What's Your Vehicle Project?

**a100driver** · February-05-10, 07:32 PM

I don't post much and am generally a list lurker. I love this site. I wish that I could meet some of you someday. I am amazed every day on this site.
Anyway, I too have a classic. I have a 64 Dodge A100 Custom Sportsman van. Was originally saddle tan and three-on-the-tree. Changed it to the turquoise/white combination and put in a stock automatic. We had one of these when I was a tyke. My wife and I [[with the kids and dog) drive it everywhere from April to November. My friend and I did all the work.
To Norwalk: I love the 51 Packard. My same friend and I did a 51 Packard. Gotta love that swan. What a boat to drive.

**56packman** · February-05-10, 09:58 PM

A lot of "big cars", of which I would classify Buick, depending on the series, were turned into trucks. a lot of luxury cars like Packards and Pierce-Arrows and the like were turned into trucks because there was no secondary market for used luxury cars. After Mr. and Mrs. Gotrocks tired of a car there was no second tier buyer then, people who could "afford a Ford" [[or Chevy or Plymouth) stayed in their price class, the banks saw to this, and there were no welfare Cadillacs. So here was a car with 50,000 miles on it, the bodies started to go about then, depending on the owner and climate. The glue joints in the wooden superstructure of the bodies would give away, and the wood was subject to rot. The chassis and drivetrain still had plenty of life left, so they became trucks. Tow trucks especially, and airport tow trucks.

**Bodybagging** · February-06-10, 11:12 AM

Mopar Dan, where do you have your halloween setup? I was a home haunter years before turning Pro, and now run DarkSyde Acres Haunted House, www.darksydeacres.com
Everyone else, We are Hosting 2 Carshows this year at our property, Both during Race weekends, we are located 20 minutes west of the speedway...... Would love to have some of the detroit yes posters bring their rides.........

**Norwalk** · February-07-10, 11:09 PM

The model of my 51 Packard had a different hood ornament. The swan
ornament was reserved for the "senior" models. I am fortunate to have the original bill of sale for my car and the purchaser paid an extra $12.50 for the "pelican" as a dealer added option

**MoparDan** · February-14-10, 09:28 AM

Originally Posted by Bodybagging

Mopar Dan, where do you have your halloween setup? I was a home haunter years before turning Pro, and now run DarkSyde Acres Haunted House, www.darksydeacres.com
Everyone else, We are Hosting 2 Carshows this year at our property, Both during Race weekends, we are located 20 minutes west of the speedway...... Would love to have some of the detroit yes posters bring their rides.........

BB, I'm just a little south of you...in Texas!

Just checked out your site & it's wickedly great. I have an '03 Durango which I employ strobes, black lights, a grim reaper driver, a passenger witch, plus play a bunch of Halloween/Rock music through a Fender amp which has a glowing red light. It dovetails perfectly with a neighbor who sets up a graveyard with other effects.

I was going to watch Daytona today but blowing it off. We have some beautiful weather in store so I plan to practice my metal bumping. We'll see how it goes.

**56packman** · February-14-10, 10:40 PM

Ah, but on a Packard it is called a Comorant.

**Norwalk** · February-20-10, 09:43 AM

Yes I always thought the proper name for it was the Comorant but on the original bill of sale from Grosse Pointe Packard they refer to it as the Pelican.

**MoparDan** · February-21-10, 10:47 PM

Spent part of yesterday morning pulling out & scraping sound deadener. Interesting that I found some extra small screws lying underneath the material. Been there since the day it rolled out of the Lynch Road plant in March 1973.

Toolbox · February-23-10, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by 56packman

A lot of "big cars", of which I would classify Buick, depending on the series, were turned into trucks. a lot of luxury cars like Packards and Pierce-Arrows and the like were turned into trucks because there was no secondary market for used luxury cars. After Mr. and Mrs. Gotrocks tired of a car there was no second tier buyer then, people who could "afford a Ford" [[or Chevy or Plymouth) stayed in their price class, the banks saw to this, and there were no welfare Cadillacs. So here was a car with 50,000 miles on it, the bodies started to go about then, depending on the owner and climate. The glue joints in the wooden superstructure of the bodies would give away, and the wood was subject to rot. The chassis and drivetrain still had plenty of life left, so they became trucks. Tow trucks especially, and airport tow trucks.

Like these

Packard

LeSalle

Cadalliac

Rolls Royce

**56packman** · February-23-10, 12:29 PM

Thanks Toolbox, you see, I'm not just making this shit up!

**393Bird** · February-23-10, 12:59 PM

After 2 years of using only E85 in the Bird, the engine was very clean. This shows what it looked like with only wiping it down with WD40.

I am not a tree hugger, but love the 105 octane in E85, and the high compression and boost it allows.

