1963 Dodge Dart for the Wife....

Here is the trick with the manual top springs. To take them out put the top down to stretch the springs then put bolts in between the coils to hold it open. When you put the top back up the springs will just fall out... reverse this process to put them back in.... easy peasy. Making the patches for the front top rail hold downs. These are not visible so they don't need to be perfect but I am anal so they need to be almost perfect.... Simple tools and some careful shaping is all you need...

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Just work slow and shape and cut the patch as you weld it in. The other side is not as bad. Both patches took maybe 3 hours total...

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To fix the front rail only the "U" was rusted so a 3/16" rod fit in there perfectly so I just clipped it in and welded the ragged edges to the rod. Mixed up some SPI epoxy (for the last time?!!!) and shot the parts and the visible screws that can be seen from inside with the top up..

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Dropped the last batch of parts to get chromed. I was going to buff out the rust pits but the rest of the car looks so nice it had to be done right. Plus it was the in your face stuff (convertible latches, visor supports and where the top latch clips). Went to the first car show since February with Kaelyn Saturday. Today I shot the last batch of parts.. I will still have a few small parts here and there but this gave me a feeling of being done.... Clear coated the aluminum parts that will really be seen in the engine compartment, shot the second color on the rear seat side covers and put some real product on Kurt's speaker housings that is much tougher than the OER vinyl paint (Yes SPI UC)... Still a lot of little things to continue with while I wait for the engine but the major projects are really done... Oh and forgot to take the convertible top weatherstrip moulding in to be buffed with the chrome parts.... dang....

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Baca did not charge me to do the rear arm rests so I could not take them back and complain. He did not realize how the ashtrays seem to work or there is something missing. He assumed the hole in the plate was size of the ashtray but it is actually the size of the outside of the bezel. I think this was so it would sit low in the padding or something... Well I made some shims out of Luan and pealed the vinyl back and stretched it so the cuts where not visible.. a little adhesive and they are ready to go. Note that these "correct A-Body" ashtrays are not like the originals exactly... If it bothers me someday I will have the originals rechromed... I doubt it will bother me that much....

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Not qualified for this but I am going to give it a go...... All taped up with fender covers and blankets for protection. I marked which holes were for the snap screws and which ones where for the pinch strip... I am sure I will thank myself later. Also the backseat separator was crumbling but all there. I marked it out on a piece of masonite then cut where it bends. I used a piece of the old well vinyl as a hinge and glued it in place. A bit of rattle can primer and satin black paint and it will disappear into the front of the trunk once everything is together. The correct material is that brown cardboard but since it is not the right texture no reason bringing attention to it by trying to faux paint it that color. The satin black will make it vanish from sight. The new well liner will be here tomorrow. It is black but that is fine no one will care and again it will just disappear since it is black.

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Bottom end done! Make sure to degree the cam from Oregon Cams. Called them and it was clear they don’t try to get the alignment pin too close to the grind! Got lucky and only had to jump a tooth (which did not line up correctly to start with) to get it to within 1 degree of the spec sheet sent with the cam. If we had left it at the "best alignment by eye" it would have been 13 degrees advanced! The second photo is the performance hit I would have seen.


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This is the fun part :)
Would you believe the 1982 caddy 4100 i built lasted till i junked car 20 yrs later? You know the pos engines they were.
Slant 6 if i heard right uses hemi rods or something?
 
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This is the fun part :)
Would you believe the 1982 caddy 4100 i built lasted till i junked car 20 yrs later? You the pos engines they were.
Slant 6 if i heard right uses hemi rods or something?

The bottom end used lots of parts from the 440.
 
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