Pana.Mopar
Duster Down Under
Keep the updates coming... My next car is going to be an early Demon.. I've got my Duster now nearly done.. Gonna have to keep my eyes peeled for a cheap Demon when the Aussie dollar get's back up there...
Resurrection of the (72) Demon
- Thread starter 2 Darts
- Start date
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2 Darts
A-body Addicted
After getting my daily driver up and going (see thread Resurrected Junk), I am more than ready to get going on the Demon again. Weather has not been conducive to body work in an unheated, drafty garage.
Between a lot of tapping and a little body filler, got the tail panel ready for rough sanding. The only place we couldn't tap out completely was the place where the lock cylinder goes.
Trial fitted the top today. The A-pilars line up perfect. The C-pilars still need some trimming. I drew in a red line to show where the cut will be made.:snakeman:
Between a lot of tapping and a little body filler, got the tail panel ready for rough sanding. The only place we couldn't tap out completely was the place where the lock cylinder goes.
Trial fitted the top today. The A-pilars line up perfect. The C-pilars still need some trimming. I drew in a red line to show where the cut will be made.:snakeman:
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
Still at it. Work on roof going very slow as it's going to take five or six guys to hold it in place while we re-weld it. We don't have that many in the shop.
The tail panel is finished. Also finished tapping a little ding out of the front edge of the hood.
Yes, I know the tail pipes are crooked. They are hung with coat hangers to keep them undamaged and out of the way.
The tail panel is finished. Also finished tapping a little ding out of the front edge of the hood.
Yes, I know the tail pipes are crooked. They are hung with coat hangers to keep them undamaged and out of the way.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
Folks, I wish I could say that all is well the Demon is finally finished. Such is not the case. From one year ago, it has been moved to the body shop, the dings have been tapped out, and the terminally cancerous roof has been lopped off. The bad news is that the car is nowhere near paint ready, let alone road-ready. The good news is that the car has been stored inside and I haven't paid a penny.
The car is 200 miles from my domicile. I don't get to visit often and funds at the Bat Cave have been very tight. However, when I agreed on a price with my body guy, I set all of the money aside to pay him (and it has been earning interest).
I had not seen the car since Memorial Day when I visited it last weekend. When I saw the car, it was in the shop, covered with various bits of shop debris. My patience began to melt a bit. While I was, and still am, more concerned with getting it done right than getting it done right now, I was disappointed that more had not been done.
My body guy had heard through the grapevine, that I was out of money as his reason for stopping work. Knowing that the source of that rumor in that town had to be my EX, I assured him he had heard correctly. So I wrote a note for him and had it attested. The gist of the note is that if the contracted service on the car is finished by 1/1/2010 and I am not able to make full payment on that date, he gets the car. If the car is not finished by that date, I pick up the car and pay him nothing for the storage or for service completed to that point. There are two copies of the same note, same people witnessing. I have one and he has one.
Why do I put up with this? You may wonder. I've worked with this guy on various projects for over fifteen years. The biggest job he did for me to date, was a full repaint of my '66 Dart GT. If you have Steve Statham's High Performance Dart and Duster book, you've seen the car and my guy's body work on the back cover. I'll let our collective work speak for itself.
The car is 200 miles from my domicile. I don't get to visit often and funds at the Bat Cave have been very tight. However, when I agreed on a price with my body guy, I set all of the money aside to pay him (and it has been earning interest).
I had not seen the car since Memorial Day when I visited it last weekend. When I saw the car, it was in the shop, covered with various bits of shop debris. My patience began to melt a bit. While I was, and still am, more concerned with getting it done right than getting it done right now, I was disappointed that more had not been done.
My body guy had heard through the grapevine, that I was out of money as his reason for stopping work. Knowing that the source of that rumor in that town had to be my EX, I assured him he had heard correctly. So I wrote a note for him and had it attested. The gist of the note is that if the contracted service on the car is finished by 1/1/2010 and I am not able to make full payment on that date, he gets the car. If the car is not finished by that date, I pick up the car and pay him nothing for the storage or for service completed to that point. There are two copies of the same note, same people witnessing. I have one and he has one.
Why do I put up with this? You may wonder. I've worked with this guy on various projects for over fifteen years. The biggest job he did for me to date, was a full repaint of my '66 Dart GT. If you have Steve Statham's High Performance Dart and Duster book, you've seen the car and my guy's body work on the back cover. I'll let our collective work speak for itself.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
While the Demon is in the black hole known as the paint shop, some work has been on-going. I had an old set of Mickey Thompson valve covers I had got at a car show/swap meet. The idea originally was to do them up like the Mopar Performance ones, black with polished ribs. I tried it with a rattle can but every time I dropped anything anywhere near them, a scratch appeared revealing the aluminum below. I pulled them off in disgust and put on a pair of black textured stock covers.
