71dusterdan
Well-Known Member
This is the year boys, after letting my 71 Duster sit for 3 years after my Harley purchase. This is the year I light a fire under my rear again. I have parts everywhere getting things done. The doors are at the bodyshop, they were straightened and primed, sealed and then trimmed in the new body color. I was gonna drop off all of the interior tin, so they could paint it all red and do the door insides. Ok maybe not...... Years ago, I decided I needed a car to take to autocross, open roadrace, top speed test etc. Something to spank some rice in the corners and be really hard edged. Here is the what I know now part..... Now as I have aged, and matured, I have realized that where I live, it is better to have a really nice driving car, all the open road races are 1500+ miles away. Short of an occasional track day or autocross, my old delusions were really out of reach. Problem is....I have this beautifully tig welded, tightly fitted roll cage in the car. We installed the cage with the dash in place......can you see where this is going? The cage is a pain but it has some sentimental value, a really good friend of mine did the work. I hauled the car 100 miles to his shop and spent about 5 months of Saturdays commuting down there to work on my car with him. I bought him a couple of lunches and he wouldnt take a dime. His welding is so pretty, I cant bring myself to do anything but leave it in the car. Nowadays, I would rather have a nice tight, high end euro feel to my car and just enjoy it on backroads.....the modern pro-touring car really. quiet interior, solid doors, nice stereo....... Well I am going to pick up the doors and drop off the fenders, and start rethinking my interior. I will have to cut some of the smaller trim around the door frame, cut and modify the dash just to get it out! I can modify the trim, or I can start metal working inside, smoothing and cleaning and filling,etc everything above the tops of the doors will need some help, uncertain if a headliner will even go in there. Anyone know of a sprayable, textured, tintable sound deadening material I could use on the roof and the inaccesable areas? Lizard skin? etc! Also even considering trading shell for shell, Mine is a solid rust free arizona car with a floorshifted manual. If someone had like kind and quality uncaged 71 shell. On a positive note....guess I can finally sell my original uncut spare dash frame, along with some other stuff. :twisted:
