64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
#1347401
12/07/12 04:24 PM
12/07/12 04:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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I've owned this 330 4 door for several years now. Clean and solid Texas car that looks good but just doesn't do it being a 4 door. A guy who used to work for me retired recently and is doing body/paint work as a retirement activity.
Talked to him a while back about a conversion project to make this into a 2 door, and after doing some measuring and thinking he said he was game and wanted to get started.
I dropped the car off last weekend and he's already got the interior stripped and was hard at work measuring and planning cuts for the conversion. He has a sound plan, and I'm really psyched about the project.
Already he has had a few people stop by his shop who couldn't believe I was having him cut up this clean old 4 door.
Lead, follow or get the hell out of the way
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347402
12/07/12 04:29 PM
12/07/12 04:29 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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Here's the donor car. Found it on racingjunk.com. The poor car was just about the rustiest 65 I'd ever seen: floors, cowl, hood, trunk lid, rear window, you name it. Somehow the doors survived pretty well intact and all 4 door panel shells are there.
I already sold off the front fenders and the car came with a good running slant 6.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347403
12/07/12 04:33 PM
12/07/12 04:33 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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Nice to see solid floor pans, although I did discover one section had been previously repaired and is going to need to be redone.
Don't have a picture of it yet but it looks like there may be just the start of some cowl rust on the driver's side. Gery wants to tear into that too.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347405
12/07/12 09:24 PM
12/07/12 09:24 PM
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 15,119 85086
moparpollack
Lil Herman
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Lil Herman
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 15,119
85086
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56 Plaza 63 D100 step side 67 Coronet, 68 Roadrunner, 69 Super Bees, 69 Coronet 500 convertible, 70 Roadrunner Post, 79 D150 360, and a severe case of Mopar a,d,d
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: moparpollack]
#1347406
12/08/12 12:31 PM
12/08/12 12:31 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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Thank you for asking about the 62. I'm afraid I've not touched it for some time now. It's covered up in a safe corner for now.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347407
01/10/13 05:07 PM
01/10/13 05:07 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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Body guy got sidetracked on a couple late model repairs that consumed him for a few weeks, but he's back at it now. The door post is gone on the passenger side.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347408
01/10/13 05:21 PM
01/10/13 05:21 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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Starting to cut on the parts car. It's pretty neat that the door opening flange is identical on both the 4 dr and the 2 dr, so aligning the inner quarter opening is simplified somewhat.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347409
01/10/13 05:30 PM
01/10/13 05:30 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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The rear quarter window channel frame attaches to the roof of the car with sheet metal screws, making removal easy. Someone had told me this some time back, but before work started, with my feeble mind I wasn't sure if I'd imagined this or had actually been told. Guess a few memory brain cells are still firing.
The rear window mechanism was actually still free and moved up and down pretty well; a small miracle considering how tough the car looks on the outside.
Looks like we can cut down the 4 dr rear door window channel, which is in good shape, to fit in the rear quarter window opening without much trouble.
He's got the outer quarter panel sheet metal pretty well cut and is measuring to determine the best way to provide drainage from the inner quarter cavity into the existing rocker panel box. After he gets the section off the parts car he's going to hang the 2 dr door and start trial fitting.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: geol]
#1347412
01/14/13 04:26 PM
01/14/13 04:26 PM
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Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
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Good progress on the conversion. I'd posted earlier about drainage provisions for the inner quarter. Gary decided to duplicate the rocker panel of the original 2 door. I'm happy with the approach.
It's a bit tough to make out in the photo. Picture was taken looking down through the window opening. The outer quarter skin is to the right, inside of the car to the left and door jamb at the top of the photo. You can see the anchor points for the door striker.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347413
01/14/13 04:33 PM
01/14/13 04:33 PM
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Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
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Decided to use the rear door skin for the majority of the panel, since it was so straight and solid. Still need to fill in the door handle holes and make the final corner at the rear of the quarter window opening. The panel lines up well. Trial fitted a piece of side trim and it lined up very nicely.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347414
01/14/13 04:36 PM
01/14/13 04:36 PM
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Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
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I'm amazed at how this changes the look of the car. Door opening looks to be good. Door is pretty close to aligned already.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347416
01/14/13 04:40 PM
01/14/13 04:40 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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We discussed the importance of duplicating the real 2 door appearance, so Gary is overlaping metal where the normal qtr/rocker panel seam is.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: peabodyracing]
#1347418
01/18/13 05:04 PM
01/18/13 05:04 PM
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Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
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Gary has the car sitting up level again and has filled in the door handle holes and installed the finishing piece in the rear corner of the window opening.
Some discussion about trim. I've not found any yet, but don't want to fill in the trim holes and eliminate it all. Think we'll leave the original trim holes in place and I've got to search for new clips.
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Re: 64 Dodge 330 4 door conversion
[Re: Joesixpack]
#1347420
01/24/13 04:19 PM
01/24/13 04:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 2,212 Minnesota
peabodyracing
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Work continues. The inner quarter is just about all welded back in place.
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