drill holes in them or make plugs. I did both. I even made plugs. I used sheet metal, drilling holes to fit the wire loom, and two layers of bicycle inner tube cut X slots and rubber cemented them in between the existing sheet metal and metal "frame" opening I made. I used number 6 or 8 sheet metal screws to hold everything in place. Getting the basics in took the better part of two years. Again, this was due to unheated garage and work schedules.

Remember, once the wires are run, the pieces, parts devices they connect to have to be there too. Then the proper connectors have to be put on the wire ends. If the parts aren't there yet, you coil the wires up until the parts can be installed.

Then come sub systems: Electric fan: relay box, direct fuse line power line, ground. Stereo system: 4 speakers-8 wires, radio-3 wires, sub woofer 2 wires. amp: 3 HD wires and fuse. headlights: 2 relays and separate lines for power. Horn: relay, 2 wires.

The IDIDIT steering column has a GM type wire plug and eight (8) wires. Each had to be connected from the Ron Francis system to the matching plug and then plugged into the steering column. That was ok, even easy... Just follow the instructions and color codes.

ALMOST everything worked EXCEPT the brake lights and all the dash gauges!!!!! And it turned out to be an EXPENSIVE except. The expensive part will be described in another chapter.

BUT it took months and waiting for winter to end so I could work on the car to figure that the internal GM type switch inside the steering column was defective and  had to be replaced. It took a multiple phone calls to Ron Francis and IDIDIT to figure out why the brake lights would not work. I had to test the brake pedal light switch, all the attendant wiring, light bulbs, and sockets. The final solution was to pull the steering column, steering wheel, turn signal stem and other bits and pieces.

To do the replacement,  I attached a stout "fish" wire to the eight switch wires and pulled, wiggled and jiggled out the defective switch. Then you attach the "fish" to the new wires and switch and pull, wiggle etc. back through the column. Once the wires are loose they were then plugged into their individual slots on the main plug. IDIDIT did supply the new switch and reasonably clear instructions along with an online video, no charge even though I had purchased the column  two or three years earlier. It was just a pain in the ass to redo work already done then reinstall everything. The thing that was most upsetting was not knowing if what I had done would work until everything was done and tested.

Stupid is as stupid does! I failed to carefully read the gauge instructions and did not quite understand the wiring diagram drawings. I had to pull the dashboard out and rewire the gauges. I had failed to connect the ground wires to the correct terminal! They now all worked. One gauge played a role, or failed to play a role, in the expensive EXCEPT mentioned above.

Once we got the car on the road the SPAL electric radiator fan blew several fuses. I checked and rechecked everything. I got to the point where I was afraid to drive the car. I called the radiator supplier who installed the fan on the radiator. Then I called SPAL They are foreign owned and as is the case with many automotive suppliers, they have closed and consolidated their offices after the GM/Chrysler auto bankruptcies. I called and left several messages... They did return the call..... eventually. Their advice was go out to the car, look for the serial number and call them back when I find it. They did give me a direct dial number. They said it was black, molded in the black plastic. Turned out it was a printed label... Of course it was upside down. I had to get a mirror slip it into the space and use a flashlight to light the label. Called them back

Sou prize, sou prize!! Their written instructions were WRONG! They make no distinction in their instructions between regular duty and heavy duty fans. For a regular duty fan use a 30 amp fuse. That's all the instructions and drawing said. After I gave them a model number and serial number I was told my fan is HEAVY DUTY. HD fans require a 40 AMP fuse! Could have damaged the engine if I hadn't been alert and watching the temperature gauge which was now working. I shut down the car as the temperature went over 210!!! I stopped and as soon as I got out of the car I could hear that the fan wasn't running! I had included a tool box and spare fuses as part of a road kit. I pulled the fuse block cover and immediately saw the problem. All this happened before the calls of course, but I was able to nurse it home on a 30 amp fuse. As soon as I plugged in the new fuse it started.

I know! I know! I shouldn't have plugged in the new fuse without disconnecting the battery but when its 90 F, NERVOUS, away from home in a parking lot you do stupid things!

                                                      So much for colored spaghetti!