New Member, New Polara

[Stev]

Going's been slow.

I'm at the point where I have to make careful cuts to make careful cuts to make careful cuts.

The tape marks the part of the inner quarter I'm keeping. Green tape is the safe zone, gray is the intended overlapping flange area. I have the whole panel of course, but to knit it in I'd need to untie the D pillar and cut off the entire quarter skin which i am simply not doing. The entire RR would be completely off at that point.

I'm also keeping that wedge shaped panel that knits the false floor shelf to the floor. It's in good shape and to remove it would be very difficult and compromise the strength of the tailgate sill significantly. Everything else is going however.

I will have to fab the boxed in area under the tail light housing on both sides though. Both the donor and Blue appear to have a hole in the bumper sill area behind it, which appeared to have let in all the shmutz that rusted out the box area. The tear looks identical on both Blue and the donor. I presume it's a factory defect from where the stamping was stretched too much.

I really need some serious fab tools. Sheet brake, english wheel/bead roller and a shrinker/stretcher look to be a requiement going forward. Not sure what to do, maybe i can sponge off of someone in the local car club.

Ever onwards.

 

[3175375]

View attachment 643086

View attachment 643087
View attachment 643088


Going's been slow.

I'm at the point where I have to make careful cuts to make careful cuts to make careful cuts.

The tape marks the part of the inner quarter I'm keeping. Green tape is the safe zone, gray is the intended overlapping flange area. I have the whole panel of course, but to knit it in I'd need to untie the D pillar and cut off the entire quarter skin which i am simply not doing. The entire RR would be completely off at that point.

I'm also keeping that wedge shaped panel that knits the false floor shelf to the floor. It's in good shape and to remove it would be very difficult and compromise the strength of the tailgate sill significantly. Everything else is going however.

I will have to fab the boxed in area under the tail light housing on both sides though. Both the donor and Blue appear to have a hole in the bumper sill area behind it, which appeared to have let in all the shmutz that rusted out the box area. The tear looks identical on both Blue and the donor. I presume it's a factory defect from where the stamping was stretched too much.

I really need some serious fab tools. Sheet brake, english wheel/bead roller and a shrinker/stretcher look to be a requiement going forward. Not sure what to do, maybe i can sponge off of someone in the local car club.

Ever onwards.

You might be able to find what you need at Harbor Freight or an equivalent store in Canada. Maybe you can locate a local hot rod gent who may know someone who has the assets. You’re going to solve this, the magic is finding the path.

 

['66 Fury I]

Stev, you have a big project on the go! I admire your ambition and know you will succeed! If someone else can do it- you can do it if you are willing to ask questions and invest the time. You will also need tools and material. Princess Auto is a good source for tools and equipment. It is my "Go-To" source.
I wish you well and look forward to following your progress! Lindsay

 

[Stev]

Contemplating cutting the rear quarter to remove the inner quarter in one piece. I'd have to make an access hole to drill out the spot welds at the back of the D pillar. But the D pillar and tailgate sill will be connected still.

Can I do this non destructively, open it up on 3 sides, bend it up and weld it back together aftewards? The paint on the quarter is already junk and going so i'm not losing anything there.

I can kinda sorta not really get some of them through the tail light hole. My main concern is that body crease below the chrome. The reason i wrote it off before is i thought i'd have to take it off at the window line but if i can just cut a little access hole and put it back it might be a good idea.

Anyone ever try something like that?

Also is there a source for trim clips, half of the ones on here are weird chintzy ones that break before they come out.

 

[Stev]

Bought a shitload of acid, a sheet metal brake and a bead roller.

Progress will resume shortly.


Ow my money.

 

[Stev]

Will any of the original car even be left?

One wonders.

 

[Stev]

Yeah look at that beauty! Great score on that although I am sorry to hear about your grandfather’s decline.
Based on the looks of the outer sheet metal I would be surprised if you found more than a couple of small holes in the pans to patch.
My ‘67 is from that region and the majority of its 158K miles was logged there. It has zero rust.
Cantflip posted a good summary that I agree with.

In other news however, the acid does work. All the gray stuff was solid rust.

Though I think getting the foaming version was a msitake. Lesser concentration and the foaming agent seems to be left over afterwards. Not practical to return the unopened jug for more of the straight acid. Also some rust it ate straight through immediately, while rust right next door didn't change at all. No idea what the difference is. Layer of dirt? Don't know.

More experimentation needed.

 

[Stev]

So i just realized why all that angle iron was behind the skin. They had to remake that whole wheel arch area and the angle iron was the basis of the bodyline. Look how much lower the wheel opening is vs untouched cars. No wonder they had to mutilate the inner quarter.

I also noticed the fury bodyline is lower and squiggles up for some reason, so i'll have to modify the patch. Why that line had to be lower I do not understand. Every door skin on every model of of every brand for every year would have to be different to move that line 2" down just to jag up again.

Cool.

I don't really want to look at the left side now. It must be fine.


I don't really know how to make that shape either. I understand the shape well, I could make a technical drawing of it. But to make that very specific profile on a compounding sweep, discounting a very large bead roller and rolling dies with that exact profile, I have no idea how to produce it myself.

 

[Stev]

Yeah and sure enough, same deal on the left side. ****. That paint bubbling on the quarter and where it meets the rocker indicates serious distress in there as well.

So what do I do now. Replicate the bad work or tear apart the left side and make the thing from scratch?

Or just button up the right side correctly and kick the can down the road until I have more experience doing bodywork. Can't see both sides at once I guess...

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

If I may make a suggestion - get some rust free AZ quarters - use those to make patch panels.

