Thanks. I'll be carpeting the interior, so I'm not worried about making it perfect. I just wanted to know if I'm on the right track for the quarter panel repairs. Sounds like I am, but I am still REALLY nervous about doing those and having it come out right.
1970 Dart 340
- Thread starter ab7fh
- Start date
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AdamR
Big Member
1/4s are scary. Use lots of tack welds, keep them spaced out so the panel doesnt get to hot and warp.
flyboy01
Its almost done!
YES! Be very careful, I warped the hell out of mine welding up holes. Start in the middle with one tack, then go 1' to the right, then the left, then go 2' right, then left, then tack at the ends wait a few minutes, then start over again. Note: It could take many hours to do it so that it would not warp. Patience is the key. Tig welding is quicker with less heat. If you are welding with a mig, practice on a few pices of similar thichness metal, and get the settings just right. Or, take it to a pro.
AdamR
Big Member
When welding up holes get a piece of Copper ( flattend pipe or flashing) and place it behind the holes your welding. The weld wont stick to it and it will keep the weld from falling in.
340sFastback
Well-Known Member
Lots of good advice above. One thing I will throw in is before you butt weld panels together make sure they are aligned. Butt welding clamps work well but also check with a straight edge where applicable. The other thing is if you get into a cycle of weld, grind, weld, grind, you can end up making the metal too thin and then you begin to blow holes in it easily. Also, watch the heat when grinding the welds. You can warp the metal grinding too much at a time. I changed my grinding disc frequently so less griding would be needed to knock the welds down. After going around and tacking weld residue can discolor the metal and cause later tacks not to lay cleanly. Hitting the area with a wire wheel to keep it shiny will make the welding go much smoother. And lastly, using ear plugs not only protects your ears but makes the grinding a lot more enjoyable.
MoparNoob
73 Swinger
I want that seat! Lol.
Very nice car!
Very nice car!
YUCK! Paint stripper is NASTY!. It sure works well though. The first coat burned through the black rattle can paint job. The next coat loosened the factory paint and primer pretty well, but required quite a bit of wire brushing by hand to break down the stubborn stuff. One drop of that stuff on your skin and you'll know it quick
The inner fenders looked like Swiss cheese from holes drilled for previous owners accessories. I've filled in all of the "extra" holes in the inner fenders, but a bunch more still need to be done on the firewall.
The inner fenders looked like Swiss cheese from holes drilled for previous owners accessories. I've filled in all of the "extra" holes in the inner fenders, but a bunch more still need to be done on the firewall.
340sFastback
Well-Known Member
Any updates on the floors?
3
340srule
Guest
Nice little project you have there...i'd say go big smallblock as in a nice 416/408 stroker you'll get 500 h.p. easy,and nice time slips too,then again i'm partial to strokers...
I haven't closed the floors up yet. I have a big decision to make about the cars suspension. As it sits, the car is set up with S&W ladder bars. They are mounted to home made subframe connectors. I don't like the way the connectors attach to the tranny crossmember. I either need to reinforce it, or start over. If I start over, I may just back half the car.
It will be much easier to deal with the connectors or a back half with the floors out, so... until I make up my mind they're staying open.
It will be much easier to deal with the connectors or a back half with the floors out, so... until I make up my mind they're staying open.
'64 Cuda
Well-Known Member
The last two photos show an area that was hacked up to make room for fenderwell headers. They removed part of the support structure and never did anything to reinforce the area. That's what I did. I boxed it in, so it will still provide clearance but still be strong.
I'm curious about the part where you said they cut part of the support structure. When I put fenderwell headers on my '64 the directions for cutting that section (this is at the bottom of the wheelwell, behind the tire, to let the collector pass through. Right?) emphasized that this isn't part of the support structure, only a splash shield. Am I missing something? It didn't look like a support structure, but I could be wrong. Could you show a picture from the bottom side, to show the more of how you boxed it? It does look like they took out way too much of the inner fenderwell.
It was boxing in the corner of the uni-body, so I figured it must have added some support. :dunno:
I'll get some more pics today.
Here's the latest:
My neighbor had a glass shop come out to replace the windshield on his truck. I stopped by asked the installer if he would remove the glass from the Dart for me. He did the job for $25 and most importantly didn't mess up the trim.
I was pleasantly surprised to find no rust behind the windshield. A lot of Dart's aren't so lucky.
Once the windshield was out I was able to remove the dash.
My neighbor had a glass shop come out to replace the windshield on his truck. I stopped by asked the installer if he would remove the glass from the Dart for me. He did the job for $25 and most importantly didn't mess up the trim.
I was pleasantly surprised to find no rust behind the windshield. A lot of Dart's aren't so lucky.
Once the windshield was out I was able to remove the dash.
You've done an amazing amount of work on the body of the car. I thought I had a lot of body work to do on my Swinger, but I had decent floors to start with. My qtr pnls were the hardest part of the job. You are off the a very good start. (just picked up a 383 for mine.) Good luck. Howard
Thanks for the words of encouragement! I was actually getting pretty down today, because of how long I have been cleaning the front clip, and it's still not 100% I'm hoping I can finish the cleaning this weekend and get some epoxy primer on there.
I'm hoping I can finish the cleaning this weekend and get some epoxy primer on there.redfastback
Don't ask me... my garage is empty
it looks good. you have done more than most would attempt, but it will be sick. better than most out there. keep us updated.
needsaresto
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 13, 2004
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Good job!
You might not have done any work like that before but your managing rather well.
My 70 Dart is at least as big a project.The floorboards are good,but the trunk,1/4s and inner fenders have to be done as well as the wheel wells out back.
Its a little scary starting a project that big!
As far as cooling the welds down,you can direct compressed air at the welds.It will speed cooling up a little.
You might not have done any work like that before but your managing rather well.
My 70 Dart is at least as big a project.The floorboards are good,but the trunk,1/4s and inner fenders have to be done as well as the wheel wells out back.
Its a little scary starting a project that big!
As far as cooling the welds down,you can direct compressed air at the welds.It will speed cooling up a little.
One of the boards moderators stopped by yesterday to check out my project. Hotwheelsjr (Mike) drove his Demon, and his friend Rick drove his '70 Challenger. It was great to hear the rumblin' Mopars Great incentive to get mine done.
I used Rick's tip on removing the rain gutter. I had a can opener that seemed made for the job. The prong on the can opener broke off after I did the first side, but I was able to weld it back on and remove the other side without a problem.
I also pulled the rear window, and the window channel trim as well. Not much left to strip off of her.:thumbup:
I didn't meet my goal of finishing the metal prep on the front clip. There's too many nooks and crannies to clean:cussing:
Great incentive to get mine done.I used Rick's tip on removing the rain gutter. I had a can opener that seemed made for the job. The prong on the can opener broke off after I did the first side, but I was able to weld it back on and remove the other side without a problem.
I also pulled the rear window, and the window channel trim as well. Not much left to strip off of her.:thumbup:
I didn't meet my goal of finishing the metal prep on the front clip. There's too many nooks and crannies to clean:cussing:
sublimeswinger
SUBLIME Senior Member
I finally broke down and bought a sand blaster. It makes a hell of a mess, but it beats using chemical stripper and all that is involved with that hands down...
I bought a 40 bound pressure feed unit from Harbor Freight. Had I known how quick it would go through media (play sand) I would have sprung for the 90lb unit.
I bought a 40 bound pressure feed unit from Harbor Freight. Had I known how quick it would go through media (play sand) I would have sprung for the 90lb unit.
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