PapstXX
Well-Known Member
wow great job man
1972 Duster, 340/4, black on black (the endgame)
- Thread starter WymanV
- Start date
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Sweet car and a sweet story. Did you happen to know Al Hickey up by you? He had a Mopar Salvage yard back in the day and still lives on the property. Mauston just north west of Portage. Has a bunch of Hemi cars now in his garage.
WymanV
..you said "member"...
Thanks guys. I'm fairly happy with it. Nothing a buffer can't fix :silent:
The name Al Hickey sounds familiar. I may know about him without having never met him. Regardless, he's 2000 miles away now... :tongue:
Here's the wrap. Painted the doors, repainted the hood and undercoated the shell:
Got some pics of it outside of the booth but only a couple turned out (craptacular camera...). The bodywork turned out alright:
So tomorrow will be about cleanup.
Ken
The name Al Hickey sounds familiar. I may know about him without having never met him. Regardless, he's 2000 miles away now... :tongue:
Here's the wrap. Painted the doors, repainted the hood and undercoated the shell:
Got some pics of it outside of the booth but only a couple turned out (craptacular camera...). The bodywork turned out alright:
So tomorrow will be about cleanup.
Ken
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340sFastback
Well-Known Member
Looks great!!
dusterbd13
Well-Known Member
i love black dusters. that is frigging georgeous.
keep up the good work.
your front torque boxes: are they just flat 16ga steel? have any better detail pics? im thinking about adding a set to my finished car, as theres tooo much flex in it for my taste.
michael
keep up the good work.
your front torque boxes: are they just flat 16ga steel? have any better detail pics? im thinking about adding a set to my finished car, as theres tooo much flex in it for my taste.
michael
WymanV
..you said "member"...
Thanks Bill.
Cleaned up the mess today and cleared out as many of the parts as I could. The doors, hood and trunk are going to have to hang on the racks until I have time to dig out the hinges and seals and get them back on. I hung the fenders with a couple of bolts, just to have somewhere to put them.
And here it sits:
Ken
Cleaned up the mess today and cleared out as many of the parts as I could. The doors, hood and trunk are going to have to hang on the racks until I have time to dig out the hinges and seals and get them back on. I hung the fenders with a couple of bolts, just to have somewhere to put them.
And here it sits:
Ken
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HemiMark
Well-Known Member
Thanks Bill.
Cleaned up the mess today and cleared out as many of the parts as I could. The doors, hood and trunk are going to have to hang on the racks until I have time to dig out the hinges and seals and get them back on. I hung the fenders with a couple of bolts, just to have somewhere to put them.
And here it sits:
Ken
Dude, that looks great.............. well, better than great but I have had a few beers and cant think of a bigger word right now! really nice and a 72, my favorite year Duster....... My Dart will be black..........
Wow does it look good!!
WymanV
..you said "member"...
I'm not sure what gauge they are but they are pretty heavy. And just flat pieces, with an angle bent into one side on the sheet metal brake where I welded it to the inner rocker.
I can get some pics, but it'll take a few days. It didn't take much tho.
Ken
Ken, you're really a credit to your profession. Most everyone would have scrapped that car but thank God you chose to save her. Beautiful work and thanks for all the great progress photos. I can't wait to see more. Dan:salute:
340sFastback
Well-Known Member
Looking forward to seeing this car go back together!!
WymanV
..you said "member"...
Not much real progress, but it's starting to look like a car. I have to get it back on all fours so I can get it off the rotisserie so I'm putting suspension bits in it. A lot of it will be replaced, but as long as I can move the car it'll hang on there for now:
I also made some mods to the hood. I put pins in it so I can get away from the factory latch mechanism. I also ditched the original coil springs in the hinges and went with a pair of gas cartridges I pulled off a junked late model Impala. As heavy as that hood is, they hold it up nicely:
So it's starting to look like a car again, even tho much of this gets pulled off once I have a good place to work on it.
Ken
I also made some mods to the hood. I put pins in it so I can get away from the factory latch mechanism. I also ditched the original coil springs in the hinges and went with a pair of gas cartridges I pulled off a junked late model Impala. As heavy as that hood is, they hold it up nicely:
So it's starting to look like a car again, even tho much of this gets pulled off once I have a good place to work on it.
Ken
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340sFastback
Well-Known Member
Looks outstanding!!!!
sublime green
Well-Known Member
Well said, very nice.
CUDACOX
Well-Known Member
Now I'm getting very jealous!! Looks amazing!! keep those pic's coming!!
WymanV
..you said "member"...
Thanks guys.
Spent the day today reassembling the steering column and getting the front end stuff done (remember-not "done", but enough to move the car around). Also got the old leaf springs in so when the housing is ready it can be dropped in. Hopefully soon:
Gonna need a lower hinge for that left door too...
Ken
Spent the day today reassembling the steering column and getting the front end stuff done (remember-not "done", but enough to move the car around). Also got the old leaf springs in so when the housing is ready it can be dropped in. Hopefully soon:
Gonna need a lower hinge for that left door too...
Ken
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WymanV
..you said "member"...
