Captainkirk's Duster project

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Hey, Capt. The Kenosha Classic is August 31st on a Saturday. I was at the Palmen show on the 10th. That show was a lot bigger than their last show. Looking at all the cars is a definite motivator.
 
Popdart said:
Glad to hear you are in trouble, like the Duke sez, you're burning daylight . . . . now go have some fun . . . . Rog
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Hey, Rog....saw a Dart at the car show and thought about yours!
Yeah, I know, I know...burning daylight! Actually, it's a 'spare change' problem....but as we all know, there is a lot you can do to a project for free. Just gotta get motivated, and today might have been the motivation. Read on...
 
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Louie70Dart said:
Hey, Capt. The Kenosha Classic is August 31st on a Saturday. I was at the Palmen show on the 10th. That show was a lot bigger than their last show. Looking at all the cars is a definite motivator.
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Hey Louie; you going to that show? Maybe me and my son can make it!
 
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OK; I went over to my son's on the Buell today to view his new car...deja vu! Yeah, the color shade is more orange than red, and it's a '74 instead of a '72, 318 instead of a 340, 727 torque flight instead of a four speed, but my Lord....I thought I was looking at the Li'l Red Minx from a distance. Sort of like when you see someone that's a dead-ringer for an old flame.....He's got an awful nice start on a new project. He's come over to the Dark Side full-on and is looking to get rid of his Trans-Am project like a worn-out tennis shoe. I've always known he was a closet Mopar freak, he didn't. Surprise, surprise, surprise, as Gomer Pyle would quip!

Anyway, the juices are flowin' again. I was all over that thing. Not sure how to deal with the whole cash flow deal, big cuts in income over the past 6 months. BIG cuts. But I may just have to use a little Yankee ingenuity and power through this thing. Can't have my kid show me up, y'know.

No pictures this time, but next time, I promise!:poke:
 
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I've lived up here since '89. I hate to admit it but I have never been to one of these shows. Seems like something is always going on around that time. But gall-darnit.........I'm making it this year!
 
Louie70Dart said:
I've lived up here since '89. I hate to admit it but I have never been to one of these shows. Seems like something is always going on around that time. But gall-darnit.........I'm making it this year!
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There are lots of really good grassroots car shows in your neck of the woods. Nostalgia Days in Zion (end of June each year) is a big one, and probably the most publicized, but the Park on Park in Mundelein is also very, very good though smaller. It runs May through September and is always the second Wednesday from 5-9:00 pm. You could shoot straight south on route 45 and be there in a little over half an hour, depending on where in K-Town you live. Next one is Sept. 11th (last for the season) no admission, just park, walk and ogle the cars.
 
Oh, I go to a lot of shows up here. I just have yet to go to the downtown Kenosha one.
 
So, now the kid is pressing me to 'leggo my Eggo' on a few of my vintage Duster pieces, such as;
*spare ashtray from the Li'l Red Minx
*spare ignition switch housing (his came with an auto which is now a floor shift)
*spare clutch pedal set
*spare 833 four speed and bell housing (!!!!)
*spare 3.91 8 3/4 rear end (out of the minx as well)
*spare instrument cluster
and others. Don't mind it going to a good cause, but hate to let go of good spares. We'll see....:poke:
 
I gave the kid the ignition switch housing and the spare cluster. I didn't realize the Duke had over 100k on it when I yanked that motor! I would say it was well worth the trade to give him some stuff, as I've been getting all fired-up again about getting back to work on this thing....broke or not. We'll see how far a pocketful of mumbles and dryer lint can go if you're in the right mindset.
Right now the Duke sits up on 4 jack stands with the rear end and springs dropped out and no front suspension or K-frame. Once I finish scraping and painting the underside I can get busy with the suspension components, wire-wheeling, priming and painting. Then I can hopefully reinstall it all with new bushings, etc. Paint is relatively inexpensive, right....? Let's see if this ol' Mopar bum can get a little work done before the weather goes totally to crap!
 
