New Member, New Polara

This body shop sounds like when my brother and one of our friends made a lower quarter panel for a 72 Toyota corona. We found an old water heater laying in a field and they stripped the outer shell off of it for the panel. They shaped it by hand and just bent 90s on the panel for flanges and drilled holes and used #8 machine screws and nuts to hold it all together, then slather it down with bondo. It looked surprisingly good, but was 100% butchery. This was 1985 I think. Good times I tell ya!
Travis..
It was a '72 Corona, so no loss at all.
 
The difference is that these clowns had a welder and knew better. They did the right side okish, if anything welding it too much, and then completely phoned it in on the left. I'm just glad grandpa never knew how badly he was robbed.
 
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Love the wagon!

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Not much to go on...

Original was 20 gauge or so. I stepped it down to 14 gauge, should hold up better.


Also bought a big ole sparkle plank.

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Probably too much sparkle plank. Way too much.

Oops.
 
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Borrowed a buddy's plate roller to make the inner quarter and chamfer stock for the 3rd row footwell

Life's easy when you got the right tools.

Ow my knees.
 
Is that cold-rolled steel that you buy? It has no mill scale but maybe an oil coating that you need to remove for welding? Are you doing tig or mig? What gas do you use?
 
Is that cold-rolled steel that you buy? It has no mill scale but maybe an oil coating that you need to remove for welding? Are you doing tig or mig? What gas do you use?

It's whatever the local metal fab place uses, they sell to me at a good price.

I use fluxcore mig like a caveman. Works ok.

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Got this zapped in, clean it up tomorrow. Should come out ok.

Longtubes are now on their way from the distributor. Learned the meaning of "Paid the piper" today. Ow.

I have about three weeks to get this thing roadworthy for the big car show here. It won't be done, i'll be crusing around in bare metal and with a giant hole in the side, but I intend to run it.

Oh boy.
 
Stev, As I said before, you are an inspiration! I truly look forward to your progress. WRT going to the show with an unfinished car- that will be an inspiration to many!
At our weekly show in the village down the road, we see cars in all stages of repair, and watch the progress as they are improved (or not) as time goes on. Same at the yearly show (The Atlantic Nationals). Seeing cars progress shows the skill and dedication of the owner. Also the owner has the opportunity to find assistance and encouragement from others.
Would be great to see pictures of your Polara as it is today.
Lindsay
 
It's whatever the local metal fab place uses, they sell to me at a good price.

I use fluxcore mig like a caveman. Works ok.

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Got this zapped in, clean it up tomorrow. Should come out ok.

Longtubes are now on their way from the distributor. Learned the meaning of "Paid the piper" today. Ow.

I have about three weeks to get this thing roadworthy for the big car show here. It won't be done, i'll be crusing around in bare metal and with a giant hole in the side, but I intend to run it.

Oh boy.
You’re doing absolutely amazing and the right things!

Have you handled the tailgate situation yet?
I’m very curious about what has been challenging you regarding this…
 
You’re doing absolutely amazing and the right things!

Have you handled the tailgate situation yet?
I’m very curious about what has been challenging you regarding this…

No that's still locked in place. I figured out why it's jammed up though.

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The bottom corner of the sill here was completely gone, there was nothing structural here, all bondo. So when i cut out the floor, this sagged.

It looked fine beforehand, of course. All nicely painted, but there was nothing there. I really should've dropped the tailgate first and braced the sill up with angle iron, but at that point i still thought i could do this without touching the paint, i had no idea how bad it really was.
 
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It's the little things that get you, like this little bracket.

I really want the floor in by next sunday. Fingers crossed.
 
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The parts fairy stopped by today. Oh baby.

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Getting the left tub ready to go in, then the floor. The junkyard really cut it up ugly. It won't be good but it will be better.

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Also testing hood clearance for what intake manifold I can get away with. Even with the snorkel, I have at least two inches to play with.

Anybody ever try getting a highrise edelbrock performer under there? Experience would be nice to hear about.
 
I have a Performer on my 440, half inch spacer, Edelbrock carb with a drop base air cleaner. The hood pad keeps it all in place. A Performer RPM would need a hole in the hood to make it fit.
 
I have a Performer on my 440, half inch spacer, Edelbrock carb with a drop base air cleaner. The hood pad keeps it all in place. A Performer RPM would need a hole in the hood to make it fit.

Talked to a local guy at the drags with a 440 in a '66 New Yorker


He has this installed, highrise dual plane with the 5.3" height. Same car, talldeck, it clears his hood with a drop down air filter.


The short deck Performer RPM also has the 5.3" height. Same car, same carb height, lower deck. Should work.
 
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Made some spicy control arms tonight.

All the front end suspension stuff is off to the paint shop tomorrow. On track to get the floor in sunday. Then I have until the 8th to get this thing roadworthy. Tight but doable.
 
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