Functional Version of Armrest and Door Handle

Good old cardboard does it again!

Due to lack of aftermarket parts and some of my grandiose ideas, I 've had to design and fabricate many parts for this car, I don't know how I could have created anything in three dimensions without a supply of heavy, corrugated cardboard. I prefer using corrugated plastic for mock-up work when closer accuracy is required, but for most jobs, cardboard box scraps work just fine, including for my current  armrest/door-handle prototype.

I just finished what I think will be the basic armrest design and it looks functional so far. Since I'm installing electric windows, there is no need to match interior door handle and window crank styling, so instead of the original door handles, I'm making my own that will mount on the front of the armrest and will look somewhat like those used on some Imperials and Chryslers from the sixties. My handles will at least be simple to remove and install, unlike the OEM '56 parts with the annoying spring clips that require a special tool and loads of patience.

I received the 14 gauge metal I ordered to build a more rugged version of the latch actuator. It will also be used to create the arm rest base. I also  received the twelve-dollar box of small coil springs, but they are all very light duty. At least there are several lengths so I can use them to build the prototypes and determine what physical sizes and features I will need when I choose heavier springs for the production part.

Here's what should be the final configuration latch-actuating mechanism. Final termination will require clamping the cable inside the door to clear the electric window hardware. Seems there is always something that has to be accomplished before other things can be finished.

Yes, my design is probably crude compared to what others might come up with, but I didn't want to modify the bear claw mechanism. It can now be replaced independently from the actuator if needed. It functions quite nicely and the light springs work better than expected. It only needs minor adjusting and a couple of bolts and nuts replaced by better fitting parts before I can install it in the door. Then comes the difficult part of figuring out how to make the outside handle operate the cable!

Open Sesame!

With the aftermarket ignoring the Forward Look era, there is a huge amount of study and contempaltion involved when stubborn restorers choose different methods to resurrect cars that should have been scrapped. NOS replacement door latches are rare to non-existent and most of the original star-wheel parts are severely worn in high mileage cars, so we clean, lubricate, adjust and then try to get by with worn junk...while a few do like me and adapt modern systems!

The bear claw latches themselves proved easy to install, but I was on my own to design a method to open them using the stock door handles. The first job was to choose a system that functioned while incorporating readily available parts from current vehicles and trying to keep most of the car appear close to stock. Original latches had complicated hardware to open the doors, but newer cars almost exclusively use cables with bear claw latches, so I chose a cable from a Ram truck that would help keep the project Mopar. Since it’s been used on trucks for several years, replacement parts should be available for many more, if needed. It’s about the right length, and the ends terminate in a very common way with a crimped barrel on one end and a ball on the other. Since there is more room on the latch end, I'll use the larger barrel-end inside the door, so I'm in the process of designing and fabricating a prototype that will actuate the latch from both outside and inside.

I need a system that will allow the latch to open with either handle, and will be robust enough to survive daily use while having a tactile feel somewhat like an original factory part when operated from both sides of the door.

This picture is the first prototype. It requires springs to retain the latch actuating lever and cable arms in a retracted position and also keep them from rattling. I would have liked to use the homemade  torsion spring visible in the picture, but they twist the arms too much. For the next version,  I ordered a box of extension springs in different sizes that should allow me to select better parts. They will be here today.

This version also used thinner metal to form the bracket, but I have 14-gauge sheet metal on order so the next iteration will be sturdier and simpler to make.

'56 Fury Finally Recognized!

On this fifteenth of August, my favorite sixty three-year-old gold-trimmed muscle car will finally get its due when Rodney Crowell releases his new album..."Texas". One of the songs will be "56 Fury", along with 10 more Texas related songs featuring Crowell and other artists, including Ronnie Dunn, Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett, Vince Gill, Lee Ann Womack, and yes, even that famous old Texan, Ringo Starr!

Hanging Doors and Fenders

Now that the wheels are aligned as best I can until the car is closer to road weight, I switched my efforts to installing and fitting more sheet metal. The passenger door received s a new bear claw latch and I had a lot more confidence after doing a mockup on the parts car.  I learned with the test installation to pay special attention to the pin alignment so I could remove the wide, thick washer and secure the pin against the door jamb. It loses a little bit of support and adjustability, but it looks and fits a lot better. If needed at a later time, I can retrofit with an adjustable plate for the pin to strengthen the support.

The passenger door installation and adjustments went reasonably well, although the original tolerances were nowhere near today’s computer designed and built cars, which meant I made compromises in fit. The door has a slight twist in it that can’t be adjusted to match the rocker panel, but the fender and quarter panels look decent. After paint and weather-stripping, there will likely be more tweaking to take care of.

The driver’s door fit is much worse. The door opening is slightly narrower than the other side, and the fender won’t move far enough to create the proper gap. I need to find another quarter inch fore and aft clearance, so I’ll have to remove bolts and probably slot some holes where the inner fender attaches to the radiator support.  Another challenging problem that will require more thinking!

