sublime green
Well-Known Member
I'd go with 408 also. A 408 sublime duster sure would be perfect for me. 
The 70 Duster......
- Thread starter carcrazyguy
- Start date
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carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Not much is happening on the Duster. It appears the bodyshop might have pushed the car back in a corner. I called last week for an update and got "the work is slow goin' ". The machine shop has the rear end ready to go. The parts for the motor are the next things on the list to purchase. From the way things are going (or not going) I may need to buy a roller if I want to use the motor anytime soon.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Got a picture of the rearend. It is pretty much complete less brake kit and brake lines. The only thing that I am worried about is the axles. Decided to re-drill the sbp axles and it looks like there is not much holding in a couple of the studs. Maybe I should order a set of Moser axles before the car gets put together? Speaking of that, I hope to go up and visit the Duster in bodyshop jail in a couple of weeks. Hopefully by then they will have drug it back out of the corner and started working on it again...:fingers crossed:
Badart
Senior Member
Cool build, but I would definatly get some new axles. That doesn't look safe. Keep up the good work.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Just talked to the body man. He said he has almost all the bodywork complete and plans to have the body in primer by this weekend!! I hope to get some pictures in the next few days so I can update again.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
I got a chance to go by and see the Duster today in person! The bodyman said he has almost the metal work done! Next up is to bolt it on a rotisserie in the next week or so. The plan is to have the jams, trunk floor, engine compartment, under carriage and underside of the roof media blasted. Then he will spray sealer and primer. Another step closer...still a long way to go!
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
They will remove the rear end, the front suspension and gas tank before the media blaster shows up. Also spent part of the day trying to finish up a few loose ends on the Dart today. I need to get the brakes working better so I can drive it to the car wash. It has been sitting since 2007.
Joe Mc
No Car Like A MoPar!
The Dart is a very sweet ride! Duster is moving along well.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Did the warden call?? The Duster is still in bodyshop jail. It has been put on the "back burner" at the shop. Guess it is not so bad since it is for another Mopar project he is working on. Here are some pics from back in September. Just some primer...
LH23H2R
Well-Known Member
CarCrazyGuy - Kudos to you for your patience with this project :angel7:
Those axles do look scary ! There's no meat next to those studs ( double-entendre ? =P~ ) !!
Perhaps you could grind some studs down to their ribbed part and slam 'em in the gaps ( or pop the new studs out , slam the old-style studs in their respective holes , grind 'em down smooth , and then pop the new studs in their spots ) ?
For a cruiser , I'd stick with a fairly mild 360 ; just my opinion , for what that's worth .
I'd put my coin towards building a beefed-up 727 or even a Keisler 4 speed auto ; again , my opinion 8).
I don't think you could go wrong with either J5 or J6 green :happy10:
Those axles do look scary ! There's no meat next to those studs ( double-entendre ? =P~ ) !!
Perhaps you could grind some studs down to their ribbed part and slam 'em in the gaps ( or pop the new studs out , slam the old-style studs in their respective holes , grind 'em down smooth , and then pop the new studs in their spots ) ?
For a cruiser , I'd stick with a fairly mild 360 ; just my opinion , for what that's worth .
I'd put my coin towards building a beefed-up 727 or even a Keisler 4 speed auto ; again , my opinion 8).
I don't think you could go wrong with either J5 or J6 green :happy10:
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
When I went up in September to check on the project, I took some better pictures of the axles. I still plan to order new ones once the project gets closer to completion even though several people have said that is pretty much what all small bolt pattern axles look like after re-drilling to 4 1/2 inch bolt pattern.
As for patience...I have somewhat "back burnered" the project in preperation for a possible move in July 2011. Plus I have been gathering parts for a 71 Charger project and messing with my 71 Dart a little. The Dart just will not idle smooth to save its life. We have been through the carb several times and nothing changes. Changed the carb out and tried a couple of other carbs..no luck. Changed the points to a Pertronix Electronic system which helped a little. Then we checked the intake to see if it was leaking, and it does not appear to be. We checked for leaks around the carb flange and could not find a leak. So we took it to a shop that supports the local Mopar club and spent $263 for them to tell me I should order an EFI system. LOL So I trailered the car back to our shop and it sits until I can get back up there and try something else or find someone that really wants to mess with it. At least I got it out of the shop and got it rinsed off!! First time it has seen daylight since 2007. It was DUSTY!!
