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1975 D100 rescue project

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Dogsluvtrucks

Active Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
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Location
Apex, NC
Hi folks,
First post here. I thought I would post something right away. I registered on the DTO forum and didn't post anything for 6 months. Apparently the site locked out my IP address. I can't log on even if when I re-registered. No answer from the site Admin. and it's been 1 year.


So here is the story of my truck acquisition. I'm a big time Mopar guy but, haven't owned one in several years. I saw this old truck in a backyard. I really wanted a pick-up and I'm a sucker for old Mopars sitting in the weeds. Bought the truck real cheap. Spent 2 days getting it so that it would drive home but, finally had to trailer it because the tranny was slipping very badly in first gear. That was February 2010. It's got a 318 with auto 727, long bed. More to come later. I'll post some photos. Hope I can be a help to others on the forum. I sure need it.
 
D100 Daytona.JPG Here is a photo of my '75 D100. 4 color paint job: light blue, lighter blue, primer gray, and rust.

By the way, gray03, I like your forum signature.

D100 Daytona.JPG
 
good looking start. i also like the shelby daytona had one myself i wish i kept it
 
You got some nice Mopars. Around here I never get to see any Daytonas most of them rotted away.
 
Previous Repairs

Thought I would post my progress on the truck. Got it running March 2010.
Noticed a "scrun-scrun-scrun" noise coming from the water pump. The front bearing is loose. It 's not leaking coolant but, I can't expect it to last very long.
Got an HD water pump and since it's just a few more bolts to access the timing chain, I got a roller chain from Mancini Racing. I hate putting in cheap parts. Got the timing cover off.
It was the original style silent, link chain. Didnt look bad, until my brother took his finger and pushed one side of the chain and almost made it touch the other side. Put it all back together with stainless steel bolts from Moparts Racing. Painted the pulley black and polished the aluminum spacer. Painted the engine parts I removed the correct Mopar blue.
Replacing the timing chain made a difference in idle quality and low end torque.
 
Transmission work

When I got the truck it would slip badly in FIRST gear until the transmission warmed up and there was no REVERSE. June 2010: I pulled the transmission pan,the reverse strut was broken. Got a new strut and Torqueflite repair manual from Cope Racing. Got some small seals from TSR racing. Now here's the funny thing;the reverse servo was cracked. Someone had taken out the cushion spring and welded the aluminum shaft to the piston. For those that might not know, this is a racing trick to give a quicker, firmer 1-2 shift when you MANUALLY upshift. Since this is going to be a work truck with lots of around town driving I did not plan to do any manual shifting, especially since it's a column mounted selector. So I call PATC and order their billet reverse servo: more stable in the bore and the seals ride in a different location than stock.
I assumed it came with the cushion spring, it didn't.
I called PATC, the guy says they always throw away the cushion spring. I explain that I really need it for my type of mundane driving and it would help prevent the reverse strut from breaking. He says he probably got an old spring laying in the back somewhere.
I said, "Fine, I'll take it".
He says, "I'll have to charge you 7 or 8 dollars for it"
I say, "o.k."
He says, "plus $6.95 shipping"
I say, "o.k."
He says," I'll have to go look for a box to ship it in"
I say, "o.k."
He says, " I really don't feel like doing that"
Me: "You don't?"
Him: "No, why don't you just go to your local transmission shop and ask around,
I'm sure they've got a spring you can have".
I thought that was a strange conversation. Anyway, I ordered a spring from somewhere else. Put it all together. Had to replace the trans. pan, it was badly warped from someone previously overtorquing the bolts. Replaced the U-joints
and the speedo seal while I was under the truck anyway.
 
Many small tasks

After I got the transmission operating and the engine running there are many items needing attention. Started with some appearance items. Here is a photo of my truck about 2 months after I got it. Found a decent left fender at a MOPAR swap meet, so that has been replaced now. Removed the bumper and straightened the bumper brackets. NOS brackets were $40 each. Got used hood hinges from someone on a different forum. Through ebay I got a really nice used tailgate, I think it was $225 shipped. Came from California or AZ.
D100 prop rod.jpg

D100 prop rod.jpg
 
patch panel repair

After dealing with several electrical problems, such as a melted engine compartment harness and a 'burnt-up' ammeter, I started again on some more appearance items. This time it is the rust-out above the rear wheel wells.
I purchased left and right hand wheel arch repair panels, those typical "made in china" black panels. I think it was $28.00 each. The contour of the new panel was generic in shape. It really didn't have that pronounced flare like the original. I think this is because the cheap dies flatten out after a hundred or so stampings.
Maybe you can see the difference in the photo with my contour gauge. I called the company I got them from and even though I was beyond the deadline for returning items , they did refund my money less 10%. Then I found Schott panels from a guy on Ebay: ammuscle. These panels are great. They are the correct thickness. (The black panels are slightly thinner than OEM). Best of all the contour is right on with the original and the cherry on top is they were $68.00 each with only $15.00 shipping. $68 might seem high but, I say you have to pay for quality.

