E-Bodies.org Cuda Challenger Forum

Bought a cool RT years ago but didn't really have time to play with it so it sat while I messed around with other projects. Lately I've been wanting to get it back on the road though not sure if I eventually would sell it or keep it. For now, any work I do will be with the assumption I'm never getting rid of it so I'm making sure whatever I do won't ever need attention again at some point.

It's a 70 RT with the original 383 and four speed. It's an original Go Mango car with black interior and a black vinyl top.

When I got it, it had suffered moderate front end damage that was poorly repaired. Here's some of the pics from the original purchase and I'll post more of the work I've done.

 :inlove:  Very cool car!   :lookatthat:   :popcorn:

Quote from: Cuda Cody on December 12, 2018, 07:38:17 AM
:inlove:  Very cool car!   :lookatthat:   :popcorn:

So Cody, been using some of your excellent videos over the years but for this car, I redid the steering column last week since it was already out. That series of four was quite helpful. It came out awesome!

So the car had been off the highway since around 2000. The guy I bought it from decided that the first step should be to rebuild the original engine, the brakes, and the suspension. Not sure why he started there since there was front end sheet metal work that was in desperate need of attention. No matter though as it saved me some money in the end. It runs incredibly strong.

The original hood and fenders were gone so I assumed they got crumpled and tossed. The inner fender walls had some crinkles that had been straightened and the radiator support was switched out with one from a donor car. Badly installed though so at some point soon, it will be fixed.

The first area I choose to deal with was the upper cowl. It got some crinkling from the hood hinges and also was poorly fixed. While the car was mostly rust free, it did have some rust along the lower edges of the front and rear window that I wanted to fix at the same time.

Once the cowl top was off, I carefully grafted the Sequence number onto the new top and smoothed in out nicely inside and out. The lower cowl was checked for alignment and rust but turned out fine. I sprayed the inside with a nice epoxy primer and couple coats of black for protection since I'll never have it apart again. I spent some time cutting out any rust I found in the front and back window openings, welding in new metal. The new cowl top fit perfect and all the measurements came out great. I even test fit the new windshield and it fit just right.

I love your Challenger.... nice work! I'm looking forward to this one!  :banana:

I decided to section repairs at the rear window rather than replace the entire panel. The trunk lid aligned perfectly and I didn't want to chance screwing it all up. After repairs were welded in and smoothed out, I sandblasted only the roof in and out, along with the interior, just to get rid of any surface rust. I skim coated my repairs with a metal to metal filler. Eventually, it will all get epoxy primed and painted orange just for added protection.

Pretty clean starting point too.   :banana:

Nice work looking forward to more photo's.
JS27

Quote from: js27 on December 12, 2018, 08:46:18 AM
Nice work looking forward to more photo's.
JS27

Been working on this on my days off for the past two months. Have lots more to post but I really want to make some progress on the car today so I'll put more up tonight.

Nice to see another one being saved :worship:

Odd choice to want several patches, and filler in the rear deck panel, then to replace as one whole part with no filler  :huh: but whatever works best for you is what's important and it's nice to see you're handling all the work yourself  :twothumbsup:

Great to see another one being restored correctly  :twothumbsup:

Quote from: anlauto on December 12, 2018, 11:36:47 AM
Nice to see another one being saved :worship:

Odd choice to want several patches, and filler in the rear deck panel, then to replace as one whole part with no filler  :huh: but whatever works best for you is what's important and it's nice to see you're handling all the work yourself  :twothumbsup:

Yeah I really went back and forth on that. The filler is merely a skim coat to make sure any pinholes and imperfections were covered. All seams were welded though and ground smooth so I probably could have got away with no metal to metal filler since a vinyl top will be covering it all anyway. Because the trunk lid had hinges, And because everything already lined up beautifully, I didn't want to be in a situation where I regretted removing it after the fact. I've had those 'project creep' issues before.

Looks like a great solid, for the most part, project.  Great work so far.  I admire your skills.  :twothumbsup:

I'm just over in Simi and work in Saticoy.

I have lots of 70 trim and small parts, side windows...

Because of the rust around then lower edge of the rear window, water got in and caused the trunk floor to get pretty bad. It was fairly solid but there was some heavy pitting and a few pin holes. I considered a new floor but I really don't want this to become a restoration project so I choose to repair in place. It came out nice in the end and it should be a lasting repair but if I keep it and later restore the car, I can always replace it then.

Basically, I dug out all old body sealer and sandblasted it to bare steel. Then I acid washed it and painted on KBS Rust Seal paint followed by epoxy primer to seal it all up. Then I used filler to smooth out the pitting followed by more epoxy sealer. Lastly, it got covered by color. I think it came out pretty nice but it turned out to be quite a bit of work. Might have been easier to just replace the floor after all.

On the inside, it was pretty much rust free with a bit of surface rust here and there. Took forever but I dug out ever bit of body sealer and sandblasted the whole inside including the firewall and hinge pillars. I even used a power sander to smooth out all the rough welds the factory left behind. New body sealer followed by epoxy primer. Lastly, color. I'm super happy with how good it turned out.

I think Go Mango has to be the coolest color ever! Really impressed how well the paint shop got the factory color. Had to order it from a place in San Diego as my local shop couldn't find a paint code so old.

looks good. Do you do all your own painting as well?

Quote from: Shoooter on December 13, 2018, 07:52:24 PM
looks good. Do you do all your own painting as well?

I'm very much amateur. I painted my other car and it looks awesome....at 10 feet or more. That was my first attempt though and I used two stage metallic. On this car, my thought was it's not a restoration so why not practice on interior, trunk, engine compartment, and the roof which will eventually be hidden for the most part. I'm using a single stage acrylic urethane and it is surprisingly easy. If I could be certain of a great result, I'd go ahead and paint the whole car. That fresh orange paint is tempting me.

