1971 Chrysler Newport Custom 383, rebuilding in Europe

[Unix]

small udpate. Some work has been done. The front and rear glass was successfully removed without cracking - otherwise it would be "slightly" troublesome.
The window channels are in very good condition, no rust, except for one spot in the front in the corner. Both front & rear as well as the side window channels will soon be sandblasted to remove all dirt & sealant & surface rust.

The right h/side is mostly complete, except for doors and some rust at the bottom near the firewall.

The front fenders will need some work, but are repairable - only 1 sore spot on both sides , otherwise only surface rust from the inside.

 

[Unix]

Picture of the inside of front fender...

& the left side bottom rear quarter and wheel skirt (which was already done on the right side) needs repair, no suprise there...

 

[Unix]

before & after cutting out all the rust and welding in new sheet metal. Left h/side rear wheel. The rear quarter panel has also been replaced. It is still in rough shape, it will still be formed until a perfect smooth finish.
Sorry for the bad quality pics...
& last offtopic pic, a nice MB waiting for attention.

recently a package arrived with all lighting, bulbs, connectors etc..

 

[ceebuddy]

Well the above pic actually shows you how loose the steering/suspension is . The road was slightly inclined to the left, and the car immediately started doing it's own thing , so to keep it straight i had to turn the steering wheel just "slightly"

I thought this is how it is supposed to be

 

[ImpJay]

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Nice work done so far!

 

[Unix]

thanks for all the positive feedback! Most of the cutting and welding is coming to an end - the work that is still to be done are the doors (rust near the bottom), sandblasting of the firewall and rear end.
Next in line will be alignment of all the panels / doors/ trim before getting rid of all the paint before the paintjob.

One front fender has been repaired, the second one is almost complete.

I'm fitting new aftermarket mirrors, so the drivers side door will be welded where the oem used to be.

Also got all the engine parts for the rebuild!

 

[Unix]

Didn't make any pics of the front frame, but it has been powder coated, looks like new!

Below the second front fender, work in progress @ the body shop.

 

[Unix]

So this week the car was off to sandblasting. The result was MUCH better than expected. The body is in very good condition. Floor boards, underside, excellent. The front & rear window channels perfect , except for one small spot with a hole. The driver's side floor has small perforation in one area, so possibly will be replaced.
Otherwise, for having being made 48 years ago, everyone was really surprised of the overall excellent shape.

Now i'm having the doors repaired, the passenger side was in poor condition, with a lot of rust at the front bottom corner. The plan now is to get the undercarriage painted. Next get the front frame in place with all new suspension & steering parts. Then get the whole body aligned, with straightening of panels & such. Then hopefully off to paint....

 

[Unix]

a few more pics, & last but not least, a nice Dodge army truck at the body shop

 

[Marv]

Tremendous work at this speed the car will be on the road by spring

 

[Farsight]

Piekna Robota ;) good work, keep on ☺

 

[Unix]

There is still plenty of work ahead, paint, new vinyl on the roof, upholstery, engine ... well the list goes on and on with no end in sight. I would like to take it for a cruise this year ;)

Does anyone know if these exterior door handles will fit ?

521 Restorations - C Body -> Door Handles

Same goes for the chrome armrest bases, will they work ?

521 Restorations - C Body -> Interior

on the pics, the handles & armrest bases look identical, but in the description they don't list the c-body... both of them are however categorized under c-body.


thx for any help.

 

[330dTA]

Your C-body Arm Rest Bases are the same as in B-bodies. Same goes for many of the window seals. - The vendors rarely mention it, and I sincerely wonder if they are even aware of it.

 

[ceebuddy]

The exterior door handles won't work. The angle of the sheetmetal where the exterior door handles sit on 1969 to 1971 Chryslers dictate a differently shaped base of the door handle.

This is a picture of the handles you'd need. If you look closely you can see the difference:

 

[Unix]

thx for the info.

Any ideas where i could find good (preferably new) handles?

the ones i have are too far gone...

 

[330dTA]

As far as I know, there are no repops available. The only source for new ones is eBay, where the asking price for OEM pieces is obscene. - I’d think that your best, and least expensive option would be to find a reliable company that does chromium plating in Poland. (If you know of one, hit me with PM).

 

[Georg/BBTR]

Wow Unix, you work at a fast pace! Good luck with the restoration, will follow this thread for sure!

 

[Unix]

As far as I know, there are no repops available. The only source for new ones is eBay, where the asking price for OEM pieces is obscene. - I’d think that your best, and least expensive option would be to find a reliable company that does chromium plating in Poland. (If you know of one, hit me with PM).

Already have a company who's going to rechrome the front & rear bumpers. Will let you know how much they quote me for the door handles...

As of today, the doors are almost done... lots and lots of work & the body shop, fortunately they have lots of patience, and i'm willing to spend a bit more to have it done properly. The entire length of the bottom part of the door was removed and replaced, along with the corners...

Next week the undercarriage will be painted, and the front stubframe will bo bolted back on and will have a rolling chassis.

A new driver side floor panel was also welded in as well.

I had new custom stubframe bushings made from polyurethane, a little bit stiffer than the stock rubber ones but still soft. All new suspension and steering parts are bolted to the front end. The rear end will be dropped to change bushings and shackles & such.

Also looking into new seals for the window rails, as no new stock ones are available as far as i know. Ordered a few samples, plenty to choose from... should be good once you glue them together to get the desired shape in order for the window glass to seal nicely - who knows, might end up better than stock.

 

[Unix]

obviously i'm just checking the seals out, but have a few ideas and hopefully some of them work ;)

 

[Unix]

underside is underway...