1968 Satellite Convertible - Jezebel

[mferraro76]

I figured its time to show everyone the project since i have been asking so many questions. This is my girl, i have had her since 1992, when i turned 16. I drove it every day without reverse or 3rd gear through high school and finially fixed the tranny my senior year. It started up every day, no matter how cold. It never got stuck, no matter how much snow was on the ground, it never broke down, other than a bad starter.

I used a little of my high school graduation money to swap a 318 instead of the 273, as well as to fix some suspension issues. I drove it one last summer and then put it in a barn. it sat for 5 years until i got out of college. To my surprise, it started and ran fine. I drove it that summer and then back to the barn it went.

Fast forward 10 years. I felt the need to resurrect her. My savngs would allow it. So, i returned to the tent at my parents' house where it slumbered and dragged her out. You'd never believe it but with a new battery, some gas and a carb swap, it started right up and drove onto the trailer.

I'll admit, i am having a local shop do the body work as i have no garage and no metal skills. So i hope that is ok. Feel free to give me advice as i want to do things right for once. I'll try to keep up with updates. Here are some pics after pulling it out of the tent (the tires even still ahd air in them):

 

[Propwash]

Good to see you're making your way back to the old girl. Best of luck on your resto and be sure to post up some pic's along the way.

 

[brandon64]

looks like it has had a hard life. Good to see someone will give it some much needed TLC.

 

[detmatt1]

Kool project, originally black?

 

[mferraro76]

Kool project, originally black?

originally green, 273, power windows, power brakes i have kept all the original parts along the way, in case i ever wnt to go back to # matcing.

some pics on the rotisserie before and after i scraped off the undercoating:

 

[detmatt1]

Now that's some serious bracing right there! nice work!

 

[Ron 73]

Nice project, Hope it all works well for you, will be a great ride when your done, and some memory's to boot.. Good luck with it!

 

[Superfreak]

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Cool project and best wishes for your journey.

 

[Propwash]

Well......That looks a little different than the first pic's. LOL. You obviously jumped right in!

 

[roadrunnerman]

nothing wrong with letting someone else do the work if you're not sure about doing it yourself,you've got a diamond in the rough.

 

[68sportsatelliteragtop]

Well looks like you are into it now!:eusa_clap: Good luck with your project, the more of the grunt work you can do saves the bucks to get help with the stuff that may require a little more talent/skill then you may have, at least that is my approach. Keep up the good work and keep on posting your progress.

 

[mferraro76]

Here are some pics after sandblasting and priming. Some more bad stuff uncovered with the sand blasting, like the cowl and rear floor pans.

I should have bought the AMD front floor plans, but too late now. hopefully i'm done with replacement panels !!!

And here are pics of the mess i'm sorting through at my house:

It's been fun so far - minus the angle grinder/wire brush getting stuck in my shirt, the god damn bugs landing in the por15 and the constant in/out of my garden shed....i need a garage

 

[mferraro76]

had some time this weekend to start reassembly. the shop had replaced the floors, quarters, cowl, trunk, outer wheelhouses. since it was up, they welded in some sub frame connectors. i went with rocker guard on the bottom and inside the fenders.

i por-15'd almost everything else - the axle, the k-member, the LCA, UCA, steering linkage, torsion bar. The XHD leafs went in easily, i needed new shackles and spring mounts -which i got from firm feel.

also, i went with wilwood rear discs/parking brakes, and front disc conversion as well. again, everything bolted up fairly easily.

it felt like an episode of horsepower TV (minus the powertools).

next steps - figure out what color to paint it, start assembly of the engine, start cleaning up all the shiny pieces.

the undertaker stopped by to help:

 

[roadrunnerman]

good to see the body shop made good progress.after all the years the car stood by you,this is exactly what it needs.

 

[blackblazer717]

Looks good body wise, but why start reasembling the suspension before the bodys even painted? Personally the whole.bottom deserves to be body color as well.

 

[jag_mopar]

It looks like some great work going into this convertible. I love the bracing for the rotisserie support. I have used POR 15 a lot on several cars. Is that the chassis black or just the POR 15? I see that you are starting the assembly process. The regular POR-15 needs a top coat because of UV light if you were planing on leaving it like it is. The shine will fade over time. Keep up the good work.

 

[mferraro76]

Looks good body wise, but why start reasembling the suspension before the bodys even painted? Personally the whole.bottom deserves to be body color as well.

Thanks!

well, i want to drive it - a lot! so i figure it would stand the test of time a little better with rocker guard. Maryland road crews aren't great with cleaning up garbage, blown tires and other debris so i figure this gives me a little more protection. i'm sure it will see dirt roads (wineries), salty air (beach) and possibly a cross country trip. i can always strip it off next time around.

was told that you really shouldn't fit fenders and doors until it is resting on the suspension and the bracing is removed.

It looks like some great work going into this convertible. I love the bracing for the rotisserie support. I have used POR 15 a lot on several cars. Is that the chassis black or just the POR 15? I see that you are starting the assembly process. The regular POR-15 needs a top coat because of UV light if you were planing on leaving it like it is. The shine will fade over time. Keep up the good work.

it is 2 coats rust preventative and 1 coat chassis black. i did the whole marine clean and metal ready process, should last me long enough to save up for coil over kit

 

[mferraro76]

more pics of bodywork and paint. I wanted to keep it somewhat true to form so i went with a dark green. This is not the final coat, the idea was to get some paint on to see if i like the color - then do some other stuff (engine, dash, interior) before the final coats and finish work.

 

[blackblazer717]

Looking Bitchin!!!!!!

 

[shag766]

my hat is off to you friend:headbang: