My 1967 Belvedere Convertible Plans and Restoration (aka - Mad Scientist Build)

[Mr.SpeedFreak]

DAMN Kahn, I just got caught up with your thread and needless to say you've been kicking *** and taking names on that Plymouth while I've been gone! Top notch work all the way around, especially with that quarter, and glad to see that 3rd gen hotness out on display in the b!tchin cradle you fab'd up. Should be some good motivation there, eh? Keep on rollin man!

 

[HYRDGOON]

Had a very busy day at the house trying to get stuff done . . . Started by getting more concrete done for the carport concrete pour ( hopefully soon )

View attachment 225762

Followed by more wood splitting - sorry Goon, I thought I was the only one that like splitting wood ? ? You're invited anytime ! ! !

View attachment 225763

And then, I just go the Hemi resting in "comfortably" it's new cradle . . . oh yeah ! ! !

View attachment 225761

Actually not too bad, but I goofed on the dimensions a bit . . . wanted to bolt the cradle to the engine while in the stand - made the cradle too big - DUH !

Oh, and I had to add one more tiny little detail . . . see below . . .

View attachment 225775

I didn't have a decal - so I had to write it on the cradle . . . works for me ! ! !

Ok . . . had to see it on the engine . . . bell housing attached . . . ( SMILE) . . .

View attachment 225792

Now I got to get this all figured out and see how well it dials in . . . Oh yeah ! ! !

I'd be there in a hearbeat to help ya split that wood if I could! And that cradle is GOON APPROVED FER RACIN' for sure!!! Bahahaha Love that you wrote that on!!

 

[conv67bdere]

More panel attachment . . . pinch spot welding . . . and spot weldiing . . .

Getting more of the panel attached to the car . . . and making more progress . . .

The trunk area . . .



The bottom back of the quarter . . .



The top of the door jamb . . .



and the bottom of the door jamb . . .



still got the whole bottom, the trunk area that I've modified, and the wheel well . . . which I'm still not too sure what I'm going to do yet . . .

New Devwlopment: ( thanks KB67Mopar ) . . . been thinking about the tremec, which I bought due to the "fact" it could be installed without modifying the hump in the car ( and I had not done much welding ). Well - that has changed now . . . and KB67 mentioned that a Challenger tr-6060 6-speed is set up to bolt to a GIII Hemi and you'd be able to buy off the shelf parts for the car . . . so I dug into the internet and found a place an hour from me that has a 2012 Challenger 6-speed, which had an engine fire and only 1000 miles on it, for sale . . . in talking to the guy I found out he also has a 66 Chevy II and was interested in my Tremec 5-speed . . . so I "may" be swapping my 5-speed for a 6-speed . . .

Will hopefully know more later this week . . .

. . . and with that more metal fabrication on the hump in my car . . . ( smile )

 

[Mr.SpeedFreak]

2012 Challenger guts in a '67 Belve? Sounds like a match made in mopar heaven!

 

[usaroadrunner]

Getting more of the panel attached to the car . . . and making more progress . . .

The trunk area . . .

View attachment 226211

The bottom back of the quarter . . .

View attachment 226212

The top of the door jamb . . .

View attachment 226213

and the bottom of the door jamb . . .

View attachment 226214

still got the whole bottom, the trunk area that I've modified, and the wheel well . . . which I'm still not too sure what I'm going to do yet . . .

New Devwlopment: ( thanks KB67Mopar ) . . . been thinking about the tremec, which I bought due to the "fact" it could be installed without modifying the hump in the car ( and I had not done much welding ). Well - that has changed now . . . and KB67 mentioned that a Challenger tr-6060 6-speed is set up to bolt to a GIII Hemi and you'd be able to buy off the shelf parts for the car . . . so I dug into the internet and found a place an hour from me that has a 2012 Challenger 6-speed, which had an engine fire and only 1000 miles on it, for sale . . . in talking to the guy I found out he also has a 66 Chevy II and was interested in my Tremec 5-speed . . . so I "may" be swapping my 5-speed for a 6-speed . . .

Will hopefully know more later this week . . .

