1972 Duster, 340/4, black on black (the endgame)
I gotta tell ya-after nibbling away at this for 26 years, that gave me a chuckle :toothy10:
Finished up the blasting today, for now. With all the patchwork I have to do, it'll get blasted again before I fill welds and prime.
Here it is:
And the problems.
A little rot under the battery box:
Right front floor:
Up in the right front wheel well too:
And the right rocker:
Here's the pocket where the front of the leaf spring bolts up. Both sides are like this:
Right front inner fender:
And another look at the left rear floor, which is probably the worst of it:
Along with the worst of the two rear frame channels:
I considered cutting a couple feet out of the ends of each one and replacing the steel but I think I'll cap them instead. I don't really want to deal with finding a way to support the body on the rotisserie while I cut out all that structure. Besides, it'll need to be beefed up for the back ends of the leaf springs when I relocate them anyway. That big-assed hole in the floor will also get cut out and replaced. The holes in the front spring pockets and the inner front wheel well will get cut out and patched. And as far as the cheese grater holes in the floor and firewall goes, I think I'll bondo them up. It's not worth the trouble of welding new steel in it and on the bare steel, the bondo will last.
Cutting and welding starts tomorrow.
Ken
I gotta tell ya-after nibbling away at this for 26 years, that gave me a chuckle :toothy10:
Finished up the blasting today, for now. With all the patchwork I have to do, it'll get blasted again before I fill welds and prime.
Here it is:
And the problems.
A little rot under the battery box:
Right front floor:
Up in the right front wheel well too:
And the right rocker:
Here's the pocket where the front of the leaf spring bolts up. Both sides are like this:
Right front inner fender:
And another look at the left rear floor, which is probably the worst of it:
Along with the worst of the two rear frame channels:
I considered cutting a couple feet out of the ends of each one and replacing the steel but I think I'll cap them instead. I don't really want to deal with finding a way to support the body on the rotisserie while I cut out all that structure. Besides, it'll need to be beefed up for the back ends of the leaf springs when I relocate them anyway. That big-assed hole in the floor will also get cut out and replaced. The holes in the front spring pockets and the inner front wheel well will get cut out and patched. And as far as the cheese grater holes in the floor and firewall goes, I think I'll bondo them up. It's not worth the trouble of welding new steel in it and on the bare steel, the bondo will last.
Cutting and welding starts tomorrow.
Ken