Soon, I will move on to the front end. Need to replace inner fender panels and redo the radiator supports. While I'm there I will double check frame rail measurements. Eventually, I will clean up the fenders and hood and probably repaint them just so the car isn't multi colored. Since they are external, I will put a lot of attention into the prep work. If I can get the paint down right, that will be my cue to do the rest of the car.

I finally found the old video I made years ago of the car running. The motor had been rebuilt and was barely broken in before sitting for a while. After I got the car home, I got it running but it is still going to need some final tuning before I start driving it around.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rd5ssIrsck&feature=share

So I finished cleaning up the trunk and popped in new plugs. Got everything back in including an extra set of really nice tail lights I had lying around. The original trunk seal was in perfect condition so I just left it alone. Not like I'll be leaving it out in the rain anyway.

Forgot my pics

On the inside, added new floor plugs. I cleaned and painted the e brake assembly and got that back in. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get the shifter handle out so I just cleaned the old boot in place. Surprisingly not ripped but I might spray some dye on it to give it a crisper darker black look. The chrome turned out really nice. No pits at all and polished right up. Need to probably spring for a decent looking set of handles though. The rear windows had been removed by someone so I cleaned everything up really nice and got them back in the car. They roll up and down like new again. The door windows have never been out. Rather than pull them, I just greased and oiled everything in place. They work pretty well but may have to break down and rebuild them right someday.

Everything on the firewall (heater box, dash, gauges, pedals, column, etc) are restored waiting to go back in. I'm dying to put it all together but I need to get the front end fixed up so I can paint the engine compartment.

Busy day today. Time to tackle the front end. It had been stuffed at some point in it's life and badly repaired. The hood hinges pushed back into the upper cowl (which was the big reason I replaced it). The inner fenders were wrinkled and straightened forward of the shock towers. Doors open and close nicely, column shaft had never been collapsed, alignment was good and all sheet metal fit good. I did not see any evidence that energy transferred beyond the engine compartment. Nevertheless, I've always worried that the front rails could be bent up or to one side slightly.

I started by taking tons of measurements and the rails were just right in height. I ran a string down both sides and they checked out perfect. Next I braced the car so I could cut out front metal without fear of anything sagging.

The front 10 inches or so of both rails look like hell. I'm going to carefully cut away botched repairs and spend some time making them right. The radiator support came from another car and they didn't even trim off the extra metal. They just tack welded it on and added screws. Looks awful but that's gonna change fast.

So right after posting this, wife got a Facebook memory from eight years ago when I bought the car.

First frame rail repaired. Not perfect but I think it came out pretty nice overall. Important thing is it's nice and straight and plenty strong again.

Looks terrific Challenger Lover! I will be following great interest.
I am not sure who is closest to driving their RT?
Yours looks closer with an assembled engine and drive train and looks like you have your brakes and suspension sorted as well. But you have a bit of work in the front end.

We can keep each other motivated

Cheers

Dan

Yeah for some reason the owner before me rebuilt the engine, brakes and suspension. After I picked it up eight years ago, I drove it around town one day. It actually drove nice. No pulling or odd noises.

I should have the other frame rail repaired tomorrow and then I can start welding in the radiator support and inner fender panels followed by more paint. Going out of town right after Christmas so it will have to wait a couple weeks.

Nice thing for me is I already have my seats, dash, steering column, heater box etc. all restored and ready to install. I'm going to attempt putting on my own vinyl top and headliner. It will be a first for me but I like trying new restoration things.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on December 22, 2018, 04:42:21 PM
Yeah for some reason the owner before me rebuilt the engine, brakes and suspension.
Nice thing for me is I already have my seats, dash, steering column, heater box etc. all restored and ready to install. I'm going to attempt putting on my own vinyl top and headliner. It will be a first for me but I like trying new restoration things.

It should go back together pretty fast once you have your front end sorted out. I am going to do my headliner as well, no vinyl top on mine though. You sound a bit like me, learning new skills is part of the journey.
The other good thing about doing it yourself is how well you get to know the car. it gives you the confidence to jump in and drive it anywhere because you know you can fix it if necessary.

I look forward to more pictures and updates after Christmas.

There's a certain satisfaction in doing the stuff yourself. When you're out talking with other car people showing off the cars, it's nice to be able to say you did it yourself even if it isn't show car perfection. I think most other car people appreciate that kind of stuff. We also see bad repairs either in our cars or others so we know that paying a shop to do the work is no guarantee that it will be done right. I'm certain that the mess I'm fixing now on this car was from some body shop in the 70s. What they did worked in that the car was straight and held together but it sure wasn't pretty.

I'm looking forward to seeing your car move forward too. How's the parts situation over there? Must cost a fortune to get big stuff shipped over?

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on December 23, 2018, 07:09:26 AM
There's a certain satisfaction in doing the stuff yourself. When you're out talking with other car people showing off the cars, it's nice to be able to say you did it yourself even if it isn't show car perfection. I think most other car people appreciate that kind of stuff. We also see bad repairs either in our cars or others so we know that paying a shop to do the work is no guarantee that it will be done right. I'm certain that the mess I'm fixing now on this car was from some body shop in the 70s. What they did worked in that the car was straight and held together but it sure wasn't pretty.

I'm looking forward to seeing your car move forward too. How's the parts situation over there? Must cost a fortune to get big stuff shipped over?

Yep 100% agree, I have full respect for the enthusiasts that pay to have their car built. They can be every bit as passionate or more about their car but it is a completely different version of the hobby to mine.
Surprisingly parts are not too bad over here.
Certainly more expensive than in the USA due to shipping but we have a big following for American cars so there are a lot of companies bringing parts over all the time.
The other thing is our Australian Mopars share a lot of components. Engine and drive trains all the same (although Big blocks were very limited). I needed a windscreen wiper motor for the Challenger and found that the Australian Valiant from 1969 shares the same unit. That saved me a few hundred!

