I took the seat base today; sliced it in two and pulled four inches out of the middle. It looks like it will fit pretty good but I need to do some reinforcing and add a piece at the bottom front to make it tall enough. I've got it sitting on a piece of unistrut and that looks like just about the right height. Also I stripped the dash; the back of it had a lot of surface rust so I sanded that and coated with POR 15.
I finally took some time and started setting up the Fatman's steering. You get a kit with brackets, tie rod end adapters, and instructions. The first order of business was to get an 89 Cavalier rack and pinion and hang it to approximate the location. The instructions are very good so it should go smooth. The next thing I saw was that I was missing several parts I needed to get so off to the bone yard for a set of Cavalier tie rods, hold downs, and the bolts. I cleaned up the rods, installed the tie rod adapters, and ordered the tie rods ends. It uses a 04-05 2wd Explorer tie rod end. Once they come in I can do the final location on the rack and weld the brackets on. A few other things; I got the bottom of the car painted with POR-15 and got the dash stripped of all the old paint.
OK, its the weekend so I am expecting to see more pictures of the progress that you are making. Looking great so far! Cant wait to see the finished product. I really do enjoy seeing the work that you have put into her!!!
Hey falconvan how are you doing been a while since I seen this unwrapped . As usual you detailing is at its best here . Did I-Scream move from the garage ?? I hired someone for the 37 , 3 fires burning I needed help also if I want to drive one soon .
Hey Bobby! No, the IScream is still here but it's undergoing surgery. That Olds 455 did not work out so I pulled at and am going back with an inline six. I did the same, hired a guy to do the body work right on the 48. He's been plugging away at it a few nights a week and it's looking pretty good. He did find some concealed collision damage that is going to require some fairly extensive work to fix correctly. I'll post something on it soon. Good to see you over here!
Well, we fought with this door for a few days trying to get it to line up right with no luck. Finally we called in one of the local old timers who looked at it and said that the minor dent in the fender and the cowl had apparently caused more than minor damage. The whole "A" pillar on that side had been pushed back about 5/8". He tried a hydraulic body jack to push it back but it rebounded as soon as you let it go. So it looks like we're going for some serious "A" pillar surgery. Luckily I had cut this piece from the other car so we have a donor. Now I'm really glad I farmed this out; I never would have saw this or figured it out myself.
You would have found it trying to get the door in and aligned . Looks good seeing back on this sweet car . You will iron this all out soon enough . Remember a seamstress tape is the best measurement rather then a steel tape . Runs contours great and can be taped down . Not to invade your thread but one pic of where the 37 is .
NOT VERY MANY OF THEM LEFT.....NOT THE CAR , THE OLE MAN . Title & everything huh? KOOL. KEEP IT POSTED TOO.
We got the upper part of the A pillar moved to where it's the same as the drivers side with a port-a-power. Now to put it all back together this week.
Yes, they do. I just hate it that I'm turning into one of them so fast!! Looks like it's going to turn out OK. This is just tack welded in place but the door gap is way better than it was before.
Its looking great so far!!! Cant wait untill you put paint on her then putting the glass back in. How is the steering setup going for ya???
Thats what I call love for a car! Would rather give it away than to see it rot. LOVE LOVE LOVE!! I would say that old timer deserves the first ride. Good luck and keep us posted.
Mike is a great guy and I'm looking forward to letting him and his wife take it for a day when it's finished. He teaches our Bible study class on occasion and always asks about it so I keep the pictures coming. I havent got back on the steering, i just finished putting the motor in my AM General to get it ready to sell so hopefully I'll get back on it next week. The body work is continuing, though. I'll get some more pics posted soon.
After a week off we're back on it; we've got the A pillar welded in and i gathered up the doors, fenders, trunk lid, and inner fender wells to take to the blaster tomorrow. Should have all that back in a week. I also found a company called Champion that makes an aluminum radiator specifically for the 46-48 Plymouths. This is really a slick piece.
