My 80 RC project

[hilton8r]

That's really slick how the ramp is an extension of the driveway...

You can enclose it in the not so near future to allow you to work on the Wife's car year round!

Are you going to build some steps leading down to the ground at the point where the tires initially start up the ramps?

Also curious if you need to run beams on the sides from the ground to the ramps/platform for lateral support.

Very cool Sten...

John

[Sten]

That's really slick how the ramp is an extension of the driveway...

You can enclose it in the not so near future to allow you to work on the Wife's car year round!

Are you going to build some steps leading down to the ground at the point where the tires initially start up the ramps?

Also curious if you need to run beams on the sides from the ground to the ramps/platform for lateral support.

Very cool Sten...

John

Yes I have been thinking about a few steps down, have to take a look behind my barn or... Had a nice concrete steps a few years back almost on that place as there was my grandparents house entrance before I built my shop on the same spot, but I think I'll weld up something later. And a platform along the left beam to walk on.

Don't think I have to wonder about the side lateral support as I started out from a pair of concrete railroad sleepers, (can't be seen as they are level with the ground) welded the pillars on them and continued up so a few struts have to be done but nothing big is needed as everything is welded together.

/Sten

[hilton8r]

Don't worry about it if you don't finish it in the near future. I would imagine you could launch one of the Sebrings beyond Dukes of Hazzard if you ever get bored!

I was thinking you could put a steel beam between the rails to jack from if you need to remove a tire. Those rails aren't tall enough for you to walk freely under are they? They don't appear to be, and it would be one more thing to smack your head on!

Are you going to run power and light out to the ramp?

Sorry for so many questions... I think this is a really cool project!

[Sten]

I don't think I get sooo bored that I have to do that, hahaha...
I do have been thinking the same too but don't think I have to remove a tire there outside when I can be inside of my shop wrenching. And no those rails are not high enough to walk under but they are in just the right height when have to wrench under a car and I just love to smack my head in all kind of beams  . I always do that when crawling under those big rigs at work too so I ain't unfamiliar with that either. Yes I have the incoming electric in the wall close to the ramp so I have been thinking that I build a power output on one tower so I can use worklights and powertools out there.
/Sten

[KurtfromLaQuinta]

I don't think I get sooo bored that I have to do that, hahaha...
I do have been thinking the same too but don't think I have to remove a tire there outside when I can be inside of my shop wrenching. And no those rails are not high enough to walk under but they are in just the right height when have to wrench under a car and I just love to smack my head in all kind of beams  . I always do that when crawling under those big rigs at work too so I ain't unfamiliar with that either. Yes I have the incoming electric in the wall close to the ramp so I have been thinking that I build a power output on one tower so I can use worklights and powertools out there.
/Sten

And a heater!
Or you could just build a big fire close by.

[Sten]

I don't think I get sooo bored that I have to do that, hahaha...
I do have been thinking the same too but don't think I have to remove a tire there outside when I can be inside of my shop wrenching. And no those rails are not high enough to walk under but they are in just the right height when have to wrench under a car and I just love to smack my head in all kind of beams  . I always do that when crawling under those big rigs at work too so I ain't unfamiliar with that either. Yes I have the incoming electric in the wall close to the ramp so I have been thinking that I build a power output on one tower so I can use worklights and powertools out there.
/Sten

And a heater!
Or you could just build a big fire close by.

No I don't need a heater there. I just have the finnish winter out there and it's just enough with my heated  shop floor  .

[Sten]

Greetings from Finland. Haven't got anything done on my RC yet but I took time to look everything over and change to those BFG's for our yearly carinspection over here, and everything was OK except for one hole in front of my right rear wheel in the body panel. I promised to weld it up and got the stamp in the book once again. Changed the tires back right away at home and now I just have to take some time to do those fender openings, but it have been crazy at work for at least a month now but hope that everything settling down a bit.
Went to a swap meet today but wasn't able to get anything interesting for my RC or my bike. But instead I got a nice chat with friends over a cup of coffee. Not easy to do some finds for my old RC but always hope to get a nice catch. Looking for a D60 frontend, one pal got one but refuse to sell it to me but maybe later. Have a lot of spares for the engine, found a set of 360 heads that was dirtcheap too and just had to buy em out. have been reading that if I put 360 heads on a 318 I drop the compression even more. Edelbrock have nice and light aluminium heads too but are quite expensive. Any thoughts about heads guys? /Sten

[KurtfromLaQuinta]

Greetings from Finland. Haven't got anything done on my RC yet but I took time to look everything over and change to those BFG's for our yearly carinspection over here, and everything was OK except for one hole in front of my right rear wheel in the body panel. I promised to weld it up and got the stamp in the book once again. Changed the tires back right away at home and now I just have to take some time to do those fender openings, but it have been crazy at work for at least a month now but hope that everything settling down a bit.
Went to a swap meet today but wasn't able to get anything interesting for my RC or my bike. But instead I got a nice chat with friends over a cup of coffee. Not easy to do some finds for my old RC but always hope to get a nice catch. Looking for a D60 frontend, one pal got one but refuse to sell it to me but maybe later. Have a lot of spares for the engine, found a set of 360 heads that was dirtcheap too and just had to buy em out. have been reading that if I put 360 heads on a 318 I drop the compression even more. Edelbrock have nice and light aluminium heads too but are quite expensive. Any thoughts about heads guys? /Sten

