My latest progress

[tnplumber]

Nice looking welds.  Yeah keep the pics coming.

Scott
72 Dart

[Tejas]

Ok guys, be gentle with the comments about my welding skills! 
I got the relocation boxes welded in place but I felt it needed some more support.
I got some scraps of 12 gauge steel and made some straps to fit on the sides and corners.
They looks pretty ugly now but they will look better after I smooth out the welds and paint them black.
Next are the spring sliders.

[Tejas]

Here is my latest Craigslist find. 
I needed a set of wheels so I could figure out how much to narrow my rear end.
I got a set of no-name old school slotted mags, 15x7 and 15x10 with 3 1/2" of backspacing for $200.
They looked kinda scroungy when I got them but what do you expect from an old set of mags.
I had them polished by a company that does all of our aluminum polishing at work and they didn't charge me a dime. 
I bought new lug nuts, washers, center caps and valve stems so I only have about $300 wrapped up in these wheels.
Here are some pictures of them all dressed up. 

[19swinger70]

Tejas, i welded some extra support pieces in too when i was doing my Barracuda. i think they look strange, but i know they help. (mine were needed for sloppy cutting in some spots.)

here's my bastardized pos!

[Tejas]

Good! I'm glad to see I'm not the only one! 

[ESSVEE]

Looks very good, wish I would have had the whole car blasted...My arms feel like they are going to fall off.
Keep us updated please

[Tejas]

I was planning on updating with completed spring sliders and rear end install pics but I hurt my hand working on it Saturday. 
Big, deep cut on my right hand. I think I hit a nerve because I cant hardly move my index finger and I cant grip anything.
Hopefully  will be able to get back on it next weekend, I really need to get the rear end in there so I can figure out how much to narrow it.

[Mopartist]

OK; I like the bandaids welded to the relocation boxes. I think I may do that as well as I don't quite trust my welding skills completely. (I wonder if NHRA tech would pass it with them?)
By the way; I'm diggin the old school mags!

[Tejas]

I don't see why they wouldn't.
I'm not worried about it though, the only person I have to please is me! 
I'm really happy with the way the wheels turned out too.
By the way, thanks again for the spring bushings!

[Mopartist]

I don't see why they wouldn't.
I'm not worried about it though, the only person I have to please is me! 
I'm really happy with the way the wheels turned out too.
By the way, thanks again for the spring bushings!
 

Glad I could help dude!

[Tejas]

This weekend I got the sliders mounted so I was able to get the springs and rear end mocked up so I could figure out how much to narrow the rear-end. It looks like it needs to be narrowed 6” on each side.
The wheels look pretty funny sticking outside the wheel wells about 2”.
Here are some pics.

[Tejas]

More!

[nightrider]

Here is my latest Craigslist find. 
I needed a set of wheels so I could figure out how much to narrow my rear end.
I got a set of no-name old school slotted mags, 15x7 and 15x10 with 3 1/2" of backspacing for $200.
They looked kinda scroungy when I got them but what do you expect from an old set of mags.
I had them polished by a company that does all of our aluminum polishing at work and they didn't charge me a dime. 
I bought new lug nuts, washers, center caps and valve stems so I only have about $300 wrapped up in these wheels.
Here are some pictures of them all dressed up. 

Awesome work!!! Love the slots!!!! 

[Bl1zzard]

Call me a newbie, but what are the spring sliders for? Won't they rattle?

[Tejas]

I got the rear-end back from having it narrowed, I also had a back-brace welded on it.
I got new Moser axles, bearings, bearing plates and studs at the same time.
I had to see what it all looks like so I mocked everything up, I am very happy with the way it turned out.
Here are some pics.

[Tejas]

More!

[CudaDon65]

Wow! .Keep going, looking real nice.

[Bakaruda]

Man that is looking great.

[Gospel Runner]

You are an animal the way you are attacking this project. I was going to try and encourage you as I read the beginning of this post. You seemed to be kind of down about the mountain of work before you. You are litterally kicking some serious butt here. Your welds are fine and I would never be critical of a man who is working his tail off like you are. I am impressed! Do you have a regular job, or just an understanding wife? You must know some people to be able to get your machining and welding wrok back so quickly. Well keep up the good work and keep the pics coming. Awesome work and awesome thread!!!