As for patience...I have somewhat "back burnered" the project in preperation for a possible move in July 2011. Plus I have been gathering parts for a 71 Charger project and messing with my 71 Dart a little. The Dart just will not idle smooth to save its life. We have been through the carb several times and nothing changes. Changed the carb out and tried a couple of other carbs..no luck. Changed the points to a Pertronix Electronic system which helped a little. Then we checked the intake to see if it was leaking, and it does not appear to be. We checked for leaks around the carb flange and could not find a leak. So we took it to a shop that supports the local Mopar club and spent $263 for them to tell me I should order an EFI system. LOL So I trailered the car back to our shop and it sits until I can get back up there and try something else or find someone that really wants to mess with it. At least I got it out of the shop and got it rinsed off!! First time it has seen daylight since 2007. It was DUSTY!!
mopar7172
Banned
i have dart and a duster to. the dart is a 71 with a 68 440 and under restoration mode like duster is.my duster is a 72 i can't my duster to run right either.it has slant six in it.if u look to the left u will see the pic of my duster as my icon.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Stopped by the body shop yesterday......hasn't been touched since about 3 months ago. I figured the shop would have at least a little done but the only thing that has changed is they rolled the car out of the way.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Since the body shop has pushed the car to the back corner I started media blasting the upper control arms. Before pic.....after pic maybe tomorrow when both are done.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
K member has been powder coated and the rear springs have been re-arched and ready to go on. Nevermind the clutter, the parts got stuck in the back corner of the shop (just like the car itself).
Sorry about the body shop problems.
But have you ever thought about doing the work your self?
From what it sounds like you are spending you could have built a small garage and some tools and gain the knowlege to build many cars on your schedule.
Not criticism just a question.
But have you ever thought about doing the work your self?
From what it sounds like you are spending you could have built a small garage and some tools and gain the knowlege to build many cars on your schedule.
Not criticism just a question.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Currently my wife and I live about 850 miles from where we store our cars. Since we live on the Texas coast, we keep them at my parents place. That way, rust is not an issue. However, my wife and I may be moving in July and we plan to buy a place that has a shop so that I can store the cars and start doing more of the work myself. As for what I have in the car. I will say that we could have bought a running and driving numbers matching 340 car for what we have in it already (thanks to the first bodyshop fiasco). As always a car is not a good investment, this is a hobby for me. Some play golf, some go bowling. I enjoy hunting cars, parts and watching these projects progress. I have about 3 other projects already in line. As the old saying goes...."it only takes time and money, and I have all the time in the world".
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Well I have been away from the car stuff for a while so I decided to check in with the body guy today. The Duster has not been touched. The Charger that was suppose to be painted (or well on its way to being painted) by now, HAS NOT BEEN TOUCHED AT ALL. Looks like I may be back to where we started.
unfortunatly ....our jobs are often "fill-in" jobs (when there is no collision work or they want to break in the new guy).....too bad they don't charge like that....you would think the way they have to argue w/insurance adjusters to get paid they would work on our projects..... as we stand by the door holding our breath for them to finish so we can pay them whatever the bill is!
Dartnut
Don't hate me because i'm beautiful
Honestly, i would pull the car out of the bodyshop it's at now.
Pay them for what they've done and say you can't afford to finish it.
Buy some books, tools, and supplies and do it yourself.
You will be money and time ahead, let alone knowledge.
I had to do that years ago after a big blow up with the bodyshop it was at, and the car sitting for months with no work done.
I finished it myself and it looked pretty good.
I do my own bodywork and paint now, and if something goes bad, i only have myself to blame.
I feel for you dude.
Pay them for what they've done and say you can't afford to finish it.
Buy some books, tools, and supplies and do it yourself.
