Gagster's 71 Swinger

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Gag_Halfront

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Well... I needed another project like I needed another hole in my torso but the price was fantastic, the car looked rock solid, and I've wanted a 71 Swinger since I was a kid. My best friend's mom had one with a 318 and we had an absolute BLAST in that car. So when I saw the ad in the classifieds on here, I just _HAD_ to buy it. I'm not entirely sure what my plans are for the car yet. All I really know is that the exterior is going to be limelight and it will be small block powered. :happy7:

The car was a /6 auto with a column shifter. I don't know anything else yet because I haven't taken the time to decode the tag. It came with a v8 K frame in the trunk and all the rest of the car in boxes inside. This is going to be my first bodywork project, but it seems like such a solid car that even _I_ can handle it. My extensive fan club will recall that my other A body is a 68 383 S Fastback Barracuda. When I discovered its rarity I decided there was no way I would molest so I sent it to a pro for the body work.

In the interest of time I'll probably pick a 360/727 from a truck off craigslist for a couple hundred bucks just to get it running whilst I build a real engine for it. I figure that's probably the fastest route to a fun, drivable car. The weak link is gonna be the rear end.

The car went into the temporary shelter I put up to be a blasting / paint booth today so work starts in earnest in a couple days. I'll be sure to post progress pics as events warrant.

Well, without further blathering, here is the photobucket slideshow link:

http://s438.photobucket.com/albums/qq101/Gag_Halfront/1971 Dodge Dart Swinger/?albumview=slideshow
 
Spent the weekend working on getting her ready for paint. Got the dash out, doors off, hood, fenders, etc.

Power washed the whole car, inside and out, cleaned out the cowl, cleaned out the trunk extensions, blasted down inside the quarters where the back windows roll down... everything is now nice and clean and ready to get started changing color. Before I can get crazy with a spray gun I still have to do a little work with some putty and a sanding block and I still need to pull the rest of the bits out of the engine bay. She still has brake lines, fuel line, steering column, etc in the way. This weekend I should be able to pick up some primer, finish removing bits that don't get painted (or get painted separately like hood hinges) and maybe make some visible progress. I'm really excited.

Question though:

When painting an engine compartment, what do you do about the old paint? Is it necessary to sand blast all the old paint off? Seems kind of like overkill. Is there a certain kind of primer that's better at covering old paint as opposed to bare metal? Is there some prep to do to the old paint besides making sure that it's clean? I suppose I could get in there with a small sanding block and rough it up but the engine bay is such a complicated shape that I'm sure there'd be a bunch of places I couldn't sand properly. Same question for the inside of the trunk really. It seems like there's no good way to strip it so how do you paint over it properly?
 
Gag_Halfront said:
Question though:

When painting an engine compartment, what do you do about the old paint? Is it necessary to sand blast all the old paint off? Seems kind of like overkill. Is there a certain kind of primer that's better at covering old paint as opposed to bare metal? Is there some prep to do to the old paint besides making sure that it's clean? I suppose I could get in there with a small sanding block and rough it up but the engine bay is such a complicated shape that I'm sure there'd be a bunch of places I couldn't sand properly. Same question for the inside of the trunk really. It seems like there's no good way to strip it so how do you paint over it properly?
Click to expand...

The best thing to cover old paint and bare metal is a good epoxy primer shot with a gun. Epoxy primer is a good base to start with because it sticks really good to old finishes/bare metal/body filler. Just make sure that you scuff the old surface with 120-180 grit.
 
Update: Absolutely nothing has happened with my poor dart. I've spent all of my time trying to remove a single nut from my Fury III. I need to replace the brake booster. I have 3 of 4 nuts removed from the inside of the firewall and can't get to the 4th. I think I could learn to weld and fabricate an entire car in the time it's taking me to remove this one nut. I seriously think they must have built the entire 1967 Fury III around this one fastener because the only way I can see to get at it is to pretty much disassemble the whole car.

Ugh!
 
Update!!!

Been working on the body work slowly but surely.

CIMG0127.jpg


Got a long way to go yet, but she's coming along.

The shell's got a coat of epoxy primer, a coat of high-build and I started putting color on the bits that won't get blocked and straightened. Engine bay, door jambs, windsheild frame, trunk, etc.

Tomorrow I start on the fenders, hood, deck lid, valances and extensions.
 
Good work!
The car is very solid with no rust to speak of that i could see. A great foundation for sure!
BTW, i really love it when someone changes the color on a red car, especially to green!
Keep the pics coming.
 
I'm not entirely sure about the color. It's supposed to be limelight but the light inside the makeshift booth is terrible so until I roll it out into the sun we don't know exactly what it's going to look like.

Oh well. Even if it doesn't turn out actual limelight, I'm loving the color too.
 
Thanks, BA. She found a good home, for sure. I'm going to take care of 'er.

A few more pics: http://xrl.us/bkqa9c

I keep finding more things to sand, fill, straighten, touch-up, etc... At some point I need to just call it close enough and paint it. I think I'm getting to that point. It's almost time to order the wiper seal kit, firewall gasket kit, blower housing gasket kit, etc... and start prepping parts to go back on. :)
 
Well, It's green. :D

No messing around, fricken' GREEEEEEN!


I'm in love.

This is my first ever bodywork and paint job so there are some significant problems, but I don't care. It's MY GREEN DART! Just like I've always wanted since I was a kid!

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WOW! You ain't kiddin! That is some green there! Love it. I am glad the car went to a good home and also be able to see it come back to life! Its a win win! Great work man.
 
