I've posted a few pictures of my 1970 Barracuda in another thread with new paint. I thought maybe I should just start a thread about the complete build from the beginning.
As far as I know, the Barracuda has had two other owners before I happened upon it in Arkansas. The gentleman in Arkansas and the owner in Oklahoma. Ironically the first owner lives about an hour from me here in the Tulsa area. I came across him while nosing around on the Facebook market place. He was selling his 1969 Mach1. He has a name one could not forget.
Owner#1- Started the build with a rust-free six cylinder/3 speed body. Owner #1 gathered all the parts. 440/4-speed. 6 BBL. Shaker hood w/shaker equipment. Dana 60 Track-Pac. Go-wing. Interior. Four-wheel disc brakes along with other parts needed to complete the build. Bodywork and primer on B-5 original paint.
Owner #2- He ended up with the Barracuda and had it painted in Limelight green and had the bumpers re-chromed. It stopped there. The paint was an economy single-stage finish. Not a bad job for the most part. No issues.
Owner #3. I found it while my buddy and I went to pick up a 426 Hemi for a Coronet and to check on two 1971 Cuda's that owner #2 had for sale. $2500. I missed out on the Cudas but he showed me this Barracuda he had in his Garage. The build was going nowhere. After a week of getting the deal finalized, I brought the Barracuda back to Oklahoma to start the build. My 1971 Challenger was sold to open up some room. I started work last Spring. It's painted now as I have posted but there is much more to do.
Starting at the beginning.
Looks great now! Did you redo the single stage green the previous owner used?
B5 originally with a 3 speed manual and a /6. Any other info on the original car?
Yes, I did repaint it with a factory match Limelight green BC/CC. There is a Hue difference between the factory matched and this economy paint. I'll get to that soon.
No extra info on the car it's self. The fender tag is gone and no broadcast sheet. The only documentation was the VIN sticker on the door (shocker.) which did match the cowl and radiator support. Even the dash tag was missing but I had a new one made. Appears to be a nothing special Barracuda.
Glad it's getting a new life! It's Something special alright! Looks great!
Now I'm curious of the hue difference. Is it that noticeable ?
In the first picture engine compartment looks like FJ6 while it's now a beautiful FJ5 :drooling:
Enough to make a difference in a repair. Close to OEM but no banana :banana: It's ok for all-overs but very difficult to work with if you needed to blend a repair. Especially if the painter does not know it was a budget paint job beforehand. That's why you should buy extra for future needs. Big time toner difference between OEM and Economy base coats. The economic base is a mostly clear base with a few toners added to get a close match. You need more for coverage. The good base is all OEM type toners. Much less needed for coverage.
Good eye.
I noticed that while sanding the cowl. Owner #1 went with the Sassy Grass and owner #2 went with Limelight.
Overall the paint finish on the Barracuda looked good. No cracking, bubbles, or any other defects. It was actually a nice job. Anyway, I did a tape test using masking tape and it pulled off a chunk of paint. I checked another area on the lower left fender and it did the same thing. Meh, paint was the first thing I wanted to do anyway. New paint keeps you motivated.
The front end clip looked like it was kind of thrown together so I decided to do some further adjustments to the gaps. Doing so, I found the fenders were attached by Hardware Store type hardware and the header and lower valance panel were attached with Metric. I also found a header panel to fender captured nut was broken off and an oversized metric fastener was cranked in to hold them together. The holes were drilled out and I installed rivet nuts dipped in Panel Adhesive and reinstalled them. Found the proper hardware and re-assembled the front clip and adjusted the hood. The gapping issue is not over. :'(
Installing the hood pins.
Attached the brackets and hood pins. I put a blob of clay in the hood pin access hole under the hood. Closed the hood till the pin touched. Open the hood and drilled a pilot hole in the center of the clay indentation. From the top, using a step drill bit, I drilled the hole to the exact size of the hood pin. Using the scuff plate as a guide, I drilled the holes for the attachment screws. Being that the hood pins are snug in the holes, my hood alignment will be a cinch when I reinstall it after painting.
Go-Wing.
