62 Belvedere 318 poly granny cruiser (one day i hope)
- Thread starter icetech
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ckessel
Well-Known Member
You're not cheap. Frugal is the word.
icetech
Well-Known Member
Growing up broke breaks your brain i think.. really weird bout spending money even when things are fine
ckessel
Well-Known Member
I hear you. It also teaches you to spend wisely and be resourceful.
icetech
Well-Known Member
Finally painted my fenders.. spent a month working on them (weekends and such) thought i had them straight and smooth... and they look like a bag of walnuts. Really mad bout that but it fits my MO...
Knocked down the orange peel last night and wish i had left it, not the bad **** stands out more. But.. they are good enough for a beater. I will never know how bodyguys make **** straight..
And after using a denim pad/leveling compound
Knocked down the orange peel last night and wish i had left it, not the bad **** stands out more. But.. they are good enough for a beater. I will never know how bodyguys make **** straight..
And after using a denim pad/leveling compound
icetech
Well-Known Member
Also going to yank my tailshaft off and check the governor.. The car seems to be starting in second when in drive, but 1st in 1st... and the gov is the only part i didn't look at/take apart cause what are the odds it has issues after 60 years?
icetech
Well-Known Member
Today i learned a big lesson about pre-fitting body panels.. fenders looked perfect off the car... put them on and the passenger one got bent at somtime in the past and the bodyline was 1/2 high and out... i got it close but it will never be right.. will have to keep a eye out for fenders. These ones came from one of those AZ junkyards.. no rust but not good..
Got the lower valance ready for primer..
Got the lower valance ready for primer..
icetech
Well-Known Member
soo.. fun continues.... Went to put my grill in tonight and nothing fits... i took a tape measure and my width from fender to fender (hood opening edge) is 1/2" too narrow for my hood.. and i beleive it's my passenger fender since the gap for the grill is too tight on that side. Just unreal... I don't get how a fender can be this damaged without it showing on the skin..
When i first mounted the fender it was bent up and out at the bodyline in the back, i got it much better.. but not perfect..
This is a pic of how bad it was, i literally bounced my fat *** off the top and got it back down where it's supposed to be. rear spacing seems fine (checked with tape measure and measured hood)
So... either i shim out the front a lot which i have never seen on a mopar.. or i take the fender off and try to bash the inner mount (where the 4 bolts go down the inner fender at the front ) and try to bring it out some.. I had to shim it but if i take that fender off it's gonna go badly. Kramer has a fender that would be like $700 with shipping that is in "OK" shape..
Soo.. just venting... my sister is going to come over one day soon to help me put the hood on, i will align it with the cowl then i can actually see what's going on with the fenders. I'm the it's the passenger one though since th grille is too tight on that side also.
Whats funny is the skin of the fender looked near perfect, it must have gotten crushed in shipping or something to bend the mount..
When i first mounted the fender it was bent up and out at the bodyline in the back, i got it much better.. but not perfect..
This is a pic of how bad it was, i literally bounced my fat *** off the top and got it back down where it's supposed to be. rear spacing seems fine (checked with tape measure and measured hood)
So... either i shim out the front a lot which i have never seen on a mopar.. or i take the fender off and try to bash the inner mount (where the 4 bolts go down the inner fender at the front ) and try to bring it out some.. I had to shim it but if i take that fender off it's gonna go badly. Kramer has a fender that would be like $700 with shipping that is in "OK" shape..
Soo.. just venting... my sister is going to come over one day soon to help me put the hood on, i will align it with the cowl then i can actually see what's going on with the fenders. I'm the it's the passenger one though since th grille is too tight on that side also.
Whats funny is the skin of the fender looked near perfect, it must have gotten crushed in shipping or something to bend the mount..
ckessel
Well-Known Member
Yeah, looks like it got squished some.
icetech
Well-Known Member
Yeah... i got the body line almost perfect but that front pinch i don't know what i'm gonna do yet.. replacement fenders are crazy expensive if you find them, and no telling what you will get since this was one. If i shim it, it will work but, i will know....
Krooser
Well-Known Member
You started with a really nice original car . I would have fired it up and been driving it for the last two years!
Not trying to be critical... It's just when you are 75 your options are limited . Drive it or die with it in pieces.
Have fun ...
Not trying to be critical... It's just when you are 75 your options are limited . Drive it or die with it in pieces.
