Josh's 73 Dart Sport - "Fred"

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A couple of things going on here... Ran the fender tag - That was kinda cool. With school being out for Spring break the last 2 days, Josh got busy. I am excited at how much he's actually getting into it. I work from home most days and he was in and out to ask a question here and there a couple of times. So I told him to get a 3/8, 7/16 and 1/2 socket, an extension or 2 for the ratchet and a phillips screw driver and go to town. Suggested to him that he take pictures of everything he is taking off before he removes the fasteners. I also have him bagging related nuts/bolts and screws together. He'll thank me for that next summer. LOL. I did remind him that they come apart a lot quicker than what they go back together.
The shopping list for Carlisle is growing.

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Nothing worth showing, but an update none the less. I got the drip rail molding removed, almost ding free, and Josh got all of the drip rail caulk dug out. The more I look at it, I'm really thinking just skinning the roof and NOT cutting clean thru the pillars is going to be the direction we go with it.
 
I learned from an old timey body guy that a bottle opener and a rag works great to remove that stuff! Did the parts car have drip rail molding too? Asking for a friend. :)
 
JDMopar said:
I learned from an old timey body guy that a bottle opener and a rag works great to remove that stuff! Did the parts car have drip rail molding too? Asking for a friend. :)
Click to expand...

I got it down to another tried and true method I developed a few years ago. Same concept, tho. A folded over rag and a small pair of channel locks, held upside down. I also noticed the drip molding had the mystery green line stuff on the backside. Old vinyl top glue, or vinyl top specific identifier??

Tell your "friend" to..... nevermind.... LOLOLOL
Nah, parts car is just a shell of a failed race car attempt. No trim included except one left side window frame and interior sail panel .
 
Thanks Mark. If you guys have to pilfer any more parts cars, keep an eye out for some green stripe drip rail trim for a Duster/Demon/Dart Sport. The Channel Locks are a great idea!
 
Picked up a complete $200, running 126k mile 2 barrel 360 out of a D250 farm truck yesterday.
Plan is another low dollar build like I did with the 360 I put in the Shelby Dakota.
Won't start on the motor until probably next Spring - Doing the body work 1st.

Just a simple hone, re-ring, bearings, hand lap the valves, stem seals, 340-ish cam, double roller, thinnest head gaskets I can find and a 4 barrel intake/carb.

Already have the pan/sump, double roller and new water pump. Also already have the 3.23 sure grip 8.75 and a 26-2800 stall convertor for a non-lock-up 904. (still need a 904)

and because "no pic = didn't happen" ... LOL


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Good score, I was going to offer you a running 318 for $100 out of a 75 W200 but I figure you would not want to drive that far for it.
 
Fred got scalped this evening.
Initial cuts. Leaving the pillars in place. Need to locate and grind out the sail panel lead seams.
Going to cut the donor roof clean thru the pillars. That way we can remove the structure from the skin, maintaining the lip edges.
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sireland67 said:
Good score, I was going to offer you a running 318 for $100 out of a 75 W200 but I figure you would not want to drive that far for it.
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We were preparing for a 4 hour run to North of Pburgh for that 17k mile 318, but this presented itself closer to home.... saved me more than half a day in time.
 
ragtopfury said:
We were preparing for a 4 hour run to North of Pburgh for that 17k mile 318, but this presented itself closer to home.... saved me more than half a day in time.
Click to expand...
The one I have has around 80K or so on it.
I am about 2 hrs south of Pittsburg.
 
No problem, you have it covered.
 
Nice project , I think your on top of the roof job , I wanted to put a factory sun roof in my present build of 72 duster , but there hard to come by ,,I had a 73 dart sport hang 10 convertriple as I like to call it back in early 80's , loved that car , was totaled by someone I should never had let borrow , the dart is a great a-body car and with yours skinned it looks very fixable , I was lucky on my build to have minimal problems in that area , you son will love that car and the time in building with family , will keep following , nice car

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Pics really didn't turn out well, so you'll have to take my word for it. LOL

Josh removed the very wrongly mounted rear bumper, the remaining slant exhaust and I helped him drop the fuel tank. Tank had about 2 gallons of turpentine in it. It looks nasty inside. I can see there is no float on the sending unit. Have not tested the unit. It is still in the tank. Strap bolts/nuts came off really easy. Surprised me.
Also let Josh go at the A pillars and rain gutters with the wire wheel while I melted the lead out of the rear pillars. The A's look really good. I am so glad. Confirms we will stick with the roof skin plan and NOT cut clean thru the pillars/structure.
 
Did a little edge prep during lunch today. The more I look at it, the more the plan is coming together in my head. Also the more I look at it, the more I think 3M Panel Bond will be the way to go to attach the new skin. along with the flat edges at the front and rear windshields, we can lay a bead of it the whole length of the rain gutters to hold the sides. So I ordered the applicator gun (manual type) and a twin tube of the panel bond. Only question I have is how far does one tube go? Might order a second tube just in case....ya think?
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The panel bond goes along way, plus it is re-usable just leave the twizler tube on the end of the tube.
I would get another tube, just in case.
 
Spent today's lunch hour (recess as I like to call it) away from the desk and finished cleaning up the edges of Fred's old roof flanges. That's all that will be done until next week. My oldest (Jake) gets married this weekend, the bride's family is coming in from Georgia and S Carolina tomorrow thru Sunday, Jake's little sister Jess (6th grade) comes home from a week overnighters that our county calls Outdoor School where they do all hands on learning about nature, animals and environment.
So next week Josh and I can start skinning the donor carcass that we have lovingly dubbed "the brown turd". The 3M Panel Bond is due to arrive Monday/Tuesday. Once we get the roof off, prepped and installed, we'll cut the brown turd up - saving the door striker areas, trunk gutters at the rear window corners, firewall/cowl and rockers. The rest is pretty much junk.

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Good thing scrap is up $8. So you probably have at least $500 for the chicken bones that will be left.
 
You are under estimating, unless it is totally rusted beyond nothing.
 
Hope to cut the roof off of the brown turd donor carcass tomorrow afternoon/evening. Plan to cut clean thru the pillars and then remove the structure from the skin. Looks like that last part will be somewhat of a pain, but should keep the skin edges in tact for reattachment to Fred.
 
Well , we decapitated the brown turd this evening. We now have a convertible Duster shell. LOL
Now we have to remove the structure from the skin, as opposed to removing the skin from the structure.

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