This is the good side, still has 250,000 miles of rust.

"Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer" (dash-doorhandle-and-bondo)
08/08/2020 at 16:02 • Filed to: None

Looks like there’s metal in there but it’s mostly paint.

I didn’t cut this rocker panel. I stuck my thumb in and opened it like the can opener on a swiss army knife. The rockers of these mopars are Galvanized, It appeared intact but only zinc coat and 2 coats of paint remain.

the angle irons I welded to the subframes to keep the car from collapsing are bending. This car is so fucked. I’m only continuing with this because I said I would fix it. (before it got out of hand) He has to promise to never get it wet.

even knowing what horrors lay beneath, It was so much worse than it looked. The family drove it from ‘64 to 2007, until the seats were no longer attached to anything. I might have to get a little bit Captain Ahab to slay this purple whale.

DISCUSSION (22)

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 16:33

I think a full body, chassis, engine, and everything swap to the old VIN would have been much easier and only slightly illegal. I still can't believe you are going on with this project.

sony1492 > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 16:41

T ime for the English wheel, 10 cutting wheels, 6 flap discs, 1 marker, 50 yard spool of 80 grit sandpaper, 15 0 hours, and 2 tubs of bondo

Kiltedpadre > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 16:47

Kinja'd!!!

I wish you luck, but I don’t even know that this will make a good parts car.

Snuze: Needs another Swede > sony1492
08/08/2020 at 17:11

You forgot the mile of welding wire

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/08/2020 at 17:26

It can’t ever be really nice again, we had an agreement of expectations, Nobody would fault me for abandoning it, but I said I would fix it, removing all the rust is not on the menu anymore.

Jim Spanfeller > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 17:28

Holy cow, man. Hope you’re good at welding...

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 17:32

Somehow I think the VIN plate is the most valuable part of the car. And the dash and doorhandles are probably worth something too.

How long have you been working on it at this point?

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Jim Spanfeller
08/08/2020 at 17:33

I am, but this car is ruining cars for me. I made the other side by hand, I have an actual rocker for this side.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/08/2020 at 17:36

5 years but I missed 2 so 3rd summer session. I usually have it for six weeks, work on it for three, then send it home. Taking a parts car apart by drilling out welds is also time consuming.

Jim Spanfeller > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 17:40

That is nuts. Rust is evil.

Kinja'd!!!

CB > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/08/2020 at 17:42

VIN tampering is super illegal, by the way.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Jim Spanfeller
08/08/2020 at 17:49

It might be the last time I do rust. I don’t do it for cheap and its still not worth it.

ranwhenparked > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 18:02

They got 43 years and 250,000 miles out of it - I don’t know what the original design life expectancy was, but that probably exceeded it. At what point do you just decide you got your money’s worth out of it and move on?

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > CB
08/08/2020 at 18:27

I'm well aware, but that hasn't stopped lots of people who want a road legal something or other by using minimal parts of a real car.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 18:28

And you haven’t given up by now. . .

You are either the most stubborn person in the world, the best paid (doubtful), or the best friend ever. Maybe some combination of th e above.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/08/2020 at 18:41

I’m scaling back my best intentions. There will be some lapped welding, there’s just not enough metal left, I’d be chasing blowholes up to the roof.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > ranwhenparked
08/08/2020 at 18:47

Well, I told him as did the other guys before me “you really need to find another one, they’re not rare. Then I’ll paint it that awful eggplant colour and we can pretend it’s your dad’s car.” I’m a sucker for the family heirloom cars. I’m not getting suckered though, even fut ile eff orts in rust repair are not inexpensive, but I long ago stopped seeing the point. Just won’t be defeated by a mopar.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > ranwhenparked
08/08/2020 at 18:57

Round here? usually parked on the farm at about 62,000 miles. This one did 43 winters in the city. It was well loved, the old man gave it rally wheels and a (quite rare) factory 4 barrel setup for the not-quite-a hemi poly-head engine.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 19:09

I can’t believe this thing was driven daily up until it got that bad. Or even half that bad.

Suppose I am spoiled from living in the land of no road salt.

Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer > Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available
08/08/2020 at 19:41

He and his dad did the body up in 1981, acres of bondo that held up pretty well actually, I originally only got involved fixing the floors and it just got out of hand. E veryone involved is fully aware of the scope of how insane it all is, but we’ve come this far., so forthward we go with it.

shop-teacher > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 19:52

Gadamn! This is insane. That’s not a car anymore, it’s a car-like substance.

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > Dash-doorhandle-6 cyl none the richer
08/08/2020 at 20:14

If you want inspiration for continuing in what you know is insanity, check out Soup Classic Motoring in YouTube. What’s the hardest way to do a restora tion? Film it. What’s the hardest way to film something? Stop motion animation . Yes, he does rust repair in stop motion animation.