Getting back on it now that the holidays are over. Finally finished the other front frame rail repair. Pretty happy with the overall result. The radiator support pieces drop into place and everything measures out as it should. Next days off, I'd like to clean and paint up the front end area while it's all apart. Maybe detail the engine as well. Then I can start welding in the radiator supports and inner fender panels. I'm thinking two days and I can turn my attention back to the roof...the final problem area.

 :clapping:   :popcorn:

Wow, very nice work on those frame rails, you can't even tell!  :worship: :bradsthumb:

Thanks! That's the look I'm going for. I thought about making them prettier but then they don't look quite original that way either.

Really looking forward to getting the front end all back together. I've driven the car a tiny bit when I bought it eight years ago but since the front end was all messed up, I was afraid to open it up. I think before I start on the roof, I might have to go burn up some tires.

Rails look  :bradsthumb:.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on January 06, 2019, 06:15:29 PM
I think before I start on the roof, I might have to go burn up some tires.

You have my full support to do this, video it and share it with everyone here! Strictly for motivational purposes of course  ;)

Weather has been holding me back but I decided to use the time to finish up the dash. Sandblasted and painted everything including the frame. Gauges were original but I did polish the lens a bit.

Great progress  :bigthumb:

Been a few weeks since I updated this thread. I hit a set back where the driver side inner fender panel didn't quite line up. While everything else measured up good, I never checked the angle of the shock towers. Turns out the driver shock tower was rotated up a couple degrees somehow in the collision. Tried pulling the shock tower down but it wouldn't budge. I cut some of the welds and was finally able to pull it into the correct position.

Today I got all the front end metal fitted and all welded in including the braces. Checked fender fitment and everything checks out.

Next step is to clean up all my welds, put seam sealer on all joints on the wheel well side, get the whole front end sanded down for primer and paint. Looking forward to getting the engine back in there.

Quote from: redgum78 on January 06, 2019, 11:12:23 PM
Rails look  :bradsthumb:.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on January 06, 2019, 06:15:29 PM
I think before I start on the roof, I might have to go burn up some tires.

You have my full support to do this, video it and share it with everyone here! Strictly for motivational purposes of course  ;)

Typical Aussie. You see the kind of burnout contests they have down there? Crazy!  :drinkingbud:

Quote from: dodj on February 12, 2019, 05:42:25 PM

Quote from: redgum78 on January 06, 2019, 11:12:23 PM
Rails look  :bradsthumb:.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on January 06, 2019, 06:15:29 PM
I think before I start on the roof, I might have to go burn up some tires.

You have my full support to do this, video it and share it with everyone here! Strictly for motivational purposes of course  ;)

Typical Aussie. You see the kind of burnout contests they have down there? Crazy!  :drinkingbud:

;)

Front end is all done. Got it epoxy sealed today. Tomorrow ill put down the orange. Then its time to start putting stuff back in.

Got some color on the front end now

Really enjoyed going through this thread and admiring your work.

Quote from: Inmemoryof... on February 28, 2019, 07:26:23 PM
Really enjoyed going through this thread and admiring your work.

Thanks! Appreciate it. Working dents out of fenders right now so hopefully I'll have some fresh posts soon.

Looking real sharp.   :bradsthumb: Keep plugging away.  When do you expect the entire paint job to be complete?

My plan never really included an exterior paint job. Didn't want to spend a huge amount at this time for something that could come later. The focus has been to paint things that were being worked on like the trunk and engine compartment or would not be easily accessed later like the interior.

However, the more I paint this single stage acrylic urethane, the easier it gets with better results. I was going to paint the fenders and hood simply to get the whole car orange and I will probably block them all out just for practice. If I can get the paint to come out super nice on the front clip, I may just go ahead and do the rest of the car.

I have next week off so I'm hoping to get a lot done. I still have to tackle the roof skin. It's not rusted but it has oil canning and dents everywhere so a new skin is coming next.

This car looks very familiar, I think it's the same one I looked at when it was for sale back in 1999/2000.  Was the seller and car located in Petaluma, CA?

It is possible. I bought it off a gentleman named Glenn around 2008 if I recall. I never asked Glenn how long he had it but I thought he said something about getting it in Las Vegas. Glenn collected dozens of Mopars with the plan of restoring them but as he got older, he decided to sell off those he knew he wouldn't get around to. This car suffered front end damage from a collision and was badly repaired, all of which happened before Glenn got it. As bad as it was, it still could be driven so hard to know how much use it got in it's life. For some reason, Glenn chose to rebuild the motor, brakes, suspension rather than begin with any metal work.

The car is a low VIN R/T built in August 1969. Still has it's original 383 and 4 speed. Came very low optioned in Go Mango with a black vinyl top. It was mostly together when I got it but a few things like the heater box and wiper motor were out.

It is certainly possible that it was in Petaluma early 2000s and then sold to someone in Vegas who later sold it to Glenn before selling to me. We all know how cars like these become flip stock. If you have any other information, I'd love to know, particularly photos or owner history.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on March 03, 2019, 01:56:26 PM
It is possible. I bought it off a gentleman named Glenn around 2008 if I recall. I never asked Glenn how long he had it but I thought he said something about getting it in Las Vegas. Glenn collected dozens of Mopars with the plan of restoring them but as he got older, he decided to sell off those he knew he wouldn't get around to. This car suffered front end damage from a collision and was badly repaired, all of which happened before Glenn got it. As bad as it was, it still could be driven so hard to know how much use it got in it's life. For some reason, Glenn chose to rebuild the motor, brakes, suspension rather than begin with any metal work.