**Supersport** · February-24-10, 01:08 PM

Just getting ready to put my 69 Camaro back together, after being parked for 8 years after receiving a 12 point roll cage. Dropped the engine off last Friday, building a 650-700 hp naturally aspirated engine w/900-950 hp with nitrous. Should be one helluva ride! Won't be track ready this summer, as funds don't allow for an upgraded 12 bolt or 9 inch, so it'll only be cruise ready this summer.

Perhaps next year, if I can fix some blemishes and get the rear done, I'll enter it in my first Autorama.

**MoparDan** · February-24-10, 10:59 PM

Toolbox, enjoyed those truck conversion pics.
Bird, that engine is so clean you could eat off it.

**Supersport** · February-25-10, 08:54 AM

My next project car will be my current daily driver, a 1989 Pontiac Formula. Aside from the easy bolt on mods, its mostly stock. My plan is to install an LS3 with around 500 hp and a T56. The car will also be put on a diet, as I'd like to get itks current 3,350 lbs down to 3,000 or less. All this should transform the car into a lightweight screamer that'll get close to 30 mpg highway and be practical for long road trips.

**MoparDan** · February-25-10, 09:06 AM

Originally Posted by Supersport

Just getting ready to put my 69 Camaro back together, after being parked for 8 years after receiving a 12 point roll cage. Dropped the engine off last Friday, building a 650-700 hp naturally aspirated engine w/900-950 hp with nitrous. Should be one helluva ride! Won't be track ready this summer, as funds don't allow for an upgraded 12 bolt or 9 inch, so it'll only be cruise ready this summer.

Perhaps next year, if I can fix some blemishes and get the rear done, I'll enter it in my first Autorama.

I hear ya about the funds! Although I've been buying parts & tools over a period of time, I'm still watching the wallet.
Any suggestions for decent spray guns? I'm looking at two HVLP models from Campbell-Hausfeld:
http://www.chpower.com/webapp/wcs/st...10001_96569_-1
http://www.chpower.com/webapp/wcs/st...10001_96571_-1
They're sold through Sears, Lowes, & so on, but the markups are tremendous; buying them from C-H directly would save a nice chunk of change. I'm trying to avoid getting a cheap knockoff from Harbor Freight but can't afford a genuine DeVillbiss or Binks from Eastwood Co. , Grainger, etc.
Thanks!

**Supersport** · February-25-10, 03:22 PM

In my opinion, anything by Campbell-Hausfield is junk. I've come to this conclusion through experience using their air tools. As for spray guns, my body who has painted cars for over 20 years uses a swap meet cheapo spray gun for priming. Think he paid $20-$30 for it. Can't recall what he puts the paint down with, but wasn't anything too over the top. I wanna say in the $150-$200 range. Eastwood seems to carry a lot of good stuff, probably the route I'll go when I set up my garage for spraying.

I almost forget, my dad's 1970 Challenger R/T may as well be chaulked up as project #3 for me. I started on it while it was my car, dug into it pretty deep, dropped a good $4,000 on parts, then sold it to him at a deal when I needed money when my automotive career came to an abrupt hault. Still, if he ever sells the car, I'm buying it back. If he keeps it, I'll be the one that finishes it off. Already checked into stroker kits that can turn his 383 into nearly 500 cubes! Secondly, I'd really like to replace his 4 speed with a 5 speed to make road trips more enjoyable.

I also was lucky enough to marry a Mopar girl, which she has stated flat out that she wants an early 60's Mopar to drive. That is gonna cost some serious coin, and will likely be some years away, but I have absolutely no objections to building an early 60's Mopar...would you? Hell, my biggest concern is where to store them all. I can only buy so many car lifts for the garage before I'm outta space.

See you all at Autorama!

**MoparDan** · February-25-10, 11:01 PM

A neighbor has some C-H equipment & he seems happy with it. They have a decent reputation, so I find it surprising. I'll take your word for it though since you have first-hand experience.
A '70 Challenger R/T? Man, I hate you!

Any particular model from the early 60s? I like the '63-'64 Polara & Fury.

Toolbox · February-26-10, 07:49 AM

Originally Posted by Supersport

I also was lucky enough to marry a Mopar girl, which she has stated flat out that she wants an early 60's Mopar to drive.

I suggest a Valiant

or a New Yorker wagon

**Supersport** · February-26-10, 12:43 PM

MoparDan,

Get this, I bought it from a guy that lived in the apartment complex I was living at in Dearborn at the time. Maintenance crews told me the thing had sat outside for at least the last 2-3 years, never moved once. Car turned out to be from Arizona, solid as can be. Bought it for $7,000 back in 2001.

$7,000 shouldn't even get you a running plain jane 1970 Challenger, so I'd say I did good. Before you ask, yes, I verified it's a real R/T. Stamped on the radiator support and the cowl, both of which match the vin. Have the trim tag too.

