1967 Dodge Travco Build (Polly Luna)

TravcoJosh · October 11, 2014, 10:30 AM

We got new Shoes on Polly Luna yesterday.

Oz · October 11, 2014, 06:55 PM

And everyone is in awe...

Schmitti · October 12, 2014, 05:07 AM

True, I agree with Oz.
Polly Luna has become absolute class.

Thomas

sasktrini · October 13, 2014, 03:30 AM

Needs a "Like" button! Congrats!

TravcoJosh · October 13, 2014, 10:43 AM

The rest of our weekend was spent working on the interior. We finished off the shoe mold base trim and added some vertical trim to hide the seams in the panels. I also added aluminum molding to the outside corners with countersunk screws. My wife added the tile look adhesive back splash and I also pulled the bad power steering hose to have a new one made this week. All and all, not a bad amount of work and I think it had a big impact on the look of the interior.

M & J · October 13, 2014, 12:27 PM

Simply stunning.

Wantawinnie · October 13, 2014, 12:45 PM

Looks great!

TravcoJosh · October 20, 2014, 02:42 PM

This weekend we accomplished a lot of necessary things, but not a whole lot that was really photo worthy.

The first thing we did was pull the bad power steering hose and run it to NAPA. Unfortunately, they were not able to make the correct fitting. I then went to a local hydraulic hose manufacture who was able to make one in 15 minutes for $55.

I also got around to changing the oil while I was under the rig working on the hose. While assisting me from inside the cab, my brother noticed that the passenger side shock had come loose from the upper mount. The nut had worked its way loose and been lost along the way. I pulled the nut off of the driver's side shock and ran to Home Depot, unfortunately they have crud for hardware. I then went to Farm and Fleet, who also didn't carry the correct 5/8" fine thread nut. I eventually found a nut on a farm implement pin which meant I had to buy a pin I didn't need for a grade 8 nut I did need. sheesh. Long story short, it is nice to have fresh oil, fully sorted out shocks and power steering again.

We also attached some new drip caps we got from Vintage Campers I have no affiliation with this company, but they were a real pleasure to work with. I made a mistake on my order and they contacted me right back and worked to get it right. The profile is a little different from the busted up originals, but I think they look really snazzy. I'm glad we did not paint them, the aluminum look really lovely.

No the cap in the image above is not crooked, it is something to do with the angle.

The wife worked on the back dresser top, she added more tile to it and it turned out really nice.

We installed a few more of the doors, still have a few more to either install or paint.

I soldered and installed all of the 12VDC lights and tested them for the first time. What a relief when they all worked.

I installed the new mirrors a couple of weeks ago and they look great. Unfortunately, the passenger side is too low and completely unusable. I looked locally and could not find any sort of standoffs that would work. So I made these out of some threaded rod thingy (official term) that my dad had and an acorn nut to allow for more thread penetration. They are not pretty, but they are solid and will hold the mirrors up high enough until I can locate something nicer. Best part is I can now see out while backing, which is very nice.

Finally, we bought some new nuts for the trim and installed the Dodge letters to the front grill area.

I'll leave you with two last shots from this weekend, they are not pretty but you can see the new drip caps in place.

xerofall · October 20, 2014, 04:15 PM

Impressive.... most impressive...

Love the color and Oz is correct, we're all in awe!

TravcoJosh · October 24, 2014, 01:01 PM

Not much of an update, but I drove it in to work this morning! 30+ miles of bumpy back roads to jar you teeth and loosen everything up. The old girl road well and the new tires are a dream. I have some tweaks that need to be made to the mirrors but they held up well and I can see down the side. The old girl pulls fairly well up to 60 and then starts to surge/sputter, I'm planning a full tune-up next weekend which I hope fixes the issue. This weekend the new master cylinder is going on and then a few other details will be created. I only have 3 weekends left before the trip, which is feeling like a freight train heading for me at full force.

TravcoJosh · October 27, 2014, 12:08 PM

Well, the trip home was not as successfully. Polly shut down about 5 miles from my parents house. I lost all power to everything. I was able to get it started again by jiggling the ignition switch, so a new switch is in my future. Here are a couple of pictures from a road side park i pulled off at after getting it running again.

