1986 TX DPS #M6-307 Restoration
 

'86 DPS M6-307 heads to KS tomorrow for complete paint and body, back to black/white! This car has lived a very rough life, but metal wise has made it through unharmed. Best I can tell, it was decommissioned and driven for a while before ending up in a san antonio salvage yard "car lot". The title wasn't ever salvaged, but the car was sold by pick-n-pull and then put into drag racing duty for many years. As stated, the metal is all good but the interior, engine bay, and rest of the car have been hacked to pieces. It needs everything, completely interior including all harnesses (blue), completely engine bay harness, lines, motor, trans, etc, as well as paint, suspension work to go back to stock, and everything else.

http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...s455/DPS-1.jpg

I have the correct blue manual door panels for it, but want to find a low mileage '86 blue interior-ed donor car to pull the dash and all plastics, seatbelts, seating, etc out of. I have a line on a wrecked '86 that is complete for the engine, harnesses, etc so I hope to pick that up when the car gets back from paint.

The hardest piece that I know I will have finding for the outside is the DB702 white antenna. I need one, so if anyone has a line on one, please let me know. I will also need all of the correct equipment for the car, as I don't have any of it yet. If anyone has correct '86 Texas DPS equipment, please PM me. I have not done enough research yet on what I need, but will soon. I have the wheels and caps and a line on some spotlights.

She's rough, but deserving of restoration. I'll follow up this thread with all pictures I get through the process!

Chris,

Almost the exact story as my '83 DPS car. I have the correct radio and DB702 for you when you're ready (dashlight as well).

Why KS, though?

Congrats on reaching this stage.

Mike, I have a good friend in KS who is refinishing the body/paint for me. He's a magician with these cars, and although this car isn't awful, it's not great either. Looks like it was brush painted; its bad.

I'm sending a PM to you right now about the equipment!

Mike #2, thanks for the congrats! I'm glad I made it this far too!

PM back to you.

Sounds like a good friend!

That's going to look nice one it's painted and back. Little by little...it's coming together! :)

Chris, congrats on getting to this stage. Your SSP is going to look awesome! Be sure to have your friend take plenty of pictures during the work.

Ok, more neat (to me) information today.

Looking back through my title history, the farthest back I have is 1998, when the car was sold at auction and a new title was issued. Come to find out, the car was left abandoned at a storage unit in 1998, which happens to be 2 blocks from the very place that I have stored the car for the last year! (my buddy has a shop there, this is the "field" you see the car in). Unreal! Once it was abandoned, they sent it to auction, the auto parts yard in San Antonio bought the car and sold it in their car corral for $850. After that, it's been passed around like the village bicycle to every drag racer in SA.

Pretty cool. Updates will follow as I receive them.

The teardown stage... the car is pretty much stripped. Ready for the core support replacement and then lots and lots of sanding the nasty paint off of it.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...5/resized2.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...5/resized1.jpg

Man! I have to say that's a lot of work. Truly an excellent undertaking.

It's definitely a big undertaking, but '86 DPS cars are so few and far between I couldn't let it keep living such a rough life. She's going to be a pampered princess now!

Sounds like it has a good future ahead!:2thumbs:

DPS progress continues. Engine bay is stripped, little prep left to go before the reshoot. Core support is replaced, no more bent up support! And one of the hole for a lightbar at some point (discussed in the other thread). She's coming along, and I think I might have found a nice blue interior for her!
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...455/DPS2-1.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...455/DPS1-1.jpg

Ok, no go on the nice blue interior. If anyone knows of a -MINT- blue '86 coupe interior for sale somewhere, please let me know! I'm in desperate need of one!

The DPS car is inching closer! Pretty soon she will be wearing a tuxedo scheme!
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...455/DPS3-1.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...gs455/DPS4.jpg

Sure is looking good there Chris!:thumbsup:

That's the way to do it! :2thumbs:

Thanks guys!

Making good progress !!!!!!

M6-307 will be wearing new paint in the next couple of days! Pictures to come....

The white is on!
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...gs455/DPS5.jpg

Nice....

Definitely nice!

Thanks guys, I'm getting pumped!

VERY nice! :thumbsup:

Thanks! Also guys, where do I need to go to get the correct decals for the car? It will get permanent decals, and I'll tape over them when I take it to shows (although I doubt it will ever get driven, it will most likely be trailered).

Excellent progress. Tony Sharp may be able to get decals still if you contact him. I don't believe he ever joined here but I am not sure.

Awesome idea to tape over them when travelling. Trailering is an even better idea especially if it is marked and says state trooper etc.

I'll see if I can track him down.

And there's no way I'd drive it on the street with the decals displayed, but I don't want to do magnetics as this is not a car that will ever see street duty unless being taken to a show. I'd rather it just be authentic and be marked correctly. At least for a little while, it should be the only restored in-service '86 DPS in the country! :)

Painted!
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...gs455/DPS6.jpg
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...gs455/DPS7.jpg

Sweet! The reflection in the black 1/4 panel looks nice and deep.

:D

Who said it takes a year to paint a car? I could have trailered my 86 to Texas had it painted and been ahead of the game. Congrats on getting to this point. Car is looking great!

This is before the cut and buff, so the paint is super nice but it's only going to get better! It was literally painted about 5 hours ago. To say I'm excited would be a vast understatement!

Absolutely a phenomenal job in such a short time! Be careful on the cut and buff!

And just to clarify, I can't take credit for this work. It's being done by a very good friend of my in Kansas. And yes, he works extremely quickly and does absolutely incredible work. All emblems, lenses, and rubbers are ordered! She should start really coming together here in the next few weeks!

Lookin great...congrats. :thumbsup:

The paint is coming along!
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...s455/DPS-2.jpg

I think I can even see my reflection in that paint...WOW!!!:thumbsup:

Phenomenal work!!!!

More progress... I can't wait!
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k9...5/DPSpaint.jpg

Looking great. :)