1963 Dart 170 2 Door Post Resto

[Mineallmine]

So, been away from the car for a while again. Finally got an hour to get things staged and ready to go back at it. Will be a week away though as I leave this friday to pick up the wife's new project truck, and spend a few days with family and friends while we are at it. Was going to rent a uhaul trailer to bring the truck back but after thinking a bit we decided to buy a car trailer. Got it cheap, good base, just needed new boards and a little cleanup. Or that was the "plan". As I've said before I just cant leave well enough alone...lol.

Took the boards off and found a couple braces that were not to my liking so I cut them out. Then, after looking, I wasn't totally happy with the cross braces being only 1x2 tube steel. That's where things kinda went off the rails..lol. Stripped out all the cross braces leaving only the outer frame. Welded in a reinforcement the entire length of the sides (2 1/2 square tube fully welded along the 2x4 existing), and upgraded all the cross braces to 2 inch tube and 3 2 1/2 (what I could find from my metal guy...sells his metal at scrap value...super cheap, just have to look for what you need. Most is new metal, cleaned up from factories and job sites, just inventory is always fluxuating). After that added a reinforcement to the front tounge (plan to add a winch mount later, this was just pre-emptive to be ready for that). All in all I only added about 300lbs to overall weight, but way stronger, shouldn't really affect overall payload much). Got a pair of new fender super cheap, which was good as the originals were hammered to $%#@, but they were too long so we shortened them. My wife was super happy as she got to do some welding (I have always promised to teach her. She did really well). Added jacks to the rear to stabilize the rear for loading and made new 6ft ramps. Had to replaced brake assemblies and drums as they were garbage (supposedly in good condition if you believe previous owner...but aren't they always). Finally all new lights, side rails and boards as well as tie downs all topped off with a new coat of paint and we are off to the races so to speak.

Super happy with how it came out. As good as a new trailer. Took it out for a shakedown run today. Not a vibration or a rattle. I was able to move it around by myself so I know it rolls super easy. Will be a pleasure to haul. Truck didn't even know it was there.

Photos to follow shortly

 

[Mineallmine]

As purchased

 

[Mineallmine]

After a month of weekends and evenings when it wasn't raining. Have progress pics but didn't want to clog my thread with side project

 

[Mineallmine]

So, it has been quite a while since I have posted anything. Mainly because progress on the car completely stalled. Made my trip to my brothers to pick up the wifes new/old truck project. As a result, the usual time away from the car made it difficult to get motivated to get back at it. Mainly because I am at another hand sanding stage and I absolutely hate sanding, but it has to be done if I want a nice finish.

Anyway, I finally forced myself back out to the shop for a couple evenings, getting all the stuff that wasn't put away properly from the trailer rebuild and moved the painted panels to alongside the wall and covered them with new drop sheets. I moved the car back to the middle of the garage and uncovered it again for the first time in months. Hopefully tonight I can get out there, move the last couple items back to where they belong and finish the hand sanding on the high build and be ready to apply sealer, hopefully by the weekend.

Then, the plan is to hand sand the sealer lightly, paint/clear the inside and door jambs, as well as behind the grille and inside the trunk. Then reinstall all the panels, and put the suspension and drivetrain back in the car so I can get it back on its wheels. I plan to paint the car assembled so I dont get uneven paint, or have the metallic show different from panel to panel. Doing it this was even if my paint isn't perfect (which I highly expect it won't being my first full car) it will be consistent. I can wet sand and buff it out later if needed. Not going for a show car anyway, just a really nice driver.

I started looking at the "little things" that still needed to get done to put the drive train in and man does it add up quickly. Gots lots of small things to get done. Still have to rebuild the steering box, steering column and drive shaft. Clean up the steering linkages and install new boots. Then clean up the original (still super solid) exhaust pipe and install the new muffler. Also have to paint the dash and steering column. Oh well, one step at a time right?