I made it back to the parent's place without any further issues. On Saturday I started tackling the brake issue I've been having. What was going on was I would apply the brakes and there would be little to nothing. Then I would pump once and get 1/2 peddle, then on the third pump it would be very hard. So I pulled the master cylinder and sure enough there was brake fluid in the boot indicating that the rear seal was failing. A new Centric master cylinder had arrived and I installed it. There was an issue with a stripped fitting, a few cuss words and it was eventually in place.

I did the two man method of bleeding the brakes with my brother pumping and me working the bleeder screws (note this was done after a successful bench bleed of the MC). I started with the near booster valve. Then the second booster valve then the farthest wheel cylinder working to the nearest. The only place I got anything that looked like air was out of the second booster. No matter how much I bleed (at least 15 cycles) I still had what appeared to be foamy fluid and sputters. However, at the time I thought this was due to the fact that I could only partially open the valve.

After the bleed there is very little resistance to the brakes. The peddle goes about 3/4 to the floor before I really start to feel it engage. It never "pumps up" no matter how many times you stomp on the brakes. They also do not pump hard when the car is not running. However, when you do slam the brake peddle it does bite fairly well. It has been suggested to me that there is still air in the brake lines and that the two man method will not work on this vehicle. I am looking into having a mechanic bleed the brakes.

On Sunday I moved on to other general maintenance. I dropped the transmission pan to see how the 10K rebuild was doing. The fluid came out clean and red and did not smell burnt. There was some debris in the pan though.

I cleaned it all up, installed a new filter, gasket and dropped in 4 quarts of fluid. With the bad brakes I did not feel real comforatable driving it until it warms up to check the level. Here's the clean pan.

After the transmission I moved on to do a general tune up and valve cover gasket change. The valve covers had been leaking and it looks like the previous owner tore the gaskets and tried to put them back together with sealant.

I spent a good 30 minutes a cover getting the surfaces clean before installing a new gasket.

Here is a shot with the covers off, pretty clean in there:

I changed the fuel filter, air filter, cap, rotor, plugs and wires. Everything was actually in pretty descent shape except the fuel filter. Rust colored gas poured out of it. I replaced it with a clear filter so I could keep an eye on it. After everything was assembled, I tried to start the engine but I did not have any spark. Since I had issues on Friday with the ignition switch my first step was to check that I had voltage to the coil and I did. Since nothing was discharging out of the coil and the points looked great, that left either the coil itself or the condenser. I found that the wire from the coil to the points was loose on both ends. Since I had to pull the wire for the condenser off to clean everything up I decided to replace it. Let me tell you that is one tiny screw. I was using a magnetic screw driver and still managed to drop it twice. The second time down the distributor, so out came the distributor.

With the distributor back in with a new condenser and all connections tightened up we had spark once again, but it still wouldn't fire. After futzing around a bit, I noticed that the fuel filter was dry. We unhooked the supply line to the fuel pump and allowed it to suck out of a little can. After filling the filter bowl (only ever gets about 1/2 full) the engine kicked over and ran. We replaced the line and with the extra vacuum/revs the engine provided the fuel pump was able to provide fuel to keep it running. So I believe this indicates that the fuel pump is weak and will need to be replaced.

While it was not a 100% successful weekend, I did discover two problems that could have stopped us on our upcoming trip so that's nice. I sure hope the mechanic will be able to sort out the brakes and that it is just air. I'm starting to suspect the master cylinder.

Rickf1985 · October 27, 2014, 12:43 PM

The fuel issue you are describing sounds like it could also be a dirty filter sock on the pickup in the gas tank which is restricting flow to the pump. Put a vacuum gauge between the pump and the tank and if you get a vacuum reading you have a clogged pick up. You could just take the gas cap off and blow air through it and that will either clean off the junk on the sock or blow the sock off. This will allow full flow but you will HAVE to run a filter before the pump from then on.