The car is a low VIN R/T built in August 1969. Still has it's original 383 and 4 speed. Came very low optioned in Go Mango with a black vinyl top. It was mostly together when I got it but a few things like the heater box and wiper motor were out.

It is certainly possible that it was in Petaluma early 2000s and then sold to someone in Vegas who later sold it to Glenn before selling to me. We all know how cars like these become flip stock. If you have any other information, I'd love to know, particularly photos or owner history.

Very cool; mine is also a low VIN R/T (Sept '69).  I will find the pictures I have of when I looked at a Challenger pretty identical to yours, and look to compare to see if they are the same car!  How cool would that be!?

It sure would be. Any history I learn about the car is mainly just to satisfy my curiosity. I'm off the next 7 days so I'm hoping to get quite a bit done.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on March 04, 2019, 03:38:51 PM
It sure would be. Any history I learn about the car is mainly just to satisfy my curiosity. I'm off the next 7 days so I'm hoping to get quite a bit done.

I finally found the pictures I mentioned to you above, and guess what, IT IS THE SAME CAR I looked at back in '99!!  How cool is that!  Wow your car has come a long way since I've seen it way back then! Very cool to see the progress! Here are the pictures I took on the day I came across it in Petaluma, CA in '99; enjoy!!  I still remember that day; the owner then had a lot of cats...you can even see a cat on the car in the pics lol. 

That's awesome! Definitely the same car. I remember those seats. Some kind of nasty looking 70s upgrade. The red cloth inserts were velour. The thing was filled with rat poop and cat piss. First thing I did when I got it was strip it down completely and clean it all out. I took the seats down to the frame and sandblasted them. Ripped out everything that could have held an odor.

Any chance you have that guys contact information? I'd love to reach out to him. You can pm it to me if you don't want his info all out in the open.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on March 11, 2019, 10:33:29 AM
That's awesome! Definitely the same car. I remember those seats. Some kind of nasty looking 70s upgrade. The red cloth inserts were velour. The thing was filled with rat poop and cat piss. First thing I did when I got it was strip it down completely and clean it all out. I took the seats down to the frame and sandblasted them. Ripped out everything that could have held an odor.

Any chance you have that guys contact information? I'd love to reach out to him. You can pm it to me if you don't want his info all out in the open.

I have a binder filled with pictures and contact information of all the e-bodies I looked at before buying mine.  Unfortunately, of course, when I came across your cars pictures, my notes with the owner info etc. were not in my binder.  I'll do some more digging and look further.

Even an address would work. I could do the old fashioned thing and write a letter. Lol. I'm really surprised you have photos of a car from so long ago.

Got most everything back in. Been knocking dents out of the fenders and soon I'll have the front clip painted and reinstalled. The only thing after that will be to address the roof skin and then it's time to put glass and interior back in (all of which is perfect and ready to go back in).

Always forget to attach the photos.

I know you're not "restoring the car" per say, but if you want some of the details to be a little more correct...the hood pop up spring should be flat black as well as the access covers for the UCA adjusters  :alan2cents:

Good tips...on the springs, just the spring or the whole hinge and spring?

I was referring to these parts circled...

Oh that spring...got it. I'll paint it black. I don't need perfect but that's an easy fix.

"access covers for the UCA adjusters" although not correct, I like them body color as they dont stand out as much.   Then again, some contrasting colors doesnt hurt either.  Looking real good.   You going to the spring fling?  Ill be there on Sunday.

Definitely going. I took time off from work so I don't miss out on the coolness. I was thinking of getting a swap spot to sell on Saturday and then come back for Sunday just to check out cars. I have a ton of big stuff that I really need to clear out.

I was hoping I would have this R/T done for the show but I've been spending more time on everything so no chance it will be ready in a month. Look for this car in Fall though!

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on March 11, 2019, 03:56:10 PM
Even an address would work. I could do the old fashioned thing and write a letter. Lol. I'm really surprised you have photos of a car from so long ago.

Hey, unfortunately I could not find any contact information from the owner then.  No name, nothing. 

That's ok, thanks for looking. It's cool just to have those old photos of the car. I know more now then I did.

Very nice work.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on March 20, 2019, 09:03:54 PM
Definitely going. I took time off from work so I don't miss out on the coolness. I was thinking of getting a swap spot to sell on Saturday and then come back for Sunday just to check out cars. I have a ton of big stuff that I really need to clear out.

I was hoping I would have this R/T done for the show but I've been spending more time on everything so no chance it will be ready in a month. Look for this car in Fall though!

Mike,

Just got you swap registration earlier today. Thanks

Great to see the extra part being re-appropriated to others building cars.

Thanks! I did it online last night. Nice and easy. Over the years, I've spent far more time in the swap area than the car display area. I really enjoy selling stuff there and getting to chat with people working on their own projects. Most of the time I like to hunt for cool stuff. I've found some great stuff there. I have never walked away without a half a dozen amazing finds.

When I move out of California in a couple years, I'm still gonna make the pilgrimage out just for the flings. They are that great!

Working on the last significant repair now. Front end is all great now but the roof always had some oil canning issues. Was probably a lot thinner after cleaning off the surface rust in and out. Got the new roof skin mostly fitted today. Before I install it permanently, I want to clean up the bracing underneath and put some rust encapsulating paint down.

 :twothumbsup:

By the way, I am using a roof skin by Dynacorn. The thickness was nice and it fit like a glove. It was impressive just how nice it slid into place. When I changed the upper cowl, I used an AMD one and it fit terribly. I know the topic of sheet metal brands and quality come up often and AMD is universally hailed as being the best by far but that simply hasn't been my experience. On this car and others, I've used a variety of manufacturers, including AMD and AMD always seems to require the most fitting. In fairness to AMD though, one thing about their products that I do like is they typically include the little things some other guys don't like reinforcement backing plates or wiring loom holders. That part is kinda nice and saves time from having to transplant off the original piece.