I caught few posts here on FABO that had some of CudaChick1968's powder coating work on it. I had thought about engraving the pad on the cover, but the 'Chick suggested I think about a decal. Well, I did and sent my ideas to GTGrinly, another FABO member. Just a little coordination to work out some finer details was all it took. Let me tell you, these two know their business and do FABOlous work. Here's a before and after for those of you that have to have photos.
I can hardly wait to for my painter to finish the Demon so I can get 'em on the motor.
I caught few posts here on FABO that had some of CudaChick1968's powder coating work on it. I had thought about engraving the pad on the cover, but the 'Chick suggested I think about a decal. Well, I did and sent my ideas to GTGrinly, another FABO member. Just a little coordination to work out some finer details was all it took. Let me tell you, these two know their business and do FABOlous work. Here's a before and after for those of you that have to have photos.
I can hardly wait to for my painter to finish the Demon so I can get 'em on the motor.
Backtobasics
Well-Known Member
:cheers:
They look awesome!
They look awesome!
Steven, I'm absolutely delighted that you're happy with the results! It makes all that work worth it to read comments like yours. The M/Ts needed a lot of help and I appreciate you sending them here. It was a fun project -- my first FABO multi-member collaboration in all these years -- and I'll welcome the opportunity to work with you again in the future.
LMAO at FABOlous ... I think you made up a new word. I also think you've hit on a really great idea with the engine call out decals.
Don't forget to send me a couple pictures for my Customers' Rides section when you get them installed.
Thanks again for your business!!! :-D
LMAO at FABOlous ... I think you made up a new word. I also think you've hit on a really great idea with the engine call out decals.
Don't forget to send me a couple pictures for my Customers' Rides section when you get them installed.
Thanks again for your business!!! :-D
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
Finally, the new roof is beginning to go back on the Demon. Unlike the 73, the rust went into some of structural pieces too. This is no re-skin. When I cut the top off my car, I tried to leave as much as possible. When I cut the top off the donor, I tried to get as much metal as possible. As a result, there are no gussets or filler pieces needed to put it back together. Still, measure twice, cut once. It's a little nerve racking to have to check multiple times to make sure the glass will fit back in properly. (We don't have a "crash" book.)
Still hate what vinyl tops do to the metal underneath them. FWIW the Demon was a California car. There was a little rust in the lower edge of the rear fenders, and a bunch of rust under the shredded vinyl top. It had looked OK when I picked up the car. Once I got up to cruising speed towing the car on the freeway, I saw a puff of orange coming out of the roof after a bump. By the time I got to my first rest stop, the top looked like Swiss cheese. It only got worse as I travelled east. It wasn't helped by the fact that the speed limit in west Texas on I-10 is 85 mph.
Still hate what vinyl tops do to the metal underneath them. FWIW the Demon was a California car. There was a little rust in the lower edge of the rear fenders, and a bunch of rust under the shredded vinyl top. It had looked OK when I picked up the car. Once I got up to cruising speed towing the car on the freeway, I saw a puff of orange coming out of the roof after a bump. By the time I got to my first rest stop, the top looked like Swiss cheese. It only got worse as I travelled east. It wasn't helped by the fact that the speed limit in west Texas on I-10 is 85 mph.
OneOfMany
Well-Known Member
Glad to see the project is back on track.. It is being repainted TB3? like your avatar?
Grant
Grant
Wow Steve, you're really putting in a ton of work! It's looking terrific though! Keep us posted on your progress.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
Thanks, Grant. It will look like the avatar, however I'm not using TB3. Back in the day, I found that Brand X used a shade of blue that was closer to Petty Blue Ma Mopar did. I'm using the 72 Ford J code Grabber Blue for the Demon. TB3 is a lighter shade. The avatar photo was treated to a blast of Photoshop to put the white stripes and J code blue on it. When the car is finished I'll put it in the avatar with the 73.
Sadly, the cold blast currently in the sunbelt is preventing current work on the car. We needed some window clips for the front and rear glass anyway. I delivered them to the shop this weekend. I'm hopeful that normal weather patterns pick up again so that work on the car can resume as well. There are still a few things left to do before we shoot primer, but the roof is the big obstacle now.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
Two things have caused this project to drag.
Here are the pix.
- The weather has been cold and damp by the standards at the Edge of the World. The shop that's doing the work does not have any sort of climate control. (Move air, yes; heat or cool the air, no.)
- My Demon is at the bottom of the pile when it comes to work. The crummy weather creates insurance business for the shop. My project takes up the slack when the more profitable business slows.
Here are the pix.