TravcoJosh · November 04, 2014, 09:24 AM

Still having issues with the Brake system. I bought a power brake bleeder and pushed 96 fluid ounces through the brakes lines and the pedal still goes to the floor. I started my bleeding at the two power boosters then the passenger rear and worked my way to the driver's front. I did push a bit more air out of the system. It is my understanding that if there is air in the lines the Dodge Master Cylinder has check valves in the ports that have to have enough back pressure to open or they will bypass. I'm hoping that this is the issue and that it is caused by air in the lines. If it is not, then the new master cylinder must be bad. Polly is going to a shop, because I do not have time to deal with it. Hopefully they can figure it out.

On the home front not much photo worthy was accomplished this weekend. I did make a new cover for the radiator on the generator. I used Heating system aluminum flat bar (the kind that joins 2 square ducts together) for the trim and a sheet of extruded aluminum for the grating. It is not original, but the rounded diamond pattern is identical to the heater grate inside. I think it looks like it belongs there and it is at least better than the Aluminum register returns that was put on by a previous owner.

It is a bad picture, but you can see what the PO used for vents

Here's my attempt

I did not have a miter saw or bandsaw blade that will cut metal so I did all the corners with a 4" handheld angle grinder. I slipped once and biffed the metal. It sucks but I don't think it detracts too much, plus I'm hoping it will fade over the next few years.

I got a fair amount of the laundry list done:

Installed new wipers
mounted front license plate
fixed the house water pump wire (it was frayed where it went into the wall, I pulled a new wire in and protected it with a bit of fuel line)
fixed torn insulation on ignition wire (damn mice)
replaced fuel pump (it now pump so well that more fuel leaks showed up at the filter, which I also fixed)
fixed the dashlights (bad switch, I removed the spring and now just have on and off)
installed exterior 12V light (It's not the original, but it works)
installed exterior pull handle
lubricated the steps
inspected and eliminated potential underdash wiring issues (lots of cut and abandoned wires)
tested the auto heater (Yay it works)

Finally I hung almost all of my cabinet doors. (still have one left to paint and hang).

LJ-TJ · November 04, 2014, 11:16 AM

WOW! It sure looks good to me. Looks to me like your doing a great job.

legomybago · November 04, 2014, 04:48 PM

Peddle bleed your brakes again with your buddy....Are you still getting air out of one of your Hydrovacs? If so, it's more than likely your new MC.

Ive been down the road your on, and I used my pressure bleeder thinking I had all the air out of the system (no air bubbles), only to find out when I did the conventional bleeding with a second person (because I could never get peddle), I always would get constant air bubbles out of one of the hydrovacs...drove me nuts, I rebuilt both HV's, all new rebuilt wheel cylinders, a few new brake lines.... Finally tore the MC apart (it was a new MC too) and the MC casting was junk, totally rebuilt junk! The MC would suck air on the back stroke (inner bore was gouged and worn) I went through a few gallons of fluid...let me tell ya.

TravcoJosh · November 04, 2014, 05:33 PM

Quote from: legomybago on November 04, 2014, 04:48 PM
Finally tore the MC apart (it was a new MC too) and the MC casting was junk, totally rebuilt junk! The MC would suck air on the back stroke (inner bore was gouged and worn) I went through a few gallons of fluid...let me tell ya.

This is where I am at with this, I think the Master Cylinder is toast. I only have 2 weekends before I am supposed to drive this thing on a 3000 mile trip through both the Smokey and Appalachian mountains. I just do not have time to mess around. So it is going to a large truck shop that has the proper bleeder equipment. They are going to attempt to bleed the brakes tomorrow and hopefully be able to report back all is well. If not, I hope they will be able to fix whatever is wrong.

TravcoJosh · November 04, 2014, 05:34 PM

Quote from: LJ-TJ on November 04, 2014, 11:16 AM
WOW! It sure looks good to me. Looks to me like your doing a great job.

Thanks LJ-TJ, I'm enjoying myself with the project...well at least most days... :)rotflmao

cosmic · November 04, 2014, 06:12 PM

Its a love hate relationship.

lol. I truly love my rig, but man I can tell ya it has tested my every nerve at times. it just makes you love it more when your driving down the road or cruising through the country side..

P.S. your doing a fantastic job.. keep up the good work. you have a eye stopper there. and thanks for the pics so we can join you along the way.

