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One of the mufflers is in close proximity to a body plug. Rather than worry about it melting or catching fire, I'm going to weld a plug in its place. What is the point of a body plug anyway? Are the holes resultant from the factory assembly process? Any advantages to having the correct rubber plugs rather than welding them shut?
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Its my understanding that when my kids spill a huge amount of soda on the floor board you can lift the carpet and drain the floor board, just kidding I know of no reason why they couldn't be welded up, from what I have seen they are used during manufacturing, I have restored some muscle cars and I believe at least some of Fords and Gm's cars used sheet metal plugs that where held in with a seam sealer.
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I had a '71 Charger, and those back floorboards are like dish pans. As I recall my carpet rotted in the bottom of both, but I may be remembering the Monaco. I never knew that they had drain plugs....
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My 67 Mustang had those plugs if I remember correctly.. never saw the need or even heard of anyone using them.
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I think they are kinda like freeze plugs that pop out at the least convenient times! :)
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Things don't always get done right the first time, but a positive attitude will always make it go smoother.
My buddy Ron is on the way with some bent pieces of pipe, and he's even lending his support stands: dropping it off on my front door even.
I've got the mufflers and old exhaust hangers cut out. The muffs had inlet and outlet flanges which I chopped, reducing their overall length from 52" to 46".
But at the moment, I'm in the lazy boy with the massage running. I hope Ron takes his time getting here. It's amazing how easy it is to make my back hurt.
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All things considered, you did good. I guess it paid dividends to climb out of the Lazy Boy!:LOL::LOL:
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Looking at the forward door gap compared to the bottom, you've still got some work to do.... Or maybe some more Lazy Boy Time.
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Oh, I haven't gapped the doors yet, but I'll eyeball it since you pointed it out. It's pretty amazing how quiet it is. If my welds had come out just a little better, I'd have posted some closeups. Oh, and don't tell Ron, but my welds are prettier than his guy's welds.
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I took a but of a break from the turd and completed a rust repair on the nomad : replaced the bottom half of the tire well. I tried using the stump method to shape the bottom- that takes some skill I have yet to refine, but the end result is passable.
Next on the dodge is to fix the defrost. I have vacuum, and the switch seems fine, the fan is running.
I'm thinking it could be the very opportunity to rip out the dash, and reassemble with a new dash pad.
Can anyone give advice where to start? I'm thinking to yank the front seats, but I'm quite intimidated to rip out the guts under the dash, I know it's complicated. Plus, I can't at all tell how the dash pad comes out. Plz help.
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In removing dashboards.. Step 1 is always disconnect your battery..:3dSMILE:
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Excellent tip. I'll pull seats second.
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If you go to the Dodge Charger forums there's tons of good info on the R&R of the dash, and the dash pad - Removing the Dashpad from a 73 Charger
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Excellent research MrSpears..
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Thx. The dodge charger forum I have found doesn't know squat about the older chargers.
BUT dear effing gawd, i need to remove the winshield. Ok, not COMPLETELY necessary, but it makes it like 300% easier.
I hate this steaming turd.
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Tomorrow, I have scheduled for someone to come to the house and remove the windshield. Then I'll do the dash tear down. Gonna find the source of the water leak, fix the defrost, and replace the dash pad. Probably will go black on the pad, it will match the door panels, but white goes with everything, and is much cooler in a GA summer.
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I got the windshield and driver's seat out, then pulled the dash. It wasn't too bad.
However, the heater / AC box is. Looks like someone's knees went through it. At some point it was removed, and duct taped together. Since it's fiberglass, I'll just repair it. However, it looks as if the dapshot which controls defrost/front vents is missing. Between that, the disintegrated foam seals, and the leaves in the AC side, it's little wonder the defrost didn't work. What is a good source of replacement foam for the seals?
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Any good hardware store, or big box store like Lowe's or Home Depot can fix you up cheap - Shop M-D Building Products 0.5-in x 10-ft Gray Closed-Cell Foam Window Weatherstrip at Lowes.com Comes in a myriad of thickness & width sizes, adhesive on one side plus you can use weatherstrip adhesive if needed.
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Today saw the rust around the windshield repaired. Actually, very little was needed, it was overall very good. Rain tomorrow, so the turd is tarped. I'll do repair on the heater box tomorrow, after I get some more hardener for the resin.
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A couple questions:
What to do about missing trim clip posts around the windshield? I'm missing two.
Also: my little dash vents are bowed up resultant of the spring clips on the end. I was thinking of maybe making a jig to put them in (force them in) then heat them, hoping the plastic will relax to its original shape. Any suggestions?
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Also, I picked up some vinyl fabric today to recover the dash pad. It was a shock at the register, when the cashier says $90! Ibsay, but the roll is marked $10 p/yd, and I have two yards. Nope, the tag says 10 yards on the roll. OK, ring it up! But, I can get $15 returned as I don't need the spray adhesive, I had plenty already.
Anyway, the plan of action is to use the knotted wire wheel on the angle grinder to V out the cracks. Then fill with fiberglass Bondo ( it's what I have) then apply the fabric - backed vinyl.
Wish me luck!
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Firebird, I've never seen a spray adhesive that's strong enough for what you're doing. I would strongly recommend that you pick up a can of Weldwood's Vinyl Top & Trim Grade cement for your dash pad - DAP Weldwood Contact Cement Gallon HHR Industrial Grade Landau Top Trim | eBay
You can spray it with an old siphon type paint gun, or you can brush it on using disposable brushes like Harbor Freight sells in bulk. I'll echo Mike, too - Good Luck!
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Good luck as well. Not sure how to get the old plastic clips to reshape. I have not had any luck with old plastic as it usually gets brittle with age.
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They survived removal, they are still strong. I just hope I don't melt them. I'm fairly sure that heating them can relax them, and upon cooling they will hold shape.
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http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/n...psyj9sdgui.jpg
Started the dash.
First, I V grooved the cracks.
I was concerned with the fiberglass Bondo reacting (eating up) the foam, so I decided to see if there was anything left in this can of great stuff. (I kept it around for target practice)
The propellant was long gone, but the resin in the can started foaming up when I stirred it, then I dabbed it into the grooves. When it dried, I trimmed it down with a razor blade. It was a bit porous, so I smeared some glazing putty over top, waiting for that to dry.
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Interesting approach. Can't wait to see the results.
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Just following some U tube videos.
As for the vents, no bueno. I clamped down a spare vent between a couple pieces of steel, and applied heat with a heat gun. Before the case got hot enough, the fins shrivelled.
So instead, I drilled two holes, top and bottom center, and used a piece of wire to bind the case back straight. I painted the wire black, it is visible but unobtrusive. But it will stop the fins from falling out because the case is bowed.
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You're investing a lot of work! Hoping that the vinyl install goes smoooooooth for you, and that you don't come unglued!!! ;):LOL::LOL::LOL:
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I have done the same repair process on a 77 GM truck and it turned out decent. I sprayed texture over the entire thing and then knocked it down sort of like dry wall mud. You could tell it wasn't OE, but looked nice and was way cheaper than a new replacement pad. It was just a lot of work. :LOL:
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Attempt #1 fail. Switching adhesives, and trying again
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Looks pretty good. Is there an ammeter in the gauge cluster?
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Yes, the rallye cluster has ammeter, but I've bypassed it.
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