The '76 & '77 F cars were TERRIBLE rusters. My Mother bought a base '77 coupe in September of 77 but the car was built in Oct 76. The whole thing rotted out by the time it was 3 years old.
The story of my 1966 Polara, "El Cacharro", in several posts
- Thread starter Fishfan
- Start date
The '76 & '77 F cars were TERRIBLE rusters. My Mother bought a base '77 coupe in September of 77 but the car was built in Oct 76. The whole thing rotted out by the time it was 3 years old.
Greg B.
Senior Member
The front fender rust was due to the lack of inner fender liners. I think they did fit them in later years.
greasemonkeyman
Well-Known Member
Yeah,all it takes is a leak in the fuel line going to the carb. This was damage due to the previous owner.Cleaned it up and got her running again and you'd never know it happened.
commando1
Old Man with a Hat
POR-15.
No problem.
No problem.
Wash and wax
So I gave El Cacharro a long overdue wash and wax today. Later my wife took a couple of pictures. When she showed them to me on her phone I said I didn't like them because the hood looks like it's full of swirls. She said, "That's the reflection of the clouds above!" I was like, "wow!" She was right, the damned thing is a mirror.
So I gave El Cacharro a long overdue wash and wax today. Later my wife took a couple of pictures. When she showed them to me on her phone I said I didn't like them because the hood looks like it's full of swirls. She said, "That's the reflection of the clouds above!" I was like, "wow!" She was right, the damned thing is a mirror.
Last edited:
70NPORT
Old Man with a Hat
Nice!
Weaverda
New Member
Thanks. great story. Love the Wheel!
Updates
Did a few small jobs I've been meaning to do. First of all, as I described earlier, I've been thinking about what to do with the air cleaner assembly. The round chrome one in the early pictures is no longer. It got damaged and rusty during the hibernation period around my separation and divorce. The triangular Edelbrock never floated my boat, looked too small. I experimented with spray painting the original but I suck at little detail jobs. I just don't have the patience or the fine motor skills. The two attempts I made were terrible. Finally I decided to take it down to the metal. I used a power drill with a steel brush attachment and also a palm sander. Then I gave the whole thing a couple of coats of clear to keep the rust worm away. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Has its imperfections but overall I'm pleased.
The other thing I've been wanting to do for years was replace the door seals. I found Dixie Restoration Parts online http://www.dixierestorationparts.com and they claimed to have the right seals. I ordered them back at the end of July and they didn't have them in stock. I just got them on Thursday. The rears fit pretty well. The fronts were longer they should be and not exactly a match. The originals were slightly different around the vent window. I actually did a transplant, cutting the new ones and patching in that particular piece of the old ones (luckily this one section was in good condition on the old ones). I used 3M black weatherstrip adhesive from O'Pepadvancezone to glue them in and do the "suturing" between the new and old sections.
Again, quite happy with the outcome.
Did a few small jobs I've been meaning to do. First of all, as I described earlier, I've been thinking about what to do with the air cleaner assembly. The round chrome one in the early pictures is no longer. It got damaged and rusty during the hibernation period around my separation and divorce. The triangular Edelbrock never floated my boat, looked too small. I experimented with spray painting the original but I suck at little detail jobs. I just don't have the patience or the fine motor skills. The two attempts I made were terrible. Finally I decided to take it down to the metal. I used a power drill with a steel brush attachment and also a palm sander. Then I gave the whole thing a couple of coats of clear to keep the rust worm away. I'm pretty happy with the outcome. Has its imperfections but overall I'm pleased.
The other thing I've been wanting to do for years was replace the door seals. I found Dixie Restoration Parts online http://www.dixierestorationparts.com and they claimed to have the right seals. I ordered them back at the end of July and they didn't have them in stock. I just got them on Thursday. The rears fit pretty well. The fronts were longer they should be and not exactly a match. The originals were slightly different around the vent window. I actually did a transplant, cutting the new ones and patching in that particular piece of the old ones (luckily this one section was in good condition on the old ones). I used 3M black weatherstrip adhesive from O'Pepadvancezone to glue them in and do the "suturing" between the new and old sections.
Again, quite happy with the outcome.
70NPORT
Old Man with a Hat
I like the air cleaner. It looks good, nice handiwork.
Well done! That's how we're all going to have to replace weatherstrips sooner or later. Best way to keep the unique parts from getting wiped out is to make sure the pins in the door hinges never get sloppy. That's what'll tear up the proprietary pieces.
Hi Guys. Long time, no see. Just a quick update. Car has been running great. I drive it to work at least once a week and always drive it on the weekends. Last Saturday my step-daughter had her prom and she asked to be driven in the old Polara. I was flattered. Here's a pic of her (center), her date (left) and her friend (right).
Two other notes. One about the car and one of a personal nature, since I've alluded to both in this thread. About the car: Engine no longer runs hot since I put in an electric pusher fan (toggle switch under dash to turn on when I want it) and sealed up the gaps between the rad and the fan cowl.
Personally, I'm happy to report that for the first time in my adult life I'm absolutely 100% debt free. No car loan, no mortgage, no credit card debt. Nothing. It was quite a feat as I came out of divorce that almost ruined me. I had a house that was $100k under water and about $50k in short term debts. Over time the house appreciated while I rented it out and was able to sell it for a small profit. The proceeds went toward debt reduction and every available dollar I had also went to paying off accounts. So I'm debt free, credit was saved and I was never late on a single payment. Feels awesome. If anyone is interested in how I did it, get Dave Ramsey's total money makeover.
Personally, I'm happy to report that for the first time in my adult life I'm absolutely 100% debt free. No car loan, no mortgage, no credit card debt. Nothing. It was quite a feat as I came out of divorce that almost ruined me. I had a house that was $100k under water and about $50k in short term debts. Over time the house appreciated while I rented it out and was able to sell it for a small profit. The proceeds went toward debt reduction and every available dollar I had also went to paying off accounts. So I'm debt free, credit was saved and I was never late on a single payment. Feels awesome. If anyone is interested in how I did it, get Dave Ramsey's total money makeover.
67Monaco
Old Man with a Hat
Congratulations on well, everything!
MarPar
Meat Man with a Hat
Cubano!!! que vola?
Coño viejo, that's a helluva story on the olde Cacharro! I was riveted the entire time! lol
glad to hear you are out of debt and life is grand! cant wait to hear more on the adventures of El Cacharro!
-Mario
Coño viejo, that's a helluva story on the olde Cacharro! I was riveted the entire time! lol
glad to hear you are out of debt and life is grand! cant wait to hear more on the adventures of El Cacharro!
-Mario
Samplingman
Old Man with a Hat
You are a Super Hero, IMHO! Congratulations! Dave Ramsey's book does have a faithful following.
furyus 67
Senior Member
Wow great story! Sounds like an awesome journey with the ole dodge! I just sat here read the whole thing while working in mine! An inspiration for sure! Thanks for sharing.
Update: Power steering box was leaking like a sieve. Got the part from buyautoparts.com for $165. Took it to my old mechanic to find out he had sold the place and now it's a hot rod shop run by veterans. They fell in love with the Cacharro and suggested an MSD ignition upgrade. I agreed and also went for a new magnaflow muffler. The crappy flowmaster knock-off and installation I had, had me at wit's end. Just got the car back and she's purring like a kitten. AC stopped working though. That's next, along with new ball joints and an alignment.
I'd be lying if I told you I remember where I got the headliner. It was 2006. It was supposed to be a perfect fit but was not. Luckily my upholstery guy in Miami is a craftsman. He made the modifications and you'd probably only notice if I pointed them out to you.
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