This is awesome. I wish I had half your fab skills. I just flat out suck. lol
65 Dart Wagon Conversion to a Sedan Delivery
- Thread starter 65 Dartman
- Start date
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YES!! Sandblaster guy was here today- later than promised but still got here! He got both of the exterior front inner fenders as well as the complete engine compartment up to the cowl pinchweld. He didn’t have time to start on the inside firewall so he’ll come back another day. This will give me time to epoxy prime everything and likely get it all in the white exterior paint. The light at the end of the tunnel is getting a bit larger all the time! No pics today.
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Great progress! Every little step counts!
Garethw
Mopar. Because rocket science is too easy.
Got the epoxy primer mixed and ready to spray when my bodyman friend stopped by to see what I was up to. He told me stop what i was about to do and he would spray it. He decided to push the car outside since, according to him, conditions for spraying were nearly ideal matching a spray booth - of course I have no spray booth and was going to spray outside anyway. 15 minutes later both inner fenders and engine compartment were in gray epoxy primer.
Outside of driver’s inner fender
passenger side firewall side inner fender
Core support
He told me to get the paint, reducer and hardener as he was going to spray color since the primer was ready and conditions outsider were perfect. I once spayed a Belvedere wagon outside and if conditions are “right”, no runs, drips, dust or bugs. He sprayed the Spinaker White - no run, drips or errors!
Driver’s side outside of inner fender
Firewall
Passenger side inside of inner femder
Passenger side of outer fender
As Scotty kind of said in Star Trek IV, “there be white paint”
Outside of driver’s inner fender
passenger side firewall side inner fender
Core support
He told me to get the paint, reducer and hardener as he was going to spray color since the primer was ready and conditions outsider were perfect. I once spayed a Belvedere wagon outside and if conditions are “right”, no runs, drips, dust or bugs. He sprayed the Spinaker White - no run, drips or errors!
Driver’s side outside of inner fender
Firewall
Passenger side inside of inner femder
Passenger side of outer fender
As Scotty kind of said in Star Trek IV, “there be white paint”
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Looks great Don! Will you shoot the paint on the body fully assembled?
I want to cut in all the body, door and tailgate jambs then assemble and align everything. Then 2 or 3 coats so my wife can complain about the smell! My bodyman friend told me and strongly insisted he’s not going to let a rank amateur like me paint the body. Yea, cutting in jambs is one thing, but the body, no, he’ll handle that. Wiring his truck is certainly not even covering it!
The sandblast guy called to see if I was ready for him to come and do the inside firewall and anything else that needed to be done. Told him I Wasn’t ready for the inside but he could come by and do the underside of the hood as there was a lot of surface rust that was under the hood pad. He also blasted some smaller stuff - back side of the licence plate light, original gas cap, tailgate torsion bar retainer, both spare tire cover support brackets and grill support that mounts to the upper core support. After thoroughly blowing it out, I figured I could handle the epoxy primer and white paint. My bodyman friend will probably give me hell but no problem as I can handle the paint and him telling me it looks like a rookie job and I was lucky this time - it turned out pretty nice, shiny and smooth ready to install the hood pad in a day or so.
Another small step forward!
Another small step forward!
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it's like you live at some ancient crossroads, awesome. car is looking great 
I started another thread on this info but figured I’d add it in my resto thread since it pertains directly to the project. The SO Number that matches my fender tag Is in the usual spot on the core support. The same number is stamped on a panel on the left side below the tailgate. The “55” in front of the numbers starting at “719” indicates the year (65) and the assembly plant LA (5). Thanks again to Ulf (65dartcharger) for his wealth if infornation.
Top of the core support
Panel below the tailgste
and the original fender tag with the same SO Number 719 05233
Top of the core support
Panel below the tailgste
and the original fender tag with the same SO Number 719 05233
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Great progress Don!
The sandblast guy said Looks like the weather forecast is calling for rain the next couple of days with sunny says next week.
I am just waiting for the fun time - the assembly with all the correct finish hardware to either refinished, rebuilt or NOS parts!
I am just waiting for the fun time - the assembly with all the correct finish hardware to either refinished, rebuilt or NOS parts!
Yepp, that's the funny part of restoring a car!
I dropped the 273’s forged steel crank and one of my A500 torque converters off at the machine shop this morning. He needs to open up the pocket for the larger torque converter hub as the crank still has the 67-earlier opening. I have 3 more 273 cranks I might get done since there is the bushing adapter available for the smaller hub converter.
Well, a minor setback - the hood pad is not for a 65 Dart. Apparently i bought it when we had my wife’s 70 Dart. So I contacted DMT who told me they have not yet reproduced one for the early Dart - dang, well bummer. Don’t think a universal pad is gonna cut it!
EDIT: DMT told me they pattern all their hood pads from a year-specific hood. He just called back and said they do have a rusty 65 hood “out back” so they will be reproducing it in the next couple of weeks. Woo Hoo!
EDIT: DMT told me they pattern all their hood pads from a year-specific hood. He just called back and said they do have a rusty 65 hood “out back” so they will be reproducing it in the next couple of weeks. Woo Hoo!
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Since no hood pad (yet)I elected to do some other very minor assembly on the underside of the hood since it’s just so convenient to do so right now. Installed the reproduction hood to radiator seal from DMT - it fits perfect with all the stainless steel clips lining up with the original mounting holes. Then I dug out all the hood latch parts which were refinished in the correct finish as per original finish found when I removed them a couple of months ago - the Main latch - gold anodized; the hood latch catch and latch that opens the main latch - cad plated along with the screws holding it and the 4 OEM bolts securing the main latch and hood latch catch - black phosphate. It’s not very much - just a small beginning on the reassembly. I’ll take it!
And I got lots of finished pieces and hardware to install!
Garethw
Mopar. Because rocket science is too easy.
I can’t wait until I get to that point.
So the sandblaster guy arrived on time yesterday and masked all the openings on the firewall inside the engine compartment. After pushing the car outside he sandblasted the top of the cowl where the vents are, the inner firewall, all 4 floors and the tunnel (even though 3 of the floors and tunnel was new metal). Told me it would give the primer something to “Bite” to when I primed it. both body door jambs. He couldn’t do any more as the air/sand mixer on his tank finally broke. Pics of bare metal wasn’t worth taking I felt. After thoroughly vacuuming and blowing sand out of the inside, It was too late to prime everything. Tomorrow’s another day.
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JDMopar
Well-Known Member
That's great. Get some epoxy primer on it as soon as you finish the morning coffee!
That's great. Get some epoxy primer on it as soon as you finish the morning coffee!
Hey JD, I’ll do better than that but had to wait till the temps warned up more than the 48 degrees this morning. Did get the epoxy primer on the inside firewall, all 4 floors and under where the rear seat goes (No pics) AND in white paint (pics below!). Getting closer all the time! Next up is get from the doors (where needed) and from the B pillar to the back ready and in paint with the light blue metallic (same as the lower dash).
67dartgtgo
Well-Known Member
Damn Don....looking good brother.
JDMopar
Well-Known Member
Lookin good Don!!!!
Lookin good Don!!!!
Thanks guys! I’m not a real rookie at spraying but not a professional like my bodyman friend so IDK if it’s the paint, the weather or good luck or all three that makes it look pretty good! Getting closer nearly every day!
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