This month's mini-mods consist of another junkyard aquisition (front wraparound curtain track -w/mounting hardware & rollers $6.50), some old Christmas gifts (vintage NHRA curtains, bedspread, & pillows), free NHRA racer handout pictures, some free scrap lumber,mattress, & carpeting, a boom-box -so I can play CD's (birthday present) and a little TV ($20), all for the interior, and a home-fabbed grill insert.
After laying down the carpeting and padding (not glued or screwed down so I can easily remove), I covered all the old, scratched and beat-up paneling on the walls with racer handout pictures (free at races),whipped-up a simple (easily removed) plywood mini-shelf for the "entertainment center".
Then I built a simple wooden pedistal for the bed with little hinged doors to provide access to spare tire, tools, grill, etc. stored underneath. It is also easily removed so I can still use this to haul trash, furniture, or whatever.
I know this interior looks like a little kids room, but I am a drag racing fan, don't mind feeling like a little kid again, plus it cost almost no money and just a few hours of spare time.
Finally, I added the curtain track (mounted to overhead console and above front doors) and curtains.
After swapping in the early "electric shaver" style grill, I had "D O D G E" letters both on the hood, and in the grill. Since the grill letters were the easiest to remove, they came off. After removing the letters though I felt the grill needed some type of insert so I fabbed one using 3/8" baltic birch plywood letters mounted on a horizontal 1/8" x 1 1/4" steel strap with stainless steel vertical straps.
While the letters look splotchy in the pics, they are all stained the same shade (and clear-coated). Also, the insert is installed using existing mounting holes so the grill can easily be returned to stock.
