1966 Dodge Dart

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Latest update, I got some shop time tonight and hopefully I completed the body work and fill that is satisfactory on the drivers fender. I have a body guy coming over later this week to check it out and let me know if I am done with the first fender or if I have to add more and sand that to the floor! Body work is such a slow process.
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In the mean time I decided to go ahead and weld the holes shut in the doors interior that would locate the old Dart emblem that I will be replacing with a modern Dart emblem.
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Now its time to start on the Passenger fender so I welded all the belt trim holes shut, welded the antenna hole shut and the holes for the 2 trims at the front. Then I cut the rusted area out from the lower part of fender.
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I tacked the patch piece in so far but will need to take some time tonight to weld everything up. With the one side being so narrow at the flange side it is going to take a lot of time and patience! I will post more pics as I go.
Rod
 
Wow, I cant believe its been since june since my last post. I will tell you I havent been very busy on the car this past summer. Probably not more then a total of 10 hours or more total since june. But today and yesterday I did get some work done. I'm hoping that the front fenders are finally ready for some good coats of primer and blocking. Here are a few pics since I started them back in February!
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There were many more issues with the fenders then what I originally thought I would have. I had to cut and replace the metal as I previously posted then weld the trim holes shut, then I had an awful time with the side sections on the front and the body lines. Then I ran into some rust on the top edge of the fender that continued into the engine compartment side of the fender. This forced me to do some additional metal replacement and welding. Above are some pics which I am hoping is in the final stage of fender completion!
Rod
 
Now with things moving along well this weekend I decided to start on the first door. As you can see I started welding the trim holes shut and I am using some copper back behind the holes to assist with this. Also sanding the door so once the holes are filled and sanded I can get it into primer. and paint the edges of the door along with the hinges so I can get them back on the car.
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Feel free to offer any suggestions or comments as it keeps me motivated!
Thanks Rod
 
Looking good Rod. I wish I had the guts to do body work. I spent a fortune getting my lower quarters and trunk floor extensions fixed. Carry on. tmm
 
rod7515 said:
Now with things moving along well this weekend I decided to start on the first door. As you can see I started welding the trim holes shut and I am using some copper back behind the holes to assist with this. Also sanding the door so once the holes are filled and sanded I can get it into primer. and paint the edges of the door along with the hinges so I can get them back on the car.
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Feel free to offer any suggestions or comments as it keeps me motivated!
Thanks Rod
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Someone else posted the tip to use lead to close up the unwanted trim holes. So they can be re-opened again and to avoid warping of the metal. Not sure if it's worth considering, I'm completely ignorant on these matters myself.

I'm glad to see someone else making progress on their '66 as my own has stalled - again.
 
360DartGT66, thats an interesting thought. I can honestly say that method never crossed my mind. I wonder how hard t would be to do leading and what procedure would need to be used. i have no experience with lead and have never ran into anyone that has ever done lead work. Im going to do some research to see what is involved because welding these holes shut is a major job and if there is something easier that wouldnt require body work when done I would be interested.
Thanks for the suggestion
Rod
 
rod7515 said:
360DartGT66, thats an interesting thought. I can honestly say that method never crossed my mind. I wonder how hard t would be to do leading and what procedure would need to be used. i have no experience with lead and have never ran into anyone that has ever done lead work. Im going to do some research to see what is involved because welding these holes shut is a major job and if there is something easier that wouldnt require body work when done I would be interested.
Thanks for the suggestion
Rod
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I'm just passing on what I read elsewhere here on FABO. I thought it made sense. I'm sure there are lots of people who've worked with lead here but I'm not one of them. :)
 
I'm no expert on what to use where,...But have used two products called 'glaze' that are very different. The one part red stuff in tube is for 'pinholes and scratches'. In my opinion that is about all it is good for-if that. It takes a looong time to dry before sanding. I have tried to 'build' with it. Usually with poor results. It is easy to use cause it's one part. Just squeeze it out and spread it on.
The other is a 2 part product like Bondo. It will build a little, but it is very thin, runny compared to bondo. on a flat horizontal like hood, you could easily get an 1/8th inch with it, but I mostly keep it to a skim coat (less than 1/16)with a plastic spreader.Just want to spread a thin layer over the filler. It sands about the same as bondo, but gives a smoother, finer and I believe harder surface than bondo. Basically a step between Bondo and fill primer. Of course there are various brands of both types, so no doubt some work better or worse than other... Here's the one I used and liked.