Captainkirk said:
I gave the kid the ignition switch housing and the spare cluster. I didn't realize the Duke had over 100k on it when I yanked that motor! I would say it was well worth the trade to give him some stuff, as I've been getting all fired-up again about getting back to work on this thing....broke or not. We'll see how far a pocketful of mumbles and dryer lint can go if you're in the right mindset.
Right now the Duke sits up on 4 jack stands with the rear end and springs dropped out and no front suspension or K-frame. Once I finish scraping and painting the underside I can get busy with the suspension components, wire-wheeling, priming and painting. Then I can hopefully reinstall it all with new bushings, etc. Paint is relatively inexpensive, right....? Let's see if this ol' Mopar bum can get a little work done before the weather goes totally to crap!
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It's about flippin' time . . . . . . . lol Rog
 
Not sure how......or why.....these things happen. They seem to be cyclic; seasonal. I must've walked past The Duke under his tarp, and covered with car parts stacked everywhere hundreds.....thousands.......of times over the last couple years, but the spark was gone. But like that fire I mentioned a while back, there was still warmth in the embers when I checked; embers that have quickly burst into a small blaze with the fanning of the flames my son's Duster project, car shows, and FABO have provided over the past weeks. Tonight I spent hours out in the garage moving things;things on, over and inside The Duke; for the first time in years I could actually slide under and scope out where I left off. And more than that......Like Ponce DeLeon, I drank from the Fountain of Youth once again; popping in Bruce Springsteen's "Born To Run" and ramping it up. (Yeah, I know....he ain't all that, and I think he sucks since Born In The U.S.A. but Born To Run always was, and remains, inspirational, like the Beach Boys or Jan & Dean. Suddenly, I no longer felt "old", but young, energized, and motivated. No actual 'work' was accomplished other than making the underside accessible again, and pulling out the passenger seat and vacuuming the crap out of, and out from under the carpet.....but it was something, and it was enough. The fire is burning again, for sure. Now if I can just keep it going....
 
Captainkirk said:
Yeah, I had that comin' Rog. I've been kicking my own *** all week......:banghead:
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Hey, no problem. I'm just playin' with ya. Glad you are getting back to being greasy. Maybe now you have the best incentives . . . . your Son and enjoying yourself!! Best to ya!! Rog
 
The fire is burning again, for sure. Now if I can just keep it going....

Oh, it's going....it's going alright! Day-umm! I don't know who's taken the controls in my head, but it sure as hell ain't me! Seats are out. Carpeting is out. Seat belts are out. I ripped into that peeling paint and rust like a monkey on a cupcake, blasting Springsteen and the Doobies at like 90 dB so I could hear it over the shop vac and drill/wire wheel (neighbors are probably cringing and wondering WTF got into that guy next door...) and suddenly I'm looking at a bare Gunmetal floor. Yep; I found where the meeses were hiding.....dirty bastiges....and the little presents they left behind. Guess I can't totally blame 'em tho...I did find an empty pack of Howard Johnson hotel matches under the rear bench. Advertise for a hotel, I s'pose you can't fault 'em for shackin' up. Other than the 'deposits' they left, doesn't look like they chewed much up, so we'll call it a draw as long as they don't come back. Crazy ****, but I was completely lost in this car tonite. I mean...like I took the WayBack machine back to the '70's and was this damn kid again. The way it used to be. I've made more progress over the past two days than the past three years. And the funny thing is....it didn't cost me a red cent.
 
Captainkirk said:
The fire is burning again, for sure. Now if I can just keep it going....

Oh, it's going....it's going alright! Day-umm! I don't know who's taken the controls in my head, but it sure as hell ain't me! Seats are out. Carpeting is out. Seat belts are out. I ripped into that peeling paint and rust like a monkey on a cupcake, blasting Springsteen and the Doobies at like 90 dB so I could hear it over the shop vac and drill/wire wheel (neighbors are probably cringing and wondering WTF got into that guy next door...) and suddenly I'm looking at a bare Gunmetal floor. Yep; I found where the meeses were hiding.....dirty bastiges....and the little presents they left behind. Guess I can't totally blame 'em tho...I did find an empty pack of Howard Johnson hotel matches under the rear bench. Advertise for a hotel, I s'pose you can't fault 'em for shackin' up. Other than the 'deposits' they left, doesn't look like they chewed much up, so we'll call it a draw as long as they don't come back. Crazy ****, but I was completely lost in this car tonite. I mean...like I took the WayBack machine back to the '70's and was this damn kid again. The way it used to be. I've made more progress over the past two days than the past three years. And the funny thing is....it didn't cost me a red cent.
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Way ta go Pilgrim . . . .
 