I drilled the holes for the Go-Wing pretty much the way I drilled for the Hood-Pins. Placed the clay on the back of the deck lid then installed the brackets. Pushed a large drill bit through that made an indentation in the clay. Removed the brackets then used a center punch. Drilled a pilot hole. I finished the drilling from the top side of the panel to stud size.
Bodywork.
Since the body only had one repaint, I decided to sand off the green single-stage with a 10-inch Dura-Block and 36 grit sandpaper. I blocked the quarter and the door until the green was removed, then sanded again with 80 and finished with 100. Cleaned off the panels and sprayed three coats of high build primer. As time allowed, I moved onto the other panels. Usually one to two panels at a time.
Evercoat Edge DMT. 2.0 primer gun. 15 PSI. 10% reduced with Acetone. Three wet coats applied.
Blocking continued.
Merry Christmas.
The door to the fender gap really bothered me, so I went to adjust the gap once more. I removed the fenders..and the doors this time. Just loosening the hinges were just not enough. Once the doors were off, I cleaned the area and the mounting plates so that everything would slide forward and aft properly with no rusty friction. I also had to shim the fender to get the body lines closer.
I used a 3/16" stacked fender shims to measure the gaps. Reinstalled everything and did some fine-tuning and finally got what I wanted. Not an easy job with the door windows installed.
Moved on to the strip sanding /blocking of the fenders.
Merry Christmas!
That's looking good there.
Nice work. Those fender to door gaps definitely look better. :bigthumb:
Sanding on...
Sand stripped the hood. This was an aftermarket hood made by R-Dot (The manufacturer's label was left on the back of the hood.)I was surprised at how well it fit. Nice part. 36,80,150 grit grinding disc. Filled a couple of dings with Evercoat Rage filler then three coats of Evercoat DMT.
By now it's been weeks and that let the DMT cure, which is very important for the final finish. The next important step is to guide coat the surface. I use the 3M or Mirka Dry Powder. This product is superior to the spray bomb method. You will see every defect and you'll be sure to have a perfect surface once it's sanded off. Doesn't clog the sandpaper either.
3/4" masking tape placed on the body lines to keep them straight then blocked with 100 grit/dry.
Great Thread! Some good tips here! :yes:
Finished off the blocking with the 100 grit then applied three coats of Evercoat Optics high build. This primer is Pink in color so it can be used as a guide coat. Once dry, I moved the Barracuda to the other part of the shop to cure. Meanwhile, I hand sanded all the jambs and gutters. 100,120,220,320, red Scotch-Brite pad. The forward jambs are left untouched for the moment. It's a good idea to wear mechanics gloves while detail sanding.
Evercoat Optics high build primer. 2.0 primer gun at 15 PSI+. 10% reduced w/Acetone (optional). Three wet coats.
Looking good! :clapping: I'm so glad I'm past that stage. :veryexcited:
I agree. The worse part of the prep is hand sanding the jambs and gutters. :('
Muscle memory.
After a few weeks, I guide coated the primer then blocked with 100 then finished it with 120. Just to make sure the body line was straight, I primed the area with Optics, ran a tape line, and blocked with 100 and 120.
More guide coat and blocked with 220.
I removed the header panel, lower valance, and hood. Put the Barracuda on jack stands.
Guided coated again. This time I used a finishing DA equipped with a Hook-It interface pad in between the 400 grit Hook-It sandpaper and the hard pad attached to the DA. The interface pad conforms to the contours of the body so you end up with a smoother and more level surface.
If I was applying a silver of a high metallic base, I sand up to 800 grit.
I had a stud broken on the Shaker Hood ring. I drilled a hole through the stud, cut the head off a screw, and cut to size. Filled the hole with panel bonding adhesive and inserted the threaded portion. Once it cured, I leveled the repair, strip sanded off the paint, skim coated with Evercoat edge. Primed with Evercoat Optics.
Stripped sanded the tail panel and primed with Evercoat Optics. The trunk gutter was prepped also.
