DodgeCoronet.com

Great job!

Absolutely beautiful work indeed! We also need to remember that these cars are nearing their 50th birthday, so keeping things as they came from the factory when new is a challenge at best and when the work is done as well as you've done here, nobody has the right to say anything negative, especially when you're still driving this fantastic car on the street!

Richartd

thebankerstoy Wrote:Absolutely beautiful work indeed! We also need to remember that these cars are nearing their 50th birthday, so keeping things as they came from the factory when new is a challenge at best and when the work is done as well as you've done here, nobody has the right to say anything negative, especially when you're still driving this fantastic car on the street!

Richartd

Thanks man, I appreciate it! I've always resisted doing anything but maintenance to the car, because it's so original. When I got it in '82, it was in the "wheel tubs and blower" era. I resisted a bunch of pressure from buddies to modify the car back then. Even though they weren't really worth anything, I always appreciated the fact that it was original. I figured "who knows, someday maybe it'll be worth something", haha. Well, the value doesn't really play into it for me, because it's something I'll never sell. I just feel a responsibility to the car to first, preserve what's there, and second, if I do work, do it to the highest standards possible.

I avoided touching the undercarriage for years because there weren't readily available correct parts to warrant taking it apart. Unfortunately, the car sat for a few years while I got busy with other "life" things. The brakes and fuel system went bad from storage, and something needed to be done. As I dug into it, I found that it was going to be just as easy to pull select assemblies apart, and do things right. The brakes on this thing weren't the best when new (manual drums), and I didn't want to take any chances. So, I decided to replace everything, mechanical and hydraulic, in the entire system. And, now virtually everything is available for correct parts. Literally the first time I ever power washed the underside was this spring when I committed to undertake the restoration work. And, just as I hoped, I was able to uncover many of the original finishes and markings.

So, that's why I ended up doing what I did to the differential assembly. These are old cars, and the further I dug, the more I found that needed attention. So, I went through the axle, rebuilt the leaf springs, and replaced the bushings also. The car has always been rock-solid reliable, and I want to keep it that way going forward. I ended up killing some of the originality of the car in doing the work, but hopefully it's of the car. It doesn't do me any good to have it all-original, and wadded up in the ditch because of bad brakes, or a failed suspension component, haha.

JD

Quote:It doesn't do me any good to have it all-original, and wadded up in the ditch because of bad brakes, or a failed suspension component, haha.

Absolutely, I couldn't agree more! It's also my opinion that owning a car that you can't enjoy isn't much fun. While we do differ in our approach to how we present our cars, as I do enjoy making changes to my 1966 Coronet 500 that please me yet can still be changed back to factory stock in the future while you are much more strict on modifications, in the end we both strive to do the best work possible and use the best parts available. I believe they call that "pride in ownership"!

I think that your respect and desire to keep your beautiful Coronet as factory stock as possible while still enjoying the car is amazing and that is one very lucky car indeed to have you as it's owner! I'm very happy that you decided to join us here on the DCR and I will look forward to seeing how you maintain this car going forward.

Richard

I totally get the freedom to change things to suit your tastes and preferences. I'm itching to build a restomod driver in a year or so when I get the time. I want to build it stock looking on the outside, and modern underneath; maybe with a late-model Hemi engine swap and modern 5-speed manual. My body of choice for this is a 71-72 Satellite, or 71-74 Charger (my first car was a 73 Charger). I've always loved that body style. It's a ton of fun to build things to suit your own vision of the perfect car. It's satisfying to work on/own my 67 R/T, but very constraining at the same time. The decision to leave it original/stock means I get zero latitude in choices when I do projects. I define "restoration" very narrowly, and there can be only one "right way".

We all enjoy our cars differently, but the common thread is that they're still out there and representing the era and the brand. When it comes to that, there isn't any single right way. I think that's what I've always loved about the Mopar community; we always feel like underdogs, and have each other's backs. The fact that our cars just still exist is amazing and commendable.

badass!