68 Dart Rear Pillar issues for repair

[Jason Maitland]

Hi All,

I have a 68 Dart that has some issues at the bottom of rear pillars where they meet the top of rear fender. Please refer pics to see that I either have rotted sections, and/or the metal has simply split apart internally, where the lower drip rail trims attach.
I was wanting some feedback if possible about this damage -
Is it normal/common for this occur on these models?
Best method/s to repair this damage in preparation for a near future colour change paint job?

Thanks in advance for any assistance!

 

[ACME SS]

Looks like fatigue cracks. I had them on my Demon at the top of the door jamb where the window sits. I also had to repair the door striker posts on the jambs which is common. If you see cracks around the door striker, there are kits out there to repair them. I fabricated my own repair out of scrap sheet metal and had them repaired in an hour or so each.
All of these issues can be repaired but will require someone with experience in welding and possibly a little fabrication.

 

[Jason Maitland]

Looks like fatigue cracks. I had them on my Demon at the top of the door jamb where the window sits. I also had to repair the door striker posts on the jambs which is common. If you see cracks around the door striker, there are kits out there to repair them. I fabricated my own repair out of scrap sheet metal and had them repaired in an hour or so each.
All of these issues can be repaired but will require someone with experience in welding and possibly a little fabrication.

Thanks Acme... My door jambs are fine, thankfully...

 

[ACME SS]

Thanks Acme... My door jambs are fine, thankfully...

To fix what you have, I would remove the chrome drip rail trim as well as the windows and interior trim parts. I would then remove all the paint and lead filler which may be present. After that, it would require some inspection to determine the extent of the damage. It is impossible to describe how I would fix it as each issue like yours is unique but it could be as simple as clamping the crack back tight and welding it, or most likely I would see if I could get a patch in behind it to reinforce the area. Drilled holes in the original metal with a plug weld to the reinforcement on either side of the crack and then a weld down the crack to the reinforcement would be another method. I've seen stuff like this on lots of different car models. The reason for the crack is the sharp corner which causes a "stress riser" where stress can not "flow" around. The Lockheed Constellation airliner had rectangular windows and they had some catastrophic cracks that propogated from the window corners resulting in crashes. The fix was to replace the windows with rounded corners.

 

[Jason Maitland]

Thanks ACME... thats great info, I shall explore my options for getting it professionally repaired!

 

[JDMopar]

Jason, I'm sure you have already noticed, but just in case you didn't...your rear most trim piece on the drivers side is broken. You or whoever does the repair on that side will need a replacement to fabricate the repair area correctly. Those pieces are made of pot metal and are easy to break. Good luck with it.

 

[Jason Maitland]

Jason, I'm sure you have already noticed, but just in case you didn't...your rear most trim piece on the drivers side is broken. You or whoever does the repair on that side will need a replacement to fabricate the repair area correctly. Those pieces are made of pot metal and are easy to break. Good luck with it.

Thanks... I have ordered the lower drop rails already