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Hey Keith, if your around this weekend give me a shout. We are home for the 2nd straight weekend and Im hoping to get a few hours in on the car!
 
rod7515 said:
I picked this up back in the end of July. Wasnt sure what my direction would be, so I put it in the storage shed until October. During those 8 or so weeks I decided to do a rebuild with some extra features. I brought the car home from the shed in late October and have been working a few hours on it since then. I pulled the engine and sold it and the trans as a package. Removed the 7 1/4 rear and gutted the interior. I was lucky to run into an old friend that had just finished using his rotisserie and he offered it to me to for my build. So at that point the car went on the rotisserie where it hangs today. Here are some pics of work to this point.
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Car being brought home to start work
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As you can see the cars on the rotisserie and I have scraped undercoating and installed frame connectors and have cut in the boxes to move the springs in so I can do a mini tub.
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So far I have removed 26 Lbs of undercoating. I would guess since I have the front fenders to do yet I would hit the 30 lb total. You can see the how I cut the boxes in. Im sure theres a better way. I cant take any credit for the welding as I have a friend that welds for a living so I am taking advantage of his skills. He has covered some ugly work already as the frame connectors had some very large gaps that needed to be filled. I just tack things into place and give him a call! I'll try to update this as I move forward.
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Rod, I just posted my 65 Dart resto project. As you might be aware, getting rid of the old undercoating is a project, and my 65 is loaded with it on the underside. What is the best solution that you have found for getting the old undercoating removed? Any help you could give me would be much appreciated. Thanks. Old Dart 66
 
Old Dart 66, When I did my undercoating removal I took a propane torch and heated up the undercoating then scraped with a putty knife. Its not that bad of a job just slow and dirty. I dont burn the undercoating I just move the flame back and forth until it gets soft. I do a section of about 18"x 18" at a time. You have to be careful when doing the fender wells cause you don't want to make the metal to hot that it would distort the body. So take your time and move the torch around!
Best of luck its a dirty job and you probably save about 50 total lbs if I remember.
Rod
 
rod7515 said:
Old Dart 66, When I did my undercoating removal I took a propane torch and heated up the undercoating then scraped with a putty knife. Its not that bad of a job just slow and dirty. I dont burn the undercoating I just move the flame back and forth until it gets soft. I do a section of about 18"x 18" at a time. You have to be careful when doing the fender wells cause you don't want to make the metal to hot that it would distort the body. So take your time and move the torch around!
Best of luck its a dirty job and you probably save about 50 total lbs if I remember.
Rod
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Rod, I actually was considering heating a wood chisel then trying to scrape with the heated tool, but your idea...much less work and more time effective. Two heads....as they say. Of course, do not heat the metal extensively as not to warp as you say. Thanks. JJ.....Old Dart 66
 
Havent posted here in a while so I thought I would update my progress. I have the fenders and one of the doors very close to being ready for primer and then paint the door jamb area and interior side of doors. I started a thread in the body / trim to get some much needed help/advice in getting them done. This forum is great for getting that needed help! Thanks FABO members!
At the time of my last post here I was frustrated with where I was at with my body work. Every time I tried going forward it seemed like I was going backwards. Part of the problem was my lack of work space in the garage. Its only 20'x24' and there are to many things sitting around that were always in the way. Also i wasnt happy with the lighting. So I went to ebay and I bought 10, 4' LED lights which made a huge difference with my ability to see at night. That made it much easier to see what I was doing with the body work. I had plenty of florescent lights but they just dont make enough light as I get older! The next thign that had to go was tool boxes. I had 4 toolboxes that sat around the walls. I reduced down to 2 boxes and combined tools and got rid of stuff I didnt need anymore. Its amazing how much stuff you put in tool drawers instead of tools. Im fortunate enough to have another garage at my dads that I could take one of the toolboxes to and then the other one I gave to my son along with tools that I had triples of. Then I decided to hang everything I could on the walls to free up floor space. I also added an air dryer so when I paint I wont have moisture issues which meant changing my compressor piping. All this change added about a 4'x24' strip of shop space that is now easier to work in.
So tonight I went out and actually did some work on the door and decided that i really need to remove the windows, track and regulator from the doors. I started a thread to get some expert advice on removing the easiest way and Im hoping tomorrow night to take it out. Ive have 2 more days of vacation yet this year so I am hoping by the first week of 2018 I will have both doors and front fenders primed and the jamb areas painted and back on the car. I think thats doable and at this point I need to set dates so I stay on schedule because I want the car on the road by May. Its a long shot but I would like to take the car to the Ocean City Md show May 17-19.
I will try to keep a steady posting as I go forward now. There is much to do so I need to stay motivated during the winter.
Thanks for following along, Rod
 