LH23H2R
Well-Known Member
COOL DEMON ! I've long had a preference of the 1972 Dart / Demon grille , as , to me , it just looks nicer than the 1970 / 1971 ( which is also nice , but not as 'clean' and stylised as the '72 ) . If only the Rallye Dash was still available for '72 ( but , certainly it's MUCH better than the '70 / '71 non-Rallye instrument clustre ! ) .
Years ago -- mid-90's to be exact -- my friend and I found a 1973 Scamp in the local pick-a-part , which had a factory sunroof ! It was the same metal-panelled version that the Dart Sport / Duster got from '73 - '76 .
Thankfully it was without that damned vinyl-covered roof ( yes , California cars DO rust ! Just in a different manner than 'snow belt' or north east vehicles ) , as it was going to replace the rust-free-California-rust-laden roof of his otherwise clean '73 Swinger .
We sawzall'ed the roof at the lower-portions of the "A" and "C" pillars , leaving a lot of meat to work with in order to align the roof-to-body at the factory weld areas . A local body shop did the actual face-off surgery , and finished the job with a liberal application of etching primer / sealer , as my friend and I were going to paint the roof ourselves ; the vinyl top's trim was retained , and the roof was shot in an off-white .
I recognised somewhere in this post , that there was a '69 & earlier small block swap , into a '70 & later car ; the cast iron water pump and the left-side ( driver's side ) radiator hose outlet gave it away .
By the way , "TB3" is , indeed , Petty Blue .
Originally , in 1962 ( henceforth the "T" as the paint code's prefix ) , it was a special order colour , and limited to the south east sections of the U.S. ; it remained that way until 1972 . For 1972 , TB3 was renamed : "Basin Street Blue" for Plymouth , and "Super Blue" for dodge .
My '73 Duster was factory TB3 , a beautiful colour !
Years ago -- mid-90's to be exact -- my friend and I found a 1973 Scamp in the local pick-a-part , which had a factory sunroof ! It was the same metal-panelled version that the Dart Sport / Duster got from '73 - '76 .
Thankfully it was without that damned vinyl-covered roof ( yes , California cars DO rust ! Just in a different manner than 'snow belt' or north east vehicles ) , as it was going to replace the rust-free-California-rust-laden roof of his otherwise clean '73 Swinger .
We sawzall'ed the roof at the lower-portions of the "A" and "C" pillars , leaving a lot of meat to work with in order to align the roof-to-body at the factory weld areas . A local body shop did the actual face-off surgery , and finished the job with a liberal application of etching primer / sealer , as my friend and I were going to paint the roof ourselves ; the vinyl top's trim was retained , and the roof was shot in an off-white .
I recognised somewhere in this post , that there was a '69 & earlier small block swap , into a '70 & later car ; the cast iron water pump and the left-side ( driver's side ) radiator hose outlet gave it away .
By the way , "TB3" is , indeed , Petty Blue .
Originally , in 1962 ( henceforth the "T" as the paint code's prefix ) , it was a special order colour , and limited to the south east sections of the U.S. ; it remained that way until 1972 . For 1972 , TB3 was renamed : "Basin Street Blue" for Plymouth , and "Super Blue" for dodge .
My '73 Duster was factory TB3 , a beautiful colour !
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
I would like to have a metal sunroof, too. One has yet to appear in my searches. Like you, I left plenty of "meat" for the body shop on the A pillars. On the C pillars, I didn't leave as much because the package shelf and the rear corner of the rear quarter windows make an excellent guide. The outside cut was great. Due to some deflection of the Sawzall blade, the inner structure was cut a bit close for comfort in some places.
The motor is a '68. Since the car was originally a /6, I had to put a radiator in it. I wanted the higher compression of the early LA 318 anyway. It has worked out well.
No arguement about TB3 being "Petty Blue". This particular Demon is close to a replica of one I shared with my siblings during my last two years in college. It was a TB3 car with white stripes, rallye wheels, and a /6. Since the car I drove was spec'd out by Dad, I took the liberty in this recreation of getting closer to the way I would have set it up.
The issue for me is this: Is TB3 or (72 Ford) J paint code, "Grabber Blue", closer in hue to the cars that rolled out of Level Cross, NC. A friend and I made a trip to NC when he was rebuilding an old Talladega Ford as a tribute car. With paint samples made up by the same PPG outlet, using the same brand (Delstar), using the same mix recipes for each code from PPG, we determined that Grabber Blue was the closest. We compared our samples with the Ford and the SuperBird in the museum at the time. We took all of the variables we could think of out of the equation so we could get a fair trial with results we could easily duplicate. That is why he went with the J code then, and I plan on using it on this car.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
There are three events of resurrecting a rust heap refugee that are worth celebrating.
FWIW: The Demon was originally a white car with a blue vinyl roof and a bright blue interior. Somewhere along the line it was painted in what looks like a B4 blue (too dark for B3 and too light for B5 ). Whoever did it was thorough as door jambs, underhood, and the underside of the rear deck lid were coated with it.
