6.1 Hemi into 72 Demon March 2018

[JDMopar]

If Mr. Squirrel painter doesn't get to work on your Demon soon.......walk in one day on your way home from the range job, with an open carry piece strapped on your side. That might get his attention!

 

[Sublime one]

Well it is zero dark thirty last week in July of 2019. Thought I would at least post an update so some of you folks know we are still alive. Thanks to all who have PMd me inquiring about progress. I am in the "dead zone" car is not on sight and still at painters. I have heard it is actually in the shop rather than still sitting in my race trailer so I figure that is progress. Trying not to to be my normal impatient self and just sit on my hands here for a bit and let the painter paint. We had a local car show this week and I had to go as a spectator, Demon isn't done and I had the cuda on the rack addressing some front end neglect. Ya put stickies on the back the nose comes right up! You instinctively lift off the throttle and the resulting return to pavement can be a bit abrupt. Takes some practice to ease her back down,i.e. Feather throttle a bit but stay in it. Spooky when you have to look left or right at the retaining wall for point of reference. Looks easy on tv not so much in real life. On serious note one of you sharp eyed readers spotted me being an idiot on hub assembly. Looks like I may have put them together incorrectly. More on that when I get the car back. I will post a good pix of my mistake as it was super easy to do! Some directions in box would have been handy! I am sure they post directions on website or some such modern method. Hope all you good folks are enjoying your summer. It is very short up here in the frozen tundra. I could smell fall in the air this week.
John

 

[Sublime one]

Well it is now August, painter has assured me of yet another completion date. I am totally holding my breath! Not! I have been wandering aimlessly thru my shop looking at the MT rack longing for something to do. Hemi thinks the extra space is for us to play chase in. I have cleaned, swept and organized every drawer at least once. I have found all kind of cool stuff I had forgotten I had! High
Light reel was a small 45 colt wrapped in a rag shoved to the back of a drawer! Woo Hoo! Anyway here are some progress pics from paint shop.

 

[75slant6]

Well it is now August, painter has assured me of yet another completion date. I am totally holding my breath! Not! I have been wandering aimlessly thru my shop looking at the MT rack longing for something to do. Hemi thinks the extra space is for us to play chase in. I have cleaned, swept and organized every drawer at least once. I have found all kind of cool stuff I had forgotten I had! High
Light reel was a small 45 colt wrapped in a rag shoved to the back of a drawer! Woo Hoo! Anyway here are some progress pics from paint shop.

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Well... let’s see this 45 you speak of!

 

[Sublime one]

Well... let’s see this 45 you speak of!

Can do easy, tonight is my night to shut down the range so that lets me get in some quality shooting practice with no interruptions or coaching. I was figuring on taking it and clearing its throat! No telling when I shot it last. At very least not since I have been in ND. I will see if she runs tonight.

 

[Sublime one]

Well... let’s see this 45 you speak of!

So here is pix of aforementioned baby Colt! I remember now why it was stuffed in toolbox. I have gorilla mitts for hands and I simply run out of real estate for my hands while trying to shoot it. Just not a fun one to shoot. Shot it tonight, yep headed back to toolbox! A good shop piece. Busy night at the range! I even got to admister first aid to a shooter. Funny thing about semi autos and crossing fingers in back of slide! You can warn them and warn them but in the end they all have to learn the hard way because they are Wyatt Earp. And I quote" I have been shooting like this for years" end quote. My reply as always both professional and polite. Yes Sir I am sure you have but you might want to adjust your grip a bit as you are very close to getting bit by the slide. Then I go fetch bandaids and wait for the inevitable.

 

[75slant6]

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So here is pix of aforementioned baby Colt! I remember now why it was stuffed in toolbox. I have gorilla mitts for hands and I simply run out of real estate for my hands while trying to shoot it. Just not a fun one to shoot. Shot it tonight, yep headed back to toolbox! A good shop piece. Busy night at the range! I even got to admister first aid to a shooter. Funny thing about semi autos and crossing fingers in back of slide! You can warn them and warn them but in the end they all have to learn the hard way because they are Wyatt Earp. And I quote" I have been shooting like this for years" end quote. My reply as always both professional and polite. Yes Sir I am sure you have but you might want to adjust your grip a bit as you are very close to getting bit by the slide. Then I go fetch bandaids and wait for the inevitable.

