Documentation arrived...

Hey guys and sorry for not updating for a long time. It's been a troublesome end of the year for me, but I'm slowly getting back on track. Just wanted to update you that I recieved a very nice package from Canada today.

The chassis and body service manuals of 1975 Chrysler, Plymouth and Dodge automobiles!

As visible from the second picture, the level of information in illustrations is just magnificent. After browsing through just a couple of the thousand or so pages I can honestly say these books might be my most precious items at the moment.

They seem to include sketches covering just about everything regarding the vehicle, as well as a complete set of wiring diagrams. If any of my readers needs any information regarding the 75 Cordobas(or any of the other Mopar vehicles from that year) I will be glad to share scannings or photos. Be sure to add your requests to comments below!

I promise to head out to the garage soon and provide you with another large update!

Day 1 - Disassembling the beauty

So, yesterday I spent a few good hours in the garage and it was with mixed emotions I started disassembling a few minor things. The plan is to remove all of the body parts, have them stripped to bare metal, welded and give them a nice paintjob. After body parts have been removed I will disassemble the engine and remove every single bolt, take care of under carriage and work on every single part.

English is not my native language so please excuse me if I mix up terms. Any ideas, tips or information is greatly appreciated. Feel free to use the comment function at any time. Also, I had this logical plan in which order I would do below steps, but lack of equipment and some rust issues forced me to do it different.

Why the Cordoba needs restoration
I'll let the images speak for themselves.

Step 1 - The door panels

Both sides are fitted with power window switches, they need to be removed first.

Carefully pry it of using a skrewdriver, try not to damage the plastic behind.

This is what it looks like, it only goes back in one way.

This can be kind of tricky, this steel panel is held in place by 4 metallic bars
that are bent around the inside, I am pointing at one of them on the picture.
I tried to pry them out from the inside and then from the outside once the panel
would move a little bit.

On the drivers side you also need to remove the adjustment for
the side mirrors, it's designed to rotate to be removed. As visible
on the picture I used a small screwdriver and tapped it gently to
drive the adjustment around.

Then remove the opening handle. It is secured with one bolt and has been
removed on the above picture. Behind it is yet another bolt securing the door
panel to the door itself. This needs to be removed to be able to remove the panel.

Once power window switch, handle and securing bolt has been removed,
use a large screwdriver to pry out the clips that stick the panel to the door.
Be very careful as to not rip the clips out of the panel.

When all clips have been loosened, angle the panel like this...

...and you will be able to just lift it up from it's position. SIMPLE!

Remember to disconnect the power cable for the in-door-panel-light.

Panel completely removed... It's a bit faded from what I believe
is the sun. I'll figure out a way to make it look nice later.

This is what it looks like with panel removed. I read somewhere
that the Cordoba has the longest ever made doors! Might well
be true! It might be a good thing to reassemble the handle and bolt
for securing panel in their original places just as I did above. This
way they won't be lost easily and can be removed later if needed.

Step 2 - The power cables for the doors

The power cables are secured only with snap-in plastic "bolts".
I found it hard to remove these without breaking them, but what
the heck, they can be replaced with something similar.

Be sure to disassemble all connections...

Then pry out the rubber cover from the side of the door and
carefully pull the cables through. Removing the rubber cover
is also a bit of a challenge. It's really tight and on the driver side
it is of square shape and bigger. However, cables will come
through fine with a bit of twisting.

Step 3 - The grill

This picture kind of reminds me why I love the design of the cordoba.
The entire front is very elegant!

The grill is secured with 9 bolts. 8 around the edges and one in
the middle, attached to a metal bar in front of the radiator. These
are kind of tricky to reach since they are on the inside. I cursed a lot. :)
Also notice that I reassembled all of the screws, not to loose them.

And finally it's time to call it a day! I managed to remove both
door panels, all electric cables in the doors, the grill and the
turning lights on top of the hood. They are just secured with
one screw each, so it does not take a genius to remove them.

That's all for todays post. Please comment as much as possible,
any input, feedback or questions are greatly appreciated!

The project begins...

Welcome to my blog, dedicated to the complete restoration of my 1975 Chrysler Cordoba. After deciding to restore the vehicle to its former beauty I noticed there is not a lot of information regarding this particular model on the internet.

So I decided to do my part and document everything with pictures and information. This way future projects with Cordobas or similar vehicles will get some nice support. To clarify a couple of things, I am in no way a mechanic. Hell, I had pretty much done no work on cars before I got the love of my life, the 'Doba. :)

I like to think that I'll learn "down the road" and it is by no means a small project I've started so it will probably take me years to complete, and blog updates may be days apart, or months apart. My promise is however that this project will be completed, and everything will be documented!

A couple of pics to let you know what it looks like prior to the restoration:

I know, it might not look like it's in need of a restoration, but for one thing the pics were taken 2008 and 2009, for another, pictures aren't always telling the truth. My closeups in future posts will however!