Getting the Project Car Bug Again

[SMS]

That trunk pan is actually a lot better than many I've seen! Congrats on starting the project.

Here’s the trunk. I was prepared for needing a full trunk pan. Couldn’t get a good look because it was piled up with parts on top of the original trunk mat. I’ll probably just drop the fuel tank and wire brush/strip both sides and hit with rust converter. The main floor is gonna cost enough as it is lol.

 

[swampratt]

If that was my vehicle i would not replace the pans unless you are building some kind of show car.
I drive my cars and do not show them.

I would clean the rust off the floors with a wire brush and blow it all out and mix up fiberglass resin and get the fiberglass mat out.

I have glassed many old car floors it is quick and simple and if you get moisture through the carpet later down the road it will not go through that resin.
I resin the entire floor and use the Mat (not woven) where there are holes or thin spots.

I feel that is a huge step up from when I was in my teens and we would use roofing tar and shingles on a floor that had a hole in it.

 

[Snattlerake]

IIRC, that is correct. I remember the cover of one '68 car mag that read, "8:1 is the limit!" Lol, or something like that. It was probably an older mag when I got it, btw - I turned 11 in '68.

I was the engine/gearbox mech at the local Chevy dealer around '76/'77 (we actually got one of the Bicentennial Corvettes), and there was a chart on the wall showing hp for different year models.

The new 454s showed to be less than 300hp (I want to say 240 or maybe 275?).

The '65 'Vette 454 showed to be 500hp.

I did find this
Printed in 2019

This one says the 63 -67 Corvette had 12 different engine options, all were V8's

This one shows 65 Vettes approaching 500 HP in 65 which was the first high horsepower V8.

Following the introduction of the C1, the Corvette went on to break the 400-hp barrier in the mid-sixties, with the Big Block V-8 available in the 1965 Corvette Stingray. But tighter emissions regulations brought the power back down to a low of 165 during the seventies.

What year Corvette has a 454?
1971

1971 Chevrolet Corvette ZR2 — 12 built

Featuring a 454-cubic-inch big-block, the ZR2 produced 460 horsepower, but many have said that number is underrated, and the engine actually makes quite a bit more power.Jun 7, 2020

C@ Corvette engines

 

[SMS]

If that was my vehicle i would not replace the pans unless you are building some kind of show car.
I drive my cars and do not show them.

I would clean the rust off the floors with a wire brush and blow it all out and mix up fiberglass resin and get the fiberglass mat out.

I have glassed many old car floors it is quick and simple and if you get moisture through the carpet later down the road it will not go through that resin.
I resin the entire floor and use the Mat (not woven) where there are holes or thin spots.

I feel that is a huge step up from when I was in my teens and we would use roofing tar and shingles on a floor that had a hole in it.

Definitely a step up from roofing tar and shingles! I had a '67 Tempest in high school that literally had bondo and chicken wire for lower quarter panels lol.

Replacement floor pans are relatively cheap, and when combined with the integral nature those pans play in regards to structural stability in a unibody car, I'll eat the expense. Especially since some parts of them are rusted clean through. Since the trunk isn't rusted through, I'll be doing something like what you said back there.

 

[SlugSlinger]

Use phosphoric acid to kill and convert the rust to a zink coating.

 

[okcBob]

Congrats on the Road Runner!

Mopar guy here. Recently have become infatuated with the 39-47 Dodge/39-41 Plymouth pickups, and have purchased several projects. Hope to actually get one on the road soon.
Here's my most recent find. 39 Dodge panel that unfortunately was missing the front clip, but pretty neat to find out that Jenks Drilling Co. still is open and a locally owned family business.
View attachment 196402

Here's a picture of what the front fenders & grill look like if someone happens to run across one. I would appreciate any leads.
View attachment 196424

Love the Mopars. Drove a beat up ‘63 Polara with push button shifter as a kid. Father had a 68 Chrysler Newport. Would love to find a 50-60’s Mopar again.

 

[xseler]

If any of y'all are looking for salvage parts for a MOPAR, check out the salvage yard at NE 23rd and Post Rd. They probably have at least a dozen '68 to '70 Chargers sitting out front. Saw some Road Runners and Demons/Darts also. Sorry, don't remember the name of the yard, but I went by there yesterday. @SMS

Happy restoring!!

 

[SMS]

If any of y'all are looking for salvage parts for a MOPAR, check out the salvage yard at NE 23rd and Post Rd. They probably have at least a dozen '68 to '70 Chargers sitting out front. Saw some Road Runners and Demons/Darts also. Sorry, don't remember the name of the yard, but I went by there yesterday. @SMS

Happy restoring!!

Yeah, Shady Nook. Unfortunately they’re a no-go. I paid them a visit a few weeks back. The entire operation is focused on cutting and pasting those Chargers together for resale. The market is hot for them. Any other parts they may or may not have they’re sitting on or asking a mint. Quoted me $1k for a Plymouth Satellite fender, if they had one, which they didn’t.

I don’t blame a place for making money one bit. They just aren’t a resource for a hobbyist trying to restore a car.

 

[dlbleak]

Shady nook had a complete and running 65 ford truck for 2k. They ‘almost’ got my money.

 

[wawazat]

Yeah, Shady Nook. Unfortunately they’re a no-go. I paid them a visit a few weeks back. The entire operation is focused on cutting and pasting those Chargers together for resale. The market is hot for them. Any other parts they may or may not have they’re sitting on or asking a mint. Quoted me $1k for a Plymouth Satellite fender, if they had one, which they didn’t.

I don’t blame a place for making money one bit. They just aren’t a resource for a hobbyist trying to restore a car.

I grew up about 10 miles from there. We call them Shady Crook for a reason, haha.