One thing you don't need to do is lower the compression.
Make sure those heads are good before you do anything to them.
I'm sure you already know that.
If I were you, I would try to get a rebuild-able 360 and slowly build it in stages so as not to take a hit in the pocket book.
A 360 is an easy swap and a huge torque increase.
Don't ever rebuild a 318.
That way you could put the proper pistons in it to get the compression up where it belongs.
That's about the only correct way to get the pressure up in the cylinders.
If you mill the heads much you'll mess up stock push rod length and you'll need custom push rods.
And you'll need to machine material off the intake side of the heads.
A big can of worms. (Been there, don't want to ever do that again)
They make a flat top piston for 360's now that, I think, is rated around 9.3 to 1- before they only had 8.8 to 1 or 12 to  1.
Of course that's a ball park figure on any piston advertising.
If you don't go to wild on a cam, you can retain all your stock valve train components which are cheaper and reliable.

Of course, if were really me, I would put a big block in it. 

[hilton8r]

Of course, if were really me, I would put a big block in it. 

Sten, I second Kurt's motion. Nothing less than a 400 will do! Gas prices should come down sometime in the next decade or two... 

Or at least have a buyer lined up for your 360 WHEN you pull it in favor of a big block later on down the road!!

[Sten]

Tnx for the replay guys. Yep you're all right there. I just can't let the compression go lower than it's just now and I know about the hazzle with milling the heads too much. Sure it would be nice with a BB under the hood but if I just could find a complete driveline here in the neighbourhood with a 440, 727 with a 203 in the tail then I should buy it and do a double TC conversion but those old Dodges doesn't grow on trees over here. Have been thinking about what to do next and after .... so I think I settle down and see if I can find a 360 in good shape and go from there but in the mean time I just look out for bargains for the next step of building  .

[Sten]

Hi guys.
I started yesterday to cut out the rear corners of my frontfenders. I did as suggested and cutted out slices and get the rest back and welded together, work quite well and are soon ready. i did take a few shots too so I'll try to get it up soon. Must say that it did look quite nice. More to come...later.

[Sten]

A few pics of my fenders.

   
Here I have cut out a slice of the rear of my the frontfender. Tapped the rest gently back against the rest and do some tackwelding.

   
Here is it all welded up and in the last pic I painted on some rust preventing ground.

I did the opposite side today but was a bit harder as it had taken some abuse already. It's ok for the moment but should get some paint closer to the rest of the truck. I have some plans to repaint the lower sides some day when I get all the rest of the rusted sheetmetal  changed in the future. But that's another story  .

[Bill Cooke]

That looks great! Thanks for posting the pictures so everyone can see how to do it right. This should be the FIRST thing everyone should do when you get your truck. Before you dent it all up with the tires. It's much harder after that...

[hilton8r]

Lookin' good Sten. Have you started the driver's side yet?

[Sten]

Lookin' good Sten. Have you started the driver's side yet?

Yep it's done too but it was a bit harder as ther fender had been a little too close to the tire  . But after I got the sheetmetal bent out was it a piece of cake. As Bill wrote this should be done before the fender is destroyed and not after. And it's amazing how nice the fender edge just sit there, it could be the fabric look.
And when I cutted the slice out of the fender did I cut up above the inner fender bolt attachment so I had to cut that too. Pry it out from the fender and tap it down first and weld it together before I started with the edge. But it all was quite straight forward. /Sten

[KurtfromLaQuinta]

I had mine down years back. And redid them again after my upside down adventure.
One thing I learned form my old fenders verses the "newer" ones- there's a brace that runs from the firewall to the area right above where you cut the top part (the end of your cut).
It supports the rear part of the fender where it starts the turn down.
My original '74 fenders never had that support and always split there, no matter what I did.
Bracket installed... no more splitting.

[Moparcop]

She's coming along, and looks great!

[Sten]

She's coming along, and looks great!

Sure but not yet. Still a lot of work to do but I have a whole bunch of premade things to bolt on as I find some time to spare and find the right inspiration. But I'll keep you up to date in the progress. It's quite slow sometimes when have to wait for part many weeks. This is ain't the best part to live in when wrenching an oddball like a Dodge. Lucky me that I have a lathe and an big drill press in my shop and have been looking for an nice old milling machine. But that's in the future  .

[Bill Cooke]

Finding Dodge parts is not always so easy here in the states either  I can only imagine what it's like over there!

Has the weather finally stated warming up? Can you see green yet?

Bill Cooke

[Sten]

Finding Dodge parts is not always so easy here in the states either   I can only imagine what it's like over there!

Has the weather finally stated warming up? Can you see green yet?

Bill Cooke

I have my winter vacation week from my work this week and the weather has been quite warm this time a year, but today was the sky all black and it started to come thick snow. So you can propably guess that we have to wait for the green to come up for a while. The ground is still frozen with snow here and there so we are getting there   , but the progress is slooow.
Must say that I've been lucky to get a lot of parts in second hand on swaps and so on and it is good to have a clear view of what parts is needed in a year or two ahead so if I just stumble over some parts I'm going to need in the future, I'm buying it out.