Projects 41 plymouth coupe 392 hemi build thread

Or fabricating the same thing twice after initially screwing up the first one.....I'm sure this has happenend to everyone.

Your project certainly involves a lot more rust repair than mine. You are doing a great job on your project, keep it up!

 

Thanks Shawn!

 

what did you use to strip the paint off? i was thinking of using a wire wheel

 

I did use a wire wheel initially to get the main surface rust off, then used a chisel to get the bondo off the roof above the rear window. (it was nearly 2 inches thick in places!) Then had every panel placed in an acid bath in order to get most of the paint off. Then it was time for the panels and body to be sand blasted followed by epoxy primer. According to my painter it's not a wise idea strip the whole car using a wire wheel as this can damage the metal to a certain extend. Make sure you get a profesional to do the sand blasting as warpage can occur if not done properly. Good luck with your build!

 

The plan for today was to just replace a small piece below the deck lid.........well, that was the plan. After cutting it out, I found a thin vertical piece as well, which later on will hold the rubber stripping in place. Why don't I take that off as well, I thought. Damn.....rust behind it. If there's rust here, there's bound to be more in each corner. Change of plans then. Rip it all out and start fabricating boy!

Nothing would bug me more than knowingly leave hidden rust on the car. Will finish it off tomorrow.

 

Me, too. Keep going!

 

I just keep thinking how irritating it would be when rust were to appear in just the place you knew you had to replace but didn't. This thought alone makes me want to make sure I've covered the whole car without leaving anything untouched. Piece of mind is worth a lot to me!

 

Wow you're going good!!
Can't wait to see it in real life!!!! probably one of the "Dutch Finest"
(means: dutch built kustoms)

 

As promised, I finished of the lower piece below the trunk lid. I started of fabricating a second piece to form the u shaped profile. Then welded it all and ground it down. After quite a few minor adjustments, I got it to fit nicely. Then also welded this up and did the usual grinding.

I have also mounted the trunk lid to ensure the lines were good. Found out though, due to some previous poor rust repairs on the bottom of the trunk lid, it has changed the bottom line of the trunk. Considering I still have to repair the lid, this won't be an issue, as I'll make it fit the contour of the new lower piece.

 

More excellant work Farmer . We have all come to expect nothing less from you . Stay at it . Andy..

 

Thanks for the massive compliment Andy. Glad you're enjoying the build!

 

Here are a couple of pics with the trunk lid on. You can notice that the bottom of the trunk lid doesn't line up perfectly but this will be rectified when I start work restoring/modifying it.

 

Nice job ! But you gotta throw that pass rear fender on and take the same pics again, I love the flow of the ass end of your car !

 

So Eric, I'm guessing your next project will be hand built front to back by you? Looks like you're getting the skills for it! Still digging this thread! Eli

 

Oh man she's looking good. Everytime I check back it's great to see more progress. You're a big inspiration to a lot of folks. Keep up the good work!

James

 

Thanks Mobart, hope to have the car mostly done this year. Probably all except for the interior, depending on my cashflow.......

 

Eric, what size tires are you running on your coupe?

 

I really like it, good work!

 

Sweet car. Looks great you should be proud.

If you are running a back bumper, I have founds that a 1953/54 chevy front contours the rear tail panfairly well. it is a little wide but if with your talent, you can handle that. i bought a core to chop up and it it fits nice on my '48.-CB

 

Thanks for the comment hotroddub!

 

All 4 tires are 225/70r15's on bmw 5 series aluminium wheels.

 

Thank you. I'll have a look into the above mentioned bumper. I definitely want to move the bumper closer to the body but still would like to retain a clean line. Thanks for the info. Eric/farmer12

 

I've had a good look at this front bumper, but I don't want it to wrap around the rear fender, meaning I'd have to modify it somewhat. I think I'll bring the original bumper in closer to the body and modify/shorten the panel in front of it. Thanks for the suggestion though, it's much appreciated.

 

I think tucking in the bumper is a good idea, gives it a more streamlined look. Here's what it could look like.

 

Thanks OahuEli, that's getting close to the look I like. There are 4 minor adjustment I'd make.

1; widen the splash pan to where the rounding of each outer panel starts.
2; cut each side of the bumper, so the vertical line of each panel is followed when looking at it side on.
3; get rid of the bumper bolts.
4; smooth the splash pan in the middle.

And last of course re chrome the bumper.

Thanks for your input Eli, it's much appreciated.

 

farmer12, love this build and it has a very sinister look ,classy and agressive at the same time..perhaps i would photoshop a 37 De Soto ribbed bumper very close to the rear pan,same as the last pic....following the ribbed body lines to following the tail,somethin like that

or removing the tailights from the body and have 2 very small bumperettes with integrated tailights,usual kustom trick ..the actual bumper looks too simple or smooth to me,not sure

in any case fantastic car ,looks killer...the 392 its a big plus too,especially in Europe with those gas prices...

 

Any time Eric, your thread is one of my favorites.

 

Thank you sled for the kind words. The name sinister has also been mentioned earlier in the build thread and it still keeps ringing through my head. Therefore I am going to call her "sinister". btw guys, I've also finally decided on the colour.......it's going to be black. Been toying with the idea of a dark grey a long time but I've decided that black is my favourite colour.

Sled, I've had a look at the ribbed 37 de soto bumper but I'm going to stick with a clean look. Thank you for your input though!

And as far as gasoline prices over here, I'll be glad to be able to fill her up, 'cause that will mean she's ready for the road.

 

Eric, my car came with a Dodge front bumper on it and I really like it. It has a point to it that sort of follows the curves of the front end. Check it out and see what you think.

http://www.carnut.com/cgi-bin/image.pl?/show/01/lou/nat285.jpg

 

Rock, thanks for your input. Considering I really like the rounding of the back of the car, the pointed bumper would ruin the flow in my opinion. I'm sure it would look great as a front bumper, but I won't be using anything on the front.

Your input is appreciated Rock. Thanks, Eric