1969 Dodge Dart Swinger clean up

dadsbee · Dec 22, 2020

Put some T-9 in a spray bottle.

Sprayed the center link, fuel tank straps and LCA strut rods holding a dedicated T-9 rag behind to catch the overspray. Rag can be used later to wipe parts.

Figured while I was spraying, may as well get the fuel tank.

Soaked down good, wiped some big drips and threw oil absorbent down on the floor to catch what ever drops overnight.

My two buckets of Evaporust have apparently lost their magic and I can't go to Princess Auto in Barrie to get a new $100 bucket, so blasting it will be.

Next tray up...

Ready to dip..

All the nuts and washers "hung" to dry, after I had let them drain first on the screen bucket.

T-9 looks like it will come out about identical in colouration as the RPM.

Now whether CanPar will follow my directions tomorrow, or Thursday, with my missing National Moparts pieces is yet to be determined.

missing linc · Dec 22, 2020

Like the sign, I hope it works for you and no more valuable packages are left on the road.

dadsbee · Dec 23, 2020

CanPar guy was a bit snotty, but the box made it all the way to the door today with my missing parts from National Moparts! LOL Thanks to Nigel for taking care of my shortages overnight and getting them out so I have everything to keep working into the New Year.

dadsbee · Dec 23, 2020

Building a paint dip box from the end of a TV shipping box. Piece of pipe to take up space so I can use less paint to get some dipping depth.

6 mil vapour barrier cut and taped to make a tank. Saw horse postion and test run.

Blasting booth isn't long enough, not a problem! Stuff them out the exhaust hole.

One end and about 2/3rds of the bars blasted clean.

Turned around to do the rest.

Ready to make a mess! Torsion bars are Gloss Black.

Both dipped and draining. They got dipped a second time because I hit a saw horse and they both landed right back in the dip tank!

I knocked the long drips off a few times after this photo, while the paint was setting up, and ended up with just some nice heavy bumps similar to factory dipped bars.

Lookin spiffy and the way they were done for production, with nice heavy drip blobs. Dip tank drained back into the gallon can.

Lower control arms up next. They're a PITA to blast and take about 75 minutes each.

dadsbee · Dec 23, 2020

PST's reinforcing plates. Looks like I have to do some trimming first to clear the sway bar mount as A bodies tabs are welded to the bottom edge, while B bodies are welded to the top edge.

ALWAYS think outside the box!! Drilling a couple of holes in the end of the cabinet.

Bit of rubber edging.

Hole saw diameter was picked based on some plugs I had.

Now I can do the sway bar one end at a time.

Lower hole will let me do one side of the bar.

Upper hole will let me do the other side.

Taking my own advise that I gave a guy the other day to drain the steering box. "Put it in front of the heater, upside down, and the grease should liquefy and drain out". Bad advise so far, not a drop. We'll see what morning brings!

4spdragtop · Dec 23, 2020

Lookin good! For longer stuff to get dipped I use wall paper trays from hardware store. I had to trim my stiffening plates for sway bar tabs as well.
Glad yer stuff came too.

Malex · Dec 23, 2020

Ive just read through your thread from the start. A very nice car to start with. Did you ever find the broadcast sheet? On my 68 I found one under the back seat and a second one on top of the radio.
I have the same blast cabinet as you have and it’s been modified much the same as yours, and yep, the damn vacuum sits outside.
On my 68 the torsion bars have L & R on them, sure hope it means what I think cause they went in that way.
Enjoying the thread! Thanks for posting.

dadsbee · Dec 23, 2020

YES... torsion bars are left and right ! Odd number is the drivers side, 893 in a 340's case, and 892 is the passenger side. These #'s go aft ! The numbers on the other end, 428 in my case, are date of mfg (42nd week of '68) and they go in the LCA's.