Good to know ! :twothumbsup:

Each new Dynacorn catalogue I get seems to have less and less Challenger stuff in it. It's unfortunate. AMD seems to think they have a reputation and are forging into Ford territory now. We get lots of junk from AMD honestly.

Haven't been able to do a lot of work on the car the past couple months because I've been busy helping a friend rebuild the engine on his GTO. Finally got that all done and been finishing up the roof on the RT. Wasn't too bad and I'm really happy with how it came out. I used lead on all the seams and that took a bit longer than I expected but it's nice and smooth and should last for decades.

Next days off, I plan to epoxy seal the roof in and out and shoot some orange over it. I know the factory never did it but it just seems like good insurance.

From there, I am dying to get the front and rear window in so I can drive it but before I can put glass back in, I really should get the headliner and vinyl top back on.

nice job  :twothumbsup:

Thanks!

Nice!
Pretty soon you will have the same problem as Murray. Going out to the garage and trying to decide which car to take.  :thinking:
Challenger, Barracuda or C2...
Not a bad problem to have.

Not a bad problem at all!

Been lacking in the updates so here's another. After getting the roof skin all finished, I sprayed it in and out with a good sealer. I shot orange outside but didn't bother on the inside since it is more protected. Plus I wanted to make sure I have enough orange for other stuff. Glued in some lightweight insulation using industrial upholstery glue. Got the headliner in. That was more work than I expected but I'm happy with the result. I put the entire dash assembly in and got everything hooked up. That allowed me to fire it up. Sounds awesome. Can hardly wait for glass so I can drive it again. But before I can do glass, I need to get the vinyl top on. Got one in order from Legendary.

Helping my folks move all this next week so the car will have to wait until I get back. I'm debating whether to install the vinyl top myself or pay a pro. I'm reasonably sure I could do it but if I make the slightest mistake, it will be obvious to the world forever. Screwing up a $70 headliner is way different than screwing up a $350 vinyl top. From what I've seen, the tricky part is getting the small strip by the Dutchman panel to lay down perfect before doing the C pillars. Any mistake there will have material on the c pillar bunching up and not setting down right.

Well anyway, this thread should be coming to a close soon. I'm anticipating having the car back on the road in a month or two! The rest of my perfect interior is just waiting to go back in the car.

This has to be the oddest restoration order I've ever followed along with, but the results are looking good :bigthumb:

Quote from: anlauto on June 09, 2019, 08:12:42 AM
This has to be the oddest restoration order I've even followed along with, but the results are looking good :bigthumb:

Haha...it's the oddest restoration order I've ever attempted!

When I bought the car, I always envisioned stripping it to a shell and doing everything right from start to finish in the normal order. After a while, I collected other cars and decided that my other projects (along with family, friends and life in general) were keeping this car on the sidelines too long so I thought that if I could just get it back on the road, that would be okay. After all, I don't personally mind a ratty looking exterior as long as the interior is fresh and it is mechanically perfect otherwise. Once the Barracuda came along (which was a very impulsive buy for me), I thought maybe I should let this car go to a better home since that would still leave me with three very cool cars. We all know I'd never get a decent price for the car half finished in pieces so I felt compelled to get it to a state where a buyer could drive it as is or finish it off with good paint and body work along with a small amount of rechroming.

Looking back, I wish I had stripped it to a shell and just did it that way. It would not have been much more work really. I guess cars this old are always going to need so much work that you're kind of in an "all or nothing" situation right from the start. I definitely won't ever do another car backwards like this.

You made it solid, and if you assemble it and it's driveable I think it is extremely salable. When they're all disassembled, half the parts are missing and the disassembler ran out of talent is when the trouble starts. That and you can drive it for fun as well.
I did a few cars where I did all the mechanical, bodywork and splashed them with the thought of getting pro-paint later, that never worked out for me. The thing was after doing all the work, I never felt like doing more to tear them down for a proper repaint and I kicked them down the road rather than doing more work on them.
Important thing here is that another one will be on the road for years to come.

And that will probably be my regret down the road if I keep it. It's a huge amount of work to strip parts off a second time for paint and body plus more work in masking all the areas that I can't have overspray on. It can be done for sure but it's just more logical to strip it to a shell and build it right from start to finish. I started getting a lot of project creep on this car doing things I never set out to do from the start. I drew the line at paint and body because once I start down that road, I'd be restoring every nut and bolt on the car and we all know how expensive those projects get.

I've never owned or even driven a car that is super nice mechanically and also interior wise but ugly on the outside. I'm told some guys like that sort of thing though.

My hold up lately has been the vinyl top. Can put the glass in nor any of the interior until the top is glued on. I wanted to take it all on myself but after doing the headliner myself, I figured I'd rather not risk a $300 top on a mistake. Plus it takes 6 weeks to get another from Legendary.

There's a professional upholstery guy in my small town and when he did my seats, he allowed me to help so I could learn. I hit him up the other day and he squeezed me in for the vinyl top. Even allowed me to help so I could learn on this too. Glad I didn't chance it myself. He made it look easy but it certainly wasn't. Came out perfect though and I think I have the confidence now to try the next one solo. My headliner was good but not quite perfect. The guy was even cool enough to fix my little mistakes there so now the headliner looks perfect as well!

Had the whole week off so I spent most of the time straightening, polishing, and installing stainless trim. Here's a photo halfway through. The whole car is done and it looks fantastic. Got the interior all finished as well and it too looks great.

