mopar5150 - 51coronet

December 2005 - Got rid of the vent windows, shaped and welded in the rear windows, and welded up the body structure that was cut
for the chop top. Then I modified the firewall, made the transmission x-member, all the brake and fuel lines, the engine mounts and
front sheet metal mounts. By modifying a '72 New Yorker core support I was able to get the radiator mounted and will still be able to
run a clutch fan. I installed the 426 big block -- I originally planned on a 440, but was given a hearty 426 for cheap out of a friend's
running car. I had to modify and setup the alternator and power steering pulleys, install an intake, carb and distributor, and then it fired
right up. Next, I narrowed an 8-3/4" rearend and had the axles resplined from a '71 Chrysler 300 and got those installed. I put in
high-performance leaf springs, welded in the mounts, and put in the '72 New Yorker driveshaft that I had shortened. I just tore apart
my '98 Chrysler Concorde donor car -- a much bigger undertaking than I anticipated! The plan is to take the entire interior and
electronics from the '98 and graft it all into the '51 to make a high-tech freeway cruiser. Given the difficulty I've had just getting the '98
apart it looks like I'm in for quite a task. So far I've discovered there are over 300 electrical connections and I will be attacking them one
at a time. I've begun fitting the new parts and the dash only needed to be trimmed 7" on the back and 3/4" on each side. The center
console only sits an 1-1/2" lower than it did in the Concorde so that's not a problem. I've got the metal structure from the dash
installed and the steering column fitted and so far it's turning out better than I had hoped.

June 2005 - After much consideration I finally decided to start the top chop. Since I've never done this before I figured it was a good
idea to do it early in the project just in case I ended up destroying the car. After reading Tex Smith's book and a few Internet articles on
how to chop tops, I did some measuring and decided that 4 inches out of the front and 5 inches out of the back would give me the look
I'm after. My friend, Chris, and I started by building reinforcement bars inside the interior to hold the body shape together while we
were cutting. We sliced the door window frame off and then measured and cut the window posts. The side window posts are angled
and proved to be pretty difficult and the front of the roof needed a couple of slits to allow the front posts to spread a bit and line up with
the body posts. I've reshaped and welded the rear side window frames and started making the door frames. It's looking good so far!

March 2005 - The '51 took another trailer ride as I hauled it over to our new shop, Icon Performance. At least this time it was only a 10
mile journey and free thanks to my friend Keith and the use of his trailer. I'm hoping to get some real work done on this project soon,
especially now that I have lots of space and elbow room at Icon. Of course, finding the spare time might be another issue!

November 2004 - Finally got serious on the front suspension and hacked off the frame. Starting with some 2" x 4" steel tubing I
welded a new front frame section to hold the Volare k-frame and torsion bars. Ran into a few snags because the k-member mount
bushings are not in line or at equal height. Had to offset the frame in front 1-3/4" to account for the difference in the bushing widths
and notch for the front mount because it sits higher than the rear. Made nut plates out of 1-1/2" wide by 1/2" thick flat bar to give the k-
member bolts a place to thread into. These were slid inside the frame and tack welded. Now it’s all tacked together, bolted up and on
the ground so I can take final measurements, make gussets, and do the final welding.

October 2004 - Well, I've got the engine and trans pulled, the front clip off, the interior gutted, and found some real rust cancer in the
floor (ouch!). But considering that all the body panels are good I won't whine about having to patch the floor. After taking all the
measurements on the front suspension it looks like I'll be using either a Dodge Dynasty or Volare transverse torsion bar setup. I still
have not been able to get the rear drums off of the tapered axles.

July 2004 - An interesting thing happened to me at my last car club meeting…as the club president was going over the topics for the
meeting he announced that there was a free Mopar available if someone was willing to pick it up. Being a pack rat and glutton for
punishment I immediately raised my hand and yelled, "I'll take it!" without knowing what "it" was. It turned out to be a '51 Dodge 2-door
Coronet project car that was located near San Francisco and would become mine if I picked it up by the end of the week. According to
the owner, Dennis, it had 68K miles, one owner, was rust-free and "partly disassembled".

Armed with this knowledge I assembled a crack Mopar recovery team (my friends Joe and Carl) and we set out at 5am on our
440-mile crusty-Dodge rescue mission to Santa Rosa, CA. When we arrived we found that the car was taken apart much more than I
anticipated, but it was complete and in really good condition. Dennis had taken great care during disassembly and gave me every
piece and part that came off the car. We put on the hood, hung the right front fender, put the car on a trailer, loaded up all the loose
parts and hauled it home.

Now $425 (U-haul and gas), 20 hours, and 880 miles later, my "free" car is in our shop waiting to be built. I've decided that this project
will be less wild than my '55 truck, but it definitely won’t be a stock restore. My plans include installing a mild 440 with an automatic,
power steering, power brakes and windows, air conditioning, a good sound system, and possibly chopping the top.