Here's a couple of pictures of my distraction from the dart for the last couple months. Going to be fun getting it on the road next year hopefully. Super happy with the deal I got and the overall condition. On a side note, the trailer hauled great!! Couldn't have asked for better. Just have to clean/repaint the leading edges as all the roads up at my brother's place are gravel and it was super dry so it all got constantly sandblasted cleaning most of the paint off the front...lol.

 

[abdywgn]

if you get tired of the truck project, my wife would gladly take it!

 

[Mineallmine]

Soooo, after a long time away from the car...too long...I'm finally getting back at it.

Got sidetracked with the trailer build and then picking up the truck for my wife. Then of course fall cleanup, then easy to put off getting back at the car as its at the stage I hate the most, hand sanding the high build primer before sealer.

So as I was off this past week I finally made myself get back at it. Got the entire body sanded down, and this past Saturday gave it all a good coat of sealer. Unfortunately it was probably my worst job to date. Partly due to forgetting to double check my gun settings and partially due to rushing as I was worried about running out of material. I wound up leaving my gun set up to put out way too much material which in turn caused me to get a number of runs in the sealer coat. Of course every one had to be on an external panel too.

Went out today and sanded out the runs. Fortunately they came out pretty easily. Unfortunately I blew through the sealer in a couple spots so I will have to touch it up again. I'm hoping to get color inside the car and trunk and around the doors and engine bay as well as the rad support this weekend. Then I can finally reinstall the hood, trunk and doors and put the car back on its wheels in preparation for final paint. Then comes the long journey of reassembly. Hope to have it done before spring.

 

[abdywgn]

Looks great! Can't wait to see color and done...as I'm sure you are also.

 

[Scamp Rhonda]

Soooo, after a long time away from the car...too long...I'm finally getting back at it.

Got sidetracked with the trailer build and then picking up the truck for my wife. Then of course fall cleanup, then easy to put off getting back at the car as its at the stage I hate the most, hand sanding the high build primer before sealer.

So as I was off this past week I finally made myself get back at it. Got the entire body sanded down, and this past Saturday gave it all a good coat of sealer. Unfortunately it was probably my worst job to date. Partly due to forgetting to double check my gun settings and partially due to rushing as I was worried about running out of material. I wound up leaving my gun set up to put out way too much material which in turn caused me to get a number of runs in the sealer coat. Of course every one had to be on an external panel too.

Went out today and sanded out the runs. Fortunately they came out pretty easily. Unfortunately I blew through the sealer in a couple spots so I will have to touch it up again. I'm hoping to get color inside the car and trunk and around the doors and engine bay as well as the rad support this weekend. Then I can finally reinstall the hood, trunk and doors and put the car back on its wheels in preparation for final paint. Then comes the long journey of reassembly. Hope to have it done before spring.

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Other than a little frustration there you did nothing to hurt the project. Glad you're back at it. Looks great, living vicariously through you. Carry on!

 

[Stephen Mulkey]

Looks pretty slick, keep it up.

 

[Mineallmine]

Slowly moving forward...then a little back. Sanded the entire drivers side to take care of the orange peel effect of the sealer due to incorrect gun settings and eliminate the runs I got. That went well, slow, but well. Got pretty much all of the runs on the passenger side taken care of as well, just need to lightly sand the entire side smooth like the drivers side.

This is where the backwards momentum comes in. I thought I noticed a couple cracks in the primer on the cowl so I took a closer look. I turns out there are (were) a few, all on the passenger side. So, I took out some more aggressive sandpaper (180) and sanded it down to bare metal again. something must have reacted in that spot with the primer. Must have been contaminated in some way, just not sure how. Either way, I'm glad to find it now, not after color and watching my nice new paint job (hopefully ) crack and peel. Then I went over it again up to 400 grit to feather it out and will hit it with a shot of sealer and hope it doesn't react again.

Plan is to finish smoothening out the passenger side, touch up any spots I blew though taking care of the runs (and cowl issue), then shoot the color inside. I've lost a good day so far, maybe more on my plan, but still hope I can recover and get color on the inside this weekend, monday at the latest.

