Electronic ignition conversion is easy, especially if you use an aftermarket box like MSD.

Use a later Chrysler electronic distributor as the trigger (most people wont notice the minor difference) and hide the box under the battery tray. Run the trigger wires behind the water pump housing to hide and it's really easy. A ground, a switched hot, a main hot (to battery), the two trigger wires and coil wires. VERY simple install and is easily reversible! The built in rev limiter is an added bonus on the 6AL!

I did this in my '71 Barracuda and now my '63 Dodge 330 and it makes a world of difference in startup, idle and drivability not to mention no points (maintenance) to deal with!

If a original part not has good to perfect paint, i usully restore it by clean and repaint it.. ONLY if i can get the correct shade of the color again.. if not i would leave it as is. Also depending on the cars condition, and how important the finish is.

About your shaker parts, i would leave the orange lid as is and maby the baseplate also, or repaint in 80% gloss.

Nicklas

Thank you for the replies. For now, I'll leave the parts alone since I'm putting the car back together for the spring. I enjoy taking the car to shows so people can enjoy it. I receive compliments for it. This past year, I overheard a person telling his friend my convertible was his favorite of the show. Another person stood there looking at the car and asked if it was mine. When I said yes, he told me he wondered what it would be like to drive the car and be seen in it. I told him to go ahead and get in and sit behind the wheel. He had me take his picture and thanked me for the time. That's what makes it worth it. When I said it doesn't do well at the local show, it's because all Challengers are put together in the same class, so I sit next to Challengers with high impact colors, hemi engines and chrome, but it's all cool. I just enjoy sharing the car with others.

I posted this pic over in the tech forum for a 70 Cuda Shaker question. I noticed when I took the photo this morning there's bug guts on the inside of the scoop. How should I clean the parts, especially the inside of the scoop, to get rid of the bug splatter? Dish detergent maybe? This will be the first time this assembly has been cleaned in the 43 years I've owned it. Thanks.
Terry

I cleaned the doors, grilles and inside of the scoop. I'll share a few pictures and show the markings on the screw heads. This first is the spray pattern of the black inside the scoop with all but one grille removed. It looks like a quick spray job.

This next pic is of one of the grilles. notice they were painted the flat black on the outside but the inside of the grille you see when looking into scoop is more semi-gloss. Maybe this is the result of years of car washing, waxing, etc.

Warm air door cleaned.

Cold air door and rod. The rod appears to have black paint spatter on it but I wouldn't think it would have been attached when the cold air door or warm air door were sprayed. Maybe just tarnish of the plating.

Screw head marking on the cold air door attaching screw.

Marking on the grille attaching screw.

Last, the shaker bubble part number.

The spray pattern may look random but it was quite specific in many ways. When they were primed and sealed (brick red and grey colors) they were hung two at a time with the undersides towards each other and the fronts pointed towards the ceiling so they looked like a giant clam. The drain holes pushed them away from each other at the front so there was a 1/2 inch or so gap at the front and the rears were touching together. They were typically hung from one of the drain holes which skewed them a small amount so they didn't align perfectly, this is why you often see overspray patterns on the undersides which show features like dots and lines from the overlapping bolt holes and slots at the rear and sides which blew through the opposite scoop that was hanging with it. Then once they were dry it appears that the final paint (black Organosol, Silver Argent, etc.) was applied after they were set individually on a flat surface with no masking which shows over spray on the underside due to the drain holes holding the front up and a short distance away from the resting surface and from painting through the front openings.

So, accordingly, for those going all out on a proper restoration you'll find it much easier to use two scoops (one to act as a mask for the other one) to duplicate these details 100%.