Thanks, BA. Working on the hood and trunk now, then fenders, then doors. procrastinating the doors a bit since I need to find a new passenger-side one.

My intention was to drop in a small block out of a truck since you can get them cheap on Craigslist. It would give me time to build the motor this car deserves. I was at a mopar meet-up the other day and a guy offered to _give_ me a /6 for free (one of the older, smaller ones). I can't beat that deal, so maybe that's how she'll roll out of the shop. Haven't really decided yet. On the one hand, a free motor is a free motor. On the other hand, a 360 is a _fun_ motor.

More pics of the hood and deck lid as soon as I make enough progress to warrant.
 
Ugh. I just realized that in the pics you can totally see the nasty runs I got in my driver's side C-pillar. That's going to be a (#*&+!!@ to sand out.
 
Not major progress, but then I've been out of town for a couple weeks. I got the quarter extensions on, hood latch, front valance, front bumper brackets painted and bumper installed (missing a couple bumper bolts), and just for grins I set the grill in place to make it look sorta like a car. :)

Hey, BA, I don't suppose you have the little connecting rod for the hood latch laying around your place anywhere?

Quarter extensions installed. Tomorrow she'll get rear valance and hopefully rear bumper.
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Front end getting put together finally!
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lol Yeah, except you can see how totally not straight that front fender is. This is my car for teaching myself bodywork. I'll probably strip and re-paint various bits of it a dozen times until I get it right, but for now it's good enough to start bolting parts on so I don't lose them. :D

Here's today's progress report:

* headlights installed
* grille properly installed
* left side marker lights cleaned up and installed
* rear valance installed
* rear bumper installed
* cheezy hood latch rod made from a heavy piece of steel wire

Rear view with bumper, valance and marker light installed
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Front view with grille, headlights, headlight bezels, and marker light installed
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No one is perfect first time out :D It still looks pretty good to me, I'd drive it with pride, thats a pretty good first time paint job. I can hope that atleast mine comes out as good as yours.
 
Unfortunately, I just have too many projects and none of them will ever move forward so long as they're all vying for my attention at once..

So... I made a decision. I can't keep both the Fury III and the dart. It was a hard decision. I've always wanted a 71 swinger ever since I was a little kid, but the Fury III was a 1 of (maybe 1?) car with a special order list of options to make any C-body fan drool. The car was special ordered with police package, tint all around, AC, big disk brakes, and oh yeah... the 440! It needs a lot of work but a car like that is pretty rare.

To that end, I had to pick one to sell. I'll miss the Fury, but that 11:1 +.060 440 is gonna _SCREAM_ in my dart. :D I guess it's time to start reading the big block threads. I'll need motor mounts and headers, but that should be about it. It's a points ignition now so in theory I can just drop it in and go. This gets me so much closer to finished it's unreal. I recon I'll need to mod the core support to get the big radiator in there, and it would be nice to relocate the battery. This is gonna be fun! 500+ hand-built HP in my very own dart that I built from scratch myself from a pile of parts. This is a dream come true for me.!

Click the pic to hear it run! Sounds awesome through a good set of headphones! :D

 
Gag_Halfront said:
Unfortunately, I just have too many projects and none of them will ever move forward so long as they're all vying for my attention at once..

So... I made a decision. I can't keep both the Fury III and the dart. It was a hard decision. I've always wanted a 71 swinger ever since I was a little kid, but the Fury III was a 1 of (maybe 1?) car with a special order list of options to make any C-body fan drool. The car was special ordered with police package, tint all around, AC, big disk brakes, and oh yeah... the 440! It needs a lot of work but a car like that is pretty rare.

To that end, I had to pick one to sell. I'll miss the Fury, but that 11:1 +.060 440 is gonna _SCREAM_ in my dart. :D I guess it's time to start reading the big block threads. I'll need motor mounts and headers, but that should be about it. It's a points ignition now so in theory I can just drop it in and go. This gets me so much closer to finished it's unreal. I recon I'll need to mod the core support to get the big radiator in there, and it would be nice to relocate the battery. This is gonna be fun! 500+ hand-built HP in my very own dart that I built from scratch myself from a pile of parts. This is a dream come true for me.!

Click the pic to hear it run! :D

Click to expand...

Is that a 67? If so my Dad had one in Burnt Orange I loved riding in that car. Too bad you have to sell it.
 
Yeah. It's a 67. I really like it, but between the three wheelers, the dart, the 'cuda and this.... Something had to go. The couple hundred bucks and a few hours a month that this frees up will go a long way toward getting the dart done. Plus, I had one beater body with an awesome motor and one awesome body with no motor at all. Seemed like the right decision.

Hopefully one of the C-body die-hards will grab it and do something cool with it.
 
Gag_Halfront said:
Yeah. It's a 67. I really like it, but between the three wheelers, the dart, the 'cuda and this.... Something had to go. The couple hundred bucks and a few hours a month that this frees up will go a long way toward getting the dart done. Plus, I had one beater body with an awesome motor and one awesome body with no motor at all. Seemed like the right decision.

Hopefully one of the C-body die-hards will grab it and do something cool with it.
Click to expand...
is the block your keeping the matching #s block? just curious. badass engine either way
 
No. It's out of a 70's truck. The original C body motor had big chunks blown out from freezing before I got it. I do have the original motor but I was thinking I would turn it into a coffee table or something. It's no good as a power plant anymore.

Here's what the original Fury III 440 looked like when I opened it up after bringing the car home. "Oh yeah. It runs. Well... It would, but I'm gonna take the carb off and keep it". Yeah, right. Technically it runs, but don't put any coolant in it or it'll end up in your oil pan.

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