That’s a good looking piece! But I know what you mean about being too small. I bought a Ruger .380 from my grandpa when he liquidated his collection (sons, son-in-laws and grandsons bought them all). I need to see if my wife can shoot it good so she can carry it, it’s just too dang small for me! I shattered my right wrist back in 2012 and my wrist starts binding up/hurting before I can get the trigger all the way back. That’s no good in a time when it’s needed! I honestly wouldn’t even have considered the gun if it wasn’t grandpas and it was the last gun available (we took turns by age, starting with the oldest son, then son-in-laws, then grandsons).

 

[Sublime one]

So early Christmas up here in Fargo, parts are dribbling in for the Demon. Still no word from painter but hope it is going well. I took these pictures to maybe save somebody a whole bunch of research. I initially was keeping the motor stock so I went with Hotwire out of Ark. for the harness. Super great product and great customer support. Once I decided to modify motor I chose to go with Holley EFI components thereby allowing me to customize the tune. I sold the Hotwire harness to a FABO guy in Texas for a TBD price. Yep I am that trusting! He has the harness and a couple other goodies, inboxed it and sent it! So anyway the pix is all the Holley parts and part numbers with exception of main power harness. Hope that helps. It is just not as simple as folks want you to believe. The second picture is again in hopes of saving someone a bunch of sorting out. It is the pedals and associated cylinders with part numbers

for a three pedal floor mounted system. I went that way since the interior is not stock at all. Dakota dash etc etc. I can mount the pedals then figure out where seats go. If the numbers are not clear let me know and I will answer any questions as best I can.

 

[Sublime one]

Demon is still in paint purgatory. As of tomorrow we have missed another completion date. So today I cranked up some tunes made a toddy and started assembling the pedal braketery etc etc. most of it came from Wilwood and actually went together pretty well. My only suggestion is to actually read the instructions (ask me how I know)They include them for a reason, use them. Of course I chose the caveman approach and just started putting it together how I thought it should go. Their way is much better. I made myself a little red neck jig fixture to get them stabilized and at a comfortable elevation. Smoked some salmon on grill during assembly of pedals.

 

[Edsrt]

Demon is still in paint purgatory. As of tomorrow we have missed another completion date. So today I cranked up some tunes made a toddy and started assembling the pedal braketery etc etc. most of it came from Wilwood and actually went together pretty well. My only suggestion is to actually read the instructions (ask me how I know)They include them for a reason, use them. Of course I chose the caveman approach and just started putting it together how I thought it should go. Their way is much better. I made myself a little red neck jig fixture to get them stabilized and at a comfortable elevation. Smoked some salmon on grill during assembly of pedals.

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I feel your pain. It took more than a year to metal work and paint my duster but it was done on the side with some bartering. I would work on his used cars and he would put the same hours into my car. He did an excellent job it still holding up some 20 years later. So when we wanted to repaint my wife's 73 firebird he had moved away. So I took it to a shop near us that does quality work but I made it clear that they would not take the car until they were ready for it and would only have 30 days to get it done. I would stop by to check progress at least twice a week and to make sure it did not get pushed off to side to make room for more lucrative collision work. So they got done on time and did a great job

 

[Sublime one]

I feel your pain. It took more than a year to metal work and paint my duster but it was done on the side with some bartering. I would work on his used cars and he would put the same hours into my car. He did an excellent job it still holding up some 20 years later. So when we wanted to repaint my wife's 73 firebird he had moved away. So I took it to a shop near us that does quality work but I made it clear that they would not take the car until they were ready for it and would only have 30 days to get it done. I would stop by to check progress at least twice a week and to make sure it did not get pushed off to side to make room for more lucrative collision work. So they got done on time and did a great job

Thanks for the words of encouragement. It has been a bit frustrating for sure. I did kind of same thing, told him I could have it there the next day when he was ready to call me. And I paid a hefty sum in cash for down payment explaining I did not need anything back but the car. He assured me how could comply. Winters are looooooong up here so I figure as long as I get it back here in a month or so it is all good. Just zero sense in getting amped up over it. I figure there is more than enough stuff in this world to stress out over and a spare hot rod is just not one of them for me. It is not like it is my daily driver or even a shop queen for shows, I am building it to be reliable and fun to drive. Something I can jump in and drive 4-8 hours and be comfortable. Try that in my Cuda and see how you are at end of loop. She is wicked fast and a hoot to drive, but she is stripped of anything that resembles weight. Insulation etc. throw in a 7mpg motor if I keep my foot out of it. And you got the making for a very loud very stiff, very hot rig.

 

[SLOPAR72]

Paint prison.... It's as real as it gets for a car person. I have personally seen more than one car project abandoned because of it. But you have the right mindset for it.... For now anyways lol....

