Progress On My 1971 Scamp

[Old Moparz]

I can't find the old thread I had on my Scamp.    I sure hope it isn't on the old DC.com site, that would mean I REALLY  haven't touched it in a while. 

So anyway, I am taking a breather from the work on my house to get some things on my car done. I am tired of not driving it, especially on nice days like today. A couple of weeks ago I moved some building materials out of my way & got back to scraping & cleaning up the chassis. The rear is done but still sitting & taking up valuable real estate in my garage.

It started out as a simple, "Lets make it presentable" but escalated into, "May as well do this.....and this.....and this...."


LOL.....Not complaining, but it's easy to get off on a tangent with other segments of work & add little things here & there until you have a huge project & no ride. I've always hated to do something "halfway" & know it could have or should have been done better. That's also probably why I never get things finished as fast I "thought I would" do it.

Here's a brief history of this car.....

I bought it in the summer of 1988 right in the town I lived & drove it daily up until the early 90's. When I saw it, there was an old guy who was getting into it. I told him it was a nice car, he thanked me & started it up......I heard the V8 & then asked him more about the car. While talking he said that it had 42,000 original miles. I asked him if he'd ever consider selling it & he said yes, gave me his number & said to call him if I wanted it.

Called a few days later, got directions & shocked that it was just 2 blocks away! I went over but didn't know it until I was there that the old guy was the Dad of an old friend of mine.....LOL...I took it for a short ride & had to have it. I didn't even haggle with him & he was happy to see someone who was going to take care of it, get it, because he said he had a relative that wanted it to drive back & forth to NYC. He said, "No way I was going to let that car get destroyed in the city!"

In the early 90's I had the transmission rebuilt. A couple of years after that I had the 318 rebuilt & had some high performance parts added. The car was fun but started to get a little rough looking in a few places. The vinyl top is the original one & still on the car. The interior is still nice, but I bought a new carpet & front seat cover for it. The rust that started was fixed in the mid 90's & then the entire car was repainted the color it came in. I added bigger, 15x7 small bolt pattern wheels, heavy duty springs & shocks & several other things over the years.

So........If I didn't have a house this thing would have been finished & back on the road by now....LOL...I miss driving it & my Daughter Kate who is now 15 has never had a ride in it yet. I think it'll be back in service in about a month. Then I'll find all the bugs that accumulated while it's been sitting gathering dust.

First pic is around 1990
Second, third & forth are 1991

[Old Moparz]

Right now I am finding out that the underside of this car got pretty damn crusty in the 125,000 miles it's been driven. Most of the parts were original so breaking things was easy.

I have a new set of stainless brake lines, new leaf spring hangers, bolts, brackets, 340 exhaust manifolds, new e-brake set up, NOS front bumper & a bunch of other little things that have added up fast. I am glad I have a pair of low mile brake drums because I never expected to see that the 10"x1-3/4" drums are more rare than 1971 Hemi Cuda convertibles....LOL ....I'll probably gather more things at Carlisle & hopefully still have gas money to get home.

I scraped the loose scale, surface rust & some of the dried out factory undercoating. The floors are solid so I simply primed the exposed metal & painted over the undercoating to freshen it up. As soon as I get the frame cleaned up where the front spring perches go I'll prime & paint those areas & start to get the springs & the 8-3/4" rear in. I have a place picked out to cut the drive shaft & rebalance it & then I will tackle the new seat cover.

First pic is late 90's with the newer paint inside the new garage I built.
Second one is getting it ready to yank the old 7-1/4" rear.
The third is the interior empty so I can put in the new carpet & the seats after I recover the front bench.
The last pic is of how it looked before I scrapped the old 7-1/4" rear.

[Old Moparz]

1) Leaf springs disassembled
2) Sandblasted & repainted.
3) The rebuilt 8-3/4" rear cleaned
4) The rear primed.

[Mopar Nut]

Looks good!

[Old Moparz]

The underside after grinding off rusty exhaust brackets, wire brushing the loose scale & undercoating & some primer/paint.

[Old Moparz]

Thanks Mopar Nut. 