For the first time since I've owned the car, I tuned it and spent a little time dialing it in. The previous owner rebuilt the engine and he put in a hot cam. Not sure what it is but it is crazy powerful. Without power steering, it feels downright dangerous since the backend wants to go sideways even after shifting to second. Fun though as long as no one else is on the road. Maybe that how the car originally got the front end damage!

Next step is to gets the dents out of the front fenders. I'd like to sandblast them along with the hood, get everything sealed and maybe painted orange underneath so only the topside will need paint which can be done with the rest of the car someday.

By the way, can someone explain how to rotate my photos? Drives me crazy that they are normal in my photo library but always post sideways here.

For new pictures on iPhones, take them while holding the camera with the "home" button (round button on the face) pointing to the right.  I have a very clunky way to "fix" existing pictures that need to be rotated, but I have to believe one of the wizards here know a better route so I'll remain silent on that. 

I can't offer any help on Android or other phone brands.

@70ChallengerLover got info on the San Diego paint shop that mixed your paint?  I have the same issue with my 70 F8. PPG lost formula

I'll get it for you. It was a little expensive on shipping but the color match was spot on when compared to some original orange areas in the trunk that never saw sunlight. It sprayed pretty easily in a $150 gun too.

Quote from: Dakota on July 16, 2019, 02:13:48 PM
For new pictures on iPhones, take them while holding the camera with the "home" button (round button on the face) pointing to the right.  I have a very clunky way to "fix" existing pictures that need to be rotated, but I have to believe one of the wizards here know a better route so I'll remain silent on that. 

I can't offer any help on Android or other phone brands.

I generally use my iPad and I do take them with the button on the right. That's what throwing me here. They stay correctly oriented in my device and when uploading to Facebook, eBay, etc., they always stay correctly oriented, except here. Lol

@7E-Bodies (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/7e-bodies_436) it was TCP Global. Tcpglobal.com I went into their "restoration paints" section and picked a single stage acrylic urethane but it looks like they can offer you just about anything.

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on July 16, 2019, 10:51:05 AM
By the way, can someone explain how to rotate my photos? Drives me crazy that they are normal in my photo library but always post sideways here.

If its like on android , when taking a photo there is a little camra icon on the screen which shows the orientation of what the final photo will be like, if not like I want before taking the photo, I shake the phone and check the icon again.

Quote from: 73440 on July 16, 2019, 08:30:19 PM

Quote from: 70 Challenger Lover on July 16, 2019, 10:51:05 AM
By the way, can someone explain how to rotate my photos? Drives me crazy that they are normal in my photo library but always post sideways here.

If its like on android , when taking a photo there is a little camra icon on the screen which shows the orientation of what the final photo will be like, if not like I want before taking the photo, I shake the phone and check the icon again.

It's definitely not the device. It's something about the way it gets uploaded here.

Time for another update. Interior pretty much finished. Everything is working well. Switched out the Holley carb which kept sticking floats on me. Now it runs like a top. The Edelbrock definitely gives up power compared to the finicky Holley but I'm willing to give that up for reliability which it has now.

Finally got the hood stripped and covered in epoxy primer. The front edge hood letters are drilled out and fitted. They will look great once it's all painted up. I'll have orange on the underside tomorrow but I plan to block out the top side a bit before putting the final orange on that area.

After the hood, it's down to fenders, grille and other front end stuff. Once I get some weight back on the front, I can get that alignment dialed in just right.

I will probably color sand the outside just a little and buff it out. I did one area like that as a test and the orange looked 100 times better. It will still need paint and body work to be finished obviously but this will be an improvement for now.

A few more pics...

I like the look of the pistol grip with out the console!  :perfect10:

Me too. It's like the original buyer meant business!

Wow, this car has come a very long way since I last saw it in 2000!! Very impressed!  Interior looks awesome, no more of that 70's red cloth inserts filled with rat poop and cat piss!  Looks great!!  :popcorn:

Thanks! When I look back at old photos I totally see the distance it's come but it feels like it's moving so slowly that it's hard to see the week to week progress. I keep telling myself, "if I can just get this next thing finished, then I will feel like I've hit a real milestone."  I'm definitely pushing hard to get it ready for the Fall Fling in two months. All that remains is the front clip but those fenders have some hefty dents in them and that will slow me down.

Your vinyl top and interior look amazing!  :twothumbsup: I had alleged professionals install my vinyl top on my '70 Cuda about 8 years ago.  It looked great at first but now it's lifting in spots on the edges by the C pillar.   :verymad:  I've tried using a hypodermic needle with glue with limited results but I still have some bumps on the edges.   :crying:  Hopefully you won't have the same issues.

Painted the inside of the hood orange last week but I screwed it up so I had to sand it down here and there and recoat it. I'm pretty happy with it now. After the paint cures up over the next few days, I'll flip it over and block out the topside. I know the entire car will be repainted someday but I figured I'd use the topside of the hood as practice for blocking and shooting paint.

Single stage or base/clear?

Single stage Acrylic Urethane. Sprays nice and lays down well. Even though I only sanded with 150 grit, it still was fairly smooth. On the topside, I'll block it and do as they recommend with 350 grit before spraying. If I'm getting a decent result now, it should really look good with some prep effort.

My mistake before was using the wrong nozzle size. The specs called for 1.5mm tip and I thought that's what I was using but turned out it was 1.8mm. Went on like I was using a garden hose. Once I went to the 1.3mm, it went on nice with good coverage in three coats.

OMG 1.8 is for spraying serfacer primer down  :o 1.3 is what i use. If you let that cure and wet sand that with say 800 grit, and give it one nice medium coat with a 50% overlap. it will flow out like glass.  :alan2cents: 

Quote from: JS29 on September 04, 2019, 10:55:01 AM
OMG 1.8 is for spraying serfacer primer down  :o 1.3 is what i use. If you let that cure and wet sand that with say 800 grit, and give it one nice medium coat with a 50% overlap. it will flow out like glass.  :alan2cents:

Yeah boneheaded move on my part for not checking the tip first. Good advice on the recoat. I may try that on a different surface. One that's easier to sand! The underside of that hood with all the curves is murder.