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rod7515 said:
Havent posted here in a while so I thought I would update my progress. I have the fenders and one of the doors very close to being ready for primer and then paint the door jamb area and interior side of doors. I started a thread in the body / trim to get some much needed help/advice in getting them done. This forum is great for getting that needed help! Thanks FABO members!
At the time of my last post here I was frustrated with where I was at with my body work. Every time I tried going forward it seemed like I was going backwards. Part of the problem was my lack of work space in the garage. Its only 20'x24' and there are to many things sitting around that were always in the way. Also i wasnt happy with the lighting. So I went to ebay and I bought 10, 4' LED lights which made a huge difference with my ability to see at night. That made it much easier to see what I was doing with the body work. I had plenty of florescent lights but they just dont make enough light as I get older! The next thign that had to go was tool boxes. I had 4 toolboxes that sat around the walls. I reduced down to 2 boxes and combined tools and got rid of stuff I didnt need anymore. Its amazing how much stuff you put in tool drawers instead of tools. Im fortunate enough to have another garage at my dads that I could take one of the toolboxes to and then the other one I gave to my son along with tools that I had triples of. Then I decided to hang everything I could on the walls to free up floor space. I also added an air dryer so when I paint I wont have moisture issues which meant changing my compressor piping. All this change added about a 4'x24' strip of shop space that is now easier to work in.
So tonight I went out and actually did some work on the door and decided that i really need to remove the windows, track and regulator from the doors. I started a thread to get some expert advice on removing the easiest way and Im hoping tomorrow night to take it out. Ive have 2 more days of vacation yet this year so I am hoping by the first week of 2018 I will have both doors and front fenders primed and the jamb areas painted and back on the car. I think thats doable and at this point I need to set dates so I stay on schedule because I want the car on the road by May. Its a long shot but I would like to take the car to the Ocean City Md show May 17-19.
I will try to keep a steady posting as I go forward now. There is much to do so I need to stay motivated during the winter.
Thanks for following along, Rod
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There is a nice show at the Herr's factory in Nottingham on the Thursday before Ocean City. Many cars stop on the way.
 
Rod, Yes, space....always an issue. Worked out of my garage for years as a home builder, now retired, and doing what I really want to do....working on these great old mopars. Anyway, I built a 32x48 foot shop, level concrete floor, radiant heat, and piped comp air with dryer. It all comes in time. Kind of adds to the cost of each car, but what else are we going to do....my wife says that it beats the bar, so as long as i have her along with me. Indeed, "tool boxes," too many drawers, and what is in them that should not be! Looks like you are moving along well on your project, and having decent light helps. My lighting is bad, and so are my eyes, so I like your led light ideas. A day at a time....they say, hang in there. JJ
 
I started the window removal and ended up taking out the glass only. I will try to clean up the regulators and arms while they are in the car. By removing the window I found that I need to replace the felts around all the windows. Here are some pics of what is left of the felts. Where is a good place to buy this track felt?
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Thanks Rod
 
Hi Rod, On the side window "cat whiskers" felt, try Fran Bishop with Just Mopar in Austin, Minnesota.....he is on line under "Just Mopar." You will like him, great guy to deal with. When I did my 66 GT, I bought from a number of companies, and discovered Fran toward the end of that project. Turns out, he was very speedy in getting the products to me, and he was less in cost than the others....even when the product was manufactured by some of the first companies I dealt with. I understand he is a smaller operation; therefore, maybe less markup? Hope you find what you are looking for, but give him a try. Best, Old Dart 66.
 