......through into Saturday night, where I rammed another 3 hours down it's throat, sanding, stripping and wire wheeling...got about 3/4 of the nastiness gone now. If I can just power though this nasty rust removal crap, top & bottom, the rest oughta be a cake walk. Parts removal, assembly...piece of cake. It's this rust/prime/undercoat crap I despise. But I'm no rich boy, can't afford the fancy dip-stripping or sandblasting the big boys do. I have to go Old School; scraper, wire wheel, sandpaper.....or don't do it at all. So, onward & upward. I'll be blowing out Rust Boogers for days to come....but the meeses privvy has been attacked and neutralized. Thank the Lord there is no serious damage; superficial surface rust that can be removed, neutralized and coated. I am truly fortunate to have an Okie Original with no serious rust damage. This is slow, maddeningly slow....but this is what has to be done and so I press on.
 
Captainkirk said:
......through into Saturday night, where I rammed another 3 hours down it's throat, sanding, stripping and wire wheeling...got about 3/4 of the nastiness gone now. If I can just power though this nasty rust removal crap, top & bottom, the rest oughta be a cake walk. Parts removal, assembly...piece of cake. It's this rust/prime/undercoat crap I despise. But I'm no rich boy, can't afford the fancy dip-stripping or sandblasting the big boys do. I have to go Old School; scraper, wire wheel, sandpaper.....or don't do it at all. So, onward & upward. I'll be blowing out Rust Boogers for days to come....but the meeses privvy has been attacked and neutralized. Thank the Lord there is no serious damage; superficial surface rust that can be removed, neutralized and coated. I am truly fortunate to have an Okie Original with no serious rust damage. This is slow, maddeningly slow....but this is what has to be done and so I press on.
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Press on Mister . . . . . press on . . . . :coffee2: Rog
 
Thanks, Rog....I will. Secret is, ya gotta keep tossing wood on the fire or the damn thing goes out. Back to it tomorrow night. Bring a lunch...:lol:
 
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9697925858/[IMG]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9697925858/"]IMAG0518 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/85698881@N08/]buellosaurusrex[/url], on Flickr
[B]Mousie Howard Johnson's[/B]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9694694479/"]IMAG0519 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9694694479/"]IMAG0519 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/85698881@N08/]buellosaurusrex[/url], on Flickr
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Original 'Okie Interior'....untouched since birth!
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9697934254/"]IMAG0523 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9697934254/"]IMAG0523 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/85698881@N08/]buellosaurusrex[/url], on Flickr
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[B]Driver's side floor[/B]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9697970320/"]IMAG0525 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame]
[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9697970320/"]IMAG0525 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/85698881@N08/]buellosaurusrex[/url], on Flickr
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[ame="http://www.flickr.com/photos/85698881@N08/9695545193/"]IMAG0526 | Flickr - Photo Sharing![/ame] by [url=http://www.flickr.com/people/85698881@N08/]buellosaurusrex[/url], on Flickr
 
Oops....Not sure why the pix didn't show up....but click on the photo header to view
 
Well, the entire floor has now been de-rusted via wire wheel, and all bare metal sprayed with Rust-Oleum Rust Converter. I ended up removing all the seam caulk from the rear horizontal seam and re-caulking with polyurethane seam caulk. Hindsight will tell if this was a good choice or not...
Once the caulk dries, I will be able to start laying down my next choice; Rust-Oleum flat black oil-based paint. I decided against undercoating or bedliner, as I don't want the carpeting sticking to it. I am having big trouble (as you can see) uploading pictures from Flickr, so if I don't get that worked out, I may go back to using the camera and transferring them to Photobucket. Either way, you will get some progress pix after I paint the floor with the Rust-Oleum!
 
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Captainkirk said:
Well, the entire floor has now been de-rusted via wire wheel, and all bare metal sprayed with Rust-Oleum Rust Converter. I ended up removing all the seam caulk from the rear horizontal seam ans re-caulking with polyurethane seam caulk. Hindsight will tell if this was a good choice or not.....:sign3:
Once the caulk dries, I will be able to start laying down my next choice; Rust-Oleum flat black oil-based paint. I decided against undercoating or bedliner, as I don't want the carpeting sticking to it. I am having big trouble (as you can see) uploading pictures from Flickr, so if I don't get that worked out, I may go back to using the camera and transferring them to Photobucket. Either way, you will get some progress pix after I paint the floor with the Rust-Oleum!
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:thumblef::happy1::coffee2: Cool!! Rog
 
Brush-on Rust-Oleum paint......the whole floor is now sealed and rust-free, and the Captain is grinnin' from ear-to-ear.
 
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