Yes under the hood is FUN!!! When i an doing a collision job i always look forward to that part. when i paint the jams on a fender or door, or do ether the hood or trunk lid, i seal and put a coat of paint on the outer skin. then wet sand it meticulously . come time for the paint job, you are half way done. less dust that way as well.   :alan2cents:

Just read the entire thread. You have done awsome on it.
You sound a lot like me in regards to jumping in and figuring it out.
Hope to see you-it at one of the Flings soon.

Mike.

Quote from: YellowThumper on September 04, 2019, 09:43:33 PM
Just read the entire thread. You have done awsome on it.
You sound a lot like me in regards to jumping in and figuring it out.
Hope to see you-it at one of the Flings soon.

Mike.

Thanks! My goal is to have it at the Fall Fling in seven weeks. Not sure I'll be finished but I might take it down unfinished.

Unfinished is great. I find a car like that more interesting than a shiny paint car as long as I'm not looking at rust and bondo.

Quote from: RUNCHARGER on September 05, 2019, 06:55:23 AM
Unfinished is great. I find a car like that more interesting than a shiny paint car as long as I'm not looking at rust and bondo.

I kinda like that ratty look too but it's primarily heavy rust that turns me off. The two donor front fenders were in really bad shape. No rust but there were heavy deep creases here and there plus both had crunched front corners by the bezels. I just 80% worked out and I'm fitting everything to the car just to make sure it's all useable but damn they are ugly compared to the rest of the unfinished body. Looking back, I should have sold the original fenders to someone who refuses to use aftermarket metal and put that money towards a pair of AMDs.

The top of the hood turned out to be a lot more work than I anticipated. It was dent and wave free but when I went to block it out, it just took forever. I probably should have skimmed the whole thing but instead I skimmed only the worst area and then kept blocking with coats of sealer in between. Finally got the whole hood as flat as I can possibly make it. Shot my final coat of sealer on it today and in a few days, I'll smooth it down to 400 and put down the orange. I had hoped to be past this stage weeks ago but body work has got to be one of the least enjoyable things about working on old cars. Hasn't helped that we have had month after month of unrelenting California desert heat.

Just for the heck of it, I color sanded the old faded orange paint and used the buffer on it with a little polishing compound. This is about an hour or so of work. While the old paint looks so much better, it also makes the damaged areas stand out more.

Good things take time. Are you going to do the fender's as well?    :wrenching:

That car would look great if you could paint the nose with some flattening agent and a colour match, pretty tricky though.

Quote from: RUNCHARGER on September 14, 2019, 07:17:41 AM
That car would look great if you could paint the nose with some flattening agent and a colour match, pretty tricky though.

I was thinking that too. My low skill level would be a huge hurdle but I think it would be fun to try. There are a couple old but shallow battle scars that were badly repaired decades ago. I'd start with one of those areas. The repair would be very doable for me. It's the color matching thing I'd need help with. As it is, I have used most of the orange paint I bought. I have enough to finish the hood and probably the lower front valance. Beyond that, I'd be super lucky to get one fender done. If I had a small amount of color, could the same stuff be used for a blended patch at the back quarter? That's the ugliest one I'd try out first.

As far as doing the front fenders, that was my original plan but I also want to get back on a different project I set aside for this car. Just don't have as much room as I really need. I am probably going to clean up the ugly front fenders just a little more, toss the car on eBay to see what kind of action it gets as is. If it doesn't go, continue work over the next few weeks and then drive it to the Fall Fling to see if there are any buyers there. Buyers usually come in the spring and I expect that so then I'd spend the winter finishing the fenders and a couple other minor things so I could try in earnest come springtime.

Yes: That's the right thing to do. You've done well making it a car again. Now someone else can take it the rest of the way if they like or maybe even just drive it as is for awhile.

Thanks! I'm hoping I will find the right buyer who could appreciate that. Sadly, most people have a hard time looking past the surface to see how good the bones are underneath. This is very much how I would like to find a car. The next owner shouldn't have any nasty surprises typical with projects. But if it doesn't sell, won't break my heart in the least to keep it. Just need more garage space!

I think if I didn't pick up my bucket list car earlier this year, I'd be keeping this one for sure.

Base coat looks dull and flat. easy to apply and would give a good bases to work with. 

Quote from: JS29 on September 14, 2019, 01:33:08 PM
Base coat looks dull and flat. easy to apply and would give a good bases to work with.

This one is a single stage so it goes on shiny. Could that be still made to work? I am curious to learn more and maybe experiment here. Would you still mix a flattening agent if the old is being buffed out to a high shine or does the new buff out shiny even with a flattening agent mixed in? I always assumed paint blending needed some type of clear over it to lock everything in afterward.

If I paint the hood and front valance, I should have lots of color left to experiment with some patches. I know the fenders are hideous and need love but I'd love to attempt a nice clean up of the trunk lid, door edge or quarter area. Each are eyesores but probably fairly easy to repair. It's the paint blending that is holding me back.

I have never buffed paint with a flatting agent added to it. blending a single stage can be done, but it is not easy to do with out experience. You turn the gun away after you cover the part you repaired. every pass you step it out farther. and thin out the last coat covering the entire panel. back in the day, after you sanded the affected area you would clean the panel with rubbing compound. then start applying the single stage.

Painted the top of the hood orange yesterday and f'ed it all up again. Had it hanging and my medium wet coat called for in the tech sheet was a bit too wet creating some runs.

