1972 Canadian H-Code 340 Dart Swinger Special Resto - Finally started!

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cliff guinand said:
Hey Danny, here's your incentive... wipe that smile off my face. Haha. No, it's no competition because I have Kevin and Mark over in Evan's shop doing it all. Hey, keep up the great work.

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Hey that's a well deserved smile, your the one who's been researching and documenting and posting about the Canadian Specials and I might not of even found out about mine if not for your work and posting on FABO, so I'm stoked that you're finally on your way! Can't wait to see that smile when you're behind the wheel and your laying down a couple of patches.
 
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Well thank you very much Danny... and I'd really like to thank you for this thread that you have here, it really shines a light on these '71 and '72 Swinger 340 Specials. But, it's also great to know mine is finally going to back up what I've been 'preaching' for all these years. And hey, gotta' love that shirt - I shoulda been wearing my Swinger 340 one, eh :)-
 
Spent a few hours yesterday and today working on my front valance, started of by sanding off the dipping residue to reveal all the problem areas that previous repairs were made,

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First thing I needed to to was remove the bracket on the backside that bolts to the rad support since its wrinkled up pretty good in this area and just in the way preventing doing a proper job. I index its position by drilling two small holes that I can use to put it back exactly where it came off and then drill out the spot welds.

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Lots of dolly work and pick and file, for those that aren't sure what I mean by pick and file it's when I have some areas that are revealed by running the body file over the area after hammer and dollying the damaged area,

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Here you can see the low areas that I then used the pointed pick side of the body hammer to lift these areas very slightly and carefully placed hammer blows that then are shaved off with the body file.

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Now I'm not the most skilled at this so better metal workers then me can take it further to minimize or require no filler, the important thing with this procedure is to know when to stop since your removing some of the steel with each stroke and then the grinder. One doesn't want to overly thin the metal especially since your going to use a small skim of filler most likely anyway.

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So this is where I decide to stop and let the filler finish the job, then moved to the centre straighten the area then weld up the holes that used to hold the centre bracket leaving the index holes. I like to weld from both sides since the side that has the copper backer usually is porous and not great for spot welding back onto.

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Then work out the all the damage on the right side and like I said since these areas have been Mickey Mouse repaired and hit with a grinder previously you want to know when to stop removing steel so you don't end up with a paper thin panel and let the filler make it perfect. Managed to cut down on the filler needed by probably 85 percent from what was in it. Just need to spot weld the bracket back on and the metal work on these is done.

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684mulas said:
Very cool rare car and interesting that you've owned is for so long. I went to high school in the late 70's also. I like the period correct stuff. Somehow I have a collection of aluminum slots! Are you going to keep the slots on the car?

Looking forward to seeing the progress.
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You still have those E.T. Mags I sold you in 2010?
 
You got me dmoore, did you sell me some E.T.s, I still have my slots that I'd be more then happy to sell you but I promised them to Cliff at the top of the page, he's from the Smokey Lake area, LOL.
 
Swinger340Canuc said:
You got me dmoore, did you sell me some E.T.s, I still have my slots that I'd be more then happy to sell you but I promised them to Cliff at the top of the page, he's from the Smokey Lake area, LOL.
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Ha! I was asking 64 mulas but now that I think about it it wasn't him I sold them to, although I did sell him some wheels in Carlisle. It was someone up your way with a brown 70 Dart....think he paid more for the shipping than the wheels!
 
I spent 3 days reading your post. Awesome work, wish you could do my car. Thanks for posting.
 
Curious if anyone has seen this blue paint mark on their right lower control arm, wondering if this might be an assembly line mark put on to identify Right or Left or some other reason. I never used any blue paint in the years that I've owned the car. Only on the right side.

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After cleaning up the left lower control arm it also has this bit of blue on it, probably replicate it since it was on them and I can't see any evidence of any factory paint only the white spraybomb and the small patch of black overspray from when I did the colour change.

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Got all my Stainless lines and brake cables and assorted parts and clips this week, decided to try Inline Tube since they seem to carry everything I needed to replace everything included proportioning valve, all the clips and fasteners and diff hose with the right dichromate plating, stainless parking brake cable assembly etc. So I dug out all my old lines so I can match them up to see if there are any issues.

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Happy for the most part but there are a couple of issues, one with my main front to back brake line needs a couple of small bends and continue on pretty much straight to the proportioning valve, as you can see it takes a bend a different direction, and the fuel line looks like it needs to be straightened out on the last 3 feet. Also the caliper lines need some redirecting or maybe replacing, if anyone has a trick to brake the old ones loose I'd sure try it, I put a bit of liquid wrench on them hoping that would help.

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I'll call Inline tube to see what they think and if I can take a stab at altering these couple of issues.
 
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Hey Danny, great progress. It's funny, this new FABO site (oldish now) doesn't send updates like it used to, so I've missed all the happenings over the last while - dang. Great to see your handy work bud and again I have to thank you for posting here with your handwork and progress - kudos. Oh, and thanks for protecting the slots for me, haha. FYI, my car is officially painted as of Thursday - Kevin sent a pic and I thought I was dreaming (great dramatic photo effects).

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Oh, and those 'blue dabs' on the a-arms are interesting. Kevin went thru a couple of them and didn't come across those markings. But they do look legit. And as you can see, '72 a-arms are painted black - no cosmoline on these cars (and that goes for all '72's I do believe).
 
Yeah, I have a good slave driver in Kevin!!! Haha. And love those day-2 Smokey Lake Speed and Haying Equipment parts - hey, I grew up less then an hour away from there! Thanks man.
 
cliff guinand said:
Oh, and those 'blue dabs' on the a-arms are interesting. Kevin went thru a couple of them and didn't come across those markings. But they do look legit. And as you can see, '72 a-arms are painted black - no cosmoline on these cars (and that goes for all '72's I do believe).
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dmoore's 72 survivor lower control arms seem to have a very light coat and in some areas appears to be next to no black paint but I could find no evidence of any paint on mine with the exception of the white paint I splashed on them and the small bit of black paint that hit the area where the tortion bar inserts when I sprayed the black and the little dash of blue. There is virtually no pitting on them after coming out of the Evaporust. I can't help but think they weren't painted at all like some of the other suspension parts.
 
Kevin and I took our colour queue's from a string here on FABO, (no paint left on our hi-mileage versions) it was an H code ’72 Duster, 24,000 mile survivor (black) that was documented by Geoff Skunkard and this is part of the discussion between Scott Smith of Harm’s and the owner… so, as they discuss, the lower control arms were black and all though he says the upper a-arms were natural, Kev and I went with black-dipped. Also, and they don’t say so, but the pic shows the stabilizer bar black.

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Dopf! Hey, this was D. Moore's car that Geoff Stunkard and Scott Smith were talking about - if I'd be able to read, eh. haha. So, it was his car that's been my main 'go to' reference in my resto. So, thanks Dave, and your survivor Duster!!!
 
cliff guinand said:
Dopf! Hey, this was D. Moore's car that Geoff Stunkard and Scott Smith were talking about - if I'd be able to read, eh. haha. So, it was his car that's been my main 'go to' reference in my resto. So, thanks Dave, and your survivor Duster!!!
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Ha! Your welcome brother! Anything you need, just say it!
 
Hey Dave, thanks so much, that would be greatly appreciated. Of these '72 Swinger 340 Specials, we've only found 12 now - out of the approximately 60 or 65 made - and they've all been driven hard and put away wrecked so great to have original references to restore them from. C
 
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