d55dave
Well-Known Member
Hey, fantastic! My mom grew up not too far away in Mundare, I have a little Ukrainian in me and love some good kubasa. I would love the tour if I ever make it out that way, LOL.
1972 Canadian H-Code 340 Dart Swinger Special Resto - Finally started!
- Thread starter Swinger340Canuc
- Start date
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Hey, fantastic! My mom grew up not too far away in Mundare, I have a little Ukrainian in me and love some good kubasa. I would love the tour if I ever make it out that way, LOL.
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Found some time to work on the car today and trim off the trunk drop and outer wheel housing.
Hopefully I can show some detail that I may have missed showing on the other side for those that might want to tackle this on their project.
I just cut the trunk drop half an inch or so from the seam with a cutoff wheel so I can get close to the spot welds for drilling them out.
Unfortunately the corner of the floor that meets the inner wheel house has a little daylight showing thru it so I'll have to make a piece to fix this spot before the trunk drop and wheel house can go on. A little rusty under this caulking so I'm going to remove all of it on the floor pan and clean these areas up and re-caulk the floor.
Cut the wheel house just back from the flange and drill the roof brace spot welds.
The cut on the wheel housing thats behind the roof brace will need to be done from inside the wheel well.
Then grind the remaining part of the wheel housing back flush with the flange.
I think I showed these welds on the inside top of the wheel well on the other quarter but may as well show them again, these hold the roof brace to the wheel well also and will need to be drilled to allow the brace to be free so the new tub will slide in between the various layers of panels. You will want to take your time and drill thru just the two inner layers leaving the roof brace layer to plug weld too later on.
Clean off some more undercoating and call it a day.
Hopefully I can show some detail that I may have missed showing on the other side for those that might want to tackle this on their project.
I just cut the trunk drop half an inch or so from the seam with a cutoff wheel so I can get close to the spot welds for drilling them out.
Unfortunately the corner of the floor that meets the inner wheel house has a little daylight showing thru it so I'll have to make a piece to fix this spot before the trunk drop and wheel house can go on. A little rusty under this caulking so I'm going to remove all of it on the floor pan and clean these areas up and re-caulk the floor.
Cut the wheel house just back from the flange and drill the roof brace spot welds.
The cut on the wheel housing thats behind the roof brace will need to be done from inside the wheel well.
Then grind the remaining part of the wheel housing back flush with the flange.
I think I showed these welds on the inside top of the wheel well on the other quarter but may as well show them again, these hold the roof brace to the wheel well also and will need to be drilled to allow the brace to be free so the new tub will slide in between the various layers of panels. You will want to take your time and drill thru just the two inner layers leaving the roof brace layer to plug weld too later on.
Clean off some more undercoating and call it a day.
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Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Did a bit more trimming and a first fitting of the tub and trunk drop on the right side.
Unfortunately the fitment on this side is going to be a bit worse then the left side and is going to need a bit more work to make the tub and trunk drop all line up with the floor and rocker the way they need to. No point test fitting the quarter until these two pieces fit to the car better, I was hoping this side would be less work, oh well!
Unfortunately the fitment on this side is going to be a bit worse then the left side and is going to need a bit more work to make the tub and trunk drop all line up with the floor and rocker the way they need to. No point test fitting the quarter until these two pieces fit to the car better, I was hoping this side would be less work, oh well!
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Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Need to get the tub fitting correctly to the rocker first so made the first relief cut in a bit different location, a bit higher, then the other side since I had a larger gap to close.
That got the tub nicely against the rocker, the next cut will move the front edge of the tub back even with the rocker.
This is how much needs to be removed then welded up to move the tub in even with the rocker.
A bit of black primer and slide it back in place and the fit looks good.
Next I have to deal with an issue that wasn't a problem on the other side and this time it isn't a problem with the AMD panel but appears to be an issue with my floor pan. The pan doesn't line up with the wheel tub and trunk drop seam so when I clamp the trunk drop in place lining up with the seam I get a nasty gap that needs to be "gone".
I decided the only proper fix and probably the easiest will be to cut the floor back from but along the lip and section in some metal to take up the gap, OLD CARS :banghead: ,but that will be for another day!
That got the tub nicely against the rocker, the next cut will move the front edge of the tub back even with the rocker.
This is how much needs to be removed then welded up to move the tub in even with the rocker.
A bit of black primer and slide it back in place and the fit looks good.
Next I have to deal with an issue that wasn't a problem on the other side and this time it isn't a problem with the AMD panel but appears to be an issue with my floor pan. The pan doesn't line up with the wheel tub and trunk drop seam so when I clamp the trunk drop in place lining up with the seam I get a nasty gap that needs to be "gone".
I decided the only proper fix and probably the easiest will be to cut the floor back from but along the lip and section in some metal to take up the gap, OLD CARS :banghead: ,but that will be for another day!
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Crosstown 340
Active Member
Great progress, and thanks for the detailed descriptions. Sheet metal is a finicky *****, isn't it ?
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
10/4 Crosstown, now I'm afraid to ask " What happened to your Car" did that trucker steal it!!
LOL!
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Great evening weather wise so got the car outside and did some blasting on the areas that need it.
Thats all I had the energy to tackle this evening, not an fun bit of work but got it out of the way.
Thats all I had the energy to tackle this evening, not an fun bit of work but got it out of the way.
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Crosstown 340
Active Member
I should see it in about a week. It's been a long ordeal, but I will persevere! ! LOL ! Sheet metal is a finicky *****, but US Customs is just a flat out *****!
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Good to hear, post up some pics of her rolling into her new home when you finally get your hands on it, will be a great project.
