1972 Scamp "Smokey" - Saved From Wildfire

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Heck yeah man. I had a random guy on here message me when I asked if they made an insert to cover the heat. Just got done restoring mine. Good luck man!
 
Huge day. Got the column installed and finally finished the re-wiring. I was pretty stressed giving it 12v for the first time. Amazingly, everything worked on the first try! Thanks to EZ Wiring and this forum, I was able to get it to work. Super pumped to get her back together.

Convertor should be here in a few weeks. Drivetrain should be under the car by early March. Feels good to see progress.





 
Finally had a chance to upload my dyno video from February. This was a pull to 6500 rpms. Made 535hp and 551tq



Also got the dashboard and wiring completely done and back together




Started fixing up the original door panels. They were in great shape so I just cleaned them really well and hit them with a coat of SEM Landau Black. Came out really good. Just need to clean-up the trim and rechrome it and the interior will be done(ish)

 
Just Send It said:
Finally had a chance to upload my dyno video from February. This was a pull to 6500 rpms. Made 535hp and 551tq



Also got the dashboard and wiring completely done and back together




Started fixing up the original door panels. They were in great shape so I just cleaned them really well and hit them with a coat of SEM Landau Black. Came out really good. Just need to clean-up the trim and rechrome it and the interior will be done(ish)

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On the door panels where it has the chrome strips, how do you plan to redo those? Just curious as mine are peeling. I have a chrome paint marker I used for my heater delete bezel but was curious if there was something maybe better.
 
jrc4y4 said:
On the door panels where it has the chrome strips, how do you plan to redo those? Just curious as mine are peeling. I have a chrome paint marker I used for my heater delete bezel but was curious if there was something maybe better.
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I use a company named Alsa that makes paintable chrome.

Easy Chrome - The World's Most Exotic Finishes

Since I bought a kit to paint/chrome my fiberglass bumpers, I'm going to use a small brush and tediously paint it on the door panels as well. I've use Alsa's stuff for years and it lays down perfectly.
 
Getting closer....Torque convertor finally arrived from PTC (what a cluster that was). I was able to get the the frame, motor, and trans mated together. I'm trying to assemble as much as possible on the dolly before final install. Hoping to have it in the car by next Saturday before Easter.

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I ran into a little issue along the way. Turns out the dyno shop left the pilot bearing inside of the crankshaft. I don't have a puller that size, so I used wadded-up bread, water, and a 3/4" bolt as a hydraulic and it popped right out. There's your redneck tip of the day. Haha

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With the help from another FABO member, V8-valiant, the motor is in!

Even with installing the motor from underneath, it was TIGHT with those Super Comp headers. We had less than 1/8" of clearance on both sides. I may still have to 'massage' the aprons, but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out.

Next is installing the front suspension and then fitting/welding the subframe connectors. Getting closer...

 
For the first time in 1.5 years she's on all four wheels! Rear needs to go down a notch and the front needs to come up. I'm going to have to push the axle back an inch or so for tire clearance. It clears, but it's really close. Roughly about 1/2" which makes me nervous.

Now I can measure for shocks and the driveshaft.

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Did some fabbin this weekend. Those rear tires were uncomfortably close to the quarter panels, so I made a set of pin relocator plates that moved the axle back by 3/4". I used some scrap 1/4" flat bar that I had laying around and tapped them for M10x1.50 Allen head bolts. Which amazingly, have the same diameter to fit inside of a 1/2" perch hole. Fancy that. Made one for the top and bottom so everything stays in alignment.

Pretty stoked with the way it all came out. With the adapters plus using the top leaf spring notch, I lowered the rear about 3.00". Sits much better now. I also got well over a 1" from the quarter panel now too. I did have to ditch that badass Moser diff cover and go back to the stock one to clear the gas tank. Aside from that, it was pretty painless.

Looking forward to ordering shocks!

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Got the radiator shroud made and the electric fan mounted. This fan supposedly pulls 3000cfm, so we'll see how it works. I had to offset the fan due to the water pump pulley.

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I also got my 1350 yoke from Inland Empire so I was able to place my order for the driveshaft. QA1 is saying 6-8 weeks, but I'm hoping it'll be less than that.

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It was a busy weekend. Lastly, I did the worst part of the project yet....removing the undercoating for the subframe connectors. It SUCKED. That undercoating singlehandedly saved this car, which I'm thankful for. But OMG, this crap was 1/2" thick in parts. It must have been built on a Monday. I used an air chisel on its lowest setting to remove the thickest parts. Then I used an air needle gun to removed the junk in the corners and radiuses. Lastly I hit it with a Dewalt twisted wire wheel to get it down to bare metal.