When I was checking the car, I almost lost my breath
ale: when I saw my beautifully detailed underhood coated with the dust of sanded body filler. I'm showing the sequence of how the underhood area of the Demon has been transformed. The second photo of the sequence was made before I sent the valve covers off to the Mistress of Metal for her tender touch. I replaced them with a pair of black textured stock ones.
The paint is PPG Shopline in 72 Ford J code (Grabber Blue). The flop of the paint is amazing. The only difference is lighting of the photos. All photos, except the empty engine bay, were made with the same digital camera. :glasses8:
- The first time the rebuilt engine fires and stays lit.
- Getting the paint on.
- Driving it street or strip legal (depending on the build intent.
FWIW: The Demon was originally a white car with a blue vinyl roof and a bright blue interior. Somewhere along the line it was painted in what looks like a B4 blue (too dark for B3 and too light for B5 ). Whoever did it was thorough as door jambs, underhood, and the underside of the rear deck lid were coated with it.
When I was checking the car, I almost lost my breath
ale: when I saw my beautifully detailed underhood coated with the dust of sanded body filler. I'm showing the sequence of how the underhood area of the Demon has been transformed. The second photo of the sequence was made before I sent the valve covers off to the Mistress of Metal for her tender touch. I replaced them with a pair of black textured stock ones.The paint is PPG Shopline in 72 Ford J code (Grabber Blue). The flop of the paint is amazing. The only difference is lighting of the photos. All photos, except the empty engine bay, were made with the same digital camera. :glasses8:
Slappy
Well-Known Member
Looking good! I am also restoring a 72 Demon.
67dartgt2
67dartgt2
I got a 72 340 demon project car from Virgina if you want another toy !!
71ChallengerSE
A, B, & E Owner
bayyum
Well-Known Member
looks like Brockville
Tnplumber
Well-Known Member
Great work as always, really enjoy this thread!
great job so far man!!! That is inspiring!
I know a guy about to convert a 72 Demon shell into a 5.7L-6speed Hemi Demon... your body guy and You are doing a really good job, keep it up cant wait to see it finished!
I know a guy about to convert a 72 Demon shell into a 5.7L-6speed Hemi Demon... your body guy and You are doing a really good job, keep it up cant wait to see it finished!
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
It's starting to look like a car again, as opposed to a salvage yard refugee. Here's the Demon with the first base coat on.
2 Darts
A-body Addicted
:cheers: Yippee !!!
Finally got the Demon out of the black hole known as the paint shop. It seemed like forever. In fact, however, it was more like 1½ yrs. The deal was for the shop to work on it whenever they had time. I was, and still am, more concerned about doing it right rather than doing it right now. The down turn in the economy and the good weather has chopped the legs out from his insurance work. That gave him the motivation to turn the partial jobs into money by completing them. Hence, the completion of the Demon.
There were jobs in there before mine that are still awaiting completion. I think my attention to what he was doing and timely provision of parts and supplies helped expedite things. I suppose his need for my $s helped, too.
The tasks before me now are installing a windshield, re-assembly of the interior/exterior, exhaust system, and passing the state inspection. The first order of business, however, is to install a kickdown linkage and properly adjust the gear selector (column). Alignment of the pointer with the shift quadrant is off and I have to start the car with a big screwdriver on the starter relay. Suggestions on how to do this (or where to find it in the FSM) are welcome.
Enough of the yak. Here's the latest in-progress photo and a reminder of where I started with this one. (Don't worry Leanna, I'll be installing your avatar when I clean up the engine compartment.)
Finally got the Demon out of the black hole known as the paint shop. It seemed like forever. In fact, however, it was more like 1½ yrs. The deal was for the shop to work on it whenever they had time. I was, and still am, more concerned about doing it right rather than doing it right now. The down turn in the economy and the good weather has chopped the legs out from his insurance work. That gave him the motivation to turn the partial jobs into money by completing them. Hence, the completion of the Demon.
There were jobs in there before mine that are still awaiting completion. I think my attention to what he was doing and timely provision of parts and supplies helped expedite things. I suppose his need for my $s helped, too.
The tasks before me now are installing a windshield, re-assembly of the interior/exterior, exhaust system, and passing the state inspection. The first order of business, however, is to install a kickdown linkage and properly adjust the gear selector (column). Alignment of the pointer with the shift quadrant is off and I have to start the car with a big screwdriver on the starter relay. Suggestions on how to do this (or where to find it in the FSM) are welcome.
Enough of the yak. Here's the latest in-progress photo and a reminder of where I started with this one. (Don't worry Leanna, I'll be installing your avatar when I clean up the engine compartment.)
sublime green
Well-Known Member
Very sharp. Keep up the nice work.
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