Aussie Aspen rebuild

[gaz440]

Hi guys,
here are some "work in progress" pics of the stuff I've been doing to my other project over the past couple of years. I've just started getting motivated again so there will be some more pics to add in the near future.
But first a little info on the car.....
It's a 1978 Dodge Aspen SE powered by a factory 360 4bbl. I brought the car in 2001 and have taken it to COTM twice so a few of you may know the car.

This car came equipped with Air Con, power steering, remote mirrors and cruise control and of course it's got T-top's It had been converted to RHD using a Chain unit under the dash, The steering box and master cyl are still on the LHS. It was originally Metallic Silver with the black vinyl roof and i recently discovered (after sanding back a quarter) it had side mouldings.
I brought the car in 2001 from a car yard in melbourne that used to sell a lot of classic older cars and from time to time lend cars out to TV show producers. Aparently this Aspen was in a episode of Aussie drama "Stingers" years ago. I saw it at Pakenham Race course about 12 months earlier at a All Chrysler Day.
When I 1st brought the Aspen, I posted on a couple of forums wondering if there were any other F bodies in Australia. I only got a few leads. One led me to meeting Russell Cope from NSW at Albury @ the Annual Chyrslers on the Murray one year. He owns a 78 Plymouth Volare with a 318. Last time i saw Russell he had the Volare for sale. So I don't know if it's gone to a new home or not. Unfortunatly, we've never had both F bodies at Albury at the same time. Here is Russells Volare......

The only other lead for another F body in Australia, was a Red one for sale at a yard in melbourne, years ago. But I've discovered, my Aspen was red at one stage so I'd guess mine would be that car.
After a few years, a bit of rust started bubbling under the vinyl roof and in the quarters, so plans to re-do the body were always talked about. But it wasn't till it actually cracked the LHS chassis rail, that the car was pulled from the road the work began.
The rail cracked coz the floor pan rusted out (leaking T-tops) and the spot welds holding the rear of the rail to the trans cross member let go.

 

[gaz440]

Because the front end/K member in F bodies are rubber insulated to the chassis and the steering box is also mounted on the K member. The only clue to that something was amiss under the car was the steering suddenly went "jerky" A very strange feeling!

About 18 months ago I pulled the motor and front end out to weld up the chassis, I gusseted the chassis and reinforced around the crack.

The front ends come out in one piece, L shaped torsion bars and all.
Due to a very rough RHD conversion of the original dash, I decided to convert a Aussie 1978 VJ Valiant unit I had to fit into the Aspen. Unfortunatly I can't find a pic but the original dash was a shocker. Made of plastic, who ever converted the car just cut it up and glued it back to mirror image (kinda). Everytime you hit a large bump a piece of plastic fell out onto the carpet.

Using the original top section (metal) of the dash I had to, surprisingly, cut and shut the VJ unit by about 10cm's to fit. After a bit of slicing and weldin it's looks like it belongs there.

I've ripped of the vinyl roof revealing the fibreglass "plugs" in the side rear windows. The SE aspens have these like the SE Challengers have one in the rear window or our V.I.P.'s and C by C's have also. Normal raggity everyday Aspens have larger side rear windows.

The last couple of weeks I've started to work on the LHS quarter. It has rust in the lower section in front of the wheel. Rust behind the wheel and little holes where the Plug bolts into the window opening. I've sanded the quarter back to the factory under coat. This car has been Silver, Burgandy, Red and now black. Each respray has been a cheap and nasty one, when I unbolted the side reflectors they all had the original sliver under neath!

 

[gaz440]

15 Sept 06

I'm trying to decide what colour to piant it this time around. I'm thinking either a Blue like the PT cruisers come in or a metallic Silver like the original colour.
I'm not putting a Vinyl roof back on it, I've seen several Aspens on the net with the fibreglass side plugs moulded in and pianted body colour like this...

This looks cool, but getting fibreglass to mould with metal, it will crack eventually. I'm think of just painting the Plugs seperately and just sealing em into the openings as a panel on their own. Maybe even pianting em a slightly darker colour. Who know's thats a long way of yet.
I repaired the lower rust this weekend......

 

[gaz440]

5 Nov 2006

here's some more pics of the work in progress.
The left hand Quarter behind the wheel time..

The begining

What a nice surprise, I like surprises. -!~

Made up and welded in a new inner section

and the new rust repair section courtesy of a old VF bonnet. Thanks VF z#]
Stay tuned for future updates.

 

[gaz440]

8 Aug 2007

I long time between updates, but here's a few pics of the LHS quarter nearing completion.

The replacement grille I got over from the states thanks to Moparmal but no thanks to the United States Postal Service. It showed up at L.A. already damaged. I've ended up glueing in the broken pieces from the original damaged griile. Came up great.

The E-58 360 on it's stand waiting to get pulled down.

I'm have also welded up the small rust patches in the floor and starting to strip back the engine bay.
I'm slowly getting there!

