This is customers car, with one primary goal in mind. Make it driveable once again.
As a long time owner of this car, he wants his old ride back and has entrusted me with the job to get his old hotrod back on the road.

Car in question is a 1969 Carger R/T 440 console auto and factory air. Body and paint are and have been done for a couple years when I picked it and have . Color is the 1968 Buffed silver metallic , black vinyl top and interior. And I have to admit, I like it.
So follow along and feel free to ask questions as we go.

I'll post updates and pictures as it goes forward.

This is a basically what I started with after a bit of clutter removal on both the interior and underhood.

Long block was done,,and in the car when I picked it up.

But with some unknowns about the build and specifications.
It was thought best to pull it down , at least partially. To double ck some things like compression and cam dial in. Turns out after cc'ing the heads and ck'ing piston/deck height. Compression was determined to be a bit lower than the owner was comfortable with, like in the 8.5 range .

So,, out it comes.
To bring it up to snuff it was thought best and most economicle way was to mill the heads a bit, put on some thinner steel type head gaskets. It should be up in the 9.4 - 9.5 range. Much better now.

Dialing in the cam.
It's comp cam, Item #: K23-223-4
Xtreme Energy Camshaft Kit Competition Cams K23-223-4 Hyd Flat Tappet - 3 Bolt - RPM 1600-5800 - Adv.Dur. 268 Int./280 Exh. - V.Lift .477 Int./.480 Exh. - Lobe 110 deg.
With a stock torque conv and 3.23's with upgrading to 3.55's as future possibility. It should run nice

Cleaning up some details in the engine compartment while it's vacant.
I spent some time cleaning up the greasy frame rails. Cleaning and detailing the brake valves along with replacing all the brake and fuel lines with Finelines products

Brake booster back from Booster Dewey.
Then I got lucky and found a new correct 69 B-body disc brake master cylinder locally. So with it all painted in a 80-90% gloss back enamel it's ready to be re-installed.With some new gaskets produced by Paul Jacobs

Everything done, and back on the car.

ps, The wiper motor is another one of Jules D'Addio's creations.

Heater - A/C motor was removed, tested and redone in house. Then painted in colors to replicate something close to original without getting to critical. As once it's all back in the car and buried under heater hoses and A/C lines your not really going to see it, not easily anyway.

#1 goal in mind with this car is reliability and driveability. If it happens to do well in local shows. In the owners mind, then thats just a bonus.

the finished product.

It's looking good.

Sweet looking car.

You did a great job on that frame rail, cleaned up with the new lines make it look much better now.

You say the color is a 68 silver, what was the color it was born with? I am guessing a green or bronze.

Heads were cut .015, then steel shim style head gaskets installed, comp cam dial in at a 105 centerline. And now all back together and painted in plasticote hemi orange.Instead of the reddish orange duplicolor it was painted with.
And WOW is it orange.
Gotta clean up the trans and kickdown linkages and should have it all back in the car this weekend.

Curious...how much is all of this going to cost? Approximately?

Hard to say, and I don't have the original estimate handy. But we're already into things that wasn't on the original estimate.
My job was to do the disc brake conversion , get it running and complete the underhood area. but we're already past that

but with the unknowns with the engine it was felt best to pull it apart now and investigate as opposed to later when everything was done.

Why do you ask,,,,,,,,???
pm me if you prefer

Got all the long missing A/C compressor brackets and pulleys located, redone and installed . A better and more correct water pump idler pulley and bracket are located and enroute to me now.

It's a new power steering pump. Glass beaded and re-used the original pump reservoir can and pulley.

I also found all the pieces to repair the heat riser.

Another view of the redone a/c components.

Downward view of the 1969 Only A/C compressor brackets

Is that high pressure power steering hose new? If so where'd you get it?

Well, I had to take advantage of the help while I had it today.
So, in it went.

And like Prego, it's in there.

I had to find pieces to repair the heat riser. Not to bad of a job, now just need to weld it back together.

Other side with the bi-metal spring

I couldn't find a new weight or a new shaft, so I had to re-use the originals.

last one

Very nice

Looking great! Love the color combo.

A few pieces I had plated came back last week.
Everything was done by Neil at Dynamic Renovation

2

3

long overdue update. I've been working on it here and there, but the past week I've been hitting it pretty steadily

Rebuilt the original single point dist, added some lighter spings for the advance. With NOS points and condensor, nos original tan dist cap and rotor, and even picked up an nos vacuum advance unit.

Original air cleaner came out really nice.

Installed a new dist / oil pump drive shaft today. Filled it up with 5 qts of 10-w30 , and prelubed the crap out of it, including while spinning it by hand

And I wanted to jump for joy.,with absolute minimul effort , It started on the 1st revolution with the key on. Didn't have to monkey with the dist, carb, wiring , NOTHING.

I had it running with NO issues, NO leaks, and with exception to an exhaust leak at the headpipe to manifold , even No noises. not a lifter or piston noise to be heard anywhere. Owner was concerned . And given the fact I didnt build it,I was maybe just a little bit .

But ,,,,,,,for the 1st time in a LOOOOOOOOOOONG time it lives.
Soon as it started , I bumped it up on fast idle, and let it run maybe 15-20 minutes to break in the cam.
Per the factory gauges , it never tried to get hot, and had just over 60 lbs of oil pressure on high idle.

Sounds really good, at roughly 800 rpm in neutral it sounds a lot like a stock cam. But it's just the old H-pipe and mufflers with no tailpipes till I can get it to the exhaust shop . Buddy of mine is a mgr of a midas and he says he replicate the factory H-pipe exhaust in 2.5" pipe from manifold to tips.


And with a little luck, It'll pull itself out of the garage by the 1st of the week. Under it's own power,,,,, for the 1st time in a long time.

Great work!! keep the pictures coming!

Although it is an original Bendix cisc brake car. It was thought best to convert it to something a wee bit easier to get parts for on the road trips. (and there are many in this cars future )

Using newer F-body slider type brakes, and per DR DIFF I used a 69 GM flex hose. It all fits with no signs on chassis interference.
Everything is new, 2 rotors, 2 calipers, all the wheel bearings and seals .

Original driveshaft - replacing both U-joints.
After spending a little time in the glass bead cabinet and then repainted .

Ft joint felt a little rough, so both were replaced.

I picked up an aftermkt horn relay and transfered the guts to a replated original can.

Pardon the dust.