Where did you say you welded that pillar back into place? Just kidding. Looks damn good and one wouldnt notice if it wasnt lime green in color to know what you were talking about. Looking great so far. When completed, Ill have to take her on a safty drive (Kidding here) to make sure she is good to drive for everyone else. How much does media blasting cost and do you have to treat the metal ASAP when its done being media blasted.? There is another forum here on step-vans. I see the I-scream on Ebay but Ebay will take 10-12% of your sale. I would list it here on that new forum and see what you can get. (http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=282902). Ebay fees are crazy. I saw a FJ8C like mine on there and the guy wants $7500 for his and all he did was media blast, new paint, new lights and offers the manual for $75. I see him on another site selling it for $6000 so I guess he knows about the Ebay FVF (Final Falue Fee). I wouldn't take less then $7000 for yours. You have to much time in yours to sell for less. I did a google search on that one FJ8C thats on Ebay and he is selling his for $6000 but on Ebay its $7500. Hopefully soon I will have the money to get mine media blasted and painted. I will keep the 258 but will buy a fuel injection kit after a engine rebuild. Keep those pictures coming on your build. To tell the truth, it makes my day to see someone who can take something old and bring new life back into it.
Thanks Sarge; I tried to sell it on here but they kicked it out because it was too new!! As far as the media blasting, it cost me $500 for the whole car including what i"m about to get done. I'll spray it with either etching primer or another bare metal primer shortly after I get them back.
I actually got to spend a whole day on this myself for a change! My body guy is still going strong; he's got a skim coat of filler on the quarter and the A-pillar fix is done. Still haven't got my parts back from the blaster. This guy is good, cheap, but he takes forever. Hopefully he'll get them done this week. I got my brackets for the rack n pinion tacked in and did a test fit on the drive train. At first it looked like the oil pan wasn't going to clear so I re read the directions and ended up moving the rack mounts down 2". Now were getting close. Looks like I'm going to need a different trans cross member. I've got a 3" drop but I'm going to need a 2" to get the drive line angles right. But at least I'm making progress; that feels pretty good.
Mikes in his 60's so I dont know how many hot back seat dates him and his wife have left! But either way, I'd like to see them take it for an afternoon; they probably had many good memories in that car. Got everything back from the blaster last night! I'm happy; I expected some swiss cheese but everything is pretty solid. Only some minor patching on one door bottom, the lower decklid inside edge, and one inner fenderwell will be needed. I'll have to build one good decklid from the two I have but it looks like it wont be too bad. Pics to follow this weekend.
My brother had a guy do the same thing with his F-1. He had a 48 that we had ready to put the motor in and start finishing the body work, when this guy gave him a 49 that had been stored indoors for 35 years, had pefect metal, a Volare front clip (remember those days?) and a good 350/350. Just needed finish work and wiring and final assembly. I've had a few given to me that way. It's taught me alot about being generous and paying forward. BTW, cool car! The two door version is way cooler!
That's so cool to see people do that. Once all these old cars are gone, they're gone for good. To see someone value the history enough to give it to someone who'll finish it rather than see it rot into the ground is great. Yeah, I like the two door much better, too. We'll going to enjoy this one for many, many years to come.
I spent about 10 hours on this yesterday and got pretty far. I swapped out the 4 inch drop cross member for a two inch drop, got the rack and pinion mounts welded in and built motor mounts. Everything came out good, I'm happy. Trying to weld upside down was a chore, I kept getting burned so i lifted this sucker up so i could sit and do it.
OK, time to start putting it together for real. I pulled the drive train back out and installed the flywheel and torque converter. For anyone who is wondering how you mate the LS series engines with the pre-LS transmissions, you need this hub adapter and the stock LS flexplate. I used a TCI 2800 stall converter and had the 700 R4 trans rebuilt using TCIs new constant pressure valve body to protect from clutch burnout from a misadjusted TV cable. Next step is to clean up the frame and repaint all the area that got scratched up during the last few years of changes. Then we can start plumbing the brakes.
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