big dreams

[383RRwill]

i am in the planning stages of fixing up my '68 road runner. it's in decent shape except for some rust on the body. the rear lower quarters are rusted and all along the bottom of the back glass is rusted with some rusted thru spots. i am on a limited budget so i need to know how expensive it might be to have these rusted areas repaired and have the car painted same color which is white. and the black on the hood across the bulges.
this is my first attempt at restoring a mopar and i'm excited about it and dont know where to begin. i have only $3500 to spend right now. u think the body and paint will be more than that? my trans also need rebuilding because it's slipping.
Oh and 1 more question: my grille is in real good shape but one of the rectangle pieces broke out. what kind of metal is it made of and how can i fix it?
your info would be appreciated.

[moparjeb]

rust repair is never inexpensive

For $3500 you might be able to get the rust repair done and a halfway decent paint job done. That probably is pushing it.

[Al Reibel]

I'd say to go for the Body work first also-
stop the rust before it gets any worse.
The filler panel along the bottom of the back glass is available as a repro part, as are quarter skins- and you want metal in where metal was! Don't be tempted to use plastic or fiberglass mat, have it done right the first time. Check out a couple shops, tell them how you want it done, and see what the prices are- if there are big differences, ask why. A reputable shop will let you visit your "patient" during surgery, and don't be afraid to. If you need to scrimp, do it on the top coat, not on the foundation- you can sand it off later, but nothing hides bad bodywork.
As for the trans, if it's the original #'s matching trans, try to find a replacement- 727's are still fairly common, and you should be able to score one for less than $300. It's
grunt work changing it, but consider it a learning experience! And save your original for a rebuild, or rebuild it yourself! There is even a video available from (don't laugh!) JC Whitney that shows the tear down, inspection and reassembly. A kit costs around $100, and there are only a couple special tools needed!
Good Luck!

[383RRwill]

thanks for the advice, i'll take the car to a couple of the good body shops around here and see about getting the rust fixed first of all.
about the trans, i have a '75 charger a friend of mine gave me for free with a 440 and 727 torqueflite in it. he had it at his mom's house and it ran up until she had her land bull dozered and had it moved out of the way by the bull dozer! pushed it over a stump and busted the oil pan. anyways, i will pull the trans out of the charger and put in my road runner. i'm not sure what year lock ups came about but the '75 isn't a lock up is it? how can u tell if it is a lock up? will it have wires hooked to it or something?

[Al Reibel]

I don't think it's a lockup- check for an additional wire connector (don't confuse it with the neutral safety switch) on the trans-compare it to your '68, I'll bet they're the same.
Get out the wrenches!

[Larry]

Just a thought, you may want to use the torque converter out of your old 727 to avoid any balence problems. I would hate to hear that you picked up another problem. just a thought. Good Luck. Larry

--------------------
71 Charger 383

[Glen440]

As far as I know lockups never came behind big blocks. I've used a 75 and a 77 big block 727. The converter from the 75 will be a big 12 inch econo converter and weighted for a cast crank. You'll have to use the original. To make sure its not a lockup, as long as your original converter fits it isn't. Lockups have a different spline.

[383RRwill]

i'm fixing to go outside and pull the 75 trans out today. i will use the converter in my car for it to stay balanced. the guy i bought it from said he rebuilt the engine a couple years ago, i just hope he did have it balanced. at idle the motor jumps around a lot due to old broken motor mounts that i'll replace. if the engine isnt balanced will it still jump and shake a lot after i replace the mounts? what are signs that the motor isnt balanced? and if it isnt balanced what kind of problems will it create?