You will be money and time ahead, let alone knowledge.
I had to do that years ago after a big blow up with the bodyshop it was at, and the car sitting for months with no work done.
I finished it myself and it looked pretty good.
I do my own bodywork and paint now, and if something goes bad, i only have myself to blame.
I feel for you dude.
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
Honestly I have no idea what is going to happen or when it is going to happen. I have been taking time off from Mopar stuff and preparing for a cross state move in June. We have been house hunting and all the things that go with moving 400 miles away. Once we get that taken care of and behind us we will see where the bodyshop is at. At that point I will either be happy that he is finally working on the car, or seeking legal council.
The hard part for me to take, is that for 20 years I was told, "if you get ____ _____ to do your work it will be done on time. He is not cheap but it will be done right." I have personally seen many of the cars that the guy has done, and they are really nice! And I know the timelines that he was finishing the jobs. They were all done in a very reasonable time, in fact quicker than the shops that I was using at the time. I had have about 4-5 paint jobs done that I really wanted to use the guy, but just could not afford it. Well I finally had the money to use him and it is starting to turn into nothing different than any other bodyshop nightmare we have all seen and heard in the past. I have no doubts at all in the ability of the shop to perform the work and the quality of the work. It is just the fact that since Jan of 2010, there has been may 2-3 weeks worth of work done on the car even though about 75% of my total bill is paid. In my opinion, it has turned into one of the deals where the shop has a lot of work left for my stuff to be done, yet the amount left that I owe is so little that there is no incentive to finish the car.
The hard part for me to take, is that for 20 years I was told, "if you get ____ _____ to do your work it will be done on time. He is not cheap but it will be done right." I have personally seen many of the cars that the guy has done, and they are really nice! And I know the timelines that he was finishing the jobs. They were all done in a very reasonable time, in fact quicker than the shops that I was using at the time. I had have about 4-5 paint jobs done that I really wanted to use the guy, but just could not afford it. Well I finally had the money to use him and it is starting to turn into nothing different than any other bodyshop nightmare we have all seen and heard in the past. I have no doubts at all in the ability of the shop to perform the work and the quality of the work. It is just the fact that since Jan of 2010, there has been may 2-3 weeks worth of work done on the car even though about 75% of my total bill is paid. In my opinion, it has turned into one of the deals where the shop has a lot of work left for my stuff to be done, yet the amount left that I owe is so little that there is no incentive to finish the car.
jdr2483
Well-Known Member
Maybe you will have something finished in time for the 3rd Annual Chrysler's in the Canyon on October 15th
carcrazyguy
Well-Known Member
From the way things are going.........maybe not! lol
If you hear anything about what is happening at the current shop let me know. I don't want to stir up to much just yet, but would really like to know why my cars are just sitting (hopefully inside).
If you hear anything about what is happening at the current shop let me know. I don't want to stir up to much just yet, but would really like to know why my cars are just sitting (hopefully inside).
a68postcar
Well-Known Member
don't give up. hou never know whats happening. if the guy is that good, he'll come through for ya. the parts all look real good. i'm not a big fan of the axel redrill. but i've seen em go a long ways. good luck, and keep us posted!
Bingo...you hit the nail on the head when you disclosed you paid em' 75% of the $$$ already.....NEVER...EVER...pay anything untill the job is complete...painters are no different than most any other labor you hire....I had to learn that lesson too when building a house....the minute almost any subs got a "draw" they became MIA....I learned fast not to pay a penny until the job was done..to my satisfaction including cleanup....SHAZAAM..things started getting done.
Unfortunatly now...you are between the rock and hard place...it is very difficult to get someone to finish some other shops work.....but I would be pro-active about it and NOT allow it to sit in the corner....that is BS
Now get out there and get this thing going!!!...(hope that didn't sound too much like your wife)
Unfortunatly now...you are between the rock and hard place...it is very difficult to get someone to finish some other shops work.....but I would be pro-active about it and NOT allow it to sit in the corner....that is BS
Now get out there and get this thing going!!!...(hope that didn't sound too much like your wife)
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