Father-Son 1974 Duster Project

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Bear, thanks for the advice and encouragement!
I have that HF welder down pat now, and the floors are fitted and welded in now.
Bringing her home next weekend from storage! Then we can put in lots more hours and get the ball rolling like we want....
 
Got her home finally! Made some space in the garage. My son Aaron has made it his business to roll her out everyday and accomplish something.....
 

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Congratulation's , You finally got the last member of your family home were she belongs . lol It should be a lot easier for you to work on it now .
 
This is a great thread! So cool to see you doing the resto as a family thing. Believe me, you are building a LOT more than a car! Glad to see it finally came home!
 
Thanks Guys
Floors coming along nicely and we are cutting quarter and trunk extension rust off her now.
We found a small patch of rust trough on the inner rocker on the passenger side smaller than a business card. We successfully cut in out prepped and welded in a neat little patch
I'm getting pretty good with my cheepo HF welder. Coating all inner sheet metal and the bottom of the car with Chassis Saver semi gloss.
 
DusterDaddy said:
Thanks Guys
Floors coming along nicely and we are cutting quarter and trunk extension rust off her now.
We found a small patch of rust trough on the inner rocker on the passenger side smaller than a business card. We successfully cut in out prepped and welded in a neat little patch
I'm getting pretty good with my cheepo HF welder. Coating all inner sheet metal and the bottom of the car with Chassis Saver semi gloss.
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Which welder are you using? Been looking at the HF welders myself for small jobs like this.
 
I'm using the $100 blue fluxcore HF welder
I got mine used from a Dude on Craigslist for fifty bucks!
It works great for what it is. The flux makes a residue but it cleans up well with laquer thinner
 
DusterDaddy said:
I'm using the $100 blue fluxcore HF welder
I got mine used from a Dude on Craigslist for fifty bucks!
It works great for what it is. The flux makes a residue but it cleans up well with laquer thinner
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How thick of metal will it do before it runs out of steam?
I keep having people telling me to "not waste my money on HF crap and buy a GOOD welder"....but honestly, I just need something to do small work such as what you are doing. Dropping $1500.00 on a Hobart that will spend most of it's time sitting in corner just isn't part of the plan. Do you think it would have enough mojo to weld on the subframe connectors I wanna buy? They are bolt-on/weld-on and I'm planning on installing them as bolt-on's but would like to final-weld them before I drive the car.
Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread...
 
It's good for sheetmetal that I know for sure. I also know your welding technique would be better faster with a more advanced mig welder. However, I used the HF welder to make a steel base for an attic A/C unit out of 3/16 angle stock and it is indestructible.

Our car project for me is paced by money, so most times I buy tools I need second or third hand and parts for the car I get from the place with the best value.

Post a wanted ad on here and craigslist saying you want a HF welder. Try it out and see if it's for you. If not you can sell it.

If you take your time and you practice you can do well with the flux core welder. I had plenty of members here always comment this tool is garbage, that part is inferior. You need to only do it this way.....etc etc.

I saw your thread about paint with guys telling you $10K for paint. Dude that's crazy! At least for me it is. Just use your head and have a thick skin when some of the boys try to rain on your parade! Boldly go where no man has gone before Captain!
 
DusterDaddy said:
It's good for sheetmetal that I know for sure. I also know your welding technique would be better faster with a more advanced mig welder. However, I used the HF welder to make a steel base for an attic A/C unit out of 3/16 angle stock and it is indestructible.

Our car project for me is paced by money, so most times I buy tools I need second or third hand and parts for the car I get from the place with the best value.

Post a wanted ad on here and craigslist saying you want a HF welder. Try it out and see if it's for you. If not you can sell it.

If you take your time and you practice you can do well with the flux core welder. I had plenty of members here always comment this tool is garbage, that part is inferior. You need to only do it this way.....etc etc.

I saw your thread about paint with guys telling you $10K for paint. Dude that's crazy! At least for me it is. Just use your head and have a thick skin when some of the boys try to rain on your parade! Boldly go where no man has gone before Captain!
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Knee-deep in it now, my friend!
I'm gonna paint this car whether it looks like **** or not. Unless I win the lottery, that is...
 
Great job. Keep up the good work. I can tell you when I bought my 74 it turned out that every part that was supposed to be repaired...well..wasn't. With what you are doing the car could look like a sloppy Joe and each of your kids would be as happy and proud as can be. Awesome!
 
...been doing the same thing with my son and daughter...the project got bigger than we thought :) We are almost completed....it is starting to get cold here and we are being held up be a metal worker..should have bought a welder before we started..The bracket would be easy to make...we are just about the a month waiting for this..

Good luck..it is bags of fun..

ian.
 
Captain, keep going with the body work and prep....
Here's what a someone said to me recently at a local car show when we talked about paint jobs, " Ya know, these things left the factory 40 years ago with single stage paint jobs...."
That's what's going on our Duster when she's ready. A few local body shops have quoted under a grand if we do most of the prep. I also bought some fenders from a fellow member who lives in the next town over and he painted his Duster in his 1 car garage last winter with single stage paint and it looks real nice. He took his time and he learned as he went. So you don't need to spend a fortune on paint.