Desert Valley has some 65 and 66 Polaras and Monacos there that could provide usable stuff. I bought my full quarters from them - best thing I could have done.

1966 Dodge Monaco (#66DO5119B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1966 Dodge Polara (#66DG3950B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1966 Dodge Monaco (#66DG4602C) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1966 Dodge Polara (#66DO9126B)) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1965 Dodge Monaco 4 Door HT (#65DG5512B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1965 Dodge Polara (#65DO4269B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1965 Dodge Polara (#64DO9039C) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

 

[Stev]

If I may make a suggestion - get some rust free AZ quarters - use those to make patch panels.

Desert Valley has some 65 and 66 Polaras and Monacos there that could provide usable stuff. I bought my full quarters from them - best thing I could have done.

1966 Dodge Monaco (#66DO5119B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1966 Dodge Polara (#66DG3950B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1966 Dodge Monaco (#66DG4602C) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1966 Dodge Polara (#66DO9126B)) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1965 Dodge Monaco 4 Door HT (#65DG5512B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1965 Dodge Polara (#65DO4269B) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

1965 Dodge Polara (#64DO9039C) | Desert Valley Auto Parts

Well that's what i thought I did, trucked to oregon for it. It would probably have to come from a wagon though, the quarter differs significantly.

I can get this side together correctly with what I have. I'm thinking I'll leave the left side as it is and down the road i'll grab a patch for the other side from Wildcat next time i'm in the area. The front stub for this came off of a really really clean 4 door polara, i'd probably take it off that.

Until then, I'll just have to endure the cursed knowledge of the asymmetry that is mine alone to bear.


Though inversely, I do like the lower wheel arch. I like the low and long slab of death look. Though I had intended to make that happen with skirts. I do have to mend the donor's flange anyway, and lowering the lip isn't too hard.

I'll sleep on it.

 

[Ross Wooldridge]

I hear you!

FWIW, the quarters may differ significantly on the whole, but keep this in mind - I expect the wheel openings are nearly identical, if not shorter on the wagon, and that's only the real issue for you is that part's geometry.

My 66 wagon's wheel openings are shorter than the 4 doors and 2 doors by an inch or two (yup, the skirts are wagon ONLY), and if it's the same for Polara/Monaco, that would still make using the longer but otherwise identical wheel opening from a sedan or hard top workable for your wagon - in terms of applying it after sectioning it.

 

[Stev]

I hear you!

FWIW, the quarters may differ significantly on the whole, but keep this in mind - I expect the wheel openings are nearly identical, if not shorter on the wagon, and that's only the real issue for you is that part's geometry.

My 66 wagon's wheel openings are shorter than the 4 doors and 2 doors by an inch or two (yup, the skirts are wagon ONLY), and if it's the same for Polara/Monaco, that would still make using the longer but otherwise identical wheel opening from a sedan or hard top workable for your wagon - in terms of applying it after sectioning it.

Yeah. The important part would be the bodyline, it could be made to work easily. I want to get some skirts for it and expected it to require fitting regardless.

I went out to check on it, and honestly I was radically overthinking it.

The extended lip is maybe an inch more, and the body line can easily be replicated with my fancy new bead roller. Still humming and hawing but I think i'll match the lower lip just because i like it. I wasn't intending on winning a concourse anytime soon, I got the Jaguar to scratch that itch.

I'll probably have to do something ugly to get the squiggle line off of the fury donor, but it can be made to work.

 

[D Cluley]

As Ross pointed out, the Chrysler wagons are shorter than the sedans, but I believe that is because all of the C body wagons are based off the Dodge wheelbase, so sedan sheetmetal may actually match for yours.

 

[Stev]

Haven't done much, was waiting on butt welding clamps to show up. They finally did yesterday.

First time using the acid seriously, and it does indeed work quite well. Takes a full day of sitting to convert but that rust is indeed no more. Neat!

 

[Stev]

Back at it. All the shmutzy flux core BB's a man could want. Ignore the embarrasing welds on the rocker, i had it clamped up 6 ways to sunday and that's all i could do with the angle I had.

I bought a purpose made copper heat sink for this. But I get way more use out of the copper pipe i found in a ditch and flattened with a hammer.

So it goes.

 

[Stev]

So I finally gave in and admitted that my welder was way too hot for bodywork. Went out and after much searching I found a local unit on craigslist.

Ow my money.

Redid all the welds on the door jam, it's not pretty as it's going over the previous bad welds, but it's better. Not happy about having to spend the money but I'm set now.

Next step is getting the quarter fixed up, then the tub.

Saved the lower corner just in time, just starting to pinhole. Easy to fill. Dusted them off, gave them both the acid bath and it'll be set tomorrow.

After much thinking, I think the best choice to take about the lower wheel arch is to install the donor as it is, and then graft a lip extention onto it to match the other side. It's a bit uglier to have a double lip inside the wheel tub, but I don't want to mess with the wheel house and it's the least destructive option that maintains the symmetry of the car and it's still not as dirty as how it was.

Avanti.

 

[Stev]

Who needs an english wheel when you have a hammer and some round ****?

patch still needs more fitment, hopefully i can burn it in tomorrow. My fault for abusing it when removing it, didn't think i'd ever need it.

New welder was worth it too. Far better result with zero burnthrough once i got it dialed in. Not happy about the money but it was the right call.

 

[Stev]

And I just realized I forgot to paint under where the rocker joints to the sheet metal.

oops.

 

[Stev]

Choices were made.


Got all the welds on the inside too. Managed to get where the inner quarter meets the D pillar without molesting my brace. Might have to make another access hole for the top 3 welds, hopefully not. Ideally i can just reach it with a grinder and bust it with a chisel.

Tomorrow problem.