. . . and with that more metal fabrication on the hump in my car . . . ( smile )

i got to play catch up, been gone awhile. the car is coming along nicely and gonna be getting a 6 speed. your gonna love it. i will let you decide but i got a 3:55 suregrip and when i lay into it you got to shift thru 1st, 2nd, 3rd real fast. i cant imagine what a 3:91 would do. jmo
75mph heading to the nats with the KHAN-VERT top down. your gonna love it.

 

[conv67bdere]

Hope to be checking on the 6-speed today

Will be calling the Salvage yard today about 11 to see if they've pulled it from the car - and if so, I'll be driving out to check it out . . .they also have a set of challenger leather front bucket seats that I'll be checking out for the Khan-vertible too - Whooohooooo ! ! !

And the guy I talked to seems interested in my 5-speed for his 66-shoe box ( can't believe he's got the same car as me too )

I'm crossing my fingers . . . may be bringing home a 6-speed ( if the engine fire was contained and the trans is Okay )

- - - Updated - - -

i got to play catch up, been gone awhile. the car is coming along nicely and gonna be getting a 6 speed. your gonna love it. i will let you decide but i got a 3:55 suregrip and when i lay into it you got to shift thru 1st, 2nd, 3rd real fast. i cant imagine what a 3:91 would do. jmo
75mph heading to the nats with the KHAN-VERT top down. your gonna love it.

I'm not sure what gear to use yet . . . but remember, I may be trying to pack 20" under the rear of this thing . . . the bigger tire, I may need the 3:91 or maybe a 4:11 ? ? ?

Still working on the research on this BUT I really appreciate the input USARR . . . Thanks a bunch ! !

Row, row, row, your 6-speed, quickly in the race,
Merily, merily, merily, merily, puts a smile upon your face ! ! !

 

[HYRDGOON]

Sounds like a great find and that is bizarre the guy has a shoebox same as yours!! Goodluck with the swap I hope the deal goes through for you it would be saweeeet!

That 6th gear is a good FER RACIN' gear!!!

 

[MOPOWER871]

WOW , A MAN WITH A VISION YOU GO GUY !! WHEN YOUR DONE YOU WILL REAP THE THE SWEET REWARDS OF YOUR LABOR . AND WILL BE PROUD OF ALL YOU HAVE DONE TO SAVE THIS 67 BELEDERE FROM ITS SLOW ROTTING DEATH YOU KNOW WHAT NEIL YOUNG SAID "RUST NEVER SLEEPS"THREE CHEERS !!:hello2::headbang::icon_pidu: GOOD LUCK GOD SPEED

 

[conv67bdere]

Trip to check out the 6 speed . . .

Took a half day off of work to make the trip out to Moresboro NC and the salvage yard that had a 2012 Challenger 6 speed in stock and for sale . . . got a look at the transmission as they had it pulled for the car, but the car was stuck back out in the field . . . was told it had a little engine fire . . .

So I asked to see the car - I wanted to see for myself the extent of the fire . . . here's what I saw . . .

After seeing this first picture of the car, I was not very sure about the condition of the transmission - this is a "little" fire ? ?



And the firewall had some burning on it as well . . .



The front view of the engine . . .



The rear view of the engine . . .



So with these pictures sent to KB67Mopar - he told me to walk briskly away - but I did a little more investigation on the car . . .

Here's the tunnel - notice all of the insulation is intact and not effected . . .



And a picture of the transmission . . . surely a different sight then the engine . . .



The other side of the transmission . . . looks good . . .



Even the rubber protective sleeve on the hydraulic clutch was still intact and not affected . . . things started looking a little brighter.



Told the seller that I was concerned about the heat transfer into the transmission and how it would be affected. he pointed out that all of the plastic parts for sensors and retaining clips were not melted . . . and he offered me a 90 day warranty ( to which I replied - I may not have this in my car for a year ) - he responded, he'll give me a 90 day warranty on the transmission ( full refund ) for 90 days following getting the car driving.

