Pretty much done, gotta get the furnace going next weekend...the new winter beater was doing do-nuts at the end of the street today so its pretty well done pretty well all the ******** is outta the way....but I may have found another ruff 51 Merc junker that may require a road trip next weekend
Alright...a bit more to report!!!! I'm at it on and off whenever I can and since the last update I've managed to finish off the drivers toeboard area, strip out the dash cluster, brake pedal ***embly and the steering column. My Cousin dropped over and gave me a hand to put in the V8 K member, steering box, lower control arms/strut rods and also the new upper control arms. In a day or two we'll be putting in the tierods and center link as well as the knuckles...then we move on to the rearend and the leaf springs. Hoping for a roller before New Years but I still have to get my new/old 11 3/4 Rotors cut for that. The OEM ones from the Chrysler I s****ped are so nice that I'm planning on just getting a clean-up cut and running them instead of the NEW off-shore ones I picked up a couple of months ago. I'd feel better with some North American cast iron holding my wheels on then something cast overseas out of recycled pots and manhole covers.... Oh look...pictures!
Cowl front is smoothed off as it had a bunch of extra holes drilled into it so i just welded them all up. The front suspension in place as well. Friggin' pics won't upload...have to try again tomorrow!
An unreal amount of metalwork done to save this car, glad to see it's still coming along, really think you gotta hunt down a pair of 2 door sedan doors and jambs for this car, would look great.
I used to play on this car when i was a kid. Me and billy went to look at it the other day. Buddy got it filled with garabage so i think hes going to have it removed. Its a 69/70 300 2 door hard top 440 and 8 3/4 rear Its a complete car minus interior... all gl*** trim and drive train. I got a number we tried to get in contact with him the old lady who lives next door witch is his mother says the car is going soon. I did notice that it had alberta plates and was last lieneced in 84 i think.
Hmmmm...sounds like I'll have to let that one go Jason. Doubt the guy will sell anything off it (being there so long usually means its untouchable right to the gates of the crusher) and even if I COULD buy the whole car...no place to put it inside and no place to store it till the weather improves. Too bad though. Oh well...we can't save (or s****!) them all! Thanks for the heads up anyway!
It certainly is looking good, Bill. Amazing amount of work. We used to be a Chrysler family... the whole range of them. Trucks, 300s, Darts, Cordobas, Wagons... slants to 440s. Dad's early 70s 300 had the 440 in it. Man, that was a L O N G car. I painted it with black Centari. That paint stunk forever but looked gooood. My brother had a Dart ******* with a warmed over 318. Frikkin crazy fast. The torsion-bar mount/cross member was always our gripe-point. But we didn't have anything other than an old Lincoln IdleArc 225 then. No fun for sheet metal work. You make me wish I had a few of them back. So many cars. So little time. Or money. Or place to work on them. Or health. Sigh.
My Dad first worked in the office, then in sales, then became new car sales Manager of a large local Dodge dealer...all during the 60's and early 70's...the muscle years. I always loved the Mopar rigs, but somehow got into Fords and eventually Chevy. Suprisingly, the 63 is the FIRST Dodge TOY I've ever owned. Any rust belt Mopar owner fears the Torsion bar crossmember. Thats why I braced mine with additional plates even though the replacement crossmember was in very good shape. I wanted NO nagging concerns when this thing is going down the road!
Ya know Bill if you pick up the pace a bit you might get it done in time for Pebble Beach Its looking nice man!!
Thanks guys...back at it full time right after (hopefully during...IF I can sneak past my wife!) the Christmas Holidays. Gotta get to it every night now!
Thanks guys... I've been really slacking on updating this thread! My compressor just bit the bicky so I'm sitting at the computer trying to cheer up... I'll post a few new pics to help my mood a bit! Haha... Repaired the last section of firewall. Repaired the forward edge of the cowl before removing the top to repair the rust damage on the plenum floor in that area. The cowl floor was much worse than I thought (what else is new?) and required total replacement. Had to pull the dash cluster, brake ***embly and column to get access inside. Got it all repaired and put the top back on...
Think the biggest thing on this car now is the two front fenders.. one quarter and some small spots in the bottom of the doors..Ill be teaming up with him on these repairs. We like to take this car to the show this year!! Another year in the T bucket is pushing it!! lol
Lookin good, Bill. Get a compressor up and pumping yet? I guess that means you still have the T, fitzee? I'm heading away this week but hope to be back working on mine the week after.
remember what we came in first year!! 72 caddy!! lol We will come in something.. with us it is a last min thing.. lol
Got the new compressor up and running! Cleaned up the bottom of the floorpan under the rear seat and ground down some welds. LOT of work with the s****er and then a needle scaler to open the pores in the surface rust to allow for rust conversion treatment. Have the area treated with rust converter now, and I'll prime and seam seal it all tomorrow. Tomorrow night I'll concentrate on the inner rockers and some areas between the subframe connectors and the inner rockers that still need some cleanup work. Hopefully I'll get it all primed and maybe sealed too. That will pretty well clue up what I'm doing with the underbody for now. The rear section will get a quick cleanup after we finish the quarter panels. Once the floors etc are painted and the body is completely finished everything will get a coat of factory style undercoat...no shiny floors for this one. fitzee nailed it on whats left...plus the million little things that we're completely overlooking of course! Hahaha
Ok the car is at my shop now and im helping bill with the metalwork on the car..Now while it there I need to try and talk him in to a color change!! lol.. Come on Bill You know you want to!! lol.. I can see it like this can you??
The Jalopy Journal
