Register now to get rid of these ads!

Projects "51 plymouth progress

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by jcs64, Apr 16, 2011.

  1. koolkemp
    Joined: May 7, 2004
    Posts: 6,005

    koolkemp
    Member

    Nice to get some primer on eh! It looks great !
     
  2. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    Haha, damed if I know.

    Ive started throwing around some ideas in my head but Havnt finalized anything yet. Some sort of stainless floating bar, maybe some teeth (thinking home depot cabinet handles "not the round drawer pull ones"), or maybe even work in some clear acrylic to the look.

    If anyones got an idea for the grill, let me know.


    Jeff
     
  3. Zed
    Joined: Dec 4, 2005
    Posts: 952

    Zed
    Member
    from FRANCE

    great job on the front end !:eek:
     
  4. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    Just a little more progress finally.
    I think this was the last of the "known hidden" surprises.
    The lower edge of the trunk opening was seriously out of wack due to a previous owner glueing on a patch panel crooked (more on the glue part later:)

    heres a shot showing how bad the gaps were, Talk about overbite.
    [​IMG]

    At that point a new edge had already been welded along the bottom to get a nice even gap. I decided it would be easiest to just dive in and cut the old corner out.
    Big surprises lurked within.
    [​IMG]

    The corner of the trunk floor was full of fiberglass and rot, arghh!

    thats a little better
    [​IMG]

    And now a nice even gap too
    [​IMG]

    That part about the patch panel being glued on? Well, this panel was actually stuck to the car w/ a 1/4" of bondo. For sure if I had done this it would have rusted and blistered in no time, yet this car had been "finished" for 10-15 yrs w/ not even a bump, amazing.
    [​IMG]

    The same surprise lurked behind this corner also.
    But now at least this area is all welded and done, Time to start the finish bodywork on the back half.
    [​IMG]

    Jeff
     
  5. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    I promise I havnt been slacking here!
    Ive been working my butt off, it just seems like it takes SOOooo much work to show so little progress.

    I finally got the fenders flat and tried a different brand of filler for a skim coat. Im still not sure where to place the blame, but this product SUCKED. Terrible adhesion to the bare steel, torn jagged edges instead of feathering along w/ blisters between the steel and filler and .... well, just look at the pic
    [​IMG]

    needless to say, I decided to strip it back down and start over w/ the Rage Gold that Im used too.
    Spread The Rage!!!!
    HAha

    And now the body is all in primer
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Hood and deck lid to go, I got to get cranking so the primer has time to shink and So ill still be able to paint before the cold is here (hoping to spray in early Oct). I bit the bullet and decided to try Kirkers paint. I bought the start to finish kit so everything is here and waiting on me.

    jeff
     
  6. graveyardsledder
    Joined: Oct 30, 2006
    Posts: 294

    graveyardsledder
    Member

  7. 'Mo
    Joined: Sep 26, 2007
    Posts: 7,432

    'Mo
    Member

    GREAT fab work! How long before it gets sectioned? LOL (Just kidding!)
     
  8. SwedeVedette
    Joined: Feb 15, 2008
    Posts: 368

    SwedeVedette
    Member

    I rarely post here but man you are doing some killer work!
    Keep it up and keep us posted.

    Cheers from Sweden
     
  9. motoandy
    Joined: Sep 19, 2007
    Posts: 3,334

    motoandy
    Member
    from MB, SC

    Unbelievable. Such talent in a home garage. Everything is well thought out and executed. Great job and good luck. Love the front end set up.
     
  10. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    A nasty job it is stripping all that old paint.
    [​IMG]
    And a little uncustomizing before I started the body work. The previous owner had put 4 buick port holes in the hood and i just wasnt liking them so out they came.
    [​IMG]
    Since I was working w/ such a large flimsy pc of metal, the chances of warping it where real good. Ive read that MIG dosent work well w/ hammer welding but I figured I try it anyways.
    I think it did help and I only ended up w/ a little ripple on each side which I was able to work out fairly easily. A little hammer/ dolly here and a little torch shrinking there.
    [​IMG]
    Now sling a little mud and start sanding!
    (I also started piecing together some ideas for the grill)
    [​IMG]

    jeff
     
  11. visor
    Joined: Aug 11, 2002
    Posts: 513

    visor
    Member Emeritus
    from Missouri

  12. tragic59
    Joined: Sep 16, 2002
    Posts: 766

    tragic59
    Member

    That grill surround is fantastic. You're doing a great job!
     
  13. the trunk and hood gaps are great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! the wind splits look good also.
    are you using 49 bumpers? if you can find 2 front they look real nice in the rear great work
     
  14. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    well, its happened, this project has totally turned into work instead of just a hobby! Summer has passed and Im realizing that I skipped all the fun stuff that we usually do just to try and get this car wrapped up. Worst part is that its now too cold to paint so that will have to wait till next season anyways.
    But for the parts that keep me pushing onward, I am making progress and am fairly happy w/ the way things are shaping up.
    It came time to rebuild the engine since any chips or scrathes could all be fixed up before the shiney stuff goes on. So out it came!
    heres the before pic of the highy detailed engine bay (its hard to Fathom the number of hrs it took to get things to this level).
    [​IMG]

    Then after a thorough going through of the engine which was in great shape and only need a quick hone w/ fresh rings, bearings, cam/ lifters and a quick lap of the valve seats.
    [​IMG]
    (anyone got the stock heater parts for under the hood theyre not using?)

