’68 HD D Cart Frame-off Restoration – Part I

[dmeals]

A friend had this cart and needed a paint job on his pick-up. All I had to do was mask and paint. Sounded like a great deal cause cart started & ran, although weak, shifted good, etc. I run a marine service and restoration shop so I thought OK, no big deal on the mechanicals or body work. We do a lot of glass repair and restoration. Well folks…was I mistaken!

Started with the mechanical by pulling the cylinder jug to find the piston was scored. Given I was going to fully restore cart decided to pull the engine, rebuild it and paint. One thing led to the other and before you know it we were down to the crank to replace seals. Busted a chunk out of the generator pulley, tried to press off the flywheel with puller, then some heat and press and screwed up the crankshaft threads quickly ending up needing to spend a few more bucks! Damned flywheel will not come off even with HD puller!! In case you’re wondering we did try several days with penetrating oil first! So, at this point, am going to order a new longblock assy with piston, rings, crank, crank case halves, bearings, seals, gaskets, flywheel, etc., from golfcartcare.com for $650, assembled!! Feel that’s a great deal for a NEW motor. Need a few other things like cables, carb kit, points, belt, etc., and should be good to go. All old engine related parts have been sand blasted for paint.

On to the cowling, or should I say nightmare!!! Didn’t look bad before we started but soon realized how cobbed up everything really was. Lots of previous repairs, poorly done I might add. All need rework. Many cracks, a few wholes and thick hard paint over the factory gelcoat on the entire cowling. Toughest part was the time consuming sanding of the old paint. Unlike a car, or in my case a boat, which both have mostly flat surfaces that a DA or inline sander can quickly do the job, this was 50% DA and 50% hand sand. Lots and lots of contours in the cowling. If performed with a DA, you can easily sand corners and curves flat before you know it. Also, lots of hand blocking the primer to ensure a flat surface when completed. In all, I have over 35-40 hours sanding paint, repairing glass, priming and prepping for paint. just on the rear cowling!!!!!!!

Removing the front cowl was tough, to say the least!! Tiller bar would not come off with 2 jaw puller, hammers, air hammer, PB Blaster penetrating oil for days, etc. Finally had to heat and use air hammer to remove without damage. Fine splines are tough when rusted on for 41 years! Once removed, had to cut almost all bolts on center and two side cowls for removal. Again, very time consuming!! Floor pans, same way, cut-off wheel to remove bolts. In all, probably cut off 30+ bolts.

Today began working on the front skins, check out the pics. What a mess! Lots of labor intensive cracks and glass work needed. Estimate another 15-20 hours to prep for paint. Keep in mind here that we are not simply painting, we are prepping for a show quality paint job.

Yesterday we finished striping the frame and power washed in prep for sand blast in a few days. All looked pretty good. Only surprise was leaking rear axle seal. Don’t expect this to be difficult fix.

Although not an expert on cart restoration at this point, I do have a couple of tips for newbie’s considering purchasing and restoring an older HD cart:

- Don’t be as concerned about the mechanicals as the body work. The body work is more expensive and very time intensive.

- These carts are fairly plentiful at a very reasonable cost. Buy one that has not been repainted and/or repaired extensively by the previous owner. Best to remove old paint, by sanding, not stripping, to ensure there are not potential problems with new finish. Know that this will take LOTS of time!!!

- If you plan a frame-off restoration, plan on ample time! Check back as I post part two and I will let you know what to expect in terms of labor hours to perform correctly!! Trust me here, LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of hours!

- Would I do it again…hell yes! It’s a blast, if you’re into it!!

Later! See you for part two in the coming week(s).

Dan