 

[gaz440]

15 sept 07

Funny how plans change......
Thanks to a mate's tip off. I've brought this 80 Plymouth Volare of Ebay. Slanty and Torqueflite
This is the third F-body I know of over here.
The plan is to now swap all the parts needed to put the aspen back to LHD.
Dash, Steering column,Heater, hook up the aircon again etc.
Pitty it's pretty beat up and not a spot of rust in it coz I'd just rego it and go cruisin
This idea Has been talked about since I brought the Aspen 6/7 years ago. I nearly brought a 78 Volare 2 door in Canada in 01 to be the donor car.

Gee that VJ dash was starting to look at home sitting in there lol

 

[gaz440]

1 Dec 07

Time for another update of the Aspen's ever continuing rebuild....
I found some old pics of the RHD dash conversion in the Aspen so here the abortion.... Notice the shape across the face is no where near the pics of the volare dash further back in this thread.

There's surposed to be a Metal frame supporting the plasic structures of the dash etc. During the conversion this seemed to be deleted explaining why each time I hit a bump a pisce of plasic dash would fall on my feet.
Here the LHD metal dash frame removed from the Volare....

And now just sitting in the Aspen with the top cover sitting on top. Almost looks like they belong there :thankyouthankyou:

Things were seeming all too easy when I noticed some thing.
Dodge/Plymouth must of changed the Heater/air con design between 1978 and 1980! The basic firewall stamping is the same but the ugly bumpy thingy on the Aspen was gone on the volare and none of the holes for the hear/aircon unit matched.
The Aspen...

The Volare..

After several weeks of just standing, stubbie in hand, trying to decide the best way too go. It was decided the best way would be cut the section from the Volare and weld into the aspen...
which I just almost finished today.

Next plan of attack, is to do the same thing to where the wiring bolts together thru the fire wall. I'm gunna use the Volare wiring loom so they observiously changed this just to piss me off!!! :hairpull:
The Aspen....

The Volare....

Stay tuned for more updates.

 

[gaz440]

Here's some interesting pics from the trunk of the Volare.
Here's how unused this car was....
The spare and jack have never been used.
As I've said early, pity this car was so beat up, cos it's a low mileage survivor, probably not to many left in this condition in the US.

 

[gaz440]

06 April 08

a quick update:
Engine bay in bare metal:

The first coats of paint, I've decided on the original (kinda) metallic silver. It's actually Stirling (Mercury) Silver, from our aussie mopars. Close enuff for me:

 

[gaz440]

4 Dec 08

Long time between updates, just some pics of whats been happen on Aspen since last update.
The Volare has gone to mopar heaven, stripped of every piece, floor pan, chassis rails everything:

 

[gaz440]

4 Dec 09

RHS Quarter rust repairs, using repair sections cut from the Volare:

 

[gaz440]

 

[gaz440]

The Volare dash painted and installed in the aspen with nice new steering wheel, thanks to the 95c US aussie dollar.
Did bring over some pistons and rings for the 360 also.

And the engine bay coming together:

 

[gaz440]

About how it looks right now:

 

[gaz440]

25 Jan 09

Some Aussie day weekend hijinks:
Well just stripping paint of the trunk lid and sanding back the RHS guard. Have removed the doors, decided I need to strip round the doors and opennings seeing as thou I did the truck lid.
Slowly plodding along.

 

[gaz440]

Really late update only 15 months later z#]
I packed the car away for nearly a year, had too many things going on. travel etc. I did bring back from Canada (july 09) a few bits and pieces including a Eledebrock intake and a crane cam, lifters and timing chain tensioner
This happened serveral months back welded in the Volare rear section to replace the reconstructed section I'd already done, it wasn't quite the right shape.

And just recently I've pulled the trunk lid out and worked on getting it straight. When I sanded it back I found a section of filler so dug it out. it looked like someone had attacked the lid with a ball peen hammer in one spot. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened in transit to Australia. just a hunch.
well here's the lid painted underneath and close to straight ready to go.

Here's acouple of pics of a Aspen at the 09 Atlantic Nats in New Brunswick Canada. This was 1 0f the 2 Aspen.s there I hadn't seen one together since pulling mine to bits years ago. If I can end up with a car looking like this I'll be happy:

 

[gaz440]

20 Sept 2010

I overcome a major hurdle on the Aspen last week, I discovered a soda blaster has opened up locally. I got quoted $600 to blast the hood and 2 doors about 12 months ago by another mob in Geelong. I thought bugger that I'll sand em back for that $$$$, well these new local guys did the hood, LHS guard and the 2 doors for 3/4 the price. So here some exciting pics, the aspen no longer is black at all. :whee:

 

[gaz440]

There's my progress so far. It's about time I did a bit more I reckon

 

[ramenth]

Looks good!

And some damned fine work, too.

 

[bremereric]

Looks good and great pictures...now get after it...I hope to have mine back together by the end of May...every night and all weekend long I try to work on it...like you I am usually a one man show...I did have the wifey guide the wiring harness through the bulkhead as I pulled it from inside the car...