    Next up was time to move to the interior and strip the dashto get ready for paint
    [​IMG]

    This was after painting it twice since the first try was an epic failure. When the directions say that it can be applied over most cured finishes, be assured that YOURS is not most :)
    [​IMG]

    So now the dash is all set and ready to be wrapped up and forgotten about.
    [​IMG]

    Moving on!

    Jeff
     
  15. servi53
    Joined: Jun 28, 2006
    Posts: 338

    servi53
    Member

    fantastic fab skills, can't wait to see it done
     
  16. koolkemp
    Joined: May 7, 2004
    Posts: 6,005

    koolkemp
    Member

    Loking great!
     
  17. jetslide
    Joined: Feb 18, 2012
    Posts: 119

    jetslide
    Member
    from norway

    looking great, keep up the good work:)
     
  18. linkstar69
    Joined: Jul 24, 2008
    Posts: 88

    linkstar69
    Member

  19. falconvan
    Joined: Apr 2, 2008
    Posts: 1,128

    falconvan
    Member
    from festus, Mo

    Looks awesome! I've got those heater parts; send me a PM.
     
  20. farmer12
    Joined: Aug 28, 2006
    Posts: 7,717

    farmer12
    Member

    Still looking great!
     
  21. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    heres A pic from when I was doing the engine and this shows you what not to do!
    [​IMG]

    After dealing w/ crappy out of tol. bearings, I finally started to put the new rings on. No big surprise that they were out of spec too. The three pc oil rings were supposed to have (i cant remember the exact # right now) .003-.005" side clearance. Lucky me, these had barley .001!
    Since I have no way to grind the thin rails, and the pistons have press in wrist pins, this was the only way I could think of to "open up the groove".
    =-D

    this however is approved and always makes me smile when you watch a crank spinning away!
    [​IMG]
     
  22. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    from the earlier pics, you can also see that I finally found a new rad to use. After trying a couple different cars rads, I settled on the 65-67 mustang one. Its the smallest i found and ony cost $135 shipped. It is so narrow that I had to make 2.25" filler panels so that the sides would reach the stock rad support.
    Heres how the rad looked right out of the box.
    [​IMG]

    it only took me a couple hrs to void the warranty and cut off the bottom neck and chop a gapping hole in the corner of the tank! why?
    well, the neck in that spot would of allowed me to run only a 5" dia fan. Not to mention the company says these rads are for manual trans only and they dont have a tranny cooler built in. So I wanted to see what was in there :-D
    [​IMG]

    W/ the new neck made and located 1/2 way off the edge of the tank, I capped off the old outlet and called it done. And yes, there is a trany cooler in there so now I dont have to use one of the extra add on ones which is a huge plus.
    [​IMG]

    heres the mounted pic which shows the Alum "C" channels that act as filler pcs and mounts.
    [​IMG]

    I may paint all that alum black since it kinda stands out when you look thru the grill opening, but we'll see.

    Also a big thaks to "falconvan" on here for coming thru w/ the heater parts I was needing for under the hood. I cant wait to get them and see if it all fits w/ the V8.

    jeff
     
  23. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    this was one of the cooler things ive done lately (i know, im pretty lame). Ive always assumed that once the capillary tube on the back of a mech water temp gauge had been damaged, the gauge was junk.
    Well, I came across a link that told how to fix them using a new gauge for a donor capillary tube.
    Low and behold: my old gauge (once cut from its tube and no good), now mated to a new line and temp bulb.
    [​IMG]

    jeff
     
  24. jcs64
    Joined: Apr 25, 2005
    Posts: 528

    jcs64
    Member

    Trunk area can now be checked off the list also.

    While trying to get my gas gauge working, I found out that the sending unit was really expensive to replace and mine was junk.
    After some research I found the mustang tank has the same operating OHMS as my car! The best part was the price, $93 shipped.
    Now to fit it,
    [​IMG]
    First step was to weld up a simple frame. Then cut out all the extra "trunk pcs" before building the floor around the frame.
    [​IMG]

    While the floor was "open" the rear body mounts where easy to see, and I didnt like what I saw. This was the perfect time to make up some new mounts and weld them into the floor.
    [​IMG]

    All welded up and Por-15'd. And now all of my stock gauges work
    [​IMG]


    Jeff
     
  25. falconvan
    Joined: Apr 2, 2008
    Posts: 1,128

    falconvan
    Member
    from festus, Mo

    Nice! POR-15 is the bomb; I dont how we built cars before they came up with it.
     
  26. farmer12
    Joined: Aug 28, 2006
    Posts: 7,717

    farmer12
    Member

    Coming along nicely I see!
     
  27. fitzee
    Joined: Feb 26, 2003
    Posts: 2,862

    fitzee
    Member

    Now I love how you did the front . that is a cool idea.. Ill have to keep that one in mind when it comes time for mine.. great work..
     
  28. Hemiken
    Joined: Sep 21, 2012
    Posts: 492

    Hemiken
    Member
    from Australia

    Nice build, you have done some noticeable cosmetic changes to the look of the car, very nice fabrication too. I will be watching the rest of this build. Thanks for sharing. ;)
     
  29. rocknrolldaddy
    Joined: Aug 24, 2006
    Posts: 336

    rocknrolldaddy
    Member

    Good work...you're a true craftsman.
     

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.