Dartn440, We knew that the kid the PO bought or car from just troweled Bondo onto the car right over the rust and he pop riveted aluminum flashing over the rust holes in the floors and quarters and just covered it up.

My big guy loves digging out the plastic with a wire wheel in the grinder so we can see where to cut the cancer out. This poor car is still so solid and straight even though she had some cancer. We don't have it all out yet but we're working on it.

She's going to get some nice new quarter panel skins and some small ribbon patches welded into her door skins. We are so committed to make sure she's just not an old ***** in a new dress, lol.

Ian, I loved the way you built the wooden rotisserie/cradle for your project, I was considering it but I elected to use jack stands and creepers. We didn't need to pull the K frame or rear so we're not flipping her. But I am a carpenter by trade and I would have used your method if I needed to. And all the while you had your kids with you!

It makes me feel great my whole family loves this old car! They all help and want to be a part of it. My oldest asked me how long the car would last. I told him if we find and clean every bit of rust and keep her inside she'll last forever....this was good for him because he's the kind of kid who hates change...I told him when I'm really old I want him to come visit me often and take me for a ride in our Duster, and to make sure he chirps the tires when he hits 2nd on his way home.....He told me not to talk like that.....He said he and I would be taking our lawn chairs out of the trunk of this car at cruise nights and sitting next to our "Science Project" for many many years to come......
This is work well worth it!
DD
 
DusterDaddy said:
Captain, keep going with the body work and prep....
Here's what a someone said to me recently at a local car show when we talked about paint jobs, " Ya know, these things left the factory 40 years ago with single stage paint jobs...."
That's what's going on our Duster when she's ready. A few local body shops have quoted under a grand if we do most of the prep. I also bought some fenders from a fellow member who lives in the next town over and he painted his Duster in his 1 car garage last winter with single stage paint and it looks real nice. He took his time and he learned as he went. So you don't need to spend a fortune on paint.
DD
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My sentiments exactly.....
You keep up what you're doing on your Duster with your family. My kids are all grown now, but since my son bought his own Duster last month, we have "re-bonded" in a BIG way. We were always close, but now we talk on a daily basis as I've re-kindled my interest in my project, and he's planning his own! We hope to make a bunch of local shows and cruise nights in the future! I wish I'd had the time to do what you're doing when my boys were young instead of leaving my car under a tarp, but....better late than never, right? Anyway, you and your family are on a good path. Keep it up!:D
 
A picture of the front floor pans welded in with a coat of Chassis Saver over the seam ready for seam filler. I bought 3M urethane from Autobody Tool Mart. Waiting until I pull the blower motor and my son scrapes and sands off the construction adhesive a PO used to install carpet. Then a coat of Chassis Saver on the whole floor, firewall and underside of the roof. Planning on coating the inside of the front roof pillars with the CS as well. Going to make a gizmo out of a round faux paint brush on an old antenna.
 

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I was able to weld a 3/8 x 1" patch in the passenger side front roof pillar. There was a rust through on the vertical side of the windshield pocket. Coated the whole area after I ground down the weld with Chassis Saver. Going to apply seam sealer over the weld in case there are any pin holes in the patch weld.
I know it looks a bit ugly now but I only have a 4" grinder. Need to get a Dremel I guess.
The great thing about the Chassis Saver is unlike POR15, urethane primer adheres to it amazingly.
 

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When this car was sitting outside prior to coming to us she was leaning to the right so the cowl drains filled with debris. the cowl rusted through on the corner to the outside and the inner cowl has a large chunk rusted out. Was able to get a section of a cowl from a Dart Sport that I can get the inner and outer metal to make repairs.
 

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Cutting off the quarters a little bit at a time to expose rust. There was a small rust through on the inner rocker on the right side and the trunk drop off towards the wheel well. Made a nice little patch on the inner rocker. Need to get a pattern for the vertical sides of the trunk drop offs. I've decided to get the quarter skins after the inner stuff is all repaired then we'll figure out where to put the seam for the skin installation.
 

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Good stuff, indeed! It never ceases to amaze me how our forum members just grit their teeth and dig in...even if it means hacking off an arm and a leg! Great work! Keep going and you will reap the rewards!
 
Seems like progress is picking up now that you got her home ! Your going to be an old school body man before you know it ! lol Keep up the good work "DusterDaddy" !
 
My son wanted to do something that was not going to be under the car or under the carpet yesterday so we cut out some rust through on the deck lid we will be using.
Tacked in a piece of the skin that came off the lid that our car came with.
I'll stitch weld it one day next week.
I hope to cut the rusty quarter and trunk extension off the drivers side later today
 

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Captainkirk said:
How thick of metal will it do before it runs out of steam?
I keep having people telling me to "not waste my money on HF crap and buy a GOOD welder"....but honestly, I just need something to do small work such as what you are doing. Dropping $1500.00 on a Hobart that will spend most of it's time sitting in corner just isn't part of the plan. Do you think it would have enough mojo to weld on the subframe connectors I wanna buy? They are bolt-on/weld-on and I'm planning on installing them as bolt-on's but would like to final-weld them before I drive the car.
Sorry if I'm hijacking your thread...
Click to expand...

I welded my connectors in with mine, they haven't fallen off yet.
 
My son Aaron rolled her out this morning for a wash and wax.....lol
 

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