Projects I destroyed a nice old car, help me fix it

That sucker looks good! Now get the doors workin good and leave it alone till ya git enuff balls to do it to the other side....

 

While your hackin - put in a moonroof !
Oldmics

 

Man did you fuck that up !
You'll fit in well in the engineering world.
However you could change that.

Start with thought experiments on the details first.
Cutting up cars is easy, welding 2 doors together to make one is like "BOOM, lookie there what I did !" Now, making sure the windows work again is where hours upon hours of thankless and invisible work is performed. Nobody sees it, and everyone just takes for granted that the damn window oughta work. When you miss the details the project is fit for a smithsonian exhibit on bad planning. I often wonder if engineers are required take a course in how to plan badly.

 

Are you building it for her?
If she don't like it, get rid of her because she isn't a car person, and will never be easy to live with as long as you mess with cars.

 

I have read several new posts today and I think it must be a Full Moon out tonite.

 

I had one of those girl friends once, then I got smart when she wanted me to choose between her and my bike. Now I'm married to a woman that actually supports my hobby. Oh yeah, I made my choice and it wasn't her that I chose.

 

At least you haven't welded any rebar spider webs on it, so its salvageable.

 

I hope you didn't throw out the b pillar.

 

Great cars to practice on, that way you don’t mess up on a valuable car. Keep at it, it is good to finish what you start. When you have done a few and it is a piece of cake to you to do them then try it on a good car, lot of 4drs. out there that need cosmetic help.

 

Good for you. Your having fun and it is all yours.
Maybe consider a light satin paint job as it will hide a lot of body work sins. Body has to be perfect for dark colours
Drive it like it is , practice your filler skills. Paint it a light satin. Look for a set of 2 doors and a b pillar for a future project. Get the heater working good and a heavy blanket for cold nights. Drive the wheels off it.

 

I agree with getting 2 door sedan doors and re-starting from there. Get the door post and front half of the quarter, too. As a past American owner, I think it's a good looking car and worth saving.

Gary

 

4th and long.

 

1 of the things engineers need to do is manage long term projects and see the scope.

Regarding the car, I'd weld up the drivers side, leave the passenger as is to get it driveable again. It will be funny, go with it. Locate a donor car or at least some doors. If it doesn't work out, part it out.

If you update your profile with location, or at least what state you are in, the members here could help you in your search. Its a huge network of car people, someone has to know where there's a rambler sitting around.

 

save a lot of time and grief, get those tudor doors, / window assembly..

 

I've done several 4 door to 2 door conversions start to finish and have a couple more in the works. You haven't ruined anything yet, but the suggestion to find a pair of post coupe doors and the matching door pillars and forward quarter panel sections is right on, once you have those, you're golden. Here's a few of my threads on how I do this conversion. I would not give up on this car yet. Goonies never say die.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/tech-make-a-4-door-into-a-2-door.78120/

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/60-fury-2-door-conversion-finished-pics.375098/

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/undergoing-body-reassignment-surgery.608094/

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/56-chevy-2-door-conversion-build-thread.753008/

 

Your work looks good! Forget what your friends and Girlfriend think and say. Crank up the tunes and get into a work groove.
Complete your engineering degree. We need home brewed engineers in this country. You'll do well and eventually get your 32 if you work hard.
Go with the 3 door, like this 55;

 

Well, at least you didn't cut up a 1966 Chrysler Imperial station wagon trying to turn it into a "Ranchero" using blue astroturf, 1/4" plyboard & window chaulking & then spraying the whole thing down with 4 cans of flat black Krylon primer . I mean, not that I've ever done that! I mean I'm just saying .

 

I don't know if it's the car being black, too high or the wheels or a combination of all three but in my opinion it looks horrendously out of proportion.

If you look at these two pictures though you'll notice the coupe's roof is a good three inches lower. If he can find coupe doors and make it look like the blue one above it'll be an easier conversion.. however if he wants to keep it a hard top i'd think a roof chop will be in order to fix the terrible proportions..

 

So, I guess, you don't like my roof refinement idea, but from experience, finish one part of the car before starting another. You will do all right, just keep plugging away.

 

I still haven't seen anyone address what I think is your real issue (???) Your plan sounds good, an perhaps even initial execution. But it sounds like your welding skills are not up to par yet? Bulge in the panel? I agree with the others in saying you would save yourself a lot of grief if you located some 2 door doors, and rebooted. Do some more practice runs on welding. Pay attention to fit and gap of your seams. Heat control. It is going to be VERY difficult to put weld seams through the middle of a relatively flat door skin. Even practiced bodymen find it difficult and time consuming to do right. And, to me, right means welding the seam solid, then hammer and dolly it until you use the minimum about of bodyfiller. This is definitely a skill that takes time and practice to get even close!
Also, agree with the others who have said it's the details that take the time to do get right. door gaps, easy opening and closing, window alignment. Many hours of playing with it to get it right. Don't be so discouraged. If it was easy, anyone could build a cool car!

 

Damn, I kinda like it. What's wrong with welding up all the crap you have tack welded and just driving it? It doesn't have to have a pretty paint job on it to go down the road. You just have to make it safe. You can build it as you drive it. I have driven more than my fair share of primered cars.

 

As a student, you're familiar with the concept of tuition. You just paid $600 plus equipment and materials for a course in car customizing. You already know that's a cheap education. No loss here unless you foolishly spend 10 times that trying to do something your body/mind/schedule can't accomplish.
Just a piece of unsolicited advice: Focus on your engineering grades, get your degree, get your license(s), and you can easily pay some shop to convert all the 4dr cars you want. And last but not least, don't surrender your goals to a girlfriend whims. Sometimes they just try to test you by seeing if you'll bend to their will. I lost (sold) a cool 65 Chevy Van that way.

 

fourth and long and we aint puntin'? Oddly enough charlie sheen said this in the movie "free money" which featured a rambler identical to the one i started with. Bought the movie only for that reason lol

 

Thanks man, I have lost a 68 amc rebel and a 56 studebaker commander, not really because she made me choose though, Just because I spoil her. Shes learning though.

 

If you will notice, you are also comparing an intermediate model rambler to a compact mode rambler. Two very different cars. Perhaps it's an illusion since i've sunk so much time into it, but i like the proportions, I think it looks like it could be a mean sleeper.

 

Weld the sides up solid and make a street legal short track stock car out of it.

I had a girlfriend in high school tell me "your car is too loud and it rides rough". That was her last ride in my car.

 

Hey, as a "Designer", the proportions are a bit off. The front door needs to less in length. I'd say 10-12".
The area behind the front door needs to be shorten too. Just my 2 cents.

 

If you wanted a Chevy ll, why didn't you just buy one?

 

Do you guys think this car is sell-able the way it is? Could I get $5-600 out of it? Or is this going to the crusher if i abandon it?

 

If you abandon it, it will most likely go to the crusher. Not easy to find someone that wants to take over a project like this.