I decided that I’m going to install power windows in the doors, and after researching the various manufacturers, I quite sure I’ll be ordering from Specialty Power Windows. They get mostly good reviews and claim they are made in the USA, but I’m betting China made the motors and switches. My original window parts were in bad shape, and re-plating pot metal cranks is expensive, so I’m choosing to spend the money on new parts instead of fixing the worn and very rusty hardware. Since that means more wiring and adding another fused circuit, I want to run the cables while I still have easy access to everything, and before I start testing circuits.

Sorry I don’ t have many pictures, since my camera has again chosen to randomly malfunction.

 Weather report: In the twenty-three years I've lived in North Texas, we never had a July when the temperature did not get above 100*F, and in 2007 we suffered more than forty days in a row over 100*! Compared to that hellish year, this has been a rare and wonderfully cool summer! However, August is our normally hottest month and the highs are expected to reach 100 to 104 for a few days beginning next week. Not sure if my little window air conditioner will make the garage comfortable enough to work in the afternoons, so I might have to retreat to the house.

Bear Claws it is!

I was dreading the job of possibly replacing the OEM door latches with aftermarket bear claw latches, but I had to do something since NOS or good used parts are so rare and expensive. I didn’t think I could satisfactorily rebuild the stock parts myself, and if I was able to find someone to rebuild them I suspected the price would be astronomical, so economics was a compelling consideration.


The stock latches in both cars were in terrible shape. The star wheels were badly worn and after cleaning and lubricating only one latch functioned at all. The rest worked intermittently, and one jammed to the point of having to occasionally pry it open. I finally decided to try the modern latches, and to first use the parts car door to experiment. If the idea proved impractical, at least I wouldn’t damage any project car parts in the process.


Since the passenger door skin on the parts car had already been cut open to access the jammed stock latch, I decided that it would be a good place to start.


After removing all the unused original parts from the door and jamb, I marked where the door had to be cut and drilled to install the latch. Instead of using a Dremel tool to make precise cuts, I relied on my trusty DeWalt saw and a couple of hand files to make an acceptable opening…acceptable, not neat! The temperature was 96F, so there was no time to waste making the beat-up old door look nice!  Minutes later the latch was in place.

Then I held the door closed, and through the hole in the skin, I marked the latch pin location on the jamb. In another five minutes I had drilled a hole and temporarily installed the pin, using a thick washer as a temporary shim on one side.  All in all, it took about forty-five minutes to strip parts off the old door and install the new latch.

The door now opens and closes better than it ever did, even when new! I located the new latch lower for two reasons. First, when centered it pulls the door closed more evenly. Second, there is no way to hide the latch claws where they would not be visible from inside the car. When they are mounted lower, they will be less obvious from the front seats and from outside the car.

My wife was released by her surgeon to resume light activities, so my caretaker duties are not quite so time consuming. Hopefully I can spend more time on the Plymouth.


I received the grease seals to replace the splitting and crumbling Chinese crap. As is the usual case in our modern shopping methods, the price for eight seals was less than nine dollars, and the shipping cost was nearly eleven dollars! The small bag of parts could have been shipped in an envelope, but they chose a box that could have contained a few hundred seals!

Wheel Aligment

One of the next jobs on my agenda was learning how to align the front wheels with my newly purchased manual alignment tool. I knew I couldn’t make accurate settings until more car weight was on the wheels, but I wanted to practice the process and see if I could get the alignment close to correct.

Like so many new tools, the digital world has taken over, so it was like going back to school again. The tool includes a precise position indicator that you place in a magnetic holder in various ways to check caster, camber and toe-in. Unfortunately, the manufacturer did not include a printed manual and only links to videos on their website. The videos were more promotional than informative, but they got me started. Then I searched the Net for manuals I could read while I had hands on the settings. I finally got most of the info I needed from the Summit website, so I printed them out and sat down by the front wheels to set up the tool.

I had originally assembled the suspension parts mostly by guess, and I could immediately see the toe-in was off. The tool verified my eye-balling estimate, and it took only seconds to adjust it to factory specs. When I attempt the final alignment, I'll be seeking opinions about recommended changes to settings based on modern tires, shocks, etc.

Then I worked on the camber. It was surprisingly close to perfect, but I needed to check the caster before I could be certain. I found it too far off, and on the ’56 suspension the camber is dependent on the way the upper control arm bushing pin is assembled when rebuilt. To get it within specs, I had to remove the pin and rotate the bushing one thread to get to the needed negative caster, and that’s when I encountered my first problem.

When I assembled the suspension about five years ago, I quickly discovered the poor quality of the Chinese-made rebuild kit from Kanter, and I wrote about some of the issues. One discovery was the poor quality  of the grease seals, but I used them since they were all I had. Naturally, as I was removing them yesterday, one crumbled and fell off. Then when I removed the one from the other side, I found it cracked and brittle, so I'm now looking for better replacements.

