My 440 Plymoth Duster build update, finished the back bumper... PIC HEAVY

Soft 8 · 10-08-2007, 10:18 PM

I dropped my gas tank a few weeks ago. Upon cleaning and prepping for the new tank I ended up pulling my bumper out and cleaned it up a little. Essentially there is an inner and outer to the rear bumper. The outer is a fairly thin soft chromed cover, it was about 1/16" material, the inner was 1/8" to 3/16" steel nightmare. Unfortunately the bumper hasn't stood up to the test of time very well. The inner had suffered a lot of rust damage and lots of holes. Luckily I am not going for a show car, just a well done driver. I ended up cutting the bumper bolts off (all 10 of them) that held the two halves together. I cut the rust out of the outer and filled it in with new steel. The inner I spent a lot of time sand blasting, cleaning and prepping for a layer of POR-15. I then top coated it with Rustoleum Gloss Black.

In the process of repairing the outer section of the bumper I shaved the heads of the bolts off and blended them in so that I ended up with a nice smooth finish. I ended up re-enforcing the bumper jack slots just because I still have a good bumper jack that I plan on caring as a back up.

Overall it is no where near being perfect, but it is a lot better than it was.

That was the bumper I started with,

This was my first big bumper project, I think it could have been executed better but with the limited time and finances, I don't think it turned out too bad.

Just thought some one would like to see it.

Mojave · 10-09-2007, 10:26 AM

Keep posting on your progress. I had a 340 Dart Sport back in the 70's. I like your project. Soon I'll be finished paying for my kids college, (my portion anyway) and I'm thinking about a new SRT Charger or Challenger. 09 maybe. Good luck with the Duster!

**sharpie** · 10-09-2007, 11:41 AM

Nice. My next project is a 72 Chally, which I'm buying when I get back stateside.

**The Rat** · 10-09-2007, 12:11 PM

You sir, are in posession of my favorite of all cars. Nice work.

VICTIM_OF_PAIN · 10-09-2007, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharpie

Nice. My next project is a 72 Chally, which I'm buying when I get back stateside.

Why a 72? I thought the most sought after was the 70 or 71's, not that there's a big difference.

**sharpie** · 10-09-2007, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aprez27

Why a 72? I thought the most sought after was the 70 or 71's, not that there's a big difference.

because you can't find a rust bucket 70 or 71 for less than 5g, and a 70-71 grille costs around $300

VICTIM_OF_PAIN · 10-09-2007, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sharpie

because you can't find a rust bucket 70 or 71 for less than 5g, and a 70-71 grille costs around $300

I hear that, sick as it is. I saw one restored that was almost 300k.

**grogie** · 10-09-2007, 01:42 PM

Cool! I'm subscribing to this thread, so please keep us updated.

I married into a Mopar family with a collection of muscle cars (mostly Chargers). One of these days my wife and I are to inherit a show car. It's always great to see a classic restored. Good luck!

Soft 8 · 10-09-2007, 07:30 PM

First off thanks!

If any one would like more details just let me know...

I will keep everyone updated on my progess, if anyone is interested.

Thanks again!

Crookster777 · 10-09-2007, 10:32 PM

I love restorations. It's great to work on something yourself, and when you finish you have the pride to say no one helped me on that, I did it. You should have got one of those do it yourself sand blast kits and sandblast it so you know what you have to work with. But the neighbors might not be too happy with you doing that.

Soft 8 · 10-09-2007, 10:59 PM

WAY ahead of yah,

I have stipped, sand blasted, repaired, and repainted most everything I have done to it. Including dropping the front end (K-frame and everything) when I swapped in poly bushings, welded the K-frame, and swapped in 1.09 Torsion bars.

Thanks for the suggestion!