Rod, Thanks again for the tip on the unercoat removal, between the torch, chisel, oscillating tool, aircraft paint stripper, and a wire brush, I am getting near the end of, your right, a dirty job. I am guessing at least 30 to 40 pounds of rubber off of the car. Should improve the 1/4 mile time losing that weight. Let me know how your side windows work for you by leaving the regulators in the car. I took them out, including the glass, cleaned them up, lubed them, reinstalled in the 66, and they work not so good now in the back seat. Of course, i do not ride back there, but i want it right. Best. Old Dart 66
 
Got some work done in the last 2 weeks with the doors and fenders. as I mentioned in the last post I was taking out the glass. well i ended up taking out the glass, regulators and side wing assembly. Its going to make painting a lot easier but the reassembly will not be fun. And to make that even worse I had decided to remove the dart emblems that go on the top of the inside of the front doors and replace them with the newer dart style emblem. To do this I welded the holes that were in the door to hold the old emblem in place. Well, I found out that those holes were also the access holes to the wing frame assembly bolts. now they are reachable from inside but I will tell you that its going to make reassembling the door wing and window a whole lot harder and much more cussing going back together! Now I am ready to spray the primer on the doors, hinges and fenders. but first i will need to do the clean up of the shop and vacuum and remove all dirt. Here are some pics of how I am set up. First pic is of the holes i was saying i welded shut. The remaining ones are of the setup ready to paint.
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comments/suggestions always welcomed!
Thanks for following
Rod
 
oh, one quick question to painters. how much primer do you estimate i will need to mix up in advance. I will be using a devilbiss startline gun HVLP with a 1.8 needle. also have the option of a 1.5 or 1.2 as well but leaning towards the 1.8. What air presser do you recommend as well.
thanks rod
 
rod7515 said:
Got some work done in the last 2 weeks with the doors and fenders. as I mentioned in the last post I was taking out the glass. well i ended up taking out the glass, regulators and side wing assembly. Its going to make painting a lot easier but the reassembly will not be fun. And to make that even worse I had decided to remove the dart emblems that go on the top of the inside of the front doors and replace them with the newer dart style emblem. To do this I welded the holes that were in the door to hold the old emblem in place. Well, I found out that those holes were also the access holes to the wing frame assembly bolts. now they are reachable from inside but I will tell you that its going to make reassembling the door wing and window a whole lot harder and much more cussing going back together! Now I am ready to spray the primer on the doors, hinges and fenders. but first i will need to do the clean up of the shop and vacuum and remove all dirt. Here are some pics of how I am set up. First pic is of the holes i was saying i welded shut. The remaining ones are of the setup ready to paint.
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comments/suggestions always welcomed!
Thanks for following
Rod
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Looks like good progress, but somethings missing in those pics. Where's the car? :eek:
 
Keith, good to hear from you. The car was moved thanksgiving weekend to the house garage so i could clean up and replace all the lighting in the shed. It also will allow me to have plenty of room for spraying and getting those body parts ready to put on the car. I am hoping that we dont get any snow so i can take the car back out once i have them in primer so i can put the car back together. I may have taken to long to get them done as they are calling for snow this weekend. I wont get a chance to spray them until next weekend so keep your fingers crossed! If snow comes first then all winter work is pretty much done because i wont be able to get the car back out to the shed to continue work! Guess I didnt work fast enough!
Rod
 
Looks like a pretty nice job on the body work. What are you using for paint? What you have going there should not take less than a quart, but you can always mix more....you can not save it if you are using hardeners.....I am sure you know that. Snow.....add the cold to the mix...we had 11 below this morning with a high today of minus seven. Even colder tomorrow here in NW Iowa. Don't work fast enough? For sure hard enough, your post was as 5:24 this a.m. I can't get up that Early! Looking nice. Old Dart 66
 
im using Nason products. They are part of the Dupoint group I think. And yes my primer does use a hardener. Thats why I was wondering how much to mix. I will start with one quart and mix more if needed. as for cold, yes its cold. Today it was 22 not quite where you are but cold is cold. Other bad news is that we got a couple inches of snow today. Im away for the weekend so im hoping i can pull the car with the truck back once I get home and get these parts primed. My timing is always off! stay warm and thanks for following.
Rod
 
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