73-76 Dart/Duster Sail Panel conversion

[C2ndLTpigeon]

I have been having a hard time finding replacement sail panels for my 1975 Dodge dart Sport, (duster body) . Is there a way to use the older Duster sail panels form 1970-72 in the later bodies? Has anyone done so, and have any pictures to share?

Thanks

 

[Mopar to ya]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I believe I have extra sail panels for a 1973 Dart Sport if you think they fit.

 

[C2ndLTpigeon]

I don't know the answer to your question, but I believe I have extra sail panels for a 1973 Dart Sport if you think they fit.

Ill send you a PM

 

[go-fish]

@C2ndLTpigeon
I have some rough a-pillars I can give you. I’ll shoot you a PM when I get to them this evening.

 

[C2ndLTpigeon]

Well time to ask the question again as I have had no luck in getting the pieces I need. Can early models sail panels be used in 73+ cars with modification?

 

[RAT ROD AL]

Wish I could help you out Rafael, but I have none of those items.

 

[C2ndLTpigeon]

Wish I could help you out Rafael, but I have none of those items.

I know you would, Thanks alot Al, you have always been good to me when it comes to parts.

 

[72bluNblu]

Yes, you can use the ‘70-72 Duster/Demon metal sail panels in the ‘73-76 Dusters/Dart Sports. You have to make the notch in the corner for the window latch a bit bigger to clear the later hardware. Once you do that the metal panel bolts in. The metal panels don’t cover all the way back to the rear window though, so you either have to use the earlier cardboard sail board to cover that area or make something on your own.

I’ll see if I have any pictures of my Duster handy, I use the metal panels on mine.

 

[C2ndLTpigeon]

Yes, you can use the ‘70-72 Duster/Demon metal sail panels in the ‘73-76 Dusters/Dart Sports. You have to make the notch in the corner for the window latch a bit bigger to clear the later hardware. Once you do that the metal panel bolts in. The metal panels don’t cover all the way back to the rear window though, so you either have to use the earlier cardboard sail board to cover that area or make something on your own.

I’ll see if I have any pictures of my Duster handy, I use the metal panels on mine.

Awesome thanks for the info! I see those available often and might be something I end up doing

 

[72bluNblu]

Here’s a couple of pictures. If you have the later plastic panels they have a notch for the window latch, you basically have to replicate that notch on the earlier panels (which have a smaller notch). I found the notch had to be a little bigger on the metal panels just because the shape of the panel is a little different in that area. I made the sail board to cover back to the rear window out of ABS plastic sheet.

 

[Ozyduster]

Here’s a couple of pictures. If you have the later plastic panels they have a notch for the window latch, you basically have to replicate that notch on the earlier panels (which have a smaller notch). I found the notch had to be a little bigger on the metal panels just because the shape of the panel is a little different in that area. I made the sail board to cover back to the rear window out of ABS plastic sheet.

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Thread dig, but how does the old style line up with the later model door trim do the lines etc match up?

 

[HPP]

Zombie thread alert....

I appreciate the details on swapping the early rear window trim panels into later cars.

Can you do the same trim swap on the doors or are early door trim pieces integrated into the door stamping like B bodies?

 

[72bluNblu]

Zombie thread alert....

I appreciate the details on swapping the early rear window trim panels into later cars.

Can you do the same trim swap on the doors or are early door trim pieces integrated into the door stamping like B bodies?

Unfortunately the door trim can't be swapped the same way. The '70-72 doors just have metal tops, it's part of the inner door stamping. The '73-76 doors with plastic upper panels are not solid underneath, they just have mounts for the upper trim pieces. The other issue is that even if you cut an earlier door top/bottom and welded it onto your '73+ door, you'd be out of luck for door panels. The earlier door panels are smaller, so the later ones would no longer fit, but your door handles are in different spots, so, you'd have to custom make your door panels.

So the best way to get the early trim is to swap the entire door. Which gets you everything to match an earlier car, just remember that you need everything. As in, the entire '70-72 door will bolt right onto the later 73+ car, but none of the door guts interchange, so you need the glass, window and door mechanisms from whatever year your door came from.

Somewhere on here is a thread where a member used early doors as donors and welded the metal tops/bottoms onto his later doors, but apparently I didn't bookmark it so I haven't found it again yet.

 

[HPP]

I thought that might be how the early doors were configured, thanks for confirming.

I would thinking grafting these pieces in to the later doors would be a ton of work, and you have to have access to the early doors as well, so swapping would be easier. Although I guess if the early doors were rusted hulks that couldn't otherwise be used, there is some merit to it.

The uppers in my '74 are fragged bad. Perhaps I will investigate alternatives for the upper trim piece that might integrate the door panel as well. Thinking of something along the lines of street rod type of construction. Aside from the rolled top, these are basically a flat sheet.

 

[72bluNblu]

I thought that might be how the early doors were configured, thanks for confirming.

I would thinking grafting these pieces in to the later doors would be a ton of work, and you have to have access to the early doors as well, so swapping would be easier. Although I guess if the early doors were rusted hulks that couldn't otherwise be used, there is some merit to it.

The uppers in my '74 are fragged bad. Perhaps I will investigate alternatives for the upper trim piece that might integrate the door panel as well. Thinking of something along the lines of street rod type of construction. Aside from the rolled top, these are basically a flat sheet.

Yeah I totally agree, converting the later doors to use earlier tops/bottoms would be a decent amount of work, more so than even putting a rolled metal top on them or something because you'd still have a decent amount of custom work to do with the originals. And although you could use a set of donor doors with rust for the panels, they'd have to be pretty rusty to have the conversion be less work than just fixing the earlier doors.

For my money I just bought a set of early doors that will end up on my Duster eventually to help "complete" the '74 Duster to '71 Demon clone job. But the doors are really only getting done because the plastic door tops are pretty worn out and aren't reproduced. It's more a functional thing than me trying to make more accurate clone.