68 Coronet Longroof

[64 Sportfury]

Skills??? I am learning as I go. You must be speaking about ckessel, eldub440 and quite a few others on this forum. The best I could hope for is to inspire others this is doable with a few tools and willingness to learn. Thanks for the kind words Coelcanth.

 

[ckessel]

Skills? Me? Maybe. No way am I up there with David from Willowmet Garage or my old boss from the hotrod shop. Much of what I do is learn by doing. I did take a metal forming class in 13 but didn't use the skills until 10 years later. Having to relearn and it shows. Good thing most of it is covered up. If you have resources available, suck up knowledge and skills from people around you. Help out, be a shop flunky, sweep floors etc. Thats how I gained much of mine plus lots and lots of reading.

 

[64 Sportfury]

Got most of the torsion bar/front frame rail sections repalced. I also had to replace sections of the inner rocker panels where the torsion bar crossmember attaches. There were a few other patch panels required as well. The rust on this wagon is like going down a rabbit hole.

I had to modify the trans crossmember after adding the fish plates around the torsion bar crossmember sockets.

 

[ckessel]

I'm soooo happy there is no metal termite damage to deal with on my 65. You are doing an awesome job.

 

[Coelacanth]

I'm soooo happy there is no metal termite damage to deal with on my 65. You are doing an awesome job.

I feel the same way with my '70 Charger. I love seeing some of the amazing work you guys do to fix rust issues that would leave me depressed and deprived of any motivation.

 

[64 Sportfury]

Here are some progress photos as the work continues. I have finished the torsion bar and front frame rail sections. I fit the AMD front floor pan sections and welded them in place. The driver side pan section was a challenge. I removed the interior pieces. I removed the existing tailgate (w/power window) to swap in a much cleaner piece (w/manual window). I will swap the regulators prior to the swap. As is the case with this wagon, the lower hinge mount area needs attention (aka rust repair). After ID'ing the spot weld locations, I use a bullet-shaped carbide bit (inexpensive set online) in a air grinder to quickly and cleanly remove the welds without damage to the sheet metal underneath. I previously used a spot weld cutter and fresh drill bits, but those become dull after a number of uses. The carbide bit is much faster, cheaper and has better results.

 

[ckessel]

Man oh man! Have a picture of that bit you're using? Source for it?

 

[64 Sportfury]

I can post a photo tmorrow but this set looks just like it. Just ensure the shank diameter is correct for your die grinder. Third burr from the right is the one that fits the spot welds well.

https://www.amazon.com/YUFUTOL-Carb...d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9zZWFyY2hfdGhlbWF0aWM&psc=1

 

[64 Sportfury]

I should add, wear long sleeves and I recommend a face shield vs. safety glasees. The shavings fly fast and far. I always hold the air die grinder with two hands for control and a light touch.

 

[64 Sportfury]

Here is the set of carbide burrs I have:

 

[ckessel]

Thanks, have those too.

 

[64 Sportfury]

Just about done with the tailgate lower mount area. Dressing the welds here proved a challenge. It's a tight space and I threw all my tools and attachments to get it this "good". It's not my best work but it will do. I will apply seam sealer to the area due to various overlapping patch panels which should help. I had a time removing the power tailgate regulator to swap into the replacement tailgate. I ended up cutting it out to clean and lubricate it. I practiced powering the regulator arms in different positions to find the sweet spot for installation and removal. The arms at 8 and 4 o'clock is about right. I could not find anything about R & I in the service manual. I plan to add relays to to regulator for better operation. I also spent time removing broken bolts, drilling and tapping new threads, etc.

I found this back in 2018. Its a manual version, but a lot better than what came with the wagon when I purchased it.

 

[64 Sportfury]

I went over all the bare metal areas in prep for epoxy primer. I sanded the engine bay and painted-in-place, the master cylinder and wiper motor. Then shot the Summit Racing epoxy primer. Today was the last day for a while, the temps would be warm enough to lay primer down. I hope to find a local shop to have the hood hinges, upper and lower grille surrounds media blasted. Then I will be transporting her to NY for body and paint. My buddy was too happy to agree to do it. It will free me up to do some other car projects that have been back-burnered and travel.