I still want to do a lot more but I just have to STOP! & limit myself or the list will grow too long & I'll never get done. 

I've been accumulating lots of parts I never thought I'd have to get. I came close to buying a gas tank but changed my mind & will wait. I'll get this thing together so it moves under it's own power, then worry about the tank & the fuel lines. I am picking up a rechromed, rear bumper at Carlisle in a couple of weeks so at least the bumpers will look good now. They were decent, but after painting the car they weren't.

[rt green]

love the car. love the garage. simple as that.

[Old Moparz]

love the car. love the garage. simple as that.

Thanks.   

I just wish I had more time to hide in it. 

[charge69]

That's a very nice "A" body Scamp you have!  Back in the mid-'70's, I had a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger. It was a 225 Slant Six, auto car that was painted a weird green from the factory that seemed to change colors dramatically with the amount of light on the car.  Me and my wife called it "the Lizard" because of its' Chameleon-like color changes.  I loved that old car but, sadly, it finally went to its' knees around 1988 and I did not have any money to fix it. So long old friend!

I would love to have it back in its' mid '70's condition! Gonna have to look around for another "A" body to drive!

Congrats to you for saving that nice example.

[Old Moparz]

That's a very nice "A" body Scamp you have!  Back in the mid-'70's, I had a 1971 Dodge Dart Swinger. It was a 225 Slant Six, auto car that was painted a weird green from the factory that seemed to change colors dramatically with the amount of light on the car.  Me and my wife called it "the Lizard" because of its' Chameleon-like color changes.  I loved that old car but, sadly, it finally went to its' knees around 1988 and I did not have any money to fix it. So long old friend!

I would love to have it back in its' mid '70's condition! Gonna have to look around for another "A" body to drive!

Congrats to you for saving that nice example.

Thanks.   

Around the same time frame, mid 70's, an older, retired couple lived across the street from our house when I was 12 or 13 years old. They had a slant 6 Dart in bright red, black vinyl top & interior that was garaged it's whole life. It was in perfect shape for years & it always caught my attention when it was outside. When I was old enough to drive I had thought it would be cool to find one in just as nice shape. Then one day I saw it parked in their driveway with the entire passenger side quarter & door caved in.  

They kept it for years, probably into the mid 80's at least, & then I just didn't notice it around anymore & I never knew what became of it. The guy was never in great health, used a cane so his wife drove it. Quarter damage & all I bet it would have been an easy fix compared to the rot boxes people do now.

[charge69]

In 1976, I turned 30!  Been in the USMC (66 to 70) Married and divorced with 2 kids. Single but, engaged to my present wife (married in 1977) Had a Corvette and bought the Dart and my 1969 Charger R/T and was well into a career with the FAA as an Air Traffic Controller here. 

That old Dart was, obviously, not a fast car with a 225 slant-six and automatic but it had cold air, a good radio and looked pretty nice in my mind.  Finding a red one would have been right up my alley! Oh, to have a time machine and go back to the mid-'70's again! Muscle cars were a dime-a-dozen and dirt cheap!

[hatersaurusrex]

My nephew has a very nice 73.  Just last week I donated the 383HP from my Charger to swap in.  Should be fun to see how he squeezes it in there

[TUFCAT]

The Scamp really looks nice Bob.   It was also great talking with you at Carlisle - you're always so damn hilarious! 

[Old Moparz]

My nephew has a very nice 73.  Just last week I donated the 383HP from my Charger to swap in.  Should be fun to see how he squeezes it in there

It'll fit, even the factory did it, but I sure wouldn't want to have to work on it once it's in there.  

Friend of mine put a 440 in a 1969 Dart GTS long before TTI made headers. His were routed through the inner fender & rubbed the tires if he turned the wheel too far.  

The Scamp really looks nice Bob.  It was also great talking with you at Carlisle - you're always so damn hilarious!  

Thanks.   

It's great seeing everyone each year at the show, too bad it's not a 2 or 3 time per year event. I've made it to the Mopar Nationals a few times but that one would kill 2 full vacation days just in travel.  

[The70RT]

 

[Mopar Nut]