I don't want to find a BS sheet in the car so I haven't even looked. Part of the reason I bought the car was it had no fender tag and supposedly wasn't even a numbers car... then I go and find the original heart is in it with the #'s engine.

dadsbee · Dec 24, 2020

Went into the shop this morning to blast my Dart's sway bar and remembered the Wife's rusty butterfly from camp, that I was supposed to blast over the past 2 years. Every time she sees a butterfly she thinks it's our dearly departed Daughter Jennifer checking in on her, so thought maybe I should bump that to the top of the tad doo list for our social distanced gift exchange tonight with our other two kids. Will give the Wife something to keep her mind busy as we go back into full lock down again on Boxing day, so I'd better find her some paint to go with the "gift" ! LOL

dadsbee · Dec 24, 2020

..and the Children were all tucked in tightly in their beds, hoping that Saint Nicholas soon would be there!

Seriously our kids and son in law are all essential workers and the wife is immune suppressed. First I'd told her no to the kids in the house and she's down in the dumps with our other kid gone so I compromised. "Bird" for Christmas... it's our 6+ feet of separation. Kids come in the North Shop door and we come in the South door. I run an essential service maintaining aircraft, so they made a service appointment!

missing linc · Dec 24, 2020

Chargerjase · Dec 25, 2020

That's awesome Wayne. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

dadsbee · Dec 25, 2020

Torsion bars turned out really nice by the way, almost identical drip bumps to the OE dip job that was still 90% present on the passenger side bar along with it's Blue ID stripe. Need to find a can of paint of similar colour to duplicate the stripes.

Heating of the steering box to drain the old grease was a failure (2 good drips only in 18 hours), so guess it'll be a solvent swish and dump then refill after I get her blasted up nice with crushed glass.

dadsbee · Dec 26, 2020

ZERO progress today... :soapbox:

If I ever find the stupid ...hole that built this house 1200' from the road I'll kill him ! :elmer:

(honestly, it was a great idea that July '95 day when I dug the footings....

)

scatpackbee · Dec 26, 2020

dadsbee said:
ZERO progress today... If I ever find the stupid ...hole that built this house 1200' from the road I'll kill him !(honestly, it was a great idea in July when I dug the footings....)
View attachment 1715657523 View attachment 1715657524

How much snow did you get up there?

We’re heading up tomorrow so I’d like to know what I’m in for.....

dadsbee · Dec 26, 2020

15" and a squall warning for up to 10 more today/tonight, but that all depends which way the wind decides to blow. We've had times where we'd get 18" here overnight and then find out that the West side of Penetang Harbour (just a mile and a 1/2 away) got nothing. I'm on the peninsula between Midland and Penetang Harbours. Back corner of my property is the highest point of land in town at 760' ASL... 180' above lake level so the cloud catches and stays....

dadsbee · Dec 29, 2020

LCA's and reinforce plates media blasted and ready to weld them together.

A body arms require the reinforce plates to be trimmed to fit around the sway bar attach bracket.

Fire up the TIG welder.

Clamped and then tacked, working from the center out.

Plates welded fully into place.

Weld at the sway bar attachment area.

Noticed someone got a bit Randy removing a lower ball joint, with a pickle fork, in years past and peeled the LCA back a bit.

Welded that up and cleaned it up. The only weld I ground today.

Test run and set up to dip the LCA's in Cosmoline, Rust Vito 342 to be exact.

Both LCA's blasted again, after welding, and then coated the lower ball joint socket with T-9 Boeshield.

dadsbee · Dec 29, 2020

Broke out my 5 gallon can of Rust Vito 342 / Cosmoline

Heated and stirred to mix the solvent and "wax" together.

First dip.. of eight. That was what I found worked nice for coverage and colour when I was doing my Super Bee restoration.

While waiting for each dipping to drain off, I installed the pivot shafts to new OEM style rubber bushings.

Pivot shaft fully seated into the bushings inner sleeve.

Another LCA dip and then remembered the sway bar attachment links didn't get dipped in T-9. Factory correct sway bar links.

Only touch up I do on the arms, I wipe the excess out of the bushing and torsion bar sockets.

The factory dip line generally dipped to about this depth. The factory directive to suppliers only stated for there to be no Cosmoline on the lower ball joint socket, in an effort to avoid any spinning studs on the assembly line. I dip pretending someone just filled the dip tank on a Monday morning...

Another time filler while the next dip drains off, fuel tank straps that were blasted and coated with T-9 just hung in place mainly to get them somewhere safe. Need to address some rust there before they get installed permanently.

