My '63 Dart "Restoration"

[Harrison]

Well, I figured it's about time that I started my own restoration thread, now that I've got the car.

A little backstory...
I first got the car 4 years ago, when I was 13. My mom was helping a friend of her's find a van. and stumbled across it in a used car lot. She seemed to think that I'd absolutely love it, and I guess I did. Of course, both of us having no idea what we were doing, we ended up paying $1600 for it, which seemed like a deal at the time.

It wasn't. We get it home and start taking a good look at it (We had only seen it when the sun was setting. Good saleman), and notice the carpet is just a bunch of pieces thrown in. Pull them out, and the entire floor pan is rusted.

Other than some cleaning here and there, it ended up just sitting until we moved. And then once we moved, it just sat. It sat until we moved again, which is when I found this site and started doing work on it. I pulled the seats out, and with the help of a drill and wire wheel (among many other misc tools and parts) sent by waggin, I attacked the rust on the floor to find out how bad it was. It was pretty bad. Another member, DartNewbie, also was kind enough to send me a box of extra parts and emblems he had sitting around.

Once that was over though, I was at a limit to what I could do. My mom had no tools and couldn't help me at all, so the car sat again for a few months, and then I moved to live with my dad.

I've been living with my dad for a year now, and just a few weeks ago did we finally get the car moved down here. Since it's been here, I've pulled the interior (seats, all door panels) and emptied the trunk. We also went through the hassle of freeing the driver's front wheel that had locked up thanks to the brakes. I'm a bit at a loss of what to do next though.

And that's the story up until now.

My plans for this car are:

1. New engine (318)
2. Repaired floorpans
3. "Restored" interior
4. Possibly original paint color

The engine is being taken care of, as my dad traded a Trans Am project that he wasn't working on in exchange for getting one built and installed for me. The floorpans are a problem, as I don't know of anyone who welds, and finding the pieces is a bit hard (pretty much both sides need to be completely replaced). The interior is going to be nice (I hope), but with modern upgrades like a good stereo system (good, not loud). The paint I'm not sure of yet, but I won't have to worry about it for a while.

Attached are the pictures from when we finally got it moved. The camera's broken now though, so there won't be any new ones for a while.

This thread will be updated, but not often, due to lack of skills and funds.

 

[ramenth]

Glad to know that you've finally gotten it home.

The funds are one thing, but the skills are another. Check the young gun's mentor thread that cudachick started and see if someone in your area might be willing to help you out on teaching you those skills.

 

[Harrison]

Thanks, I'll find that thread and check it out.


Haven't really done much the last few days. I pulled all the door panels and "cleaned" the interior some. Bought a wire wheel today to use later on if it cools down.

Tried getting the engine to turn over too. It wouldn't do anything with the switch, but shorting the contacts on the starter got it to spin. Thinking about trading it.

 

[ramenth]

Thanks, I'll find that thread and check it out.


Haven't really done much the last few days. I pulled all the door panels and "cleaned" the interior some. Bought a wire wheel today to use later on if it cools down.

Tried getting the engine to turn over too. It wouldn't do anything with the switch, but shorting the contacts on the starter got it to spin. Thinking about trading it.

About trading which part? After you rolled it over with the starter contacts did you try the ignition again? Sometimes the starter will hit a "dead spot" and doing it the way you did it can work past it.

Also check your ignition solenoid on the firewall or inner fender - not sure where they placed it on your car - and establish a good ground for it. Maybe take your wire wheel and clean the metal where it mounts and the mount bolt. If that fails run a ground wire from the mount bolt to a different ground and see what happens.

Just out of curiosity were you able to find the mentor's thread?

 

[Harrison]

Few months later and I've started doing some more work. I never did find that mentor's thread.

The reason it wouldn't start with the ignition last time is because the transmission wasn't in neutral.

The engine is being pulled out soon and traded for a transmission to go with the 318 that'll be built later.

Today I went out determined to remove the front valance. Instead, I managed to get everything BUT the valance. Fenders are off, grille and support are off. Headlights are off, turn signals are off. There's one bolt still holding the valance, and it turns and turns but doesn't go anywhere.

Found out the passenger fender is in pretty bad shape. Might just end up being scrap metal. Driver's is good if it can be bent back to shape. Valance is bent but not really rusted, dunno if it can be reshaped though.

Hopefully in the next week or so the engine will be out and traded.

Question about the valance, do the bumper brackets have to be removed or is there some special way to get around them?

 

[ramenth]

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=105351

 

[Harrison]

Alright, finally some updates! Though nothing really big.

These past few days have been spent stripping the remaining bumper, all of the trim and emblems, cleaning out the drip rails, and then washing it to clean it up. The pictures are after the washing.

Soon we plan on pulling the engine and then putting the car high on blocks. Then comes the long, daunting task of finding all the rust and dealing with it appropriately.