Father-Son 1974 Duster Project

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This evening the fuel filler tube went back into Misty after being removed nearly five years ago. Where has the time gone?
 
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So I'm going to use this angle to come off the the frame rails to take the place of the bumper shocks. I was originally thinking I could trim a lot of the inner bumper away and mock up the bumper placement with clamps and whatnot and then trim the angle to where I want it then tack weld it so I could then remove it and weld it up. It would work ok and get the bumper almost 2 inches closer but not all the way tucked in. So making a new inner bumper frame out of steel channel is the way I'll go. I can make it longer so it can catch all but the outer bolts in the bumper too
 
DusterDaddy said:
View attachment 1714993875 View attachment 1714993877 View attachment 1714993878 View attachment 1714993879 View attachment 1714993880 So I'm going to use this angle to come off the the frame rails to take the place of the bumper shocks. I was originally thinking I could trim a lot of the inner bumper away and mock up the bumper placement with clamps and whatnot and then trim the angle to where I want it then tack weld it so I could then remove it and weld it up. It would work ok and get the bumper almost 2 inches closer but not all the way tucked in. So making a new inner bumper frame out of steel channel is the way I'll go. I can make it longer so it can catch all but the outer bolts in the bumper too
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:thumbsup: ... :popcorn:
 
Sorry to read about your dog. That's a tough one. Car looks real nice but the house looks great! nice work all around.
 
AlV said:
Sorry to read about your dog. That's a tough one. Car looks real nice but the house looks great! nice work all around.
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She was the greatest dog. She was so loving and gentle. We are all still walking around in a fog. I tried to put on my tool belt and put my energy into building something today. Keep busy!
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It's amazing how our new little ball of fur has begun to mend some broken hearts...
Welcome home "Max"

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OK, some car stuff!
I'm now thinking of running police wheels on Misty finished in silver with reproduction rallye centers.
They are a poor man's replacement for the super coupe magnum gt wheels also pictured.
The only downside to the police wheels would be the nubs on the center ring that would hold a center police hub cap.
I think I could live with it. Any opinions welcome.

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So after much procrastination, I purchased 2 more cop car wheels, and did some checking on tires.

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This chart indicates the largest and smallest tires I can use safely on the cop wheels. The pair I have on the rear of Misty has 255/60/R15's on them.

Most likely, I will run the following combo, as the 205/60/R15 are only 24.7" tall, and I hear the height is an issue in duster front wheel wells.
The E7814's that came on the car when new were 25-1/2" inches tall.

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I found the website you used. Pretty cool comparison tool. What I don't see there is wheel width. Are you considering that? What width are the cop wheels?
 
zkx14 said:
I found the website you used. Pretty cool comparison tool. What I don't see there is wheel width. Are you considering that? What width are the cop wheels?
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They are 7", 4-1/2" backset. I have another thread going to try and cure my ignorance on the topic, lol.

Nubs on Cop Wheels

The appeal of the cop wheels is they are cheap, they are strong, and you can wrap a lot of rubber on them.
 
DusterDaddy said:
They are 7", 4-1/2" backset. I have another thread going to try and cure my ignorance on the topic, lol.

Nubs on Cop Wheels

The appeal of the cop wheels is they are cheap, they are strong, and you can wrap a lot of rubber on them.
Click to expand...
I'd say go for it on the cop wheels. Don't know if I would get hung up on the 'nubs', I think I would paint them and run em. If you want to upgrade later they would probably be harder to unload if modified.
 
So very sorry to hear about your dog, I know the feeling oh too well. Hang in there. Car is looking great so is your home! All the best, Merry Christmas.
 
DusterDaddy said:
View attachment 1714993875 View attachment 1714993877 View attachment 1714993878 View attachment 1714993879 View attachment 1714993880 So I'm going to use this angle to come off the the frame rails to take the place of the bumper shocks. I was originally thinking I could trim a lot of the inner bumper away and mock up the bumper placement with clamps and whatnot and then trim the angle to where I want it then tack weld it so I could then remove it and weld it up. It would work ok and get the bumper almost 2 inches closer but not all the way tucked in. So making a new inner bumper frame out of steel channel is the way I'll go. I can make it longer so it can catch all but the outer bolts in the bumper too
Click to expand...

just a thought.....by closing the bumper shock hole with a small steel plate you can simply use the pre 74 bumper brackets and the 70-73 slimmer bumpers. Only have to drill the second hole for the pre-74 factory brackets in the steel plate. Trim the plastic filler to meet the pre-74 ....worked like a charm on my 74
 
HemiDenny said:
just a thought.....by closing the bumper shock hole with a small steel plate you can simply use the pre 74 bumper brackets and the 70-73 slimmer bumpers. Only have to drill the second hole for the pre-74 factory brackets in the steel plate. Trim the plastic filler to meet the pre-74 ....worked like a charm on my 74
Click to expand...
Hey Denny, at times the simplest solutions do not meet the capabilities of my wallet. If I had more resources I would likely go that route and purchase re-chrome bumpers. However, in this case the bumpers I have are the bumpers I'll use, even if I need to fabricate steel to do it. I'm also really liking how rear is going to look pushed way in like I have it mocked up...
This project has always been about making the most out out of what I have. With going for broke on rebuilding our new home, the Duster battle cry of "Low Budget" has never been more pronounced. The money I save on the bumpers gets me that much closer to having the car move and stop on its own...
 
I agree....and we on the the same page....just wanted to add an option.

FYI....I like your thinking!
 
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The new defroster ducts I bought through a Advance Autoparts fit great over the inlets on the dash vents.
 
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Had to post a thread on the electrical forum to find out what terminal of the ammeter the red cable goes on. Little did I know it is stamped "RED" on the cuircuit board. DUH! @zkx14 and @AlV bailed me out yet again!
 
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