I made the rounds of local auto parts stores, and no one had the right size seal, so I’ll have to search Internet sources. That means another delay, and if I can’t hold them in my hand before I buy, I might be getting the same crap I got with the rebuild kit. With all the cursing I’ve done about Chinese-made parts for this project, I’m probably already on somebody’s hit list in Beijing!

Just before I posted, I found a source that makes seals that are close to the originals, but won't know if they are better until they arrive.

While I'm waiting for parts, I'm going to work on door latches. The originals are badly worn, and I have a set of new, hot rod bear claw latches that I'm going to consider using if there is enough room in the doors without major cutting and welding.

Brake Cable Routing

I found a few minutes to finish routing the emergency brake cables and take a few pictures.

Cables are functioning with the foot operated mechanism from my old '79 Aspen parts car, but will have to be adjusted when I can find someone to help. I also want to add a couple more guides  to keep the cable tucked in close to the frame near the front.

More Demands on my Time

Nothing important happening to the Plymouth, and husbandly duties will now take priority. My wife underwent major surgery Monday and will be in the hospital for several more days, so dealing with that has limited my automotive play time. She's on the mend, but will need my assistance for at least a month when she gets home. Old age is hell until you consider the alternative.


In the meantime, I’m trying to decide what type of air cleaner I should use with the Edelbrock 4-bbl carb. I’d like to have one that looks at least somewhat stock, but the height of the intake means that the hood clearance is not generous, so and the tall ’55-’56 cleaners won’t work.  I suppose I could do it the easy way and get a cheap aftermarket chrome version with a low-rise filter element, but I think I’d rather have something a little less flashy.


A related question is crankcase venting with the cast aluminum Chrysler Power valve covers. Over the years, I’ve had engines with a single downdraft tube, or a PCV valve on one bank only, or with a PCV on one side and an oil-fill cap vented to the air cleaner on the opposite cover. All of them worked fine as far as I could tell, and as long as the engine was healthy, there were no sludge issues.

I never had a state inspection failure since they were all pre-sniffer era. This time I will essentially be creating a new car that will have to be inspected for roadworthiness by a DMV inspector before it can be licensed. It came without a title from a state where it was apparently last licensed in the early seventies. I was informed that Texas does a visual inspection only on ’73 and newer cars, so the ’66 Drivetrain in the ’56 body should fall into that class.

After reading dozens of posts on other sites, there doesn’t seem to be consensus on a functionally “best” venting system, and since I’ve never given it much serious thought before, I’m interested in personal opinions as well as links to legitimatel technical information.

Views from Below

I picked up the driveshaft from the shop where it was being shortened, but as usual something had to go wrong. They had installed the slip yoke on the back end of the shaft after I had carefully explained to them about how it was supposed to go on the damper end. They fixed it in a few minutes, but it was  annoying, especially when the technician commented that Ford driveshafts with dampers had them on the differential end, as if Chrysler did it wrong.

I didn't like the shape of the lower radiator hose when it was installed, so I visited O'Reilly's and picked out one that looked like it would be a better fit. It's still not perfect, but looks better than the one specified in their computer, and it's not a universal fit flexible hose. Couldn't get a clear photo.

This morning I routed and hooked up the Lokar kickdown cable, but will have to wait for a helper to operate the accelerator when I make the adjustments.

I created an adjustable shift rod by combining parts of two different rods. It works okay, but now I regret having changed to a lighter detent spring in the transmission when I was originally trying to adapt the pushbutton controls to the '66 transmission. If it proves to be a problem, I'll take the car into the transmission shop to take care of swapping back to the stock spring. I just don't want to mess with it myself.

More from Down Under (the car)

Once the car was off the jack stands and all the weight sitting on the suspension, I re-measured the driveshaft space and decided I needed to shorten the shaft 1-3/4". I found a local truck repair shop that will do the work, and was told it wouldn't take more than a day or two once the Spicer U-joints I specified arrive. Should be sometime next week.

The transmission was next. I installed the speed sensor and made up a cable for it and the neutral start switch. However, the transmission shop didn't replace the neutral switch and I discovered that the  nut won't come off. It just spins, so apparently the threads are stripped at the terminal base and I can't see if the bad threads are on the terminal or the nut. Even grabbing the nut and pulling as I try to re-engage the threads doesn't work, so I guess I'll have to order a new switch..
As usual, nothing is as simple as you might expect. Apparently Chrysler changed switch designs in '67, and my transmission is a '66 so I have to order the $65 single terminal version instead of the $13 three terminal part used on later transmissions. Oh well!

The rod connecting the console shifter to the transmission shift arm is my next opportunity. I dug through a box of shift and throttle rods and found a combination of parts that should work, but I'll have to cut and weld two rods together and that looks doable.

I got the neoprene flaps pop-riveted to the shields and mounted to the inner fenders. Not sure they will be needed on blacktop roads in fair weather, but they are installed anyway.

Still playing around with the emergency brake cables, and discovered another problem to resolve if I can find the patience to work on it! I think I'll play around with my wheel alignment tool first and forget the damn e-brakes for a while!