History:

Doug Duell Motorsports

The Screamin’ Woody was finished in 2006, and while most of the car was restored or rebuilt in 2018 – the wiring was not touched. From September 2021 to September 2022 (mostly that long because of supply shortages like custom pistons bigger than 4.5″) the car was at the shop of my bud Doug Duell. Doug watched me fight dependability issues with the drivetrain for two years and offered to let me use his guy Matt to pull the engine and take to Jeff Taylor’s, with a couple of Doug’s engines for a rebuild. He also took my trans to Rick Allison with his, for a thorough going through and update to the best of the best. Matt also ordered and replaced the driveshaft with a 4″ Victory.

I picked the car up in September, just in time for the Moparty and the Dave Duell Classic. As Matt was going over what he’d done – he pointed out that the car needed brake pads, a converter freshening and especially wiring. He said the wiring was a complete nightmare. Matt had pulled the fan off the transcooler and removed the 16v to 12v stepdown – but gave up there – as it was so bad that it required a complete rewiring.

Moparty and Dave Duell Classic

I raced it at Moparty, and the car has never been faster, but it wasn’t bringing the front wheels up evenly. The car kinda looking like an early 60s Chevy launching.

I tried shock and wheelie bar adjustments, but they didn’t help.

The following week was the Dave Duell Classic. There I started to develop a noise coming from under the car that was getting worse with each pass. Its frequency increased with speed. It looked like the weight on the new Driveshaft was just nicking the driveshaft loop, but it also sounded a lot like a rear gear crapping out. A couple Racers took a ride with me, but they too couldn’t put their finger on it – and all of them said “Run it!”. I decided to pull out of competing in the “All-Star” race to save the car for the finals. I lost in the second round of the “Finals”. That was the end of my NSS season, and time to make car better for 2023.

Back at My Shop:

When we returned home from the Finals, I ordered a new converter from ATI, and brake pads from Summit. When the Chunk was pulled to inspect, it was found to be missing teeth – and I suspect one more round would have been bad. Since I was changing from 33X10.5 slicks for 31X10.5 slicks, I ordered a Pro Gear 4.56 to replace the crumbling 4.71.

The new brakes, gear change and converter have been completed. It was found that the Anti-roll assembly was worn out. All of the years of hard launches had taken their toll and the bolts wallowed out the bolt holes – creating slop. I ordered a new assembly and that’s a story for another day. I also pulled the entire interior, installed a new headliner, painted the inside trim, painted the cage, dyed the seats from red to black and ordered carpet and door panel material. I’m still working on that. Finally, as I had previously reported, all of the Lexan was removed, and scratch resistant Lexan was installed with #10 stainless screws into rivet nuts.

However, this is report is about the Wiring

I bought a wiring kit from K&R. The beauty of this kit is that a single low voltage cable runs from the Switch panel to a Circuit Board with the relays, fuses and other circuitry. You wire all of the accessories to the circuit board and the switch panel also plugs into it.

The first order of business was to identify the wires going to gauges, playback tach, roll control, shift light and other wires that needed to stay. Then rip out all the rest with buss panels and relays. The below are some photos of what I was faced with.

When I was finished pulling wire and installing the switch panel in a roll cage box (I didn’t have a large enough flat are on the dash to mount it), it looked like this.

Next, I needed to figure out where I was going to mount the Circuit Board and power distribution blocks. I figured the best place was the front opening on the door X-brace on the Passenger side. Gussets with all-thread was TIG welded where the bars met.

Next, I went and bought a 15″X18″X1/16″ aluminum plate. I measured, cut, smoothed the edges, drilled mounting holes, mapped where I was going to mount the circuit board and buss blocks, drilled for them, cleaned/prepped, sprayed with black primer, and finally slathered with the same hammered black paint I had used on the cage. After the paint dries, I’ll begin the process of bench wiring the circuit board and directionally route the wires into three groups under the board, mount the board to the plate I had made, and bundle to and wire up all electrical accessories. Prior to that, I’ll lay the carpet. Some photos if the mounting plate for the circuit board.

So, this is where I’m at now. Stay tuned for Part 2, which will be the completion.

Still to come

• Transmission and torque converter have been freshened and waiting for the engine to get assembled.
• New braided fuel line and 00 battery cable has been run to front, and will get connected to it’s under-hood components.
• Rear bumper ready to be installed.
• Cage painted red
• Red Leather/Vinyl dye and adhesion promoter ordered, and will be applied over the previously beige/gray seats. After a top coat they’ll get installed.
• New belts will be ordered closer to go time.
• Engine should be ready to go in this time next month.
• The front body parts installed
• The car cleaned up and off to get the cage installed.