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Dealing with this pain in the butt gap took quite a bit more time then I thought it would.
Decided I had to cut the lip off and section in some steel then cut that off back to where the lip would then line up,
Then clamp it up and weld the lip back on.
Didn't grind too much meat off the weld to make pretty and thin here since it ends up with about a quarter inch of brush sealer over it. Lines up nice now, should be able to hang the quarter on now and see what issues it will have.
Decided I had to cut the lip off and section in some steel then cut that off back to where the lip would then line up,
Then clamp it up and weld the lip back on.
Didn't grind too much meat off the weld to make pretty and thin here since it ends up with about a quarter inch of brush sealer over it. Lines up nice now, should be able to hang the quarter on now and see what issues it will have.
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Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Running out of time that the weather allows me to spray this area outside so pushing hard to get the inner area in epoxy. First need to remove the brackets that hold the Jack in place and weld them on the tub and trunk drop then I can prime them.
Finish cleaning up the frame rail and inner tub and mask her up ready to prime.
Tomorrow evening might be a long one as I need to get the tub and trunk drop welded up but I need to hang the quarter in place first to see if there are any issues
rayer:
It's a damn good thing I always loved this car or I might not be up for this, LOL.
Finish cleaning up the frame rail and inner tub and mask her up ready to prime.
Tomorrow evening might be a long one as I need to get the tub and trunk drop welded up but I need to hang the quarter in place first to see if there are any issues
rayer:It's a damn good thing I always loved this car or I might not be up for this, LOL.
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cliff guinand
71&72 Cdn 340 Specials
Danny, keep the faith! That's some awesome work you're doing.
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Thanks Cliff, if I don't get this work done and the paint applied the quarter can't go on and it won't get on a rotisserie this winter so this "has to get done". One of the problems of renovating and making your garage all perdy is you don't want to cover it all in paint overspray,#-o
Crosstown 340
Active Member
**SLIGHT HIJACK**
:cheers: My car finally showed up ! :blob: I couldn't be more stoked about this new project. I hope my efforts can be even remotely close to yours. I continue to be impressed with your work. Hell, I should have had my transport guy just keep it in Canada and deliver it to you for the body work ... LOL !!
:cheers: My car finally showed up ! :blob: I couldn't be more stoked about this new project. I hope my efforts can be even remotely close to yours. I continue to be impressed with your work. Hell, I should have had my transport guy just keep it in Canada and deliver it to you for the body work ... LOL !!
Hey Crosstown 340 - start a new thread with lots of photos!
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
:cheers:Finally!! Thats great, now only the third 340 Special in America! Thanks for the comment on the work, wish I could piddle around on the car everyday a bit and not have to go to work for a living, l'd be closing in on Joel by now LOL! Like Joel said start yourself a thread and post up some pictures, love to see the car in its new home.
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Out in the shop fairly late last night getting the tub and trunk drop welded in place but first had to test fit the quarter and this side is going to be much like the other side if not a bit worse fit, oh well no turning back now.
Got some prep work and masking to do and get some paint on the inside today.
Got some prep work and masking to do and get some paint on the inside today.
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Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Thankfully even thou it was a bit windy I got the inside prepped seam sealed and painted,
Relieved, the weather won't likely be nice enough until spring to spray outside. I need a break time to take the pups out to do a bit of hunting then tackle the quarter panel.
Relieved, the weather won't likely be nice enough until spring to spray outside. I need a break time to take the pups out to do a bit of hunting then tackle the quarter panel.
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too bad the factory couldn't have been this detailed to begin with. I took the doors off my car and found bare metal behind the hinges on the body. Then we wonder why they rusted so bad in the humid places. #-o#-o
the way you are doing is going to make for sure that it doesn't get any rust bubbles for a couple hundred years. :glasses7:
the way you are doing is going to make for sure that it doesn't get any rust bubbles for a couple hundred years. :glasses7:
Danny, What's the yellow I see sprayed on the inside? Hy-build primer?
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
It's a high build sealer Kev, Sikkens requires this colour ground coat for hiding and for the colour to show correctly. I'll use thus colour as my primer whn I get to that stage.
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Your right Rani, there's little to no protection on a lot of the hidden areas and that's where they rot out. This car was only has 56k on the body and its supprising the rust between the pinch welds and under some of the brushed on seam sealer. I'm going to scrap all that old seam sealer off and treat those seams an brush on some modern sealer.
I'm not sure I can last a couple of hundred
rayer: but hopefully someone will still have a solid cool A-body!
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Crosstown 340
Active Member
I don't know if you've seen this picture before, but in my quest to find pictures of '71 Swinger Special 340's (I know, I'm lax in getting my own thread going about my new car ...), look what I came across. It sure looks like a '72 Swinger Special with "the hood" ......
Swinger340Canuc
72 Swinger 340 Special
Neat old picture from the old Edmonton Speedway, I've got quite a few pics I took back in the late 70's and early 80's from there, a few pics I took from the Park
Our local legend 240 Gordie Bonin loading his parachute, I got to meet him finally a couple of years ago and had a nice chat, unfortunately we lost him shortly after.
Mr. Crankshaft dragster I painted making it's first pass at the Speedway -
I don't remember that Dart, its hard to see much detail in these old photos but it might be one of the Specials.
Still looking forward to seeing some pictures of yours in its new home. I've taken a bit of a break on mine but will need to get back after it pretty soon, Scatpacker dropped off the rotisserie for me to use so I need to tackle getting this right quarter fitting and installed.
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Hemiorangeswinger
Dodge Material
Wow, you're moving right along! It's looking great so far.. I still think you'll catch up to me by the time I get back to my car, haha.
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