Mopowers' 66 Dart Build

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Minor update - I finished cleaning up the inner quarters where I scrapped the factory sound deadener and also got the battery tray and holdown done.

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I found this slick little plastic grommet to trim out where the kill switch rod enters the trunk.

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I also made up some steel fuel cell straps because I didn't feel comfortable with the thin factory aluminum tabs holding the cell containing up to 20 gallons for gasoline. I do have some felt strips that I'll be using as padding between the straps and the aluminum cell as well.

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I didn't feel like welding tabs to the truck pan frame work so I just used 5/16" rivnuts and fender washers to spread the load. I think that'll be good enough, along with the other 4 bolts going through the 1"x1" square tubing floor frame.

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I also got the inner sail panels covered with sheet aluminum to help isolate the trunk area per NHRA rules. I used a little rope caulk to help cut down on annoying rattles. It feels pretty solid. They'll also help act as backing for when I install the headliner.

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I also had to treat the rusty underside of the package tray, or I would've thought about it every time I opened the trunk. It was just surface rust, but a pain in the *** to deal with none the less. I hit with wire wheels, wire brushes, rolocs, scotchbrite, and anything else in my arsenal that I thought would help. Then, I sprayed it down with phosphoric acid and washed it off with water. Finally, prepped with brake cleaner and shot it with some Zero Rust paint. It's not perfect, but MUCH better than before. Did I mention in was a pain in the ***?

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mopowers said:
I could be wrong, but I believe the battery only needs to be in a sealed box if you're not running a rear firewall that meets the minimum thickness specs.

That actually brings up another question I need to do some research on. Is there a need to use a sealed battery box vented to outside the car if using a firewall? I vaguely remember reading that there's a potential for corrosion issues in the trunk area if you leave the battery open. Is there any truth to that statement??
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Mine:

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I don't close it off. It stays this way all the time.
 
Slowly chipping away. I got the trunk cleaned up and I etch primed the bare metal.

Before:
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After:
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I also got the rear window channel and trunk gutter prepped for paint.

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I started prepping the decklid too. I just need to figure out what I'm going to do about the rust between the inner structure and the outer panel. I can't seem to find anywhere near me that can dip it, so I'll likely just do what I can to get some phosphoric acid into the nooks and crannies and call it good. Any ideas are very welcome!!!

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I've been lazy about updates, but I've been getting some stuff done.

I made a mat out of some heavy duty felt from the craft store.

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Welded in a chase for electrical on the passenger side.

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Got some insulation installed on the roof underside:

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Got the rear firewall and package tray installed and seam sealed:

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Chopped up some perfectly good seat slider brackets to mount some aftermarket seats:

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They worked out well, but I had to make some new ties for the slider mechanism. I made them adjustable in case they loosen up.

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Made some plugs for the unused bench seat mounting holes and glued them in with rtv:

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Made up a mount for the shifter and got it mounted in a comfortable spot:

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I figured I'd freshen up the door hinges, so I ended up picking up the kit offered by RestoRick. It was a great kit. He even offers the proper reamer for the lower hinge pins, which I also picked up.

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When working on them, I noticed one of the rollers on the lower hinges was very sloppy. Turns out, the roller pin was worn pretty badly, so I ended up making a replacement out of a bolt on my lathe. Apparently, the rollers are hardened so that makes the pin the wear item.

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I purposely me the pin a little short in order to sink a good weld in there. I also made it press fit so it wouldn't move while welding up, since the wavy washer wants to push it out.

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The last thing I needed to do was build up the spot that the spring rests on with some weld and dress it down (red arrow below). It was worn slightly making it bind a tad when closing from the fully opened position. Hopefully these will last for another 56 years.

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In prepping the windshield channel, I noticed a little rust pitting with a pinhole on the drivers side so I treated it well enough for my liking.

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Looks great! The attention to detail on the little stuff is refreshing. Takes forever to get stuff done but it's a better job in the end. Keep it up!
 
MidnightSwinger said:
I hate to be that guy, but will you do my floors next? I need to do this to the Midnight Swinger, you did a great job.
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Tell you what - you supply a couple beers and I'll be there. It was a little tedious, but wasn't too bad. A knotted wire wheel on an angle grinder, some Ospho, a sponge and a bucket of water, let it dry and shoot on some zero rust. Hell, it would probably only take about 5 minutes on a tv car show. :rofl:
 
Time to tackle the quarter panels. There's a few rust bubbles poking through and some ugly thick mud from a prior 'repair.' After grinding into the filler, it's about 3/16" at it's thickest. I'll be replacing it with a patch panel since I'll need to replace the rusted out section anyway.

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I lucked out on the passenger side. After treating the rust, a small patch is all that's needed.

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mopowers said:
Tell you what - you supply a couple beers and I'll be there. It was a little tedious, but wasn't too bad. A knotted wire wheel on an angle grinder, some Ospho, a sponge and a bucket of water, let it dry and shoot on some zero rust. Hell, it would probably only take about 5 minutes on a tv car show. :rofl:
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Maybe we can talk Christy Lee into doing the work while we drink the beers!
 
And cut more of the bad stuff out. What a quality previous repair this was. :realcrazy:

At least it gave me a chance to clean out and treat the rust.

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