More to come

 

[Mineallmine]

Finally...after a few setbacks along the way, I finally have color on the inside of the car. Super happy with how it finally came out.

After the primer issue on the cowl, I sanded it down and resealed it. blended nicely. Then I decided to tape off the entire outside of the car, like a big Christmas present to minimize overspray to deal with later. Once that was complete I tried to spray the grey (pretty much black) on the inside pillars and above the rear door panels. This never went so well. I didn't have much paint left and I was using my siphon gun and as there wasn't much paint I had to keep the gun level to spray. You can guess the results. I was spending too much time paying attention to the gun, not enough on the paint. Got a bunch of runs. Had to wait a couple days, then sanded out the runs. Bought more paint and another paint gun. Go a nice little iwata mini gun. It worked really nice and was able to spray the grey with less paint usage and a nice even finish. Not perfect, but hey, neither am I..lol

Then I decided I wanted another gravity gun for color and picked up another iwata gun. The kiwami 4. My first attempt at the green inside was less than stellar. Taped off the grey and started inside (where no one could see...;) ). Couldn't get the color to lay down right. Never quite was able to dial the gun in until I was almost done. Had trouble laying down a good wet coat. Then again ran out of paint. End of that day of painting.

Picked up more paint, watched a few videos on the setup of this gun (I'm new to this painting thing remember) and proceeded to adjust the gun to get a good even fan. What a difference a day makes. Sprayed the trunk, front and door jambs and even went over the inside a bit again and it went really good this time in my opinion. Think I could've gotten the gun dialed a little better but it gave me a nice smooth finish so I'm pleased.

Plan is to hopefully apply clear tomorrow. We will see how that goes. Worst case I have the siphon gun ready to go if I can't get the new gun dialed in where I want it. The siphon gun was easy to dial in. This new one is a little more finicky, but then it could also be my inexperience. Fingers crossed.

You can see in the pictures I had a little paint dust settle on the car, but it wipes off easy with a tack cloth with no residue, so should be good to clear after a good wipe down.

 

[Mineallmine]

And finally, after many a delay, we have clear. The inside of the car is finally finished. Really pleased with how it came out. Still looks wet even though its completely dry. Really loving the color. Can't wait to be able to get it out in the daylight to really see it pop.

Now the process of putting the drivetrain back in to get it back on its wheels and put the panels back on in preparation for final outer paint. Also to get front valance worked and painted. Need to get it installed so I can work on seeing if I can get the custom front bumper to come out like I want

 

[abdywgn]

it would be a shame to cover the floor with carpet!

 

[Stephen Mulkey]

Looks like a great job going forward.

 

[66 Val]

WOW, I can't wait to see this car finished.

 

[Mineallmine]

Thanks. This is my first try at painting a car. It's not perfect but looks really good in my opinion. Can't wait to start getting the panels back on and get it back on its wheels. That's when it'll all start coming together

 

[Mineallmine]

Making a little more progress. Got the doors and trunk lid on. Had a little issue with the trunk lid with one of the bolts stripping out during adjustment. I have replaced it temporarily and I think I'm going to replace them all with stainless hardware. This way I don't even have to touch them up and it adds a little flair. Never was going for 100% original, just keeping the basic look. Also have a little more tweaking the drivers door to get it exactly where I want it.

Even put one tire on for a bit to see the "look". Liking what I see so far.

 

[Mineallmine]

Got a little more done over the last few days. Soaked the rear diff hardware in evaporust overnight and it cleaned up great. Installed the new muffler on the original pipe (surprised it was so solid for being the original to the car. Muffler had a small hole so it had to go. Cleaned up the original pipe and could still see the part number on the tail pipe. Still had most of its original coating under the surface rust. Gave it a coat of zinc spray to protect it. A buddy used the same stuff on a muffler he made for his jeep and its stayed on good over the last couple years and it gets super hot being right up by the engine.

