Thread: 1953 Dodge Pilothouse

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Nice project Seth! How's the floor repairs going?

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

Nice project Seth! How's the floor repairs going?

I will let you know Saturday, I haven't been able to do much on it this week. I'm getting a honey do project done this week. I'm not looking forward to fixing the rust on the Dakota, but it probably won't go that bad.

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

I will let you know Saturday, I'm not looking forward to fixing the rust on the Dakota, but it probably won't go that bad.

OOOooo.. there's the jinx! Famous last words! "It won't be bad"! LOL

Spent the day making new cab mounts for the Dakota, doesn't seem like much done but I wasn't in a balls to the wall mood. I didn't replace any floor or weld in the mounts solid yet, I got to see how the cab is going to mate up to it first. No sense in adding in floor that I'll need to modify again, I might as well do it all in one shot. I'm about running stuck on the Dakota part. Next I'm going to sand blast the inside of the cab and chemically strip the paint off the outside of the cab. The inside is going to get painted red and nice, the outside will get shaded back in red blending in with the rust. Not sure if I told the plan for the inside and outside, I'm to lazy to go back and look.

Originally Posted by 34_40

OOOooo.. there's the jinx! Famous last words! "It won't be bad"! LOL

It didn't go too bad

So it'll be ready for drift busting after Christmas right?

.

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

So it'll be ready for drift busting after Christmas right?

...with your '40?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/ShFpBdJixfD8DW1H9https://photos.app.goo.gl/ShFpBdJixfD8DW1H9


I didn't get a lot done on the Dodge this week, but I did put in an overhead pivoting hoist, I think I'm going to love it!

Originally Posted by 53 Chevy5

........, I think I'm going to love it!

Oh, I think you will more than love it. My overhead crane has become one of the tools that allows me to still build cars. After a while you will wonder how you ever got allow without it.

This is where I'm at as of today. I went a bit of a different route on the firewall/ floor. I did not like how the Dakota floor pan ended up lower compared to the cab, and I did not like how the firewall lined up with the cab either. I ended up chopping the firewall apart so it would be flush with the original firewall, and I raised the floor pan up to the cab and will raise the cab mounts or use spacers or something underneath to get it at the right height. ( I wish I would have tried the original firewall and floor pan first ). I got the AC / heater box modified so it's more tucked into the corner and not running across the whole cab. I shortened the steering column about 3 in and got my brake pedal hung. Everything's in rough mock up right now, but I want to make sure everything is where I want it to be before stuff gets welded permanently and painted. The way people talked, this was the easiest thing since sliced bread. It would have been easier if I would have welded things up how they were, but I'm kind of weird about seats at the right height, pedals in the right place and the steering wheel where it should be. I also want people to have to look a bit before they realize its a Dakota swap.

That looks like it will work out VERY well.


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That's looking really nice Seth!

I figured I owed you guys an update, it's been awhile. Disclaimer #1 this is not a perfect build, rust repair involves rivets and sheet metal with a generous application of seam sealer. If you can't handle this, turn around now
I ended up replacing both doors for less rusty ones that I had laying around and made the best of them. This made the cab 3 different colors so I stripped the rest of the paint off and I will re rust the metal to match the rest. There was a lot of cab on and cab off to get all the new brackets made and getting panels to line up. I had to cut 23 inches out of the frame to get a 108 inch wheelbase and with the rear section off I thought it was a good time to sandblast it clean, it was pretty rusty. Luckily the 23 inches I cut out was where the frame was the most thin due to the rust. I got the bottom of the cab undercoated ( more or less thick paint, pretty worthless stuff ) I'm using the Dakota bed floor and will bend some sheet metal to attach it to the 53 sides, that went super easy. I was also finally able to throw some paint on the interior, I went with black because if we ever paint this thing, black goes with almost any color. This build is a lot easier and cheaper than Rita's

some more pics

and a few more