Walter Joy
Active Member
I guess the past year and a half of me SAYING I was going to start working on Delmae and the constant taunts and bullying of Wyatt and Nick on Facebook has finally gotten to me. IT HAS BEGUN!
It has begun- Project Delmae
- Thread starter Walter Joy
- Start date
Looks like Delmae's bottom false teeth fell out!! 
Teardown is progress!!
Teardown is progress!!
Walter Joy
Active Member
Slowly but surely. I’ll be happy if we get the bumper/grille off today.Looks like Delmae's bottom false teeth fell out!!
Teardown is progress!!
LocuMob
Fluid Technician with a hat
About time! I've seen your posts in some of the group threads on FB. Keep it up.
saylor
Senior Member
whats the over / under on that thing fallin on you?
go get some stands and get off the dirt man.
we try not to die around here.
try not to die -
- saylor
go get some stands and get off the dirt man.
we try not to die around here.
try not to die -
- saylor
Walter Joy
Active Member
Well the real reason I wanted to take this apart was to actually clean out the fenders and see how bad the firewall was where the fenders were. In shocking disbelief.....see for yourself!
Walter Joy
Active Member
However, there is some bad news. Both fenders are shot at the bottom, and I actually watched the hood crack at the bolt holes. And I haven’t even looked at the A pillars yet
Damn it!
Walter Joy
Active Member
I was at least hoping for the hood to be decent, but when I watched the metal crack as we took it apart, I got sad. Hopefully I can find a nice set of fenders to either swap on or have someone graft to these
Walter Joy
Active Member
Some more nibbling away at Delmae today (a little nippy out too). Biggest surprise we had was the vacuum nipple on the intake wasn’t fully seated and easily pulled out (from factory). I’m not even going to attempt to remove those bushings on the core support.
So the bad news is A pillars, bottom of windshield, and the one part of the firewall is toast. So I’m putting my call out for a 69-73 4 door SEDAN that someone is willing to cut apart for me. The fenders are also really bad but I have people who work on sheetmetal willing to help.
So the bad news is A pillars, bottom of windshield, and the one part of the firewall is toast. So I’m putting my call out for a 69-73 4 door SEDAN that someone is willing to cut apart for me. The fenders are also really bad but I have people who work on sheetmetal willing to help.
Walter Joy
Active Member
Last steps have been completed. Original exhaust has been cut, shifter linkages moved, carb removed, and engine and transmission mount bolts taken out. Pretty excited that that next step will be engine removal!
We’re so used to working with wrenches and ratchets that we forget we have modern technology on our side, like this impact gun.
I guess this means I’m committed to HP manifolds and TTI exhaust.
I guess this means I’m committed to HP manifolds and TTI exhaust.
You will not be dissapointed!!
Walter Joy
Active Member
It will take a while and a bunch of work. I wish I could have it done sooner (or started sooner) but unfortunately school held back a lot of the money for this. Once I graduate in May, the speed will pick up. My biggest things I want to know is what’s the current compression ratio and what pistons are in it.
The Boab was off the road for 43 years. Last 12 of that was the restoration.
I know what you have to go through..no money or not enough time or both!
Patience and perserverance son!
Delmae is a family member that will always be there for you!
She deserves the best you can give to her-- even it does take more money and more time--you will know you did the right thibg when it hits you.
Dont let the rot get you down.
71 383 IIRC is 8.5 to 1 flat top pistons and 346 heads. Anybody welcome to chime if wrong.
Cheers
I know what you have to go through..no money or not enough time or both!
Patience and perserverance son!
Delmae is a family member that will always be there for you!
She deserves the best you can give to her-- even it does take more money and more time--you will know you did the right thibg when it hits you.
Dont let the rot get you down.
71 383 IIRC is 8.5 to 1 flat top pistons and 346 heads. Anybody welcome to chime if wrong.
Cheers
Walter Joy
Active Member
If they are flat top, I hope to be able to reuse them. My $125 451 Stroker came with ported big valve 906 heads, and hopefully they have been milled a bit. Will most likely be decking the block to get as much compression as possible without making the valves hit with the 1.6 roller rockers
They msy be flat top but sit further down the hole , or have a slight dish for the lower compression.
Walter Joy
Active Member
If they are dished, I’ll probably go all out and do flattops with valve reliefs (.30 over more likely than not with 10/10 on the crank). But I should be more focused on the body rot haha
Walter Joy
Active Member
On hallowed grounds where big block Chevys have been rebuilt and even a Slant 6 Dart Swinger swapped to a small block, Delmae’s heart has been removed and separated for the first time since 1971. Using my $125 Facebook find 8 ton cherry picker, my uncles Glenn (in camo who has not only been helping me take the car apart but also helped with getting the car running and driving in 2018) and Jody (in red who was the one who inherited the car from my great grandmother and then let it sit for 25 years) got the 383 and 727 out. Unfortunately the garage was too small for us to work in with the cherry picker, so some shade tree Enginuity had to be done.
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Walter Joy
Active Member
Here’s a few up close and personal photos to the casting numbers. I think the biggest surprise was seeing the 383 was casted on September 15, 1970. Will probably look for VIN on it when it’s on the stand.
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Walter Joy
Active Member
So here’s the next steps- remove original rotten frame, take off old suspension parts, put mostly NOS Moog parts and new Moog parts on, and roll the complete rust free subframe back in. However, we are a bit hesitant to get started and need some help:
To those that have removed/separated the subframe, how did you do it? Where did you put jackstands? Where/when did you Jack it up? Anyone have detailed photos of it?
To those that have removed/separated the subframe, how did you do it? Where did you put jackstands? Where/when did you Jack it up? Anyone have detailed photos of it?
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