512 cid C series on Dakota chassis- build thread

[Radarsonwheels]

Good idea John but no dice. This is the first time she’s had door cards in over 20 years unless you count the scraps under the buttons & screws. And the driver’s door bottom used to be a bondo sculpture hiding riveted galvanized but now it’s just one big ragged hole underneath

[Plymouthy Adams]

57 minutes ago, John Rogers said:

Have you checked to see if the maybe door check is laying inside the door on the bottom ? Possibly somewhere down the line before you got it, they were disconnected for some reason and fell inside of the door and never got retrieved. I know yours is newer, but on my '49 if Im not careful when I disconnect the door check it will fall inside then I have to take off the cover and put it back thru when it comes time to reattach it. Just a thought...

 

                      John

 

if I recall, his doors did not have any bottoms...

[Radarsonwheels]

Hey! My passenger door is very nice thank you! 

 

...the driver’s door is the one with no bottom

[Merle Coggins]

DCM has door checks for your truck. https://dcmclassics.com/home/615-i-137-55-door-checksstops.html

[Dave72dt]

They wouldn't be hard to make either.  Some strap metal, drill a couple holes, rubber cushion on the inside and a couple bolts.

[Los_Control]

what I was thinking

21 hours ago, Dave72dt said:

They wouldn't be hard to make either.

 

Straps seem fitting also, what the factory used to hold the butterfly hoods in the wind.

Use what works.

[Radarsonwheels]

Some dumb cosmetics today. I pulled off the ‘70s honda motorcycle mirrors and put a new peep mirror on the driver’s door. It originally had one when I got it but it was too rusty and wouldn’t hold an adjustment any more. The bike mirrors were a good idea but in practice didn’t hold adjustment well and I think they took away from the lines. They actually used to help a little to keep the doors from opening too far but that knocked them out of useful adjustment too. 

 

I also finished the ram ornament with a piece of stainless from a harley FLH front fender edge. It isn’t perfect (and too new looking! but I think it looks good. Stainless wears better than pot metal anyway.

[Radarsonwheels]

Here are the new door checks. They work great. No more telling passengers to not open the door too far.

 

pics are passenger side closed and driver’s side open

[CO54]

After 2 weeks vacation, I come back and catch up on all the progress.

Interior looks great, along with all the little touches here and there.

Happy Birthday too.

[Radarsonwheels]

Thanks C054

 

I’m taking a break from making patterns for the interior rear window surround right now. The corner curves are pretty complicated 3d shapes but if I make flats that come back off the door lip like how they support the headliner I’m hoping to be able to pop it in the groove above the window and have it just held in by that and the pressure from the side pieces. Slow progress but the interior is coming out good. My wife even enjoys riding in it now.

 

I also got some M&H DOT drag radials coming- 275/50-r17 and I’m looking at upgrading my $15 munroe stock replacement shocks with a set of rancho 9000 adjustables. 

 

Here’s a video of that holeshot I took it and zoomed in and slowed it down on iMovie. The super slo-mo is pasted twice at the end so you have time to watch the front tire and then the back tire. It looks like it tries to hook for a second as the slapper bars and shackles lift the chassis and plant the tires but then I get into wheelspin and it pourposes once before recovering into a steady rolling burnout. It’s a starting place. 

 

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Radarsonwheels

[Radarsonwheels]

So I went out to get my wife some snacks and filled up my gastank. It was my first time doing the math on a fillup vs the trip odometer- 13.5mpg?! 

 

That can’t be right. No way does this thing get better milage than my 318 ramcharger! I’m going to have to pay close attention to this next fillup. I definitely have the trip odo zeroed and a full tank. 

 

Got a shot of rear surround pattern making today. 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Radarsonwheels

[Radarsonwheels]

The rear piece is about done in ABS. After I got it trimmed I hit it carrefully with a propane torch and mushed it into the contours some. Gotta clearance it a touch so it’ll fit snug after it’s wrapped in foam & vinyl.

 

Next is wrapping it in diamond stitch then making the plain vinyl wrapped side plates.

 

Edited July 9, 2019 by Radarsonwheels

[Radarsonwheels]

I had a little time this AM between dropping my kid at camp and an appointment at work. I got the rear surround marked, removed, and final trimmed. The vinyl for it is marked and cut but I need to sew two pieces together in the middle over the back window. I think I’ll pick the foam off the back up to the seam before I sew it so it’ll sit flat. Dunno if it’ll get a simple join or a french seam. 

 

I also ordered wiper pivot gaskets, bushings, e-clips, wiper arms, and blades off DCM. It’ll be nice to have wipers and they’re already wired up- 2spd electric. 

 

Anybody polish their windshield before? Mine has a lot of micro scratches from 70 years of 55mph top speed runs and marks from running with beat wipers that look bad but don’t catch a fingernail. I don’t need perfect but a minor improvement would be nice for night driving- oncoming headlights are more blinding than they need to be. 

