How a small rust repair turns into a full blown resto

[moparjoe71]

I figure it is time to start my resto thread, I bought this car when I was barely 16 years old from my neighbor who had it stashed in his garage. His father bought it new in chehalis Washington. I was aware of the car but had never seen it in the day light, on afternoon he had it in the drive way idling. I spoke with him for about fifteen minutes about the car and it turns out that it was time for him to sell it and he was washing it up and gonna throw a sign in the window. After my father gave me the thumbs up we worked out a deal and for 800 bucks she was mine! Original one ownerun touched 1971 Plymouth duster 225 with a 3 on the tree and 62000 miles on it

 

[moparjoe71]

This was a few months after I bought the car the dent in the door was from the original owners wife

 

[moparjoe71]

It didn’t take me long to blow the original off of it and primer it with rattle can black, and slot mags

 

[moparjoe71]

Shortly after high school I did what I thought was a good repair job on a pitted lower rear quarter panel and threw an OK paint job at it

 

[moparjoe71]

Not my best work

 

[moparjoe71]

It worked though

 

[moparjoe71]

Even though I was guessing as to what I was doing with ton of help from my good buddy’s dad we got a coat of paint on her and she looked pretty good

 

[moparjoe71]

Ages 16-24 were hard on the old girl, two three speeds, one 904, and a 727 met their makers behind three different small blocks. I finally decided it was time to put an engine together that would hold up to my right foot. A ballanced and bored 360 with 10.75:1 compression and ported polished 340 heads and a nasty cam went together. With an over drive 4 speed, and a new a body 8 3/4 with a full Yukon gear and axle set up finished it out. I also threw on a later model set of disc brakes up front. It was in this form that the car stayed until January of 2018

 

[moparjoe71]

In 2008 I married my high school sweet heart and bought our first home. I all but forgot about the old Plymouth hiding next to my house Hers a pic of two other fabo members cars next to mine rotting away

 

[moparjoe71]

Two kids and ten years later I final bought a new home with a small garage. For the first time since 1998 my car had a garage to rest in. It was officially time to make her great again! It started with a small rust whole in the area I had already patched, after getting over the hump of grinding off the paint I had worked so hard on many years prior it was clear to me that I had to undo everything I had done as a kid

 

[moparjoe71]

I started in on the one area that bothered me the most. The engine bay! Twenty year old teenager wirering and terrible paint prep had taken it toll

 

[moparjoe71]

My first thoughts were that I would redo the engine bay completely and paint it the color that I really wanted to paint it as a kid

 

[gilberttitan08]

I started in on the one area that bothered me the most. The engine bay! Twenty year old teenager wirering and terrible paint prep had taken it toll

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Man, thank you for the wonderful history!!! Glad you’re back on the saddle, looks MARVELOUS!

 

[moparjoe71]

After the engine bay was done I made the decision to keep going and redo all of the body work and paint the whole car, I never intended to get this deep this fast but I had the support of my family so I dove in head first and with the help of my son we blocked the entire car out by hand, ironing out any and all imperfections we found

 

[moparjoe71]

Next was high build primer and another round of guide coat and block it out again

 

[moparjoe71]

It took four months of every night in the shop welding grinding sanding priming and sanding some more but bye may it was ready for paint

 

[moparjoe71]

I had always dreamed of a more modern metal flake blue with a blackout hood and 340 stripes so the color choice was very easy

 

[moparjoe71]

After a couple of days for the paint to cure we got right into the color sanding note that my sone has a block with no paper on it lol

 

[moparjoe71]

It got just to dang hot out side and I got super busy at work so from June to December the car sat untouched

 

[moparjoe71]

Finally after Christmas with my family it was time for reassembly! The engine is still strong and required nothing more than a pressure was and a paint job

 

[moparjoe71]

At this point it was time for a few upgrades. Sub frame connectors, super stock springs, kyb shocks, a complete redo on the entire engine and head light harness including an relay upgrade for the headlights and a bulk head bypass and wire size upgrade for the alternator I also decided it was about time to make this pig shift better so I fabled up new shifter rods with 1/2 in tubing and heim joints ( best mod on the car!) and mcload clutch set

 

[moparjoe71]

I left the interior pretty much as I had it before with the exception of a rear bench seat recover and a pair of new pro car buckets up front

 

[moparjoe71]

That brings us up to date. I since got the car running and driving and installed the 340 stripes and tail panel stripe

 

[moparjoe71]

90% complete! Some day when I find the right deal on a 340. I will make it an actual h code clone. And I would also like to trade out my o.d. Tranny for An iron case 4 speed

 

[moparjoe71]

Just for comparison.