Have fun ...
icetech
Well-Known Member
If the motor had been savable i would have.. it was locked up and when i took it apart it looked like it had never once had a oil change, then sat for 40+ years.. **** was hard as cement inside. Also had tons of rust to fix and such...
ckessel
Well-Known Member
Using another body, maybe one person pushing the fender in at the body line till it matches up and the other down low to tighten the fasteners? Kind of body and fender chiropractic maneuvering.
icetech
Well-Known Member
no... i got the back part lined up (basically put a ton of my weight on it to get it down into position in the back)... my problem now is at the front.. the opening for the hood at the grill is 1/2" too narrow.. gonna figure it out once the hood is on and i can see how **** lines up..
icetech
Well-Known Member
Few more hours and i'm ready for a test drive.. still need insurance and plates though... Am praying the trans actually starts out in 1st.. on jackstands it seems to be starting in 2nd then to 3rd, unless i manually start in 1st.. BUT.. i also am not spinning it up much on jackstands.. so time will tell 
Rear bumper on (chrome is trashed) and putting the front end together turned into a giant pain.. nothing lines up but it's getting there..
Rear bumper on (chrome is trashed) and putting the front end together turned into a giant pain.. nothing lines up but it's getting there..
icetech
Well-Known Member
Soo.... just got insurance on the car.. American Collectors insurance, $299 for the year... need to put the front bumper on and get a license plate, then i can drive it and find the 200 things to redo
icetech
Well-Known Member
Man... i went to the secretary of state at 9:10.. they had me out with a plate in less than 5 mins... and.. $24! I thought it was gonna be 250 like every other thing... I need to get rid of my grand cherokee and just drive old ****. My GC is $1200+ for insurance and $250 for plates.. burns my *** every time... I need a brady bunch '72 plymouth station wagon daily driver.. if we didn't get snow
ckessel
Well-Known Member
Not this year because I have it non opped but my 04 dually is $500 per year. Never went down, only up. Thank you PRC!
icetech
Well-Known Member
Sooo... 48 years and it finally drove Brakes... horrible, gonna order performance pads for it.. they "work" but i should be able to lock them and no chance, all brand new slider manual discs/drums
Thinking a front end alignment is "probably close enough" NOPE.... gonna have to fix that.. need some turn plates. It was white knuckle..
Trans actually works, that surprises me 3 forward, 1 backwards just like it's supposed to..
The 4.57s... fuckin hell.. those won't be in long.. will end up trying to trade this pig for a 3.55 or something or just change gears.. 40 feels like 80.. even with the 30" tires.
Built the car i knew i would hate nothing i can't reverse later though.. nice mellow cam, 2.89 gears and factory tires/hubcaps one day.. but fun for now
P.S. HUGE smile though... it's been 27 years or so since i drove a old beater.. i didn't realize how much i missed it
Brakes... horrible, gonna order performance pads for it.. they "work" but i should be able to lock them and no chance, all brand new slider manual discs/drumsThinking a front end alignment is "probably close enough" NOPE.... gonna have to fix that.. need some turn plates. It was white knuckle..
Trans actually works, that surprises me
3 forward, 1 backwards just like it's supposed to..The 4.57s... fuckin hell.. those won't be in long.. will end up trying to trade this pig for a 3.55 or something or just change gears.. 40 feels like 80.. even with the 30" tires.
Built the car i knew i would hate
nothing i can't reverse later though.. nice mellow cam, 2.89 gears and factory tires/hubcaps one day.. but fun for nowP.S. HUGE smile though... it's been 27 years or so since i drove a old beater.. i didn't realize how much i missed it
icetech
Well-Known Member
A little bit of work today.. relashed the valves again.. hope i got the preload right.. next time i'm going solid rollers.. (cept prolly not since i'm cheap and the bastards are expensive )
Found one of my metering rods was sticking, think it's fixed now, also switched to 3hg/in springs..
Then EBC yellowstuff brake pads, the ones that came with my disc kit were just.. bad, least i hope they were the problem.. will find out, can't drive without good brakes
Tomorrow, i may try to align it.. it's way out right now and white knuckle to drive.. will see what tomorrow brings
)Found one of my metering rods was sticking, think it's fixed now, also switched to 3hg/in springs..
Then EBC yellowstuff brake pads, the ones that came with my disc kit were just.. bad, least i hope they were the problem.. will find out, can't drive without good brakes
Tomorrow, i may try to align it.. it's way out right now and white knuckle to drive.. will see what tomorrow brings
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