Not much progress to report, but there isn't supposed to. Got the rear axle housing narrowed, painted and installed. Got the car off the rotisserie, and just in time. Took it down on a Sunday, got laid off the following Monday (talk about cuttin' it close). Picked up the back tires at Summit Reno, got them mounted and bolted them up:
And there's plenty of room:
And funny how things work out. Jumped on an opportunity to buy a 69 (I think) Valiant 4 door with a rotten floor, blown /6 (ran it out of oil) and a near perfect front clip. The car is now sitting in a storage unit with the Valiant fenders on it-I'll get the hood down there tomorrow. That solves my issue with that right fender and the warped hood :thumleft: This means I'm right back to having to paint the front clip again but this time I know I won't have rust issues and dents to deal with.
Now to find a new place to live with a garage so I can get it underway.
Ken
And there's plenty of room:
And funny how things work out. Jumped on an opportunity to buy a 69 (I think) Valiant 4 door with a rotten floor, blown /6 (ran it out of oil) and a near perfect front clip. The car is now sitting in a storage unit with the Valiant fenders on it-I'll get the hood down there tomorrow. That solves my issue with that right fender and the warped hood :thumleft: This means I'm right back to having to paint the front clip again but this time I know I won't have rust issues and dents to deal with.
Now to find a new place to live with a garage so I can get it underway.
Ken
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340sFastback
Well-Known Member
Car looks great. Hopefully you'll find another job soon.
WymanV
..you said "member"...
Thanks man. And I will. Actually had a couple nibbles already but I can't jump on them yet because I have stitches in my palm and I can't work right now anyway. Funny...I'm busier now than I was when I was working...
Ken
69bronzeT5
My wife's car is faster.
Your Duster looks AWESOME!!!! I can't wait to see mine in black paint next month!
WymanV
..you said "member"...
Well, it didn't stay black for long ;)
Picked up a '70 Valiant a week later that had a much better front clip on it than the one I used. But now I'm kinda back to where I started from, in a couple ways. First-the front clip doesn't match the rest of the car. Not a real big deal as I want to shoot more paint on it anyway. The other? I moved. The job was the last reason I had to stay in Kalifornia and since they couldn't stop giving me reasons to leave (I'll sidestep the political rant here), I decided it was time to be where I want to be and moved to Montana. I could only tow one car and since I need the daily driver, the Duster once again sits in storage-a friend's garage actually. I was hoping to get back there during Thanksgiving weekend and pick it up but next spring looks more reasonable and likely.
On hiatus,
Ken
Picked up a '70 Valiant a week later that had a much better front clip on it than the one I used. But now I'm kinda back to where I started from, in a couple ways. First-the front clip doesn't match the rest of the car. Not a real big deal as I want to shoot more paint on it anyway. The other? I moved. The job was the last reason I had to stay in Kalifornia and since they couldn't stop giving me reasons to leave (I'll sidestep the political rant here), I decided it was time to be where I want to be and moved to Montana. I could only tow one car and since I need the daily driver, the Duster once again sits in storage-a friend's garage actually. I was hoping to get back there during Thanksgiving weekend and pick it up but next spring looks more reasonable and likely.
On hiatus,
Ken
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340sFastback
Well-Known Member
At least its in a garage where it will stay nice. You have all the hard work done. Won't take much to finish onces you get it moved. Such a cool car.
WymanV
..you said "member"...
OH!
Back with a long overdue update here. Not a progress report as far as the restoration goes, but I'm home and so is the car. Got a place in Livingston MT and a gig making Gibson acoustics in Bozeman. Went back about a year later, picked the car up and brought it home. That in itself was an event as just about everything that could go wrong did (broken wheel studs, flat tire, lost an axle, etc.) but it's in, safe & sound. The people who babysat it in NoCal did me the favor of pushing it into a garage for the duration of its stay, but they didn't do me any favors by pushing it in by the taillight panel. It's caved in. I'm undecided between replacing that weak panel with aftermarket steel or pounding it out and respraying it.
Meanwhile, as you can see in the pic it's on hold anyway. The bike is a '77 Sportster XLCH. I prioritized the bike because while all the parts for the Duster are in the Duster, the parts for the bike were in about 8 boxes in a pile. If I have to move stuff I can just hook up the car and go but moving the bike around has been a PITA. The pic is a couple weeks old already and as it is now, it's real close. Shocks, drive chain, plates would be good... I'll be off to Wisconsin for a vacation in a couple weeks which will be a bit of a delay but I'm guessing my first ride will be sometime in September. Then after the holidays it'll be back to the Duster.
Ken
BTW-no, the boat's not mine. Last thing I need are more big toys ;)
Back with a long overdue update here. Not a progress report as far as the restoration goes, but I'm home and so is the car. Got a place in Livingston MT and a gig making Gibson acoustics in Bozeman. Went back about a year later, picked the car up and brought it home. That in itself was an event as just about everything that could go wrong did (broken wheel studs, flat tire, lost an axle, etc.) but it's in, safe & sound. The people who babysat it in NoCal did me the favor of pushing it into a garage for the duration of its stay, but they didn't do me any favors by pushing it in by the taillight panel. It's caved in. I'm undecided between replacing that weak panel with aftermarket steel or pounding it out and respraying it.
Meanwhile, as you can see in the pic it's on hold anyway. The bike is a '77 Sportster XLCH. I prioritized the bike because while all the parts for the Duster are in the Duster, the parts for the bike were in about 8 boxes in a pile. If I have to move stuff I can just hook up the car and go but moving the bike around has been a PITA. The pic is a couple weeks old already and as it is now, it's real close. Shocks, drive chain, plates would be good... I'll be off to Wisconsin for a vacation in a couple weeks which will be a bit of a delay but I'm guessing my first ride will be sometime in September. Then after the holidays it'll be back to the Duster.
Ken
BTW-no, the boat's not mine. Last thing I need are more big toys ;)
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WymanV
..you said "member"...
(so let's see...the bike is done...the furniture building kick I was on is just about wrapped up...what else is going on?)
(oh yeah...)
And we're back! Yes, I did go on a furniture building kick after I finished up the bike last spring and while it didn't do ol' Black Betty any good, the apartment and correspondingly my quality of life is better for it. I'm wrapping up a coffee table & a pair of matching end tables now and my thoughts strayed to the needs of the Duster. I got to researching shortened rear axles so I can get them into the narrowed axle housing and get the rear suspension finished. While cruisin' ebay looking for cores to have shortened, I looked at dashboards out of curiosity and stumbled on one from a '68 Barracuda notch complete with harness for $450. Never one to miss an opportunity like that, I made it mine.
But. That's not really a priority right now. What I'd like to get on with is getting the body work finished up. The taillight panel needs to be repaired and the front clip needs to be stripped, some Valiant holes closed up and refinished. While I'm at it, I'm thinking of reshooting the whole car in BC/CC so I can seal those stripes under clear. It'll be a handful to do this right but I haven't pulled any punches on this project and I'm not going to start now.
So, since I suspected this would work I spent a couple hours stripping the front clip with a razor blade:
If I had used paint stripper, the first coat would have only taken off this layer and there's the added benefit of not contaminating the substrate if I find it salvageable. And so far, it seems to be:
I still have to do the left fender. I have struck bondo on the right fender above the centerline so I'll be sanding that down to see how well it was applied. If there's no need to replace it, I won't.
I also mounted the seats and fixed the issues with right door fit. It was nice to hear that firm "clump" of a Duster door closing again. And the seats are a good fit, considering they're from a later Charger:
And just a reminder-yes, all the zebra stripe is going away in time. New door panels haven't exactly been a priority right now. The seats will get new black vinyl of course-the seat buns are good, which is more than I can say for the originals. And no alterations to the tracks either-they were a bolt-in fit.
After I got the right door aligned, I rolled up the window and found this:
Yes, floatation devices. You don't know where we're going but I saw it done in a cartoon once.
Anyway, it's nice to get back on this again even if it's baby steps compared to all it needs. The plan is to get the bodywork finished once and for all, get the interior and suspension finished up and finally purchase, rebuild and install engine.
Ken
(oh yeah...)
And we're back! Yes, I did go on a furniture building kick after I finished up the bike last spring and while it didn't do ol' Black Betty any good, the apartment and correspondingly my quality of life is better for it. I'm wrapping up a coffee table & a pair of matching end tables now and my thoughts strayed to the needs of the Duster. I got to researching shortened rear axles so I can get them into the narrowed axle housing and get the rear suspension finished. While cruisin' ebay looking for cores to have shortened, I looked at dashboards out of curiosity and stumbled on one from a '68 Barracuda notch complete with harness for $450. Never one to miss an opportunity like that, I made it mine.
But. That's not really a priority right now. What I'd like to get on with is getting the body work finished up. The taillight panel needs to be repaired and the front clip needs to be stripped, some Valiant holes closed up and refinished. While I'm at it, I'm thinking of reshooting the whole car in BC/CC so I can seal those stripes under clear. It'll be a handful to do this right but I haven't pulled any punches on this project and I'm not going to start now.
So, since I suspected this would work I spent a couple hours stripping the front clip with a razor blade:
If I had used paint stripper, the first coat would have only taken off this layer and there's the added benefit of not contaminating the substrate if I find it salvageable. And so far, it seems to be:
I still have to do the left fender. I have struck bondo on the right fender above the centerline so I'll be sanding that down to see how well it was applied. If there's no need to replace it, I won't.
I also mounted the seats and fixed the issues with right door fit. It was nice to hear that firm "clump" of a Duster door closing again. And the seats are a good fit, considering they're from a later Charger:
And just a reminder-yes, all the zebra stripe is going away in time. New door panels haven't exactly been a priority right now. The seats will get new black vinyl of course-the seat buns are good, which is more than I can say for the originals. And no alterations to the tracks either-they were a bolt-in fit.
After I got the right door aligned, I rolled up the window and found this:
Yes, floatation devices. You don't know where we're going but I saw it done in a cartoon once.
Anyway, it's nice to get back on this again even if it's baby steps compared to all it needs. The plan is to get the bodywork finished once and for all, get the interior and suspension finished up and finally purchase, rebuild and install engine.
Ken
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