TravcoJosh · November 05, 2014, 03:57 PM

Thank you for the kind words Cosmic! I agree it really is a love hate relationship. My wife helped me a few days ago and apparently I talk and cuss to myself a whole lot while I wrench. No wonder she doesn't want the kids under there with me.

On the Travco front it has been an emotional roller coaster of a day. I took some personal time off work this morning to run the old girl in to the shop that we had an appointment with. She fired right up and idled like a champ in 35 degree weather. That's good, before the fuel pump replacement she coughed, sputtered and was all together cranky when it was cold. I let her warm up for a few minutes and then eased her out of the drive way and down a steep steep hill. Brakes were not great but they stopped me. I flipped on my turn signals and nothing. My heart sank, I just replaced the flashers and they were working great. I flipped on the Emergency Flashers and they lit up like they are supposed to. I decide to press on the few miles to the shop. She's running great, accelerating strongly up hills that it barely made it up a couple weeks before. Heck with in a few minutes I turned the heater on and was pretty toasty by the time I got to the shop.

I drop it off the shop and got a ride back to my car which I left at my parents place. Just as I'm pulling out of the drive I get a call from the shop saying that they can't work on it. It is just too big for their equipment. My heart sank. They suggested another shop down the road, but that was no good I'd called them and they did not have the equipment. They offered up another shop which was 15 harrowing miles away. This shop could get it in and look at it today.

I had my choice to make, slow roads with traffic and lots of stops or the interstate at 65mph and no brakes....I chose the interstate as it would only be couple of stops before I was there. It was really nice getting Polly up to speed. Before she just wouldn't do over 60mph it was like she hit a brick wall and would surge. Now she pulled right up to 65 and was ready for 70. I dropped it off at the shop and in less than an hour they had my brakes fixed...They just needed to be adjusted....I'm a buffoon. They also found that the U-Joints were about to fall out and did not suggest driving it at all. I asked them to replace all 3 so I will have more time to devote to putting it all together this weekend.

So today started out bad and I still need to figure out what happened to the turn signals (I'm voting for a fuse) but it ended with finding another issue that could have stranded us before the trip and the brakes that have given me so much frustration are back to operational. I'm excited to pick her up tomorrow, she's gonna drive like she was new.

legomybago · November 05, 2014, 05:57 PM

Thats an A+ easy fix on the brakes!! I thought you said you were having air issues etc?...oh well. Glad to hear.

TravcoJosh · November 05, 2014, 10:25 PM

I thought I was having air issues. Soft to no brake pedal, but with some grip at the end of travel. Turns out that was because nothing was touching in the back and only a bit in the front....weird part is that I didn't have this issue before changing the Master Cylinder. So I was of the mind that I did something to inflict this problem. Either the Master Cylinder was wrong or there was air in the lines. I had long discussions on a Facebook group and someone even mentioned brake adjustment, but it was quickly ruled out because I didn't have the issue before. Apparently the bad Master Cylinder was masking the issue in adjustments. I'm just glad it is over and I didn't lose a weekend over it.

NottooldNottoyoung · November 07, 2014, 09:21 PM

Wow! I would sell my wife for your 67 Dodge...

Wish I had a wife...lol

brians1969 · November 08, 2014, 06:12 AM

You've given me something to check on mine, come spring time. I am having the same issue on mine....and I changed the master cylinder.

TravcoJosh · November 08, 2014, 09:13 PM

Quote from: NottooldNottoyoung on November 07, 2014, 09:21 PM
Wow! I would sell my wife for your 67 Dodge...

Wish I had a wife...lol

I laughed out loud, which is not a good thing when you are trying to get a 1 year old to go to sleep :)rotflmao

TravcoJosh · November 08, 2014, 09:15 PM

Quote from: brians1969 on November 08, 2014, 06:12 AM
You've given me something to check on mine, come spring time. I am having the same issue on mine....and I changed the master cylinder.

It sure didn't make a lot of sense at the time as you could pump and they would be fine before the MC change, but now it does. If the shoes do not contact the drums then there is no back pressure, no back pressure then you cannot pump up your brakes.