Slow, Driving Rustoration 1972 Dart
First "full" weekend to start working on the Dart. I got up early Saturday morning and headed to the parts store to get a starter. Got back home and drove it 6 blocks to the carwash to clean up the greasy parts and scrub off the oxidized paint. As I pulled into the parking lot it coughed and died, I coasted into the bay and got everything all cleaned up.
Before her bath:
I went to leave and it would start but not run. I had parked it right after the cannonball run home with it. So I figured I was out of gas. I put a gallon in and tried again. I could prime it and it would start but not run. Finally ran the battery down to clicks. I walked back home to get my truck and jumper cables.
By the time I got back and jumped it, it ram and drove. Cool. Got home, parked the dart, jumped on a bicycle and went back to get my truck. Got back home and the battery was dead. By this time it was getting late and I had to be back to work at 5:30. So I decided to just polish it up to see what it looked like. It will be awhile before she gets paint.
It looked better, actually it looked worse in some places because it made the mismatched panel painted section more noticeable. I got it started again and went over to the church parking lot to snap some glamour shots. After the photo session it wouldn't run again. I needed to get cleaned up for work so I pushed it into a parking space and went to work.
After a bath and poilish:
After work, about 11 pm now, I decided to try again because I needed to get it back in the garage. Heavy rain was forecasted starting at midnight and last time it was exposed to heavy rain I ended up with lake Swinger in the back floor pan.
I thought about it for a second or ten and deduced that since it was lower on gas than any time since before I had bought it, it must have pulled some rust and gunk into the brand new carb. You see back in Iowa I didn't want to cut the fuel line to the carb and put an inline fuel filter in and risk causing another leak. So I pulled the brass fuel inlet off and sure enough the float needle seat supply orifice was absolutely plugged with rust. I pulled the top off the carb and sucked the crap that had made its way into the bowl. Put it all back together, boom, good as new. 30 minutes after I got it into the garage, POW big old hairy thunderstorm rolled in. Whew!
My new gas tank is supposed to be here tomorrow.
Side note. With my honda motorcycle parked sideways at the back of the garage, the Dart fit in with the door closed. Barely. The front bumper was less than an inch away from the mufflers on the bike and the door cleared by a freckle.
Woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. Not really but that's a great song!
Immediately went to work. What had been a lovely fall day on Saturday turned into a cold rainy windy winteresque Sunday. I have a nice garage heater and I've done work in here ... on motorcycles. There was no walking in front of or behind the car without opening the garage door which usually got caught on the rubber bumper guard after I had it on jack stands. So ... if I wanted to stay warmish and save time I have to go through the car doors. Fun.
I decided to work on getting the rust off the sail panel, I guess some people call it the C panel, I call it a Kaiser blade. Anyway, I wire-wheeled out what little body filler was left in the rusty weld joint that had previously been covered by something resembling a vinyl top. I continued on with the wire wheel until there was bare metal. I masked off the trim pieces and put some rust convertor on both sides. My next step will be some alum-a-lead, or all-metal, or some other body filler y'all are using in the 21st century, to fill the weld seam. Then I'll prime it and put a crappy rattle can paint job on the roof to match the current state of the body.
The next project for the weekend was to overhaul the brakes. While sitting at the car wash contemplating life in general I stepped on the brake with the door open. I heard a hiss. I could see brake fluid dripping from the left side of the axle. "Yay! Now I know where the leak is!" I exclaimed to no one in particular. So I started on the left side, hoping for a leaky wheel cylinder, which I had a replacement for. Alas it was not a leaky wheel cylinder, twas the axle line from the brass splitter thingy. Not only that, but the right side had already been cut and crimped lol. The good thing about a ruined braked line is it makes it easier, well possible to get a 6 point socket on the fittings! I went ahead and checked the brakes and BAM! nice pedal good front brakes.
I went ahead and changed the rear brakes and wheel cylinders and new hardware. While I was there I decided that I just couldn't leave the drums all rusty. Out came the grinder with a wire wheel and rust convertor again, 30 minutes, a bloody knee, and ripped pants later, a much better looking, somewhat shiny black brake drum. The right side went about the same, except substitute 30 minutes looking for the shoe adjuster pin for the bloody knee. Spoiler alert, it was under the grinder handle. After the first side was done I realized I hadn't paid attention to which side I put the primary shoe on. I got lucky though. 50/50 chance.
That was it for this weekend, next weekend I'm out of town for my mom's 70th birthday party so not much updating for a couple of weeks. I ordered a full brake line set from InlineTube. Wish me luck!