Eight dips and left to dry. Be about 3 days before I can install the pivot shafts and bushings. Flash makes them brighter than they'll come out when dry.

dadsbee · Dec 29, 2020

Here's the LCA's (and spindle/tie rods/etc) on my Bee for reference and also to show the stuff does stand up to driving. I live on a gravel road, have put about 3500 miles on the Bee since restoration. Where paint chips, the Cosmoline doesn't. If a spot wears off or you hit it by accident (don't ask) you can simply touch it up by dipping a brush and coating will blend itself back together. If you drive in the rain, well either is going to rust in time...

dadsbee · Dec 30, 2020

Short shop day today before my back said not today and it was also snow plow time again before it started pouring. Cosmoline dried to the touch overnight. Kept the shop at 72F all night. Colour darkness just what I was looking for.

Almost forgot to take the Wilwood disc brake kit off the spindles, so I can degrease, blast and T-9 the spindle knuckles. Noting detail of right and Left so they go back on the correct sides.

Hub and rotor off the spindle showing the Wilwood adapter plate for the brake caliper. This is a direct bolt on kit to replace 10" front drums.

Of course Wilwood has to be different and gives the left hand side parts an even number vs Chrysler's odd numbers.

Marked and boxed for reassembly at a later date.

Knuckles in degrease for the night. Hope to blast them, the sway bar and the K frame tomorrow.

Mineallmine · Dec 31, 2020

dadsbee said:
First time I've been disappointed with Jamie from Megaparts. $140US + shipping for two new hood badges and they didn't even come with the 2 faced attachment tape.
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No access to my painter during Covid and his secret hoard of epoxy paint in our water based county called Canada, so Tremclad it will be. Gloss for the torsion bar dip and then I'm experimenting to see what mix of gloss and flat will give me a nice semi-gloss to dip the sway bar and spray the K frame with.
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While the A and B body cars use the same lower control arm and bushing, they use a different pivot shaft. A body left, B body right for reference. (bushing inner sleeve is still on the B body shaft)
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Original OE finish of a 1969 strut bushing washer. I've had this one in dark storage since 1977.
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Couriers have been "fun" this week with BS weather delays and no shows by all of them. Fortunately I decided to put the garbage out tonight and found my $1200 box of parts from National Moparts out in the rain... 1100 feet from the house.
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Great service CanPar.
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Only to open the box and find Nigel's packer F'd up and shorted me a good part of the order deciding that a packaged pair is the same as 2 on an item order vs the TWO PAIRS I paid for. $800 worth of parts in a $1200 box.
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Oh and the bonus of the day. Opening the mail and getting a bill from UPS for my PST front suspension kit that was supposed to be shipped in the mail. So nice of them to give me a discount because I'm in their system!! FFS ! I need to get their Crown and Anchor wheel away from them....
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For the semi gloss black you can actually get the semi gloss black at Canadian tire iirc. That's where I got mine that I coated the bottom of my car with and the k frame.

dadsbee · Dec 31, 2020

You can get Semi gloss in a spray can, but I've yet to see it in a paint can and I'm not going in a store again for a long time if I can help it. Thanks!

4spdragtop · Dec 31, 2020

Heres what I have been rolling on bottom of our 69. I just noticed 1 is semigloss and 1 flat black lol. Got mine at Canadian Tire. Employee told me it was Rustoleum company?

Mineallmine said:
For the semi gloss black you can actually get the semi gloss black at Canadian tire iirc. That's where I got mine that I coated the bottom of my car with and the k frame.

dadsbee said:
You can get Semi gloss in a spray can, but I've yet to see it in a paint can and I'm not going in a store again for a long time if I can help it. Thanks!

dadsbee · Dec 31, 2020

4spdragtop said:
Heres what I have been rolling on bottom of our 69. I just noticed 1 is semigloss and 1 flat black lol. Got mine at Canadian Tire. Employee told me it was Rustoleum company?

LOL, I was just reading a spray can of Tremclad for an FBBO member to get the code off it and notice on the bottom of the label... "Rust-olem corporate ".