My picture will not upload. I'll try again, later.
panelcompareraybuck.jpg
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I find the best way to post pictures is to use Photobucket...Flicker or one of the other photo hosting sites. Copy the link that starts and ends with
 
Got any more updates I had to sell my 76 long bed when I deployed wife hated it said it was ugly and the cam went flat so it had to go miss that truck. Thses 70's dodge are really when trucks where trucks. I like it man keep up the good work
 
My wife said my truck was ugly the day I brought it home, she insisted that I park it in the backyard. I am looking for an engine hoist right now. I'm planning on pulling the transmission for overhaul and work in the engine compartment while the engine is out. Yeah,
trucks were trucks back then. I like the simplicity:carburetor, manual door locks and windows, heavy gauge metal and NO computer or
catalytic converter.
 
Granny power steering

A little something else I did with my truck was modify the power steering. This was very simple and took about 1 hour. The problem or premise is that most vintage MOPAR power steering effort is very light. I can turn the steering wheel of my truck from stop to stop with just one finger. Every vintage Chrysler product I've driven with power steering took very little effort to turn the wheel. I can understand this with Grandma's Scamp but, it's the same way in a 'Cuda. Anyway, there is an article in MOPAR Action magazine about reducing the power steering output pressure thereby increasing the steering effort or "feel" for the driver.
This is done by adding a shim, (yes, adding a shim) to the pump relief valve. The relief valve is easily removable from the back of the pump. I installed a homemade .058" thick shim, which reduced the pump output pressure. Now, the steering has a nice feel at low speeds although, its still a little "light" at highway speeds. I know they make special P/S pumps that have better feel or feedback but, this shim method gets a desirable result. Thought I'd pass it along to you folks.
 
Pull you own parts junkyard

A deer ran into the side of my car. So I found this junkyard that is "pull your own parts". I thought those were long gone. Anyway, I found a fender for my passenger car. Decided to see what kind of old MOPARS might be lingering around.
Found a 1975 D100 truck with a 318. It was complete except for the grille and radiator. This truck was very nearly rust free. Had a sticker on it from an Air Force base in Alabama. From the looks of the interior it must have spent most of it's years in a shelter of some sort. Went back today to get some parts off it. Got the radiator core support. I think we are throwing away the wrong vehicles. This truck was in really nice condition.

An update on my D100. The transmission, which has been problematic from the start of this whole project, has finally displayed very disturbing qualities.
Among it's many problems such as "flare shifting", "slam shifting", and having to drive it 2 or 3 miles before it will go into 3rd gear, now it appears to be trying to go into 2nd gear while 1st takes several seconds to disengage. Next step: out comes the transmission for overhaul.
 
Good luck with the tranny rebuild. Wish we could find more of our trucks in the pull a part yards, would be easier to find the parts I need.
 
Transmission repair

Folks, the transmission is out. Mostly done with the teardown inspection.
The Forward clutch pack is burnt to a crisp. Some of the valve body valves are stuck in the bores. Previously, I had been checking out different places for transmission parts/tech. advice. Found: Cope Racing Transmissions (CRT).John Cope is a big time Mopar guy. Ordered a transmission book from CRT. Talked with John on the phone and he is a decent fella to deal with. I explained what I planned to do with my truck. Instead of trying to sell me a bunch of mod. and high performance parts, he said, 'with what you're doing, the stock 727 is just what you need. Thats well within it's capabilities.' So I ordered the stock rebuild kit and a bunch of other stock items. John even gave me a few pointers on some stuff for the rebuild.
If your needing some Mopar transmission parts, try CRT,Phone: 1-219-374-0100.
 
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Transmission assembly

6pak: Very nice looking truck.

Progress on the transmission rebuild has been slow. Here's a photo of what I've done lately.

soaking clutches.jpg

soaking clutches.jpg
 
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