My new 71 SSP! Any advice accepted!

[whayden2003]

I have filled those areas in the past with “all metal”. Look it up. Easy to work with. Not to expensive. Is it the right way no. Will there be a chunk of all metal on the ground after the car rusts away. Yes. I do still use it properly in areas where the old lead joints were. Like roof to quarter seams. Be well within your skill level to pull the glass and do as the other guy said and treat the rust with whatever you chose. Eastwood makes stuff for that. And filling it with all metal and priming it.

 

[Olwhite63]

So I have some more concerning that i neglected to notice when buying the car. When I pull the window out I’m sure I’ll be able to know for sure but I’m hoping I can just fill some of this stuff in? Or is a new roof looking like the future for my car?

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IF you can find a donor car, you can just section and butt weld this in. That's what I did on my son's 71. Take your time (spot weld a little at a time!) and use Marglass on your 1st coat of mud just to seal it up from the elements. Then fill with quality filler/glaze as needed to finish it out. You'll do fine, good score - love the original color!

 

[Rennkafer]

As far as alignment..set the toe and let it go. You can do that at home and it will ride ok.

Please do NOT do this. Caster and camber have a significant effect on handling. Find a competent shop and have them properly set.

 

[whayden2003]

Please do NOT do this. Caster and camber have a significant effect on handling. Find a competent shop and have them properly set.

Chris Birdsong has a good YouTube video of aligning these old cars if you can’t find an old school alignment shop.

 

[Manfred]

Yes Chris's video is excellent. I rebuilt the front end of my 77 Gran Fury ten years , 75K miles ago and basically just set the toe, my camber is a bit off and I don't drive over 70mph. My tires die a bit early but there is nothing inherently unsafe. Lots and lots and lots of poor people drove beater cars with crappy alignment for millions of miles. if you can get it done right, of course that is best. But...what if you can't? The real world sometimes requires 1/2 measures. Too many cars end up in heaps at the back of a garage after the owner took it apart and was overwhelmed trying to do it "right". There is a middle ground that can be functional, safe, and financially reasonable. Its worth discussion

 

[Rennkafer]

Yes Chris's video is excellent. I rebuilt the front end of my 77 Gran Fury ten years , 75K miles ago and basically just set the toe, my camber is a bit off and I don't drive over 70mph. My tires die a bit early but there is nothing inherently unsafe. Lots and lots and lots of poor people drove beater cars with crappy alignment for millions of miles. if you can get it done right, of course that is best. But...what if you can't? The real world sometimes requires 1/2 measures. Too many cars end up in heaps at the back of a garage after the owner took it apart and was overwhelmed trying to do it "right". There is a middle ground that can be functional, safe, and financially reasonable. Its worth discussion

Camber directly affects handling, which directly affects your ability to avoid an accident regardless of speed. If you want to do things halfway, do as you will. But please don't recommend doing things that way to others, particularly people who are new to wrenching. If you can't afford to have a basic alignment done, you probably shouldn't be in this hobby.

Sorry to be blunt, but I just can't stand by and watch bad advice that could get someone hurt proffered as being ok.

 

[Rennkafer]

Chris Birdsong has a good YouTube video of aligning these old cars if you can’t find an old school alignment shop.

You can absolutely do a decent alignment with string, tape measures, a digital protractor, and a level spot. I've aligned a bunch of race cars using exactly that. But you need to be meticulous (and Chris usually is), and not go "eh, good enough" unless you really know what you're doing. Chris really understands suspension design, and knows what's important and what isn't. Most people don't.

 

[DudeBroDerk]

well learned something new yesterday, while driving to the gas station i noticed my heater blower motor was running and kept getting hotter and hotter, the toggle switch that the previous owner wired in (the heater/ac control isnt working) wasnt working. all of a sudden the vents started blowing smoke in my face, i pulled over and shut off the car and popped the hood, nothin out of the ordinary. so i inspect further and see at the vent box under the pass side glovebox theres wires there, i pulled those and started the car, no smoke. i pulled the screws to find hair and a mouse nest wrapped around the wires inside that get hot! this is insane, any easy access to get in and clean those?

 

[DudeBroDerk]

 

[whayden2003]

Sucks. But it seems an evaporator box R and I is in your future. Unless you can get to it thru that hole. Let me send you some pics of the factory evap box out of the car tonight. Maybe you can from a plan.

 

[whayden2003]

Mine with the factory box still in it. Is yours a ac car? May be able to pull the blower motor from the under hood side and get to it.

 

[DudeBroDerk]

Mine was an ac car yes but everything under the hood was cut and sold I assume.

 

[Manfred]

Take it all apart and clean above the box, the mice love setting up residence there and it will smell once you start really driving it. I find removing the front seat and set of 1/4" sockets and long extensions makes the job a long afternoon w/o too much cussing! Glad your car did not go up in flames. I just had a minor fire thanks to a faulty wiper switch in my daily driver Gran Fury, scared the you know what right outta me. luckily minor damage only.

 

[whayden2003]

Mine was an ac car yes but everything under the hood was cut and sold I assume.

I’ll send some pics today of the box. I ditched the factory box because someone destroyed it long ago. Seems they were trying to change the heater core or the evaporator and they only had a hammer and chisel. Got a vintage air kit for a barracuda and made it work.

 

[whayden2003]

Looks like that long rectangle cover will come off and maybe be able to vacuum out that side. And the blower motor should come off the engine firewall side and be able to vacuum or blow air thru that side.

 

[terrywalker]

Also this little spot I’ll have to figure out how to fill in. Hood latches still and whatnot but it doesn’t sit right.

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On the hood hinge area rust area, just weld in a new piece of metal. I just did it on a 72 Challenger. Easy access. Here's a couple of photos.
Terry W.

 

[YY1]

I may have your windshield channel.

That looks like typical neglected vinyl top rust.

RE the inner fender- rust lake that usually means way worse rust elsewhere.
Have you looked closely at the cowl vents and the A pillar hinge areas?

 

[DudeBroDerk]

I may have your windshield channel.

That looks like typical neglected vinyl top rust.

RE the inner fender- rust lake that usually means way worse rust elsewhere.
Have you looked closely at the cowl vents and the A pillar hinge areas?

At the door hinge areas? Those appear good, I haven’t taken the interior apart to see underneath but the pics before I got the car show a decent amount of the metal under. Cowl vent area is there a specific area to check? Again it looks decent like nothing major missing

 

[YY1]

At the door hinge areas? Those appear good, I haven’t taken the interior apart to see underneath but the pics before I got the car show a decent amount of the metal under. Cowl vent area is there a specific area to check? Again it looks decent like nothing major missing

Take the plastic grills off and get as much of your arm in there as you can to feel around.
Pay particular attention to the bottoms of the volcano shaped vent "stacks".

 

[whayden2003]

Take the plastic grills off and get as much of your arm in there as you can to feel around.
Pay particular attention to the bottoms of the volcano shaped vent "stacks".

Do ac cars still have the stacks? I don’t have vents since it’s a ac car. I have always wondered that. I know it has one on the passenger side where the ac box gets fresh air. But no drivers side I think.