JW

 

[Sublime one]

So update from the frozen tundra. Demon is still in paint shop prison, I made a surprise visit the other day and they were actually sanding on it again. In theory they are spraying sealant on it this weekend, of course that is very similar to last three weekends. No end in sight at this point. But on positive note a FABO good guy alert goes out for RonaldC. He is also doing a Hemi swap, he expressed some interest in an ECU and wiring harness and some misc parts I had left over so I boxed it all up and sent it to him. With understanding if it worked for him great if not we could sort it out. I just got a super cool thank you gift card from him this week! WooHoo! Like so many on this forum I have sent all kind of parts to this guy or that guy for a promise of a beer or a hot dog someday. I have yet to be burned, just a whole bunch of good folks on here and RonaldC is one of them! Going to a Robert Plant concert tonight so I am super jacked up! Paint shop pix attached. On plus side I won a Sig P320 with Romeo 1 at our annual NRA banquet this week so all good in Fargo!

 

[ocdart]

I feel your 'paint prison' pain, Sublime one.
You may have seen my posts regarding my '69 Dart that's now in the 5th paint shop. Actually, it's only the 3rd shop it's been in, but the 5th shop I've dealt with trying to get it painted.
Shop #1 went out of business and disappeared with the paint I'd already paid for.
Shop #2 closed up and moved out of state without any warning (sure glad my car wasn't in his shop).
Shop #3 had my Dart for over a year and performed some body work but then refused to give me a completion date; he went out of business less than a month after I pulled my Dart out of his shop.
Shop #4 had my Dart for a year and did more body work but then told me he wasn't going to finish my car because all of his collision work was more profitable.
Shop #5 fixed all the bad work that was done by Shops #3 and #4 and is now doing final block and sand. He says he should have it finished sometime in November. In all fairness, Shop #5 has a full-time job and works on my car after work and on weekends. He's doing an outstanding job. I just wish I'd found him first!
I've probably put in more miles driving to the various shops to check on my car than I'll ever be able to enjoy in my Dart when it's finished.

Shop #1 was a 42-mile roundtrip from home
Shop #2 was a 208-mile roundtrip from home
Shops #3 and #4 were both an 84-mile roundtrip from home
Shop #5 is a 98-mile roundtrip from home

There are lots of paint shops close to home, but I wanted a really good job since this is the only time I'm building a car. The really good shops with a reputation are very proud of their work and I can't afford it. A lot of the other collision work repair shops won't touch an older car.
Shops #3 and #4 were suggested to me by car-guy friends.
Shop #5 was suggested to me by a contact here on FABO.
I guess this is what I get for trying to save a couple of bucks.

 

[Sublime one]

Totally understand the mileage thing, paint shop prison is in Minnesota, I am in Fargo! So I typically try and stop by on way home from Minneapolis. It has been explained to me a hundred times the business model body shops use. I just don’t get it, you look a man in the eye and say this or that, well in my opinion that is what you then do. How it has become acceptable as an industry wide standard to blow off completion dates and promises is beyond my comprehension. This aggravation is exactly what led me to painting my last two cars myself. I just really wanted a better job this time. I am reasonably determined not to become frustrated with the process and quite frankly venting on this forum is an excellent way to manage my head. You guys/ girls are all great listeners! But rest assured I will never use a paint shop again I am going back to painting them myself!

 

[SLOPAR72]

Totally understand the mileage thing, paint shop prison is in Minnesota, I am in Fargo! So I typically try and stop by on way home from Minneapolis. It has been explained to me a hundred times the business model body shops use. I just don’t get it, you look a man in the eye and say this or that, well in my opinion that is what you then do. How it has become acceptable as an industry wide standard to blow off completion dates and promises is beyond my comprehension. This aggravation is exactly what led me to painting my last two cars myself. I just really wanted a better job this time. I am reasonably determined not to become frustrated with the process and quite frankly venting on this forum is an excellent way to manage my head. You guys/ girls are all great listeners! But rest assured I will never use a paint shop again I am going back to painting them myself!

One thing I can assure you is that you are not on an only island.... I will never understand the mentality of this trade or many others for that matter in regards to following through with any and all jobs.

JW

 

[Ronald C.]

So update from the frozen tundra. Demon is still in paint shop prison, I made a surprise visit the other day and they were actually sanding on it again. In theory they are spraying sealant on it this weekend, of course that is very similar to last three weekends. No end in sight at this point. But on positive note a FABO good guy alert goes out for RonaldC. He is also doing a Hemi swap, he expressed some interest in an ECU and wiring harness and some misc parts I had left over so I boxed it all up and sent it to him. With understanding if it worked for him great if not we could sort it out. I just got a super cool thank you gift card from him this week! WooHoo! Like so many on this forum I have sent all kind of parts to this guy or that guy for a promise of a beer or a hot dog someday. I have yet to be burned, just a whole bunch of good folks on here and RonaldC is one of them! Going to a Robert Plant concert tonight so I am super jacked up! Paint shop pix attached. On plus side I won a Sig P320 with Romeo 1 at our annual NRA banquet this week so all good in Fargo!