It got EVERYWHERE. My entire garage has a layer of dust on everything. Thank goodness I had a full face mask on because God knows what Detroit was putting in that coating back then. Gross! So happy that's over with. I'm celebrating with a beer.

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lead69 said:
Nice, I might have missed it but are those stock tubs?, I was running 295/55/15s on my 72 with mini tubs, it sit's pretty low. I now switched to 295/65/15s for the extra foot print.
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I used the USCT mini tub kit with the spring relocation brackets. I took the inner fenders all the way to the Unibody frame. Getting the 325s to fit took bit of measuring, but since I was narrowing the D60 anyways, I did it all in 1 shot. Lots of moving parts.

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I love the car and nice work by the way. That's the same kit I used, if I had it to do over I would have used generic tubs and had all the room I could need. It was good for a 28" tire but once I went to a 30" I would have liked more room to the rear and the top of the tub. I'm running a four speed and drag radials so I figure I need all the tire I can get.
 
lead69 said:
I love the car and nice work by the way. That's the same kit I used, if I had it to do over I would have used generic tubs and had all the room I could need. It was good for a 28" tire but once I went to a 30" I would have liked more room to the rear and the top of the tub. I'm running a four speed and drag radials so I figure I need all the tire I can get.
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Thanks man. I appreciate that. This is my first MOPAR passenger car I've ever built so this is all new to me. I've built a bunch of GM X-bodies and the minitub process is pretty similar. The Chrysler 1-3/16" passenger offset threw me for a loop when measuring. I wasn't ready for that and thought I was tripping. Haha

It's funny the differences in these cars after 50 years. At its lowest setting, I still have about 4" from the top of my tire to the fender well. I must have welding them in higher up. Definitely could fit a 30". But another Scamp owner I know can only fit a 28" too.
 
Just Send It said:
Thanks man. I appreciate that. This is my first MOPAR passenger car I've ever built so this is all new to me. I've built a bunch of GM X-bodies and the minitub process is pretty similar. The Chrysler 1-3/16" passenger offset threw me for a loop when measuring. I wasn't ready for that and thought I was tripping. Haha

It's funny the differences in these cars after 50 years. At its lowest setting, I still have about 4" from the top of my tire to the fender well. I must have welding them in higher up. Definitely could fit a 30". But another Scamp owner I know can only fit a 28" too.
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The biggest obstacle is the back of the wheel tub/trunk floor seam, I moved the rear back 1.5 instead of trimming the front wheel lips and it's a good thing I like the stance because I can't lower it any more than it is. If it bothers me too much down the road I will just cut it out and redo it lol.
 
lead69 said:
The biggest obstacle is the back of the wheel tub/trunk floor seam, I moved the rear back 1.5 instead of trimming the front wheel lips and it's a good thing I like the stance because I can't lower it any more than it is. If it bothers me too much down the road I will just cut it out and redo it lol.
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It's all part of the fun! Lol. I bet it wouldn't be too bad taking the minitubs out if you wanted. At least you'd know where all of the attachment points were. If the removal was clean, you could probably even sell the widened wheel wells to someone. Recoup some $$$
 
Fun fact...if any of you guys are looking for Strange DA shocks, but you can't find them through Summit or Jegs - call Strange directly. The nice lady who picked up the phone knew exactly what I was looking for and found me a whole set. Had their techs custom valve them for my car's weight and usage. I used an older generation of these same shocks on my Nova and they were sweet! Looking forward to trying these:

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Also, my Longacre filter cutter finally showed up. My old one died the last time I used it.

Now, for the true test...is it large enough to fit a monster Wix 51222R filter?!


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The answer is yes. lol (this sucker is HUGE)


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Crossed a bunch of stuff off the To Do list over the last 2 weeks.

Welded and sealed Subframe connectors - check

Welded in rear braces - check

Installed shocks - check

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Laid sound deadner - check

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That Killmat 80mil sound deadener is fricken heavy! 1/2 a box was about 25lbs. Pained me to add weight back into it, but I had remind myself it's not a race car. The hood, bumpers, and driveshaft will more than offset it. Still sad though.

Just need to install the steering column, make starter wires, and install the fuel lines and this puppy will be ready to fire up.

Stoked!
 
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