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

[conv67bdere]

Finally time to sit down and post some pictures I took from Carlisle . . what a SHOW

my first ever visit to Carlisle was this year - 2015 . . . and what a show it was. I'm still in awe at all the incredible cars that were there on display. And, most importantly, I got the chance to arrive at the show in HIGH CLASS by both driving and riding in 747 Mopar's incredible 69 Charger - that Viper 6-speed makes driving that car a dream ( 70 MPH in 6th gear turning 2000 RPM ).

Was able to meet up with some of the FBBO members while we were at the show too:

Hawk - Bobtile - RC/DH - All of them were great guys and we had a great time talking cars.

Here's a few of the cars that I was able to shoot pictures of before I lost battery on my phone . . .

This 1967 Belvedere was incredible, immaculate, and sported a 573 CI HEMI to boot ! ! !



Everything on this car was incredible, mirrors showing under the car - everything perfect ( I doubt that the car was ever driven - but boy was it pretty to look at )



This highly decked out and customized Cuda really caught my eye . . .



Boy the craftsmanship on this thing was beyond incredible . . . I would so drive this thing !
I grabbed a card in it - they cut 12 inches out of the center of the car to shorten it.



This very nice Sport Fury Convertible was in the for sale section - and it caught my eye . . . it was very nicely done, but I've already got a convertible that I'm working on . . .

 

[conv67bdere]

Got my patch fitment complete . . . now if the temps would allow me to get it welded

Gtt some shop time this weekend, and got my patch fitment completed - but with the temps pushing 100 all weekend, getting out to the shop to weld in the panel was . . .

It's ready to go . . . may just have to suck it up and get 'er done . . .



I did manage to get into my crawlspace and get one last slab of concrete poured so I can finish up the crawlspace cleanup and vapor barrier . . . gawd do I hate crawling around down there. UGH !

 

[HYRDGOON]

I'm sure Carlisle lit a new fire under you! Keep on it brother, every patch is one step closer!

 

[conv67bdere]

Patchwork welded in place into my "patchwork quilt"

Sucked it up and did a little sweating to get this patch welded into place in to the Belvedere . . .

First - got it tacked into place . . .



Then did a little bit of grinding to knock down some of the high spots . . .



I think it'll work . . . will get a better view of it next time in the shop . . .


NEXT

Need to drag the MagnumForce front suspension, my 5.7 Hemi and the 6 speed out to the shop and "figure" out how I'm going to test fit the thing and get the tunnel hump cut out, and the donor 2014 Challenger tunnel hump welded in place . . .

 

[conv67bdere]

Finally made it to the shop today . . . after . . .

Today was a very busy day - but I didn't get much don on MY stuff . . .

- borrowed a trailer from a neighbor
- picked up furniture and delivered it to my oldest daughters house ( move it in too )
- ran to the range with my neighbors wife to help her purchase her concealed carry pistol
( this included shooting a few rounds down range - oh darn )
- helped my youngest try and figure out why her car overheated and we had to limp the car home at 1:00 AM - stopping every couple mile to fill the radiator with water
- had to run and get part since she had to go to work
( love the internet - Hendrick's wanted $27 for the part, found a Toyota dealer advertising it for $18 and they matched the price ! - that actually surprised me )
- worked on the trailer I borrowed to figure out why the lights were not working ( UGH ! )
- tried to help a soldier a broken connector on a drone - that was cool with camera ! !

Then . . . at 8PM I was done and got to spend a little time in the shop working on MY CAR !

Got the patch cleaned up and it now looks like this . . .



And I wonder why I can't make much progress on my projects . . . ( sigh )

 

[747mopar]

Busy man! You could be selfish and just say no but maybe karma may be in your favor in days to come? Your a good guy Kahn but I'd prefer blowing up the drone rather than fixing it haha.

 

[conv67bdere]

Fabbed up an alternator bracket for the shoe box . . .

Since the shoe box has "dropped" the alternator twice now, I've done some work to try and make sure that it won't happen again, including . . .

- Making a wider base and welding the contact points.
- adding a secondary support bracket for additional strength

You can see hoe the bracket causes the alternator to be cantilevered off of only (2) support bolts . . . not sure I really like the design ( but it "seems" to work )

Got it welded up last night - and here's the results . . .



Now that I know that it fits, I can pull it back off to get it cleaned up a bit, and painted - and then get it re-installed on the car. Should help quite a bit along with the other modifications that were done to it . . . at least that's my story and I'm going to stick to it.


TOok some time to clean up the welds, shape the bracket connections, and put some paint on the new support, and now it looks like this . . .



Looks better . . . guess I could have spent a little more time cleaning it up . . . ARGH ! !

 

[SNKEBIT]

Did you get any of that "brand-X" on you? Might have to take a shower.

 

[kb67mopar]

Yeah that 2 bolt arrangement looks like a horrible design. Your fix should help a lot. Lets hope it stays on this time.

