Dirtbag Duster

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Wow! Nice work there. I hope you plan to keep it for a long time.
Excellent color choice. I'm a sucker for green though.:love7:
Keep us updated.
Tom.
 
Good lord, man... You have some skill!!!! I wish I had a welder, it would make my work so much easier..........and a shop,., and.. and.. and... :)

Jealously yours,
Miles
 
Like your car, it's looking real clean....my first duster was green, wish I still had it. Oh well....keep posting pics
 
Judge Mills said:
Good lord, man... You have some skill!!!! I wish I had a welder, it would make my work so much easier..........and a shop,., and.. and.. and... :)

Jealously yours,
Miles
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Don't feel too bad. It took me 20 years to get all this equipment. My buddy and I wired, insulated, and drywalled his garage a few years back.
 
We are applying stripes, and WOW! This car is going to way too cool for me to own it. Applying the vinyl is not bad, as long as you follow the instructions. We're using water with a dab of Dawn in it, rather than windows cleaner. I think the glass cleaner would dry WAY too fast. I don't need the added stress.

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Finally, paint is DONE. The black went on today, and it rules. I'm happy. I have Monday and Tuesday off. I plan to make a lot of progress.

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dayyum dude...come work on mine...please?
 
I love your car I also have a 72 and I hope that mine comes out half as nice as yours. If you don't mind how much did that hood set you back?
 
looks really really great!
I like the paint and the stripes (hope to get mine applied during the next weeks) and of cource the hood!
what about the quality and fitting accuracy of the hood? any rework required?
 
Der Sebi said:
looks really really great!
I like the paint and the stripes (hope to get mine applied during the next weeks) and of cource the hood!
what about the quality and fitting accuracy of the hood? any rework required?
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I was very happy with the hood. It was not perfect, but not bad either. It fit ok relative to the fenders and cowl, but the hinge bolts did not fit. The holes were too close to the top of the hood, so I had to take a die grider to the hinges and make the slots bigger.

You need low tension hood springs. I have those and it still seemed way too stiff at the top of the hood's travel. So I limited the travel with a couple rubber bumpers that the hood hinges bump up against.

The hood needed some blocking out and a little filler. If you're not picky, maybe it would look ok if you just scuffed it and painted it. Since I went with semi-gloss, I wanted it straight.

Good luck with your car!

Mark
 
Got rear wheels and tires mounted today. Also got an alignment. I am really happy with the appearance. Glass guy comes tomorrow.

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At the drags - my first time racing, and only the 4th time I've driven the car. Best time: 12.98 at 105 MPH. I need to work on my technique at the line. But, the car drove 50 miles there, raced all night and went 50 miles home. That's a good day!

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fourspeed said:
Got rear wheels and tires mounted today. Also got an alignment. I am really happy with the appearance. Glass guy comes tomorrow.


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Can I raise a concern?
Exhaust like this scares me a bit, should something happen engine wise, especially on a pass on track, could get oil on the tires. I know the chances are remote, I would just hate to see all the work, and the beautiful car meet the wall due to oil down....
 
Backtobasics said:
Can I raise a concern?
Exhaust like this scares me a bit, should something happen engine wise, especially on a pass on track, could get oil on the tires. I know the chances are remote, I would just hate to see all the work, and the beautiful car meet the wall due to oil down....
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I hear ya. Not real sure what I can do about that, but I hear ya.
 
I guess I never updated this thread. I went racing again and had a best of 12.77 with no changes to the car, just better driving!

Then, at the end of race season, I borrowed a set of 3.91 gears from a friend. I went down to the drag strip and ran about a half dozen passes. My best was 12.487 at 110mph. That made me smile. So I fueled up and drove the 44 miles home.

Some opinions:
My car could REALLY use more gear. Like a 4.30 or 4.56.
3.91 is about the limit for a car that will be driven on the freeway.
A five speed would be really nice - but I can't spend that kind of cash when I already have a perfectly good four speed.

Next year:
Get the grille finished up.
Need to find a non-A/C heater setup and install it.
Grind the rear spring sliders off the frame and move them back. Maybe I'll make them adjustable this time.
Aftermarket seat belts with usable shoulder belts.
Foam and seat cover for front bench.
Re-do the exhaust.
Build a center section with 3.91 gears.
Maybe build another center section for racing?
 
Me and the guys moved my leaf spring sliders back. Now they actually MOVE! Of course, the ride is vastly improved. :) I also took the 1.5" lowering blocks out. The springs have settled quite a bit already, and I think now that they can flex, they'll settle out a little more. A couple recent pics:

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