1972coupe98455

1972 98 455. 90k original miles. just blew my motor up doing donuts like an idiot. I go to Florida State and was celebrating. Oil pump could not keep up with my recklessness. I paid my mechanic to take the motor apart and we discovered I had spun the main bearing and another on the crank. I am technically inclined, however I am not messing with internals. The engine can wait a bit, but today I took the vinyl top off to find a lot of rust. I no longer have a garage so this problem must be fixed now. Where can I find a new panel to replace the one between the trunk and back window? The small area of metal that surrounds the rear window underneath the trim is rotten as well. The original color is light green, so I also want to strip the car of its black paint and go back to light green with a black vinly top. how hard is it to strip/sand/prime the car myself? and what should I do about this rust?? I dont have a lot of money, but I have tons of time. For some reason I cant upload pictures

76 Regency

Hi and welcome to the forum! I would get the motor running before going too far with body work, etc. When a car is immobile, it becomes a serious hassle and then it just snowballs. Trust me, get it running first. Otherwise, you'll have to tow it anywhere if you decide to have body work or anything else done. Not to mention, these aren't fun cars to push!

Let's see some pics!

oldsman72

+1 I agree. While rust might be ugly and will progress while out in the elements (although you're in Florida, not exactly the "rustbelt"), if you're not able to drive it around, interest will likely drop. Besides, sounds like the body work you need will cost some $$ (especially since nobody makes the part you need and finding a clean donor car will be a long-shot at best). The panel will likely have to be fabbed...that's money you could put towards the motor.
If you really can't take the sight of the rust, get a can of Rustoleum primer and cover it for now. Work on the rust repair while it's on the road.

1972coupe98455

I dropped the motor off at car quest. The shop in town will try to re-surface my crank and clean everything up. I found a kit on the internet that comes with all the gaskets, piston rings, bearings, ect. and a new camshaft for about 800 dollars. I figured bringing the motor back to stock specs if I can would be best and most economical. Maybe some small stuff. what is an easy way to re-size pictures to get some photos up???

oldsman72

Atta boy! I think you'll be glad you did that. Keeping the motor to stock specs is a very good idea also, in my opinion. That's a lot of motor for your car in stock form and you're not building a race car. Upgrading that car beyond an intake, carb and/or cam will lead to having to upgrade other things (ie cooling, fuel delivery, etc...), which is more $$. I went a little over-board with my '72 350 build a while back and it's still not on the road because now I need to overhaul my lowly cooling system.

As for the pics, I wish I could help you. Many people (myself included) have had issues with pics. I've resorted to starting a Photobucket account and posting links as needed.

Keep us posted. Good luck!!

76 Regency

Glad to hear your motor's getting repaired and I agree with Oldsman72 about keeping it stock means keeping it simple and working like it was designed to. These are awesome engines and when running right, you should be pleased with the power. You can always upgrade the exhaust and/or rear end to liven the car up a bit. I added duals on my cars and it made a big difference. I also went from a 2:41 to a 2:93 rear on my black 98 and it made an even bigger difference. Combined, it's just awesome!

As for the pics, you're not alone. Many have had problems. If the file is too large to attach, you can upload it to an album on your USER CP and then insert the link. If you search on here, you should find plenty of posts about how to upload pics. It's kind of a known thing around here.

1972coupe98455

Can I get pics on here from my phone?

OLD SKL 69

I usually upload my photos from Photobucket. You can find the app and install it for free. Then when you take pics with your phone, they will automatically be uploaded. From Photobucket app, you can attach and upload the photos to CO. Hope that helps!

BTW, welcome!

oldcutlass

Welcome.