Stay tuned to this site for further updates.

Here’s a recap of the Happenings in my MoparStyle Racing shop in the last week.

Texas Thug

If you followed the hood ejection story at the Bradenton race earlier in the month, you know The Thug lost it’s hood in warm up. A quick repair with pop rivets and duct tape got me through the weekend. Once back home, about 10 hours was spent repairing the broken off corners, the rivet holes, and the scrapes and breaks. On the underside it was reinforced where the reinforcement was broken, sanded and skimmed.

This poor hood been through Hell. Dallas lost it warming up the car in Maryland 6 or 7 years ago, when the car was black. Its been repaired so many times that it weighs more than a metal hood. On Thursday I took it to a friend who owns a body shop. He says still needs about ten hours worth of putty, sanding and three coats of high build primer before the paint. I should be picking up next Tuesday Morning, and put it on in the afternoon.

The Thug had its oil changed, interior cleaned, and aluminum tank and weight boxes polished. Valves were run, header bolts tightened, and plugs looked over. After the hood is reattached, the slicks will get swapped, the car washed and wheels polished by my Shop Rat (a 70-year-old Latino who is strong like Bull) and my Assistant Shop Rat (youngest daughter Hope, who goes to College in morning and works four hours in evening). I also got Summit racing to swap out my 16v battery charger.

The Stacker

I took it to get inspected today and renewed the registration. Shop Rat washed it. Assistant Shop Rat cleaned out the cabinets and washed the shelves. She’ll polish the wheels and scrub down pit mat. Have a few repairs to make, like reattaching the rear strap hanger, the fire bottle holder and gluing up some pads for the straps to bang against. The Coach is cleaned in and out and full of 15 gallons of DEF.

The Screamin’ Woody

If you’ve been following the progress at www.screaminwoody.com , you know the car is pretty close to finished. The underside stripped and painted, new fuel system, new 00 battery cables, new wiring, back compartment finished in spatter paint, new fuel cell and weight boxes, rear end rebuilt, transmission rebuilt, converter freshened and new Lexan. We’re waiting on the rotating to arrive so Damon can build the engine. I hope to bring the car to the Hot Rod Reunion in June.

Today, I took the tailgate to Tasco and had them match the color to a quart of single stage paint. The engine compartment was wet sanded with 400 grit and the first coat of red sprayed.

60 Plymouth Post

Moving on to my street cars, I’ve had this car for many years. In the last year or two, the interior was pulled and floor sanded to bare metal before getting a couple coats of POR, and new interior made from Indian Blankets I bought in New Mexico.

I bought a 8.75″ rear end out of a 68 Newport and rebuilt it with new brakes. The understide was also taken to bare metal, painted with POR15, and new rear end installed.

The Leaning tower of power and three on tree yanked and a bad ass aluminum head 383 built.

That engine and a yet to be purchased Passon Performance 5-Speed 833 will be installed. The car will be wrapped to look like Richard Petty took his NASCAR from 1960 after the season and drag it out back to let 58 years of weather beat it up. This brings me to what was recently done, and that was to paint the engine compartment Petty Blue before the engine goes in. The front end was also rebuilt last week.

1978 Dodge Magnum GT

I’ve owned 9 Magnum XEs, but this is the only Magnum GT I ever seen in person. I’ve owed it for about 16 years. I’m in the process of selling what I don’t drive, so this whole car has been gone through to make run like new.

The driver’s seat was looking worn, but not ripped.

So I Cleaned the leather and redyed it red.

Last week top coated the leather. It looks pretty damn good.

1964 Imperial Convertible

For the last 40 years I’ve always had a big Chrysler convertible. There’s nothing like cruising down a country road at 70 with the top down in a big barge. First I had a 67 Newport, then a 64 300 and then a 65 300. About 15 years ago I bought this off the original owner old lady, who was in a nursing home. We’ve been going through it to fix anything not perfect. I intend to keep this car forever. The driver’s seat was a little rough, so I bought some leather repair and green dye.

It took about 10 coats to cover the repair. It still needs top coat. The closest match was a Ford color called Evergreen. Its a little too blue, so I ordered another pint so all of the interior can be done.

and Finally

I managed to mow five acres before the sun set, getting the Zero-turn stuck in the mud and having to pull it out with the John Deere.