Great work!
Aussie VC 67 Dodge ute
- Thread starter Martythetrimmer
- Start date
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Great work still this is going to be one fantastic ute you might have to book a spot at COTM a couple of years in advance as I hear next year they are limiting to 1000 entries and it would be a shame not to see this great piece of work in the metal
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
COTM is almost getting too big! Hope they take the best 1000 cars, not just the first 1000 to entre. But I get in trouble when I say things like that. Truth be it, some cars that take up valuable space that are just another old car with nothing interesting about them. Same thing has happened to the SummerNats, nothing much to look at these days. Just full of Commodores you can see for free at any shopping mail!
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
That's awesome!!!
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
The test door is basically finished, 4 months work! Currently it’s fitted with ED Falcon exterior handles but they will be changed to EL once I get a pair of rear door cuts as the handles are slightly different to front mounts. These handles illuminate when the alarm is turned off. FG Falcon internal handles are used and illuminate with the dash lights. High powered puddle lights are fitted inside the door. I now have my one-piece glass made, yet to be fitted. A heavy intrusion bar has been made but no photo’s as yet! Spent some time making a door panel with built in arm rest and speaker pod. There’s some refinement work to be done with the panel so it looks a little boxy, but this tests the basic idea. (Mechanism modifications for external handles)
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
#2 Mechanism modifications for internal handles
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
#3 test door panel.....it will be covered in a leather match vinyl that is close to an exact match to the leather for the seats. The inserts for both the doors and seats will be a matching colour of Alcantara.
Your work still amazes me I can’t wait to see the doors all trimmed out will look very modern with all the latest inclusions, I admit I like the idea of the flush door handles on the exterior and that you did use the reinforcement on the door pull a lot of guys would just fit the actual plastic pull section to the door card and hope it is enough
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
Marty, you are top notch. I wish you were stateside, I'd send my 1994 chevy C1500 Silverado right over right over for an interior makeover. Your interior jobs look like factory stuff. Making stuff like that work takes so much effort, once figured out, the other side ends up being easy peasy.
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
Amongst all the other jobs I have on at the moment I’m testing the idea of a late model style engine cover on the LA small block. This is just a basic mock up and there’s a lot of finishing to be done. Including “Dodge” embossed down both rocker cover sections. I have a couple of options to test with that! The end product will be cast in carbon fibre with body colour to enhance the logo’s.
Marty this would look great might have to keep an eye on this but I’m using the factory a/c position so might need to look at doing my own version, the only problem is if I say or attempt to do any fibreglassing it usually rains for weeks. It has become a joke with my family
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
I like to do my projects as how to's to encourage other to have a go! A lot of things aren't that hard once you're shown how. Getting a lot of negative comments about this cover on FaceBook!!
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4spdragtop
Well-Known Member
Looks good! 
Yes I’ve noticed a lot of that on nose book Ive been playing with these for nearly 50 years now and I’m being told I know nothing at times when I have tried to make a correction to an assumption or pass on some sort of tip to make a job easier, I now tend to look and not comment
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
I know what you mean. Thinking of stopping posting even though there are those who like what I post and that it's a "how to" with everything. I can't handle pointless criticism, critique is a different thing! As is just asking a pointed question, but others it's just picking at you. Every car I've built and shown has made final contenders, top 10, top 6, SummerNats top 60 street for 10 years with the HZ, SummerNats top 60 elite with the XB GS cruiser 5 years, even SummerNats top 20 elite with the Brougham for 3 years. So I think I'm justified in saying I have some idea what I'm doing!! lol
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
Marty, Keep posting your ideas. I personally take away a bunch of tips from your postings. Showing how to's are a good thing. Forget the A$$holes that pick apart your postings. They are probably just jealous that they cant do what you can. If I lived out by you I would love to pick up some ideas from you.
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the post, between this page and my Facebook build page I get very little feedback. At times it feels like no one is following, then on other groups if it's not how Chrysler did it, look out if you try something new!!
moparmat2000
Well-Known Member
Closed minded trolls. I use what works. Not everything Chrysler did was great though we all like to think so. The hate mail I got for using a GM HEI module to run a mopar electronic distributor was epic. I made it a clean modification that looked almost factory. Hotter spark on the cheap and appears stock, but was ridiculed with pix of 4x4 chevy camaros, redneck hair cut pix, and pix of botch job science project looking HEI module swaps. I could care less. It's their loss. A true hot rodder uses what's available to them in materials and sheer raw talent. At least that's the way it used to be here in the states when hot rodding started. Now it seems it's all "cubic dollars" builds, not "cubic talent". Again build it your way. You have more admirers than flamers. You already know which of the 2 categories I fit into.
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Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
After more than a year without posting I’m back to it! Lots of non car work in the last year on top of not feeling like working on the Dodge. The break has given me a new enthusiasm for the project so maybe some good for having the rest. My current project is a radiator cover that extends from the grill over the radiator and landing on the inner guards. Not only to tidy that area, but to help push all the air through the radiator. The front will be retained by two Quick latches, while the rear will be held with super magnets as there will be little load at that point. A low line radiator will be used similar to the last image. The cap won’t be seen through the panel as it will only take seconds to remove the panel when needed.
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
part 2
Sweet job mate, that looks real clean. The tall radiator in Valiant’s can get in the way sometimes! They’re pretty narrow between the frame rails as well. Nice work.
Glad to see you back to it, yes sometimes a break is needed from the constant slog, mine is off the road again as I’m retiring it as using the original loom modified for the extras I have fitted it was occasionally letting the smoke out of the wires.
The other item to address is when the starter rotates the engine if it didn’t fire straight away I would need to turn it over slightly by hand, to get the starter to engage again, the funny thing is torque converter unbolted from flex plate both the engine and the converter turn over easily, but even just partly tightened bolts and it requires a lot of effort to rotate the engine, the trans will be out in the next few weeks, as I have some bushes to replace on my everyday car before registration inspection.
The other item to address is when the starter rotates the engine if it didn’t fire straight away I would need to turn it over slightly by hand, to get the starter to engage again, the funny thing is torque converter unbolted from flex plate both the engine and the converter turn over easily, but even just partly tightened bolts and it requires a lot of effort to rotate the engine, the trans will be out in the next few weeks, as I have some bushes to replace on my everyday car before registration inspection.
That is awesome! Great work as always!
Cley
Cley
Martythetrimmer
Well-Known Member
I'm planning on cutting the support panel to fit a radiator the extends to the frame rails. A mate has a V8 S series with an HQ Holden (aussie GM) radiator, works well on a hot/stroked 318!
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