72 Dart Palomino Project

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RAT ROD AL

MOPAR ARCHAEOLOGIST - one parts hoard at a time!
FABO Gold Member
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Jan 18, 2013
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Location
Robbinsville, North Carolina
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I picked this car up a couple months back. Ran and drove decent. I knew it had some rust issues under the vinyl top and some around the rear wheel openings.


The drip edge was rotted off
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And hacked up under all the bondo
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So after digging into what was left

the gutters are all rotted out


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So with being in too deep on price of a slant six car, whats the next step. After cutting out most of the rusted top , I was thinkin Make it Topless !
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But that would only solve half the problems. Not to mention my wife wasn't too hip to the convertible, since there would not be a top for it.


Rear 1/4 glass didn't want to operate , rear seat was all ripped up. So I decided to go a different route !

I was just checking this option . Started checking fittment of stuff I had on hand and I started liking it !
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So I cut down some parts , swapped some 73 ventless doors on it .

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Had to fab up all the rear dutchman as it was all rotted off.
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Do some rust repair in the trunk floor and make it into a bed .
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Biggest trick is gonna be the door glass. Have to trim it down. Not sure if possible. I experimented with a scrap temperd glass, using a thin cut off wheel, thought I was onto something. Cut about 2 inches in and stopped thinking I should keep it cool with the hose. Put the cutter down and stepped out to get the hose and I heard it shatter and hit the floor in a million pieces. So back to the drawing board for that !
 
May have to have a glass shop make the glass for you. Guessing they may have tricks to modify it without breakage.
 
Well this isn't going to be a high dollar resto ! Mostly low budget and with parts I have on hand. If I can't work any magic on the glass, I may use lexan or the like. With being in Florida with no AC the glass would be down 99% of the time anyway.
 
Make a pattern out of heavy cardboard & take it to you local glass shop, or make a couple of side windows out of clear polycarbonate you can get at your local home improvement store.
 
My buddy the retired glass man says to mask and sandblast the side glass to cut it.
 
What true FABO member can't like this? Before we retire and move back to Florida, please let me know if I can Donate to the project. I have a bunch of stuff I can't afford to move, but it's not junk. Following.
 
Biggest trick is gonna be the door glass. Have to trim it down. Not sure if possible. I experimented with a scrap temperd glass, using a thin cut off wheel, thought I was onto something. Cut about 2 inches in and stopped thinking I should keep it cool with the hose. Put the cutter down and stepped out to get the hose and I heard it shatter and hit the floor in a million pieces. So back to the drawing board for that !
Get hold of a good glass shop. They can come cut it right. It doesn't cost a ton.
 
What true FABO member can't like this? Before we retire and move back to Florida, please let me know if I can Donate to the project. I have a bunch of stuff I can't afford to move, but it's not junk. Following.

I would like to buy all you stuff, but we couldn't be much further apart . What part of Florida you moving to ?
 
Get hold of a good glass shop. They can come cut it right. It doesn't cost a ton.
Started testing another method on the glass. Was using a 4" flapper disc and water hose to keep glass cool. Got about an inch off the top rear corner. Stopped, walked away and then I heard it shatter . This was the actual door glass. So I guess it's not possible to cut it at all. The Professor says sandblast it in a post above ! Not to sure how to do that.
 
Well this isn't going to be a high dollar resto ! Mostly low budget and with parts I have on hand. If I can't work any magic on the glass, I may use lexan or the like. With being in Florida with no AC the glass would be down 99% of the time anyway.

Yes 1/4" Lexan.

Can cut it with a jig saw without it splintering like acrylic.

You can use stock windows as the curvature templates, with some heat the lexan will conform to the shape then cut it to size.

Can also polish it too. DA the cut edges with 240 > 400 grit then final polish by hand edges only.

Did this custom walk through tinted boat windshield out of Lexan. Used 2 heat guns and a wood form to bend the 90° corner radius.

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