Against what's the norm it seems for Mopar peoples, the car will be built along the lines of a pro-touring car, though retain most of it's stock appearance inside and out. I bought a custom set of springs from Eaton Spring in Corktown, so the rear is already lowered significantly. Koni shocks all around too. Still need torsion bars for the front and a front end rebuild kit, then the suspension will be done.

**MoparDan** · February-27-10, 09:47 AM

Originally Posted by Supersport

MoparDan,

Get this, I bought it from a guy that lived in the apartment complex I was living at in Dearborn at the time. Maintenance crews told me the thing had sat outside for at least the last 2-3 years, never moved once. Car turned out to be from Arizona, solid as can be. Bought it for $7,000 back in 2001.

$7,000 shouldn't even get you a running plain jane 1970 Challenger, so I'd say I did good. Before you ask, yes, I verified it's a real R/T. Stamped on the radiator support and the cowl, both of which match the vin. Have the trim tag too.

Against what's the norm it seems for Mopar peoples, the car will be built along the lines of a pro-touring car, though retain most of it's stock appearance inside and out. I bought a custom set of springs from Eaton Spring in Corktown, so the rear is already lowered significantly. Koni shocks all around too. Still need torsion bars for the front and a front end rebuild kit, then the suspension will be done.

I passed up many a good deal on Chargers/Satellites/Challengers. Why? Because they were painted that God awful pine green color Mopar seemed so proud of. It wasn't just the exterior, but every interior had them. This was back in the 80s, so restoration sources for converting the interior to another color weren't available like they are now. Or the asking prices on the ones I liked were well beyond my budget.
While active duty, I worked part-time for a Gatti's delivering pizzas. Part of my route was in a rural area & I often passed a house with a '70 Charger parked in the weeds. I stopped one day to look at it; not too bad condition overall[[I believe the body was light gold poly with black vinyl roof & the interior was black). No one was home but another time I stopped & he was there. He wasn't interested in selling; planned to restore it "some day". It was a 383-4bbl, AT with A/C, which I thought was perfect. I passed by there regularly for almost another yr before quitting & the car never moved. It wouldn't surprise me if it's still there.

You're right about Mopar people being ultra-purists; Ford & Chevy fans seem to have no problem going at it. My take is that Chrysler didn't have the production numbers, so they're not as plentiful or readily available.
If I had an original musclecar, it'd be tough for me to customize it. At the same time, I'd like some modern tech in there; the best compromise would be to customize, but keep the original parts in case you sold it to someone wanting to restore it to factory specs. Just an observation.
We have a beautiful day in the making already here. I've had my morning caffeine & about to start scraping the floorpans some more. It ain't all fame & glory!

**Supersport** · February-28-10, 02:03 PM

Just finished uploading my 400+ pictures from this year's Autorama. Check them out.

Motor City Muscle

**MoparDan** · March-09-10, 09:59 AM

Originally Posted by Supersport

Just finished uploading my 400+ pictures from this year's Autorama. Check them out.

Motor City Muscle

I'll check them out from home.
A friend's son-in-law suggested I purchase an HVLP turbine sprayer system instead of going to the trouble of setting up an air line with traps & regulators. He uses a Graco unit[[he contracts with apt complexes for maintenance) but I found these from a company in Ohio. I figure for the cost/time/labor of setting up an air line plus buying guns, this would be a better alternative.
http://www.tptools.com/dg/60_HVLP-Turbine-Paint-Spray-Systems.html

**reddog289** · March-10-10, 03:56 AM

I myself at least enjoy the TP tools catalog. God I wish I was in the stage to paint my Comet. Need to get daily drivers done before I get to the projects.

**MoparDan** · March-10-10, 07:53 AM

Originally Posted by Supersport

Just finished uploading my 400+ pictures from this year's Autorama. Check them out.

Motor City Muscle

Was able to check out some of the pics last night. It both inspired & disappointed me...I'm sure you know what I mean.

I liked the window sticker on that '70 Cuda...four grand was still a lot to pay for a car back then. But you got some serious HP & torque in a wicked body. That car today is worth a small fortune.

**MoparDan** · March-10-10, 08:18 AM

Originally Posted by reddog289

I myself at least enjoy the TP tools catalog. God I wish I was in the stage to paint my Comet. Need to get daily drivers done before I get to the projects.

I just ordered the catalog myself & looking forward to it coming in.
I've got other projects beside the car I could use that turbine system for, so the wife shouldn't give me much static over getting one. For instance, we have some wrought iron fencing that needs to be treated & freshened up...I plan on sand blasting it some, hit it with rust preventative, then use Eastwood's enamel satin finish Chassis Black on it. Once she sees that, I should be able to buy whatever tools/equipment I want.

As a side note, I plan to take an autobody class inthe fall at the community college here. I told a few co-workers about it & already getting asked to do some minor painting on their vehicles. Maybe I can make a few bucks to offset my investment. One can always hope!