Oh, and his '66 shoe box is "nothing" like mine . . . his is incredible and was one of the cars traveling in the Power Tour . . . It looked GREAT ! ! !
( I could only HOPE that my shoe box will be like that some day . . . but he has access to all the parts he cold possibly need . . . )



END RESULT - the 2012 Challenger 6 speed is sitting in the garage, along with a set of bucket seats and full back seat from a 2014 Challenger, and I'll be picking up the metal from the car that supports rear seat so that I can make it comfortable and safe too . . . needless to say, I'm smiling ! ! !

Pictures will be coming soon . . . don't worry . . . ( the seats will need to be recovered )

A BIG, HUGE Thanks goes out to KB67Mopar for all his help and unbiased view of the car, engine, and transmission to help me make this decision . . . with the warranty that was offered, I've got a way out if something is terribly wrong with this due to the fire ( but I think it should all work out fine ).



Another WIN . . . almost forgot ( till I was unloading the parts )

Asked the seller if I could get the flywheel, and clutch from the car so I would have part numbers for them . . .

Here they are . . .



First . . . they are in great shape and I'm thinking that I will reuse them - after I clean them up a bit . . .
Second . . . the clutch is a double disc configuration ( look again at the picture ) WIN ! ! !

SWEET - NOW WE'RE TALKING ! ! !

 

[747mopar]

Doesn't look like you have anything to worry about, great score!

 

[conv67bdere]

Threw the seats back together and into the car for a look-see . . .

The foam and cloth were stripped off the seat frames when I got them, so I fought with them to get them looking respectable for a quick pic . . .

Now - the seats were singed a bit from vandals - I knew this - and I'll be getting them recovered anyways - but here's a glimpse of the future . . .



The rear seats are just set in place - I'll be going back to get the metal frame to better support them for installation . . .



Good thing I don't have a windshield in the car . . . so I don't spit all over it making engine sounds while testing out my new seats ! ! !

 

[HYRDGOON]

Wow that made for a great shopping trip! I think you made some good choices all around. And especially since the seats need to be recovered you can do something a little custom there too!

Congrats on the score!!

 

[747mopar]

Seats look great in there, I think I'd even think about sticking with that pattern because the pleats give it a period correct look. I think that trip really set you over the top for a comfy cruiser, nice seats, 6 gears, all that's missing is a fine sweat heart in the passenger seat but I think the 67 will take care of that.

 

[Ron 73]

Took a half day off of work to make the trip out to Moresboro NC and the salvage yard that had a 2012 Challenger 6 speed in stock and for sale . . . got a look at the transmission as they had it pulled for the car, but the car was stuck back out in the field . . . was told it had a little engine fire . . .

So I asked to see the car - I wanted to see for myself the extent of the fire . . . here's what I saw . . .

After seeing this first picture of the car, I was not very sure about the condition of the transmission - this is a "little" fire ? ?

View attachment 226726

And the firewall had some burning on it as well . . .

View attachment 226727

The front view of the engine . . .

View attachment 226728

The rear view of the engine . . .

View attachment 226721

So with these pictures sent to KB67Mopar - he told me to walk briskly away - but I did a little more investigation on the car . . .

Here's the tunnel - notice all of the insulation is intact and not effected . . .

View attachment 226725

And a picture of the transmission . . . surely a different sight then the engine . . .

View attachment 226724

The other side of the transmission . . . looks good . . .

View attachment 226722

Even the rubber protective sleeve on the hydraulic clutch was still intact and not affected . . . things started looking a little brighter.

View attachment 226723

Told the seller that I was concerned about the heat transfer into the transmission and how it would be affected. he pointed out that all of the plastic parts for sensors and retaining clips were not melted . . . and he offered me a 90 day warranty ( to which I replied - I may not have this in my car for a year ) - he responded, he'll give me a 90 day warranty on the transmission ( full refund ) for 90 days following getting the car driving.

Oh, and his '66 shoe box is "nothing" like mine . . . his is incredible and was one of the cars traveling in the Power Tour . . . It looked GREAT ! ! !
( I could only HOPE that my shoe box will be like that some day . . . but he has access to all the parts he cold possibly need . . . )

View attachment 226720

END RESULT - the 2012 Challenger 6 speed is sitting in the garage, along with a set of bucket seats and full back seat from a 2014 Challenger, and I'll be picking up the metal from the car that supports rear seat so that I can make it comfortable and safe too . . . needless to say, I'm smiling ! ! !