 

[conv67bdere]

What a surprise to see this in the parking lot . . .

MY transmission ( I think ) on my daily driver that has 300,000 miles on it ( ok, 296,000 ) has been acting up, so I take it to the local transmission place to have a free evaluation done to the transmission and this is sitting in the parking lot . . .

Thought this old Belvedere was worth sharing with the members of FBBO . . . was thinking about 56 ? ? but the tail lights aren't quite right - I know someone can help me with the correct year . . .



And the other view . . .



My 67 sure looks MUCH different . . .

 

[747mopar]

Always cool to run into a unique car, don't see those running around. Hope the old truck gets a clean bill of health for the trip to the Nats!

 

[HYRDGOON]

My guess is it's a 61 but I could be wrong. Good luck with the tranny hope it's an easy/inexpensive fix!

 

[kb67mopar]

296k is a pretty good life for a transmission....hope you can get some more out of it.

 

[conv67bdere]

Took a little break to get my oldest daughter married today . . .

Haven't been around much the past week but I've got an excuse . . . been spending some time working with my oldest daughter so that she could get married today. tried my best to make sure that everything was in place, all the items were accounted for, and the plans all in place . . .

The day went very well, not a single glitch in the whole thing, plenty of food and drinks,

and one VERY HAPPY little girl . . . ( the most important requirement )

and one very proud dad ! !

 

[Ron 73]

Congrats with your daughter Khan!!!! All this good work your doing your son in law may need his own MOPAR restored, Great to have a father in law that can fix him up Keep on keepin on my friend!!! ;)

 

[conv67bdere]

The rest of the story . . .

296k is a pretty good life for a transmission....hope you can get some more out of it.

Looks like the truck is up and running again . . . and now the rest of the story . . .

Took my truck to the transmission place, they had a free "evaluation" of your transmission, and my truck had been running badly for about a week - after my return from 747Mopar's place and the trip to Carlisle ( BTW - Great Trip ). Leave the truck with them, they inform me that it might not be the trans, and that the intake has developed pinhole leaks and will need to be replace - to the tune of $1200-1300 . . . he claims he can hear the vacuum leaks and that he's 99.9% sure it's the cause of the poorly running truck . . .

Oh great . . . ( that little voice in the back of my head - it's a transmission specialist . . . it's a transmission specialist )

So I'm talking to my neighbor, a great guy, and forgot that he works at a shop that repairs cars ! ! DUH ! ! Explain to him what was told to me - he said he'd drive my truck to work in the morning and have his mechanic look at it. Get a call the next day - we don't think it's a vacuum leak, but we not really sure what is the cause - yet. Finally they call back, we think it's the fuel pump because the fuel pressure is 5 pounds lower than it should be . . . so we decide on a plan - first, check to make sure it's not the fuel filter ( I was planning on changing it anyways ) and if that is not the cause, go ahead and replace the fuel pump. Needless to say, I've not even discussed price with them yet.

Next day, early in the morning I get a message on my phone that the truck is fixed and running much better - it was indeed the fuel pump !

And the price for the repair - $480 . . . ( now I could have done it myself - I did last time - but I have TOO MANY projects already )

Guess what mechanic shop in Concord NC will be getting lunch on me tomorrow - plus a little "bonus" to the mechanic that was honest and trustworthy to me !
( nice to have good friends and it's nice to see - that once in a while - there are still some people out there that are honest, have integrity, and that you can trust - this had made my WEEK )

Now, tomorrow . . . off to Ohio again to visit 747Mopar . . . and then off to the MoparNats in his awesome 69 Charger ! ! !

Can't wait ! ! !

 

[Ron 73]

Khan its really good to hear a story like this! There are some of us still around who try to be honest, that is another reason i like this forum.. You buying lunch and giving to the mechanic will be remembered some day to. Please tell him you mentioned all this and there are a few of us here give a thumbs up to him! OOPS, supper ready got to go and you all enjoy that trip bud!!!

 

[HawkRod]

Larry,

First and foremost, my sincere congratulations to your daughter and the whole family! Weddings are always great, happy times!

Nice progress with the car - I always find that Carlisle puts just a little bit of extra energy in me to get out there are work on my projects. Maybe next year you can drive yours there!

Keep up the good work!

Hawk

 

[HYRDGOON]

Have fun at the NATS fellas! and there's nothing better than an honest shop to deal with.

 

[conv67bdere]

Have fun at the NATS fellas! and there's nothing better than an honest shop to deal with.

NO DOUBT Goon . . . the day of shop honesty and integrity seem to be few and far in between . . . ( sad )

What happened . . .

Owner gave me $15.00 in change - I gave it back to him plus another $20.00 - $35.00 to buy lunch for the 3 people that work there ( I hope that was enough . . . )

Gave the mechanic that did the work $50.00 . . . he told me I didn't have to ( I said I know that - but I'd like to to have it for all his help )

I know where I'm going if I have anything else to get worked on in the truck ! !