72 duster resto

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Also finally got around to getting the short front wheel studs swapped out for the longer 3" ones. Took forever, but found a way to do it WITHOUT having to take the whole wheel hub off the car, so it was worth it. About 3 hours for one side. Doing the other side tomorrow. Ended up using the rotor vents jammed with a screwdriver to keep the thing steady and long-barred the hex wrench on the backside - popped them off easy and torqued to 65ft/lbs each. Of course the studs are also properly anti-seize greased as well to do it right.

Recommendation - if you're guessing whether to order 3" or 2" studs from doctor diff kits, try to do your wheel fitment first if you can and figure out how deep your lug nut well is and the thickness of your wheel mount flange so you'll know how much grab your lugs will get on those studs. I'm also highly aware that the surface contact area on these calipers/pads is very wasted on the outer edge of the rotor. It still stops well but just seems odd.

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Looking good! The spoilers just look right on these cars.

Did Dr. Diff change the brackets on those calipers? The ones I had did not have the same wear pattern.
 
Red Stripe said:
Did Dr. Diff change the brackets on those calipers? The ones I had did not have the same wear pattern.
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Good point. It looks like the rotor is too small for the caliper and the brake pad is hanging way off the rotor.
 
Red Stripe said:
Looking good! The spoilers just look right on these cars.

Did Dr. Diff change the brackets on those calipers? The ones I had did not have the same wear pattern.
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not sure if they've been changed but they look accurate to the ones on his site (in black/red).

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Not much new other than I started to sand the keyed paint marks down and fixed the dent in the rear left panel. Gonna try to just do some spot fixes and see how well it cleans up. Matching rear mustang wheels on order should be here soon to swap out the torque thrust wheels also.

Took some shots of the interior, its alot of green. Im considering a black carpet instead of the olive colored one thats in there, but thats about all I have to replace interior wise. I hate the seat colors but theres no urgency to replace. I dont know why but they seem like theyre not the right seats for this year?

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The seats were recovered, so original patterns were lost. Could be from a range of years.
 
Updating rear wheels - I get the tires in tomorrow so this will be fun having a full matching set finally!

Added .75" spacers from a mustang so they're hubcentric. Will need to do some light trimming/rolling of the rear fenders to get the space I need but will know more once the tires are on. Was estimating a half inch of tire-width added to the rim.

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Changing out the carpet. Was really hoping there was no rust…Does anyone know why on earth someone would route a coolant overflow hose INTO the firewall? The floors look amazing on the passenger side but because of this hose routing this side has a ton of surface rust

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got the sound deadener matting in and the carpet laid out to rest overnight tonight so that I can shape fit adjust it in place when I add the seats back in. Looks nicer than the original olive green carpet previously there for sure.

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Was gonna sell the car but oddly enough the memories building things with my kids made my wife say we should just keep it.

I did one dumb thing installing the carpet… forgot to cut seat belt bolt holes. So now im fishing for a clean way to do that without ruining my new carpet

Splitting time between working on the duster and our 85 Ramcharger currently.

Wife has some medical tests coming that will be a financial strain but depending on how they go we might end up yanking the slant at some point and dropping a smallblock in.

I almost wish she said sell it because now I have wasted so much time looking for engines. Would be so fun to drop an eagle 5.7 hemi in. No idea on transmission. But definitely would need upgraded rear end, torsion bars, etc etc. truthfully id just be happy with a 340 904 combo.

Aaaaaanyways that’s whats up
 
get a wood screw and hand screw it from below through the seat belt bolt holes 'til it pokes through the carpet. then just cut slits/cross' for the bolts to go through. that or heat a screwdriver and push it through the carpet from below. it'll melt the holes and the carpet won't fray.
neil.
 
72smallairparticler said:
Was gonna sell the car but oddly enough the memories building things with my kids made my wife say we should just keep it.

I did one dumb thing installing the carpet… forgot to cut seat belt bolt holes. So now im fishing for a clean way to do that without ruining my new carpet

Splitting time between working on the duster and our 85 Ramcharger currently.

Wife has some medical tests coming that will be a financial strain but depending on how they go we might end up yanking the slant at some point and dropping a smallblock in.

I almost wish she said sell it because now I have wasted so much time looking for engines. Would be so fun to drop an eagle 5.7 hemi in. No idea on transmission. But definitely would need upgraded rear end, torsion bars, etc etc. truthfully id just be happy with a 340 904 combo.

Aaaaaanyways that’s whats up
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Well, I for one am glad to see you’ll be keeping the car. As for the seatbelt holes, get the biggest Phillips screwdriver you can find (that still fits the hole) heat it up real good with a map torch or even over a candle or other heat source, then push it through the carpet from the underside of the car. Not only will this give you a hole, but it’ll melt the edges of the hole and prevent any fraying.
 
mygasser said:
get a wood screw and hand screw it from below through the seat belt bolt holes 'til it pokes through the carpet. then just cut slits/cross' for the bolts to go through. that of heat a screwdriver and push it through the carpet from below. it'll melt the holes and the carpet won't fray.
neil.
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Great minds. :lol:
 
perfection! was able to heatgun my shorter screwdriver and pierce through the floor side. Driveshaft definitely gets in the way but once the main hole is made, I was able to go from the inside and burn the hold big enough to put the bolts in. Back up and running (safely)!
 
Cute! I remember when my kids were that young and miss those times... Not sure I want to repeat them though! LOL
 
Well, it's official. I'm doing a swap on the Duster.

Grabbing a mildly built 360 LA motor with a Fairbanks performance 727 this Sunday for the car. Also spying on a 8.8 Explorer rear end that has already been shortened on one side to center it, measures 51.5" and has limited slip w/ 3.73 gearing.

It's too bad I spent so much time working out the kinks on ignition to now just rip them out, but oh well. More paid experience in my pocket.

Other things on my shopping list are:
  • pair of 1.03 Torsion bars,
  • new fuel tank & sending unit,
  • new radiator
  • electronic ignition kit
  • shumaker mounts (using factory k-frame)
  • engine wiring harness
  • headers, pipes & mufflers
 
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