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@Sublime, thank you for the kind words good sir. You helped me out for sure! You went WAY ABOVE what you had to, and filling that box up with extras was far more than I asked for. You sir are a credit to what we all should stand for when we profess to live for the pleasures of building these old Mopars, and helping all who share the same passion. Enjoy that gift for sure, but a beer and a hot dog are still in order when I get that way!

 

[Sublime one]

Well it is now mid October and I got some pix taken of Demon in paint shop prison. I feel as tho I have abandoned this thread but simply not much to talk about. I have filled my idle time by teaching more firearms related classes at our range. For the what it’s worth portion I hold a multitude of NRA Certified Instructors tabs. Call it my other passion. This next month I am teaching a handgun course for adults and several rifle courses for youth as well as a hunters safety course. You want a serious background check work for the State teaching youth. The vetting is very very thorough. I am glad tho. The Demon now has sealant on it and a new promise date of 10/31. Not going to hold my breath. Had to include a pix of new hoodie wife got me, all good in Fargo!

 

[Ronald C.]

Well it is now mid October and I got some pix taken of Demon in paint shop prison. I feel as tho I have abandoned this thread but simply not much to talk about. I have filled my idle time by teaching more firearms related classes at our range. For the what it’s worth portion I hold a multitude of NRA Certified Instructors tabs. Call it my other passion. This next month I am teaching a handgun course for adults and several rifle courses for youth as well as a hunters safety course. You want a serious background check work for the State teaching youth. The vetting is very very thorough. I am glad tho. The Demon now has sealant on it and a new promise date of 10/31. Not going to hold my breath. Had to include a pix of new hoodie wife got me, all good in Fargo!

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I like it!
BTW, I hear their tour date(s) have been released....

 

[Sublime one]

I like it!
BTW, I hear their tour date(s) have been released....

What I am hearing is they play the entire Hotel California album plus extras at each and every venue. Looks like He’ll has frozen over yet again! I am going to try and go to one. We have got o see Bob Seeger and Robert Plant so far this year already.

 

[Ronald C.]

What I am hearing is they play the entire Hotel California album plus extras at each and every venue. Looks like He’ll has frozen over yet again! I am going to try and go to one. We have got o see Bob Seeger and Robert Plant so far this year already.

Heard tickets in Bog D are running $600-ish for the ish seats..... but, budget permitting, yeah, I’m in....

 

[Sublime one]

So latest update from paint purgatory. Finally wrangled reason painter has repeatedly delayed. He found his wife at home in tub with a medical issue. Had he not went home mid day result would have been very different. So he turned his back on the shop trying to get her healed up. I simply did not know what to say to him. Super glad I have been patient and tolerant with him. Anyway he is now reengaged at the shop and tells me it will be green by 11/1. I took this picture yesterday of the progress.

 

[diymirage]

So...is it green?

 

[Sublime one]

Well here is latest from painter. He swears up and down it will be green by next weekend. I did in fact see it this week totally block sanded and in primer. No sign of the black overspray shadow paint. Oh man the lines were flawless! I was super jacked and almost hugged his neck. She was beautiful even tho it was just primer. I felt like a little kid at Christmas. How sad is it a grown man can get so excited by a car in primer! I am attaching a shop pix from today. We cut and wrap tomorrow!

 

[Sublime one]

Well well, turkey day is upon us! I have already got into pumpkin pie and cheesecake for breakfast! A spot of green tea and I will be ricocheting off the walls for hours. I don’t eat sugar or caffeine in my daily life but on the holidays I eat and drink like a pirate! What I do have is some pix of the Demon being actually painted. Me and the painter had a meeting of the minds last week. It involved my big diesel, a MT race trailer and a car in primer! Said car is now green! I am very happy. I just could not take one more, I am painting it tomorrow or by weekend etc etc only to have it be untrue. I figure I am both reasonable and patient plus I have paid him cash upfront with no required paperwork. A pretty good customer by anyone’s standards. He asked to be allowed to finish the car as it dawned on him I was done. I knew he is a genuine good guy and an excellent painter but at some point you just gotta do what ya gotta do. The other pix is one of our grandsons making pies! Have a great holiday all.
Blessed Be
John