Dutchman Panel...

This past weekend was very satisfying. The back window tunnel panels and the dutchman panel are now in place. We made sure to check the window fit before actually welding anything down. Well we tacked it in place, then welded it. The lines line up. The only problem was that on the drivers side the window panel is slightly lower because of the way it was cut. I had to crawl under in the trunk and weld the space to fill the gap. This will be all leveled once we use the body filler.

It took hours to complete the task; from hammering, to measuring, to cutting, to welding, to grinding, to sitting back and looking at the finished product. Even with the Frankenstein stitches Rusty looks much much healthier. I feel better about the foundation of the window now that these pieces are locked in. I only have a couple burns to show for the welding and grinding. I can still hear the grinder scream in my ears!!!! (I know, wear the headphones...)

Dutchman Panel Prt2

Eat my dust, or should I say eat some blasted sand!!!!!!!! After sitting in the truck and blasting the rust away from Rusty, I thought for a moment how much of this crap is actually hitting me in the face. It has been 3 days and I'm still blowing black crap out of my nose!! Anyway, it has to be done right? Once the Rust Mort was dry, I applied two layers of primer and two layers of regular paint to seal the metal for a while. No one will ever see the pan, but I will feel better about the fact that it is protected for a while. Today we spent most of the time making all the pieces fit together properly and smooth between the lines. I cut away the panels and welded in the new structure for the window. I also finished welding some spots I didn't get to last summer. We are now ready to get these window panels and the dutchman panel welded in there, but that will have to come next time. There just doesn't seem to be enough time when you are working on something like this.

The Dutchman Panel Prt1

The adventures of the rear window rust replacement panels have now begun. This is probably the worst eye-sight that I noticed with the car. After getting all the replacement metal from Charger Specialties I couldn't wait to get on with this. After removing the panel I sandblasted the whole area and applied some Rust Mort to set in. The next day we fabricated some sheet metal to re-enforce the window frame where cancer ate away some of the support. The new metal we put in there should make a great foundation going through this process.

Back in Action

As the sun broke through the clouds I was presented with the choice to sit and enjoy decent whether or work on Rusty in a garage full of dust and particles.... I didn't even have to think about what I was going to do. As my father and I pushed Rusty into full working position I grabbed the camera and went into more before pictures. The area of work today is the dutchman panel (deck pan between back window and trunk). After the cutting wheel took a poop I traveled down to Menards to get some wheels and a new bit. After THREE trips to Menards in a span of 20 minutes we were ready to open Rusty back up. (Luckily Rusty is located within a couple miles of Menards!!!!!)

After following Mopar Muscle's photo instructions we removed the panel. From the line that existed in the under pan we knew water had a home for some time. After pounding around the metal pan we were lucky to have strong metal to work with. High Five to the factory metal suppliers!!

We left 1/4 inch of metal on the sides where the side panel met the dutchman panel. We found the spot welds and knocked them loose to extract the final metal from the area. After placing the new piece of panel in we set it aside. Sadly, time had run out for the night.

Next line of duty will be sandblasting this underpan to get the foundation ready for the new piece.

A bodyman's work continues after passing

The family traveled up to the U.P this past week to visit Great Grandma Peggy. Roughly eight years ago her beloved husband's heart ran out of summers. The man loved his Toronado cars and owned one from each decade. He did all the body-work himself in his own garage. I only met him a few times before he passed.

Grandma Peggy makes the comment one evening that I could go through the tools and see what I could use on the Charger. I didn't make too much of it at the time because I knew it would be hard to see her love's tools being given away. The next day G. P mentions the tools again and takes me out to the garage. Everything lay where her husband spent hours and hours caring for his cars. Eight years and some tools still had oil moisture as if the oil had just turned over. We go through each drawer, each cabinet, and I am amazed at the tools he had. As I began to make a small pile for myself I kept asking her if she was really okay with this. There was so much and many many things that I had desired to own myself. Once we were done I had tools from wrenches , to air tools (sanders, drills, grinders, etc...), to rust stop, to clamps, and on and on and on. I ran out of room in my Mini Cooper that I almost wanted to leave my clothes behind to make more room for other things that were there.

I was so deeply appreciative for the tools that would help me with Rusty. I know that they will come in handy for many years to come. Grandma Peggy can feel good about where her husbands tools are because they are once again doing what he had them do; restoring an old beauty to once again roam the streets. Thank you soooooo much!!!

Almost Time

The temperature is rising. My patience is getting thin. The car seems to be calling for me to work. Almost time... Almost time

A New Part on the Way

I have just ordered the deck panel for Rusty. This is the piece that is between the window and the trunk. At first we were just going to work with what we had, but after realizing how bad the rust was I figured we better see what the damage is underneath the piece. I want this car to last. Everybody had told me before I started this project that I should build it with the thought, "I only want to build this thing once." Now I know there will have to be maintenance on Rusty frequently, but I want a good foundation so I won't have to do extreme changes later. Hopefully I will get the panel this weekend so we can work on it. Pictures to come shortly. Stay tuned...