Daves 1969 Dart Swinger 340 Restoration.
- Thread starter dbphemi
- Start date
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340_dart_power
Well-Known Member
Lot of work ahead of you, but it'll be worth it.
Keep going and keep the photos coming.
Keep going and keep the photos coming.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
Finnished welding up the inner rocker cleaned it up and shot it with ppg dplf. Gonna weld the outer on rocker on tomorow and call it done for now. If the frame rack is free im going to throw it up on there and get ready to change the drivers front fame rail.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I drilled what seemed like a million holes for making plug welds and got 75% of my welding done on the rocker panel. Of course it had to be Almost 90 outside while i was doing it lol.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I finished welding in the rocker panel on Friday. I Left the bottom outer A pillar unwelded . I have a piece I'm gonna section in that's rust free later on in the build. I'm starting to feel a sense of progress :hello1: . Next week I'm gonna start working on replacing the drivers front frame rail. Got to get it done in 4 weeks before the class is over :???:
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I put the dart on the Caroliner frame bench, pulled out the front suspension and am getting ready to replace the front drivers rail. I attempted to patch it but was not happy with the outcome so I'm replacing the whole thing for piece of mind.The torsion bar mount area is bad too some iI'm sectioning in a piece there also.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I drilled out a bunch of spot welds broke out the plasma cutter and removed the rusty frame from my life lol. I have fred flinstone breaks now 
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
In case anyone was wondering i took multiple measurements of the frame and marked them on the car before cutting out the rail and cross member. The frame bench has the body locked in position so that im able to do this. Dont try this at home children!! lol
OneOfMany
Well-Known Member
Love the way you metal guys make it look almost easy.
Grant
Grant
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
It only looks easy till your doing it lol. I used to be one of the guys watching others and decided to take some classes and learn how to do it myself. It certainly helps having the schools $30k frame machine and nice welders and cutting tools. The number one thing is keeping the motivation to do the work.
LH23H2R
Well-Known Member
dbphemi : That's some beautiful work you've done there !
This LM23P9 is going to awesome when it's all done ; Y2 'Brite' Yellow
( truly a misnomer ! ) is going to look fantastic on those carefully-recrafted flanks 8-) .
The most amazing body work I've ever seen in person ?
My friend's Peugeot 405 .
He bought an otherwise super clean '90 405 ( metallic white with cranberry-coloured leather interior ) that was hit hard in the left-rear .
The car was a total ; my friend gave $400 for it .
He & I went to a salvage yard in Wilmington that specialises in foreign makes ; and there we found an '89 405 which was hit in the front . This car gave up its 'B' pillar-back clip .
He took 2 semesters at the local j.c. and repaired the car there . First semester included the cut-and-paste-then-realign ( via the frame straightener ) routine ; 2nd semester was the finish work and paint .
He resprayed it in Porsche white with a flip-flop blue/red/gold pearl .
There isn't a single place on that 405 where you can see its repairs !
Oh , and this was his very first attempt at invasive , extensive body work ! :tard:
I mention this , as I see that your work is progressing quite like my friend's work did : superb , with a focus on the overall subject ; "devil's in the details" .
Keep up the GREAT work ! :angel11:
This LM23P9 is going to awesome when it's all done ; Y2 'Brite' Yellow
( truly a misnomer ! ) is going to look fantastic on those carefully-recrafted flanks 8-) .
The most amazing body work I've ever seen in person ?
My friend's Peugeot 405 .
He bought an otherwise super clean '90 405 ( metallic white with cranberry-coloured leather interior ) that was hit hard in the left-rear .
The car was a total ; my friend gave $400 for it .
He & I went to a salvage yard in Wilmington that specialises in foreign makes ; and there we found an '89 405 which was hit in the front . This car gave up its 'B' pillar-back clip .
He took 2 semesters at the local j.c. and repaired the car there . First semester included the cut-and-paste-then-realign ( via the frame straightener ) routine ; 2nd semester was the finish work and paint .
He resprayed it in Porsche white with a flip-flop blue/red/gold pearl .
There isn't a single place on that 405 where you can see its repairs !
Oh , and this was his very first attempt at invasive , extensive body work ! :tard:
I mention this , as I see that your work is progressing quite like my friend's work did : superb , with a focus on the overall subject ; "devil's in the details" .
Keep up the GREAT work ! :angel11:
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
Thanks LH23H2R . Having a good teacher has a lot to do with me pulling this off. Its not my first attempt though. I got lots of practice on other cars before he would let me bring this one in. My mission is to make it a running restoration by the fall and I'm going to aim for taking the class again next spring and shooting some paint on it.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I Finished removing the trans cross member from my floor pan sand blasted all of my new frame parts and sprayed them with PPG dp epoxy primer. I picked up a descent front fender from a swap meet this weekend for 15 bucks! it need a little repair on the bottom but its a lot nicer than the one i have.
340_dart_power
Well-Known Member
Really looks good. Keep the photos coming.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
Thanks 340 dart power & jmcl63. I try to post pics a couple a times a week . I'm ready to blast and strip the hole car and shoot it in primer . Primer make old cars look new lol.
DieWilde13
Well-Known Member
Yeah, bring her back to life!!:geek:
Good Job man!
Good Job man!
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I cleaned up the inner rocker sprayed it with some etching primer. I made a patch for the z bar stud mount area and welded it up. I clamped the new frame in place and am fitting it prior to welding in. I checked all the measurements and its close within a few mm. I'll adjust it tomorrow and start welding it in place.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I got the main structure of the frame welded in today. I'm gonna work on the inner fender and the radiator support in the next few days. I have 2 weeks left at school and she will be coming home in much better shape than she left.:thumblef::thumblef:
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
Today i trimmed and fit the drivers floor pan. I marked and drilled holes for plug welds and trimmed for the 4 speed linkage and shot it with ppg dplf primer.
dbphemi
Well-Known Member
I smashed my camera phone while working on my car this week so I didn't take too many pictures . The frame is all welded back in. I plug welded the drivers floor pan in . I checked my measurements and the rail had moved up 4 mm so gently pulled it back down with the frame puller. I then bolted the k member back up in the car. On Friday I fit the rear deck lid. The car had been rear ended at some point in the past and the hinges got bent all out a wack and the right quarter panel was pushed over about quarter of an inch. Ive got 3 working days left in the class then we spend a day cleaning the shop and one day to party! :drinkers: In the last 3 days I'm going to make a few small patches to the floor pan try to squeeze in some sandblaster time and clean up the tail and of the car and if there is any time left try to figure out how to turn a 68 dart fender into a 69 dart fender. Then its time to rent a trailer a take her home :thumblef:
You're doing great. Will you be picking back up in school next fall? The local community college here is a 2 year course.
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