Pictures will be coming soon . . . don't worry . . . ( the seats will need to be recovered )

A BIG, HUGE Thanks goes out to KB67Mopar for all his help and unbiased view of the car, engine, and transmission to help me make this decision . . . with the warranty that was offered, I've got a way out if something is terribly wrong with this due to the fire ( but I think it should all work out fine ).



Another WIN . . . almost forgot ( till I was unloading the parts )

Asked the seller if I could get the flywheel, and clutch from the car so I would have part numbers for them . . .

Here they are . . .

View attachment 226733

First . . . they are in great shape and I'm thinking that I will reuse them - after I clean them up a bit . . .
Second . . . the clutch is a double disc configuration ( look again at the picture ) WIN ! ! !

SWEET - NOW WE'RE TALKING ! ! !

This is a little unreal, i see this all the time with some guys, and me, YES ME, has to keep knocking out the dog crap from my shoes lol, Im moving some place out thar! where ever "thar" is, thats where im ah-heading!!! rofl, Great score bud, i cant think of many more that may deserve it better! and Your investigative skills "going further, diggin deeper" well, Im learning, im learning!!!

 

[HYRDGOON]

This is a little unreal, i see this all the time with some guys, and me, YES ME, has to keep knocking out the dog crap from my shoes lol, Im moving some place out thar! where ever "thar" is, thats where im ah-heading!!! rofl, Great score bud, i cant think of many more that may deserve it better! and Your investigative skills "going further, diggin deeper" well, Im learning, im learning!!!

"Thar" is FER RACIN' COUNTRY!!

 

[conv67bdere]

Trunk floor to quarter panel . . .

Got into the shop today, after moving 5 truck loads of fire wood from the neighbors yards, and got back to work on the attachment of the driver rear quarter panel, and made some great progress on the task . . .

Here's the first pass on the trunk welding . . .



Then filled in the gaps between the spot welds . . .



And put some spot welds on the under side of the trunk floor too . . .



And got a bunch of prep-work done on the walkway next to my carport as the concrete pour is going to happen soon . . . yay ! ! !

 

[Ron 73]

That is a lot of things done in a day buddy!!! I burn wood and you moved 5 loads! OH how i would love to have a neighbor like that lol.... Your walk way is going to look, super good, i would love to be able to do the same and that sure would be different then my gravel, I like the white stones that we had years back and this summer we hope to get them again for the drive way and our walk ways to every where..., all white and they look cool, not as good as what your doing though, Thats just super cool, along with some great welds i see! You sure are moving along fast and it all looks great! i hope things continue to go this good for you, those welds you've done look as good as can be, mine are getting better but im still playing catch up to everyone, i love seeing this stuff, im gathering practice seeing it all

 

[747mopar]

Tell me about it, with the new job I sure will miss not being able to just swing by the log yard on the way out and fill up the truck with firewood. Might actually start cleaning up the woods around here.

 

[Propwash]

Yeah....just a small brush fire....Hehehehe




Hope it works out well for you Kahn. I'd be pretty worked about the heat sync as well, but at least the condition of the rubber/plastic parts should give some breathing room. Seats are going to be pretty slick sitting in there!

 

[conv67bdere]

Time to work on the other side of the trunk . . .

Moved over to the other side of the trunk tonight to work on closing up the gap like I did on the driver side. The difference here is that the driver side had no quarter panel in place and I had all kinds of room to work with the metal to get it straight . . . on the passenger side, I've still got the quarter panel in place so it's a bend and hammer operation to try and get the metal straightened out . . .

Made some good progress and this is how it's going . . . first I bent it up from the bottom as best I could . . .



Then working from the back to the front, I tried to level out the original bend in the middle . . .



Until I got all the way up front . . . this is the first round, and it's going pretty well so far . . .



Now I need to get some metal bent into "L" shaped brackets and get them welded in place . . .