1973 Rust free original paint

LB0442 · Apr 12, 2026

I am working on the rear end of the 73 Road Runner and thought I would post a few pictures of a rust free original paint body. Getting hard to find this kind of car. This is more for the body guy's. Got photo bombed by a cat also.

mpgmike · Apr 12, 2026

Keep those pictures a-coming! Tell us more...

YY1 · Apr 12, 2026

Original TB3 paint at that.

Cool!

T2R9 · Apr 12, 2026

Very nice.

493 Mike · Apr 12, 2026

I could drive it up here in Michigan over the next winter if you really want some rust!
Mike

67RTblue · Apr 19, 2026

Really cool seeing that l-factory crude and all

WileE · Apr 19, 2026

Where did the car spend it's life ?

LB0442 · Apr 19, 2026

I bought it in 1986 in Chandler Arizona, sold new in Mesa AZ. I though the pistol grip shifter was pretty cool.

Body and paint were decent but interior was trashed, sun rotted. I think it was $600 for it. About a year later I bought a rusted out 73 roadrunner from Chicago with a near perfect black interior for $200, 318 was knocking. I changed out the blue interior for the black. It was the 80's, all that blue stuff went in the dumpster. It originally had a rubber floor mat with a slight blue tint to it, no carpeting. I put year one carpet in it at the time. Still looks good. You can see in the pictures where the paint was rubbed off on the trunk and sides, some around the hood scoop. I think that was due to a tarp being on it and the wind blowing it before I got it. I almost painted it a few times but never got to it. I don't think I ever will now. I can drive it without being bothered about chips or scratches.

LB0442 · Apr 19, 2026

It is not fully 100% original paint. When I redid the motor a while ago the engine compartment looked sad. It had been spray bombed multiple times, I tried wet sanding and polishing, nope. So I sand blasted the engine area and painted it. Looks like 2010.

I just took this picture, still looks good. That is still original paint on the air cleaner.

Here is an old interior picture, probably from just before taking it apart to sand blast the engine compartment. The dates on the pictures are not to accurate.

Just took this after I finished the test drive on the rear end.

493 Mike · Apr 19, 2026

I se some nice old equipment in the background. Were/are you a professional mechanic?
Mike

LB0442 · Apr 19, 2026

I went to a small vo tech college in MT in 1983, to pass the course you had to pass the ASE tests. Of course back then it was NIASE, national institute for automotive service excellence. Now it is just ASE. I went to work for a GM dealership in Tempe AZ shortly after that. Primarily did auto transmissions and rear axles, mainly the 700-R4, secondary was A/C work. Got tired of the dealership thing after about 5 or 6 years and joined the Navy. When I got out of the Navy I went to work for the automotive dept of the post office and retired from there at 58 about 3 years ago. The post office paid for me to keep up on my ASE certs.

That equipment was bought cheap back in the 90's, when digital machines came out they were getting rid of the old stuff. I bought 2 of the distributor machines for $200 and that big sun machine in the picture was free. I like the older stuff as that is what I was trained on and started out with. I have 3 or 4 more pieces of sun equipment in the shed also.

T2R9 · Apr 19, 2026

What was your rate in the Navy? Our paths were kinda the same but not. Went into the Navy out of High school, did ten years. Got out and was a dealer tech for about 5 years rebuilding transmissions and differentials but Mopar trans, A604s were a daily thing. Left for IT in 98 and about to retire from a Municipality.

LB0442 · Apr 19, 2026

I was a boatswain mate on the Abraham Lincoln, not for too long though. I think it was less than a year it when in for refurb for womans berthing. Since it was going to be out for more than a year I was stationed at Mare Island in northern CA in the mail room. That's how I ended up with the post office. I was on shore duty for almost 2 years there, unheard of in the Navy.

YY1 · Apr 20, 2026

NICE.

I likes me a factory AC, 4 speed car!

1973 Rust free original paint

LB0442

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mpgmike

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YY1

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T2R9

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493 Mike

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67RTblue

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WileE

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LB0442

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LB0442

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493 Mike

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LB0442

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T2R9

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YY1

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