First "full" weekend to start working on the Dart. I got up early Saturday morning and headed to the parts store to get a starter. Got back home and drove it 6 blocks to the carwash to clean up the greasy parts and scrub off the oxidized paint. As I pulled into the parking lot it coughed and died, I coasted into the bay and got everything all cleaned up.
Before her bath:
I went to leave and it would start but not run. I had parked it right after the cannonball run home with it. So I figured I was out of gas. I put a gallon in and tried again. I could prime it and it would start but not run. Finally ran the battery down to clicks. I walked back home to get my truck and jumper cables.
By the time I got back and jumped it, it ram and drove. Cool. Got home, parked the dart, jumped on a bicycle and went back to get my truck. Got back home and the battery was dead. By this time it was getting late and I had to be back to work at 5:30. So I decided to just polish it up to see what it looked like. It will be awhile before she gets paint.
It looked better, actually it looked worse in some places because it made the mismatched panel painted section more noticeable. I got it started again and went over to the church parking lot to snap some glamour shots. After the photo session it wouldn't run again. I needed to get cleaned up for work so I pushed it into a parking space and went to work.
After a bath and poilish:
After work, about 11 pm now, I decided to try again because I needed to get it back in the garage. Heavy rain was forecasted starting at midnight and last time it was exposed to heavy rain I ended up with lake Swinger in the back floor pan.
I thought about it for a second or ten and deduced that since it was lower on gas than any time since before I had bought it, it must have pulled some rust and gunk into the brand new carb. You see back in Iowa I didn't want to cut the fuel line to the carb and put an inline fuel filter in and risk causing another leak. So I pulled the brass fuel inlet off and sure enough the float needle seat supply orifice was absolutely plugged with rust. I pulled the top off the carb and sucked the crap that had made its way into the bowl. Put it all back together, boom, good as new. 30 minutes after I got it into the garage, POW big old hairy thunderstorm rolled in. Whew!
My new gas tank is supposed to be here tomorrow.
Side note. With my honda motorcycle parked sideways at the back of the garage, the Dart fit in with the door closed. Barely. The front bumper was less than an inch away from the mufflers on the bike and the door cleared by a freckle.
Woke up Sunday morning with no way to hold my head that didn't hurt. Not really but that's a great song!
Immediately went to work. What had been a lovely fall day on Saturday turned into a cold rainy windy winteresque Sunday. I have a nice garage heater and I've done work in here ... on motorcycles. There was no walking in front of or behind the car without opening the garage door which usually got caught on the rubber bumper guard after I had it on jack stands. So ... if I wanted to stay warmish and save time I have to go through the car doors. Fun.
I decided to work on getting the rust off the sail panel, I guess some people call it the C panel, I call it a Kaiser blade. Anyway, I wire-wheeled out what little body filler was left in the rusty weld joint that had previously been covered by something resembling a vinyl top. I continued on with the wire wheel until there was bare metal. I masked off the trim pieces and put some rust convertor on both sides. My next step will be some alum-a-lead, or all-metal, or some other body filler y'all are using in the 21st century, to fill the weld seam. Then I'll prime it and put a crappy rattle can paint job on the roof to match the current state of the body.
The next project for the weekend was to overhaul the brakes. While sitting at the car wash contemplating life in general I stepped on the brake with the door open. I heard a hiss. I could see brake fluid dripping from the left side of the axle. "Yay! Now I know where the leak is!" I exclaimed to no one in particular. So I started on the left side, hoping for a leaky wheel cylinder, which I had a replacement for. Alas it was not a leaky wheel cylinder, twas the axle line from the brass splitter thingy. Not only that, but the right side had already been cut and crimped lol. The good thing about a ruined braked line is it makes it easier, well possible to get a 6 point socket on the fittings! I went ahead and checked the brakes and BAM! nice pedal good front brakes.
I went ahead and changed the rear brakes and wheel cylinders and new hardware. While I was there I decided that I just couldn't leave the drums all rusty. Out came the grinder with a wire wheel and rust convertor again, 30 minutes, a bloody knee, and ripped pants later, a much better looking, somewhat shiny black brake drum. The right side went about the same, except substitute 30 minutes looking for the shoe adjuster pin for the bloody knee. Spoiler alert, it was under the grinder handle. After the first side was done I realized I hadn't paid attention to which side I put the primary shoe on. I got lucky though. 50/50 chance.
That was it for this weekend, next weekend I'm out of town for my mom's 70th birthday party so not much updating for a couple of weeks. I ordered a full brake line set from InlineTube. Wish me luck!