Wiped down the rear diff assembly from all the sanding and painting dust and before I knew it I was putting the tires on and dragging it under the car. I tie wrapped the exhaust in place while I wait for the rubber straps to come in to rebuild the original hangers. Couldn't find any repops online for it so original it is.

Plans are now to get the motor and trans in by the end of the week and start buttoning up the underside. Then on to the front valance and the custom front bumper. Gotta get that done to allow for time to send it out for chrome. Really want to get this on the road this spring. Summer latest.

 

[4.7Light]

Looks great I'm terrified of the metallic colors I'm doing B5 blue. I was going to single stage but I'm only doing the inside parts and then will base clear the outside. Your build was an inspiration for me getting my car and jumping in. Still learning don't think we ever stop!

 

[Martythetrimmer]

interesting colour choice, I like it. Massive difference between just a colour coat and having the clear applied! I do like to see interior colour used on the door tops and pillars. Never been a fan of body colour in the interior. Going to be a nice looking car!

 

[Mineallmine]

Thanks for the compliments. I'm still worried about final coat. Hope it goes as well as the last spray did. Don't think I'll ever stop learning. This is my first attempt at painting a full car.

I wanted a different color but kept it Mopar with 2020 F8 green. Super happy with my color choice. Supposed to be graphite grey on the panels inside but it looks more like black. Either way, I like it.

Made lots more progress over the last few days. Got the motor and transmission installed (thanks to my wife for all the help... And we even stayed married after...lol). Got the steering box rebuilt and installed. Even went as far as to do some work on a custom front bumper. Wanted to get rid of the bulges under the headlights so I bought a 68 Camaro front bumper. All I had to do was cut it in the middle, take just about a quarter inch out of the middle and weld it back together a little straighter (Camaro had way more angle to it). Could have pulled it in a little more possibly but I think it looks pretty good. The Gap on the corners looks about how they would be factory, maybe a little less.

 

[mygasser]

the bumper looks far daintier and more custom than the stock one for sure, i like it
what will you do at the back now though?
neil.

 

[Mineallmine]

the bumper looks far daintier and more custom than the stock one for sure, i like it
what will you do at the back now though?
neil.

Thanks. I wasn't really sure if it was going to work out but as the bumper was cheap (Under $200CDN) for a new repro one I figured I'd have minimal loss if it didn't work. Fortunately it looks like it will work just nice. Just have to do finish work and send it for chrome. (Also in case any one is wondering why I didn't just get an old used one if I'm going to cut it up and rechrome it, it was actually cheaper to get the new reproduction than people were asking for a straight useable original)

As the rear has the body formed for the bumper to fit into it, I won't be changing the rear bumper. I actually like how the rear looks. I considered trying to eliminate the bulges in the rear as well but the amount of work required was more than I wanted to tackle. That and I was able to locate a nice rechromed rear bumper. Therefore plans will be to keep the stock rear.

I modified the front a little more last night. I noticed the hood had more "V" to it than the valance so I notched the rear middle and pulled it together to closer match the contour of the hood. Side effect is a bonus in that it tucks the corners just ever so slightly more. I'll get it tacked and test fit again today and if I'm happy with it will weld it up and start on the mounting brackets. May install the hood today if I can get some help to better get a feel for the final look.

 

[Mineallmine]

Did a little more work on the bumper today. Put a little more Bend in it to better match the hood. Put a few more parts on the engine. Had to shim the water pump pulley out a little as the new pump was about 2mm shallower than the original. Installed and adjusted the hood and test fit the bumper one more time. Still needs a little more finish welding and grinding but super happy with the fit and look. Can't wait to see it mounted and done.

 

[Martythetrimmer]

Looking the part with the motor back in! Looks like you are doing the same as I'm planning by putting washer bottle and over flow through the inner guards. What brand are you buying, I found a couple of options but at silly prices! Most things are in Australia, especially for Mopar!