 

I also bought little square rubber insert caps to finish the square stock that sticks up on the inside A pillar edge. My rockers were far gone enough when I channeled the cab down that I reinforced the new floor structure  to the A&B pillars. They have a texture that matches the vinyl. The little things!

Edited July 10, 2019 by Radarsonwheels
Added a pic of the square tube thingies on the pillars

[Radarsonwheels]

New shoes! 

 

275/50-r17 M&H dragmaster DOT drag radials. Maybe I’ll get to use a little more gas pedal in 1st & 2nd gear now.

 

They’re just under 11” wide. Our tubs are 13” wide but without shortening the axle or buying custom 6.5” offset wheels these are the biggest I can fit. They just barely have room to get in there without having to drop the springs off the shackles. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Radarsonwheels

[Radarsonwheels]

Before and after specs on the old & new tires. A little bigger and much stickier compound. 

[Radarsonwheels]

I got the new vinyl panel sewn up in the center with a little french seam and wrapped the rear surround ABS plastic panel in diamond stitch. It came out ok but next one I do I will pick some foam off the panels that glue to the reverse side- the foam is glued but the vinyl is only sewn to the vinyl not glued so it tends to ‘delaminate’ on the back side. I don’t think it’s gonna cause a problem once it’s stuffed into place. 

 

Fingers crossed it still fits!

[Radarsonwheels]

Didn’t come out too bad

[Radarsonwheels]

All done!

[John Rogers]

That looks fantastic !

                  John 

[Radarsonwheels]

Thanks John!

 

I’m still not sure about the lower chrome strip but it covers the button holes from the stock liner and kinda matches the top edge. I think I will end up making a plain vinyl wrapped strip with stainless screws to finish the bottom 1/2 of the B pillar similar to the thin A pillar ones next to the windshield. I want to keep the little open cubbies in the corners for stashing tools and whatnot. 

 

I still haven’t tried the new drag radials- I upholstered all morning and now it’s pouring and I’m at work. Can’t wait. 

 

I did get a gps speedometer app on my iphone the other day- my aftermarket speedo and transmission speedo drive gear tooth count were dead on. The new tires are .8” taller so it’ll be off by about 2mph at highway speed which is still acceptable. 

Edited July 11, 2019 by Radarsonwheels

[The Oil Soup]

What phone do you have and does it use minutes when operating the speedo? Could a phone be used only for the gps speedo and not have service? My speedo works in my truck but is way off and I want a reliable backup.

[Merle Coggins]

That's an interesting question. I've got the Speed Box app on my iPhone that I've used to check speeds compared to speedos. It's a simple speedometer app that uses GPS tracking, but I was unsure if it also used cell data. So I just performed a test. I took a walk outside and it tracked me at 2-3 MPH. I then put the phone in airplane mode and turned off the wi-fi, so there would be no way to connect to the internet and use data. It still tracked my walking at 2-3 MPH. So, it would seem that it doesn't need to use any data stream to function.

[Radarsonwheels]

10th anniversary party for my tattoo shop was tonite at Neshaminy Creek Brewing Co. My band played and a few others- I went in style!

[Radarsonwheels]

When I installed the cheap stock replacement shocks spec’d for an 89 Dakota I figured they’d do a decent if uninspiring job and at $15 a corner I could afford to throw away the cash in anticipation of later upgrades once I got her on the road and let her tell me what she wanted. 

 

Well now I’m exploring my options for a nice tight street ride and good manners in a launch- especially since I put on the drag radials. 

 

What I didn’t anticipate and now I’m bummed because I know better is that once you drop a dakota 8” or so the shock angle becomes so laid back and horizontal that the shocks no longer have good leverage and no amount of cash spent on good shocks will help. 

 

With the bed empty it’s a little bouncy but fine for cruising. When I was loaded with 500ish lbs going to the show on Sat. it got a little squirrelly over 50 mph. 

 

So I have to move the upper shock mounts forward a bunch. To make that an easy job requires pulling the bed (again) and also the  throttle body to protect the efi computer from damage when I weld on the frame. It’s too hot out to do all that lately!

 

I’m also not sure how strong the mounts need to be so I’ll probably over do them a little. I’m plotting on how to make them bolt on to the lower flat of the frame instead of doing all that disassembly I can just fabricate them and bolt them up. 

 

Edited July 15, 2019 by Radarsonwheels
Typo

[Radarsonwheels]

I talked to a tech at QA1 about eye to eye at ride height, total travel, and adjustability and ended up ordering a set of star stocker ts504 single adjustable shocks. 

 

I’m gonna wait till they come in to fabricate the new upper mounts but they should have me covered for street & strip from way too soft to way too hard. 

Edited July 15, 2019 by Radarsonwheels