Today, I was able to sand out the runs okay. Decided to sand the whole hood again with 400 and try shooting it again. Came out way better. Still a little orange peel but I can live with it. I figure the new owner will likely repaint the entire car anyway.

Yeah: That is looking good, I think the fenders and hood painted will add appeal to the car.

Quote from: RUNCHARGER on September 17, 2019, 06:53:23 PM
Yeah: That is looking good, I think the fenders and hood painted will add appeal to the car.

:iagree:

Only problem is I'm almost out of orange paint!

Okay, another paint question....when I run my hand over the paint, it is nice and smooth but there are a couple tiny flakes of dust here and there. Can't see them but I can feel them with my hand. I know I could cut and buff it now if I wanted to make it even nicer and smoother but I'm satisfied with the look of this and the whole car will get repainted anyway whether by me or the new owner.

So what would a body shop do to smooth out the new paint without cutting and buffing it? If I used a polishing compound by hand, would it be enough to remove the feel of the dust flecks?

Just lightly wet sand the nubs, the fined the better. I have a finishing D/A sander, if you finish with 5000 grit you can hand rub it back to a full shine. I would give it a couple of days to cure.  :alan2cents:

I have quite a bit of 2000 grit paper. Would that be too aggressive?

That would be were I would start.

After a year of work, the car is officially back on the road. Registered and insured. There are many little things still needing attention but I have other projects waiting for me and since I've decided to try and sell this RT, I knew I needed to just find a stopping point. I expect it not to sell with the ugly fenders and if need be, over the winter I'll remove them, strip and work them back into shape, and put them back on with primer sealer in and out. But for now, it's back on the road!

Congratulations and good luck with the sale.

Good luck with its sale.

Will it make appearance at the Fall Fling next month?

Quote from: YellowThumper on September 25, 2019, 10:11:35 AM
Good luck with its sale.

Will it make appearance at the Fall Fling next month?

I might toss it on eBay first. If it sells then I wouldn't chance the trip for fear of some old lady crashing into it. My expectation is it will not sell until spring when the buyers come out so as long as runs and drives nice, then I would like to bring it out. The guy who sold it to me ten plus years ago comes to the show often as does the guy he had rebuild the motor. It would be fun to let then see what it's become.

That looks pretty good. PM me your asking price if you wish.

As a final update to the thread, I wanted to post that it appears the car is going to a new owner in Sweden. We are hammering out arrangements now but I'm sending him this thread link along with an invite to join the forum. I think he will find it as helpful and enjoyable as I have. Thanks for everyone's advice on the car along the way. I'm glad it will be going to someone who is going to really appreciate it.

This will free up some room on the side of my house and allow me to start a new thread on my next project. Much bigger than this one but it will be one I keep for the long haul.

Congrats on the sale!  A lot of Mopar's have been going to Sweden! My buddy sold his '70 Challenger R/T last year to a buyer in Sweden.

That's awesome news....I've sold a car or two overseas as well....seems to be a lot of buyers over there. :bradsthumb:

Do you think you could have got a lot more if you had of finished the fenders etc ???

Quote from: anlauto on October 06, 2019, 07:33:04 AM
That's awesome news....I've sold a car or two overseas as well....seems to be a lot of buyers over there. :bradsthumb:

Do you think you could have got a lot more if you had of finished the fenders etc ???

I think the looming trans rebuild and clutch replacement hurt it the most. The fenders definitely don't help but I got several compliments on the thoroughness of the ad so that might have helped offset the outer cosmetic stuff.

I thought it over and if I did the trans, clutch, fenders ($400 paint cost), along with the other little mechanical stuff leftover, I'd drop another $2k into it which might (if I'm lucky) get the selling price up to $29k so that would be very little extra profit for a lot of labor. Unless I had it professionally painted, I just can't see the car ever selling for more than $30k. That hits a hurdle that is hard to overcome unless the car is taken to another level.

I'm very happy with the $26k. I think it's a decent price for both of us and I'll bend over backwards to make sure the handoff goes smoothly. I drove the car 30 miles yesterday and I was really impressed with how nicely it drives. I think he's gonna be happy with it. I might toss a few extras in the trunk for him and offer to help him obtain things to ship back with the car. If I was him, I'd fill the trunk with big or heavy stuff since the shipping cost won't change. You can go broke shipping stuff overseas and this is a great way to get free shipping.

Good call on the parts in the trunk....I would imagine even parts like a new clutch are expensive to get over there... :ohyeah:

Good job, too bad another one is leaving though.

I agree. I feel exactly the same way. There was a guy who drove a couple hours and looked at it earlier in the morning. He really liked it but wanted a few days to think it over. When I got the offer from the Swedish guy, I called the local guy out of courtesy and let him know that he got to it first if he really wanted it. He was a great guy and appreciated having first dibs to it but in the end, he just wasn't ready to pull the trigger at 26k, at least not on short notice. Too bad, I was hoping he'd grab it.

Sometimes I think we in the US are so used to getting super cheap goods from all over the world that we cringe at the high price of something like a classic car while the rest of the world sees it as the going price and is willing to pay it. Of course, Europeans don't have the volume of classic cars to choose from so maybe they are willing to pay more to get what they want.

I know. I felt bad letting my orange car go to Europe as well. Up here in Canada though it's getting so we just can't afford cars after the govt. is done with us anymore.

Quote from: RUNCHARGER on October 06, 2019, 10:00:27 AM
I know. I felt bad letting my orange car go to Europe as well. Up here in Canada though it's getting so we just can't afford cars after the govt. is done with us anymore.

I think we are following suit. I could see a day when they force all cars regardless of age to be at a certain safety standard if it's on a public roadway. Imagine trying to retrofit your hemi Cuda with airbags, anti lock brakes, crumple zones. And wait till they make us add third brake lights! Lol