Bench Seat to Bucket Seat Conversion

I found these seats on CL last night and bought them.  They are out of a 1971 Dodge Charger.  I have read that these will "bolt right in".  I am not sure about that.  I already see some differences and have some concerns.  Maybe I should recover the bench seat and sell these.

Body Work Prep Continued

I thought the quarters, doors and fenders would be the biggest challenge for the body work, but the surface rust on the roof is worse than I thought.  I will use a combination of grinders, sanders, wire wheels and a sand blaster on it.  Once I get the rust removed, I will treat it with vinegar water and Rust Kon.  Then I can prime it.  I think the car had a vinyl top on it and those can cause a lot of rust. Every panel, except the roof, has dents in it.  There was sooooooo much bondo and primer and paint on this car..........at least 3-4 paint jobs.

After the Aircraft Stripper, I tried using 40 grit with a 6 inch D/A sander.  That worked ok, but was gonna take a lot of time.  I next switched to the Roloc 36 grit grinder, it worked a little better but was gonna be expensive (too many discs).  I went to Home Depot and got a 7 inch pad and put it on my buffer.  I attached a 50 grit abrasive disc and that worked much better........more aggressive and a wider path of destruction!   I have the sandblaster waiting if I need it.

Stripping Car of Old Paint and Bondo

I began taking off the old coats of paint, bondo, sealer, primer, etc using Aircraft Paint Stripper.  I apply it with a brush and then let it bubble for 15mins, then remove it with a large scraper.  You can see the large dent in the passenger side 1/4 panel that was full of bondo.  Also in the top picture, the original color/paint of the car back in 1974.  It was G2, Frosty Green Metallic.  There are way too many layers of old paint on this car.  I underestimated the layers and # of times it had been painted.  It also has had a new 1/4 panel put on it.  Kind of a patch panel.  One other thing:  this car is HUGE.  The panels go forever.  Big quarters, big doors, fenders, huge trunk.  A lot of work.

Got Engine Started!

I got it running.  I was battling 3 things:  My distributor was 180 degrees out.  The fuel pump was VERY stubborn about priming and working (but I finally got it) and I was dealing with a weak battery.  I got it going, timed it.  It has great oil pressure, 50 pounds at idle and over 80 pounds of oil pressure with some throttle.  It runs at 220 degrees.  And it took 2 gallons of coolant to fill that bad boy radiator!

Engine Install Continues

Painting the Engine Compartment and Motor

I sanded down the engine compartment and removed or temporarily "relocated" most of the firewall components.  I masked off everything else.  I degreased it with lacquer thinner.  I then used spray paint called "Hot Rod Green".  This was the closest rattle can match I could get to color I am painting the car (lime green).  For the 318 engine,  I used "Chrysler Blue", silver, black and whatever else I had laying around extra to detail the engine.  I think it turned out pretty good.

Numbers Matching Car

The VIN on the title matches the VIN on the block.  It also matches the VIN on the dash and the driver's side door.  The body tag is missing.

Engine Tear Down Continues

Put the 318 on an engine stand today.  Pulled water pump, timing cover, motor mounts and balancer.  Found quite a bit of rust behind the freeze plugs when I removed them.

I also found the partial VIN stamped on the block.  All the numbers match the dash, door, title and block!

Pulled engine: damage report.........so far.

I pulled the engine this morning and so far have found 4 bad things:

1. Freeze plug on passenger side rusted and leaking
2. Freeze plug on rear of engine (hidden by transmission) rusted and leaking really bad
3. Broken exhaust manifold stud (common and to be expected)
4. Broken motor mount ear (I think I can deal with this as is)

I haven't torn down the front of the engine yet.  I'm planning on removing the water pump, timing cover, oil pan and timing chain.

Pulling the engine for a "rattle can rebuild".

I'm pulling the engine today.  The 318 has some issues.  It is leaking coolant into the oil.  This may be from a poorly sealed front timing cover allowing water to enter into the oil pan near the front of the engine.  Also, I am replacing the timing chain.  I have heard the stock one's were plastic coated or vinyl so they would run quieter.  I have heard horror stories about plastic pieces in the oil pain clogging the oil pump pick up screen starving the engine of oil.   Also, one of the freeze plugs is rusted and leaking.  I'm replacing all of those.  I did a compression check on the engine and all cylinders had compression between 135 and 155 psi.  I'm not replacing rings, bearings the cam or anything else unless I have too.  I will clean up the motor and do a "spray can rebuild".   LOL!

Color Scheme with painted bumpers, mirrors, door handles, etc

I'm going to paint the Charger a lime green or sub lime green.  I think it's a color from the early '70's and I like it with the flat black.  I may add the rear spoiler and hood scoop.  My car is missing the hood mounted turn signals so I found some on ebay last night for $30!  I like a lot of things this guy did when he painted this car.  This car was for sale on ebay but has rust issues under the car and in the trunk.