73' B3 340 Duster pro touring build

[76orangewagon]

what does Dave and the boys think of these LTD handles?...strike that...make that Cheby handles

He helped me pick them out and remove the doors....that is actually one of the idea's he's liked from before I even got the car.

Ross, no offense, I mix a lot of things up.... I love the idea.. God forbid I would remember the Jet paint scream. I have had a lot of RUM tonight.. in honor of you and Dave!

No Problem for the mix up, I would put the Navy on a equal level as the Air Force as far as quality of service....At least you didn't call me Army....No Offense to the Army guys out there, we all have a job to do, but I'd rather stay in a Hampton Inn than a Fox hole. As far as the jet paint job goes that idea has been cancelled, kinda like the defense budget for next year...anyway, I picked a bold color finally(non-Mopar), Hopefully it will be 1 of 1 once it's painted. Denny.... Dave liked and approved of the color also.

 

[HemiDenny]

roger that....just glad to see you go thru the proper channels......for a change

 

[76orangewagon]

roger that....just glad to see you go thru the proper channels......for a change

I'm learning as I get older.

 

[t-granger]

I like the fuel fill Idea. I saw something like that, but did not want the chance of spilling gas or scratching it putting the filler so High.

Beside that I think it would look good on your car, I do like the door handles as well, even if it is from a Chevy.

 

[76orangewagon]

I like the fuel fill Idea. I saw something like that, but did not want the chance of spilling gas or scratching it putting the filler so High.

Beside that I think it would look good on your car, I do like the door handles as well, even if it is from a Chevy.

Thanks Timothy,
I ordered the oval fuel fill door with the 45 degree neck, that way it wont have the "factory" round look to it and if I decide to place it on the quarter panel it will still be something diffrent....I have to decide where it's going to go before I have the fuel cell made due to the 2" filler neck location and angle placed in the tank....

As far as the door handle's I'm glad that decision is made, I got tired of looking at every car I passed on the street looking at the handles trying to pick something...a stroll through a couple junk yards made that a lot easier...

Ross

 

[jamesdart]

every so often i liekt ocheck out your build, some cool stuff going on. i liek the sail panel fuel filler, ive seen some cars with the viper cap in the sail panel. i really like that and did think of doing it to my car. it looks good but ive never seen one with the interior finished around it. the fill tube sticks out so far inside the car so there is room for the pump to go in. what would you do about that?
i have to say im not a fan of the late model door handle thing.

 

[HemiDenny]

Ross ...you will love your rear shocks....very tuneable...just click the knob and control the compression....

my fronts have a little stiffer feel......I guess that 1 1/8" front sway bar has something to do with that....

 

[t-granger]

Ross,

I did the same thing for a while trying to figure out a good door handle I got so tired of it I decided to go without.

Tim

 

[onephat66]

Who said the Navy is the weakest link of the armed forces..... LOL That is an outstanding idea for the doors... Ford??

Uhhhh........... The Navy never was the weakest link of the armed forces. Lets talk about the Coast Guard. One moment they are DOT, then next an actual branch of the military. Regardless, the way I see it is we're all on the same team performing to accomplish the same goal, "Put Warheads On Foreheads!!!"rotest:

 

[blue missile]

OW,
the handles will be cool, you know I love the flush look.
Andrew

 

[Tincup]

Looking Good !!! :happy1:

 

[76orangewagon]

Uhhhh........... The Navy never was the weakest link of the armed forces. Lets talk about the Coast Guard. One moment they are DOT, then next an actual branch of the military. Regardless, the way I see it is we're all on the same team performing to accomplish the same goal, "Put Warheads On Foreheads!!!"rotest:

Haven't heard that term since I left the Deid last year, the B-1 boys use to say that daily...... gee I miss the good ol' days

OW,
the handles will be cool, you know I love the flush look.
Andrew

Thanks Andrew,
I couldn't tell from your build you liked the flush look...LOL, I still might steal your smooth cowl idea....

Looking Good !!! :happy1:

Thanks Tin

 

[76orangewagon]

Well today I worked on the rear axle trying to figure out the final details...after that I decided to start working on the flush door handles...almost got on fully welded up but ran out of wire so It was a short day but it should give you some idea of the final look.

 

[Rengo]

This looks nice! If the door handle were to break would it be an easy fix?

 

[76orangewagon]

This looks nice! If the door handle were to break would it be an easy fix?

Actually there's only two bolts that hold the handle in, once there out you can twist it enough to remove the rods for the lock and handle....very simple and replaceable.:thumbrig:

 

[Rengo]

That is awesome, I would paint them either black or white, depending on the color of the interior. The reason I asked was, when some of the new car doors freeze shut, people break the handles when they try to open their doors. I cannot wait to see more progress.

 

[HemiMark]

I like it. :thumblef:

 

[HemiDenny]

your fab skills are top-notch

 

[Tincup]

Let me guess, Chevy Malibu ???

 

[76orangewagon]

Let me guess, Chevy Malibu ???

Yep, One of many cars that these handles came out of ...Buick Century, Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Alero........

 

[gerahead]

Yep, One of many cars that these handles came out of ...Buick Century, Monte Carlo, Oldsmobile Alero........

This morning when I unlocked the door of my Buick Century to go to work it hit me.......... I know where Ross got those door handles!! Nice work. Will they connect to the latch mechanism pretty easily? L8r

Jim

 

[76orangewagon]

I'll have to bend some small rod's (3/16"-1/4") to connect the GM handle to the Mopar mechanism but it doesn't look to be all that complex...just time consuming to get right.

 

[Michaeluser]

Looks really cool. Has anyone tired E-Body door handles? I have been kicking around that idea for some time.

 

[76orangewagon]

Looks really cool. Has anyone tired E-Body door handles? I have been kicking around that idea for some time.

Check out BadAss71, his Swimger was on the cover of Mopar Muscle a month or so ago, he installed Cuda/Challenger door handles along with some other cool body modifications.....like the new Challenger scooped hood..sweet

 

[76orangewagon]

Made some progress on the suspension, the upper links are in and in case your wanting to copy the design, there set at about 22 degrees angle toward the driveshaft centerline. Now all thats left is to redo the lower shock mounts, the shock I have are for a 12" ride height and now it looks like I can get away with 13"-14" once I put them on a 15 degree angle. But as you can see by the pics the upper links are tack welded in also with a second hole for even more adjustability if needed.....also picked up a pair of B/E & A Restoration parts 73+ Taillight bezels the quality is very nice and they fit perfect, I wanted to get a pair for mock up before the body work is done in case I needed to make adjustments to the AMD Taillight panel...last I got a 1/4 pint of paint to make sure my color selection was want I really wanted and sure enough it is and I like it...............kind of reminds me of Butterscotch on steroids...sorry no pic but I did manage to get the second door handle installed and modified the linkage to clear the factory door shell