[Tejas]

Thanks for the encouragement, I appreciate it very much.
It is a hell of a lot of work to get done before I can turn the key and go for a cruise but I'm trying to stay realistic about it and I'm thinking that day will be about 3 years away.
I do work 45-50 hours a week and my wife is VERY understanding.
I do have access to the machine and welding shops at work within reason, they can knock out small stuff I need done quickly.
Almost all of the work I've done so far has been done on the weekends, but I make it a point to make progress every week.
Thanks again!

[dusterdarryl]

wow that babys been takin back to the bone, nice work mate!

[smallbigblock]

Wow, I'm just a newbe on the board, but that is impressive.  I'm doing a 67 dart, but because of money and time, on a much smaller scale.  It was great to see your work on the trunk and springs, that is just around the corner for me.  Keep posting the pic's.  Great job!

[Tejas]

I had the day off today so I got the inner wheel tubs cut out.
I scraped all the seam sealer off, marked my cut lines with a Sharpie and cut it all out using my grinder with a cut-off wheel on it and a die grinder with a cut-off wheel for the tight spots.
It only took me about 3 hours to get them cut out.
I couldn’t find any sheetmetal locally for the strips of metal I’ll need to weld in the gaps with so I bought a tandem axle trailer fender at Northern Tools.
It’s the right gauge metal so I’ll just cut it up and use what I need, weird but I think it will work.
Tomorrow I’m gonna start trimming and fitting it all back together, hopefully I’ll have it all welded back together by Sunday.

[Capt Jack]

Call me a newbie, but what are the spring sliders for? Won't they rattle?

I believe they maintain pinion angle and other suspension geometry better than shackles, which while working actually cause changes to the pinion angle since they swing in an arch that moves them closer to the frame when the spring compresses.

I wouldnt imagine they'd rattle much unless completely unloaded (ie: wheels off the ground) since they appear to be on rollers on either side of the slider.

[jamesdart]

thats some great progress. i wish i had the time and resources to do one of my cars like that. few things, how come you didnt spot weld the floor in? are you going to use the 1/4s as pathces or the whole skin? yours look pretty clean, i regret not using mine for patches. looks like you could turn the heat up on your mig or the wirespeed down a little.

[Tejas]

thats some great progress. i wish i had the time and resources to do one of my cars like that. few things, how come you didnt spot weld the floor in? are you going to use the 1/4s as pathces or the whole skin? yours look pretty clean, i regret not using mine for patches. looks like you could turn the heat up on your mig or the wirespeed down a little.

Thanks!
I'm not sure I'm following you on the spot weld question. I tacked them into place then welded all the way around and welded them to the frame rails underneath.
I'm going to replace both of the quarter panels, they are pretty beat up.
I already have the replacements, I just haven't got to them yet.
As far as my welding skills go, yea there is room for improvement.
I have figured out that most of my problems come from the metal not being really, really clean.
I'm getting better though!

[jamesdart]

the way the factory stuck it all together is with spotwelds, no one has a spotwelder big enough to put a car back together so what you do anywhere you have metal on top of another piece of metal, you drill a hole in one piece and plug weld it every 3-4". it is as strong as you will ever need and doesnt put too much heat into the panel. for your trunk you would have layed the pan in, marked the rails from underneath and pulled the pan back out, you would then drill 3/8 holes so they would be located on top of the flange of the frame rail, on both sides of the rail, if you wanted to you could then grind the welds smooth and it would be nearly undectible from the bottom or the top that the pan was replaced. it would look factory. you  do the same for things like where the 1/4 panel folds into the door jamb, and where it is bent under with the lip on the bottom of the rocker. same thing with  the trunk floor extensions.

[Tejas]

Got it, I see what your saying now.
Actually I have done it that way in a few spots and I figure I'll have to do it that way on some parts of the quarters and trunk extensions.
I'm not to worried about it looking factory or being a show car, as long as it isn't too gnarly I'll be happy with it.

[Tejas]

Darren
You sent me a pm but when I replied it said your pm box was full.

Hey Tegas I was wonding when you got your rear cut down, did you measure and order your axles, or the shop that cut your rear order them, I am having a 8 3/4 cut down and getting axles to. It just looks like a lot of measuring when ordering custom axles.   Thanks  Darren

Hey Darren
I had the shop that cut the rear end order them.
I kept asking him a bunch of questions about it and he said he would order them. That way in case they were wrong it would be up to him to get them replaced.
Works for me!
Later
Tejas
(Chuck)

[Tejas]

Well I didn’t get them finished but I did get them tacked in place.
Man that is some hard work for a fat SOB like me! 
Next I’ll cut and fit the filler pieces and get them tacked into place.
I’m off again next Friday so maybe I can get the whole thing finished up next weekend.