Prepping the Barracuda for paint:
Thoroughly clean the body (Air and vacuum) and the paint area. Masked off the undercarriage, wheel wells, engine compartment, and the passenger compartment floor. I'm not only preventing overspray but keeping hidden dirt contained. I kept the hood hinges in place since I already have the hood where I want it and I don't want to be gouging up the paint trying to readjust it again. I used tin foil for this. The floor was swept and mopped and the walls cleaned with a dust mop and Endust.
Final prep & paint.
Attached a chain to the rear axel bolting it from hub to hub. Dry mopped the floor. This will ground the car to keep the static electricity from building up from the final wipe downs. The body is wiped again with a water-based surface cleaner, then tack ragged. Sprayed some "Bull Dog" adhesion promoter in the forward door jambs and along the top of the fenders where they're attached to the engine compartment aprons. This will lock the paint to the door hinge area and the (bare) fender bolt heads.
Mixed up some white epoxy sealer and sprayed on one coat. I chose white to make the Limelight base really pop. Flashed for 30 minutes.
Mixed up some Limelight green base and sprayed on three coats. 10-minute flash.
Mixed the clearcoat and applied three coats. 30-minute flash. Left to cure.
I used the copper Tekna 1.3 tip gun.
Northstar high solids epoxy primer. White. 2 quarts. 1-1-1 mix w/ slow activator and reducer. 27-30 psi. 1 coat.
Diamont basecoat. J5 Lime. 5 quarts. 1-1 mix. Slow reducer. 23-24 psi. 3 coats.
Matrix AG-40 high solids clearcoat kit. Medium temp. 2.1 mix. 27-30 psi. 3 coats.
Very nice!
Do you have your own paint booth?
Great, helpful details. Thanks for posting, car looks superb.
Wow awsome! That pops nicely.
Great detail in write up.
Thanks.
Quote from: larry4406 on January 20, 2021, 03:13:03 AM
Very nice!
Do you have your own paint booth?
It's more like a room rather than a booth that is built into my home shop. It has crossflow ventilation, a fresh air breathing system, and plenty of lighting.
Quote from: RUNCHARGER on January 20, 2021, 07:29:16 AM
Great, helpful details. Thanks for posting, car looks superb.
Thank you. Plenty more to go.
Quote from: YellowThumper on January 20, 2021, 08:21:01 PM
Wow awsome! That pops nicely.
Great detail in write up.
Thanks.
:bigthumb:
Car looks great ! :banana:
:cheers: Thank you.
Quote from: Marty on January 21, 2021, 02:35:54 AM
Quote from: larry4406 on January 20, 2021, 03:13:03 AM
Very nice!
Do you have your own paint booth?
It's more like a room rather than a booth that is built into my home shop. It has crossflow ventilation, a fresh air breathing system, and plenty of lighting.
Would like to see details of your booth/room, lighting, and ventilation & breathing systems if you get the chance. It clearly provides you with excellent results.
Prepped, sealed, and painted engine compartment, header panel, front/rear valance.
Prepped, primed, and refinished the side marker light housings, door mirrors. and the Shaker ring. The trunk area was also prepped for paint.
The plastic masking was cut out around the deck lid and taped around edges all but for about 1/16" (+/-). The exposed edge was masked off with 3M blue fine line tape. The 3M tape was placed right up to the edge of the channel. The hinges and torsion bars were sprayed with Bulldog adhesive promoter just to make sure the paint will stick in the nook and crannies where the Scotch Brite pad or sandpaper could not reach. Dusted on some white epoxy onto the hinges and in the channel avoiding the green-based taped edge.
Applied the base and the clear. I sprayed the last wet coat of clear into the channel then immediately pulled off the fine-line tape. What this does is lets the clear coat roll onto the edge. This will eliminate the sharp tape line you would get if you'd have waited for the clear to dry. For an added measure, I emptied the cup and added some retarder or a slow dry reducer, and dusted the edge to keep the clear open so it would continue to flow and level past flash time.
Quote from: Marty on February 02, 2021, 05:01:57 PM
Applied the base and the clear. I sprayed the last wet coat of clear into the channel then immediately pulled off the fine-line tape. What this does is lets the clear coat roll onto the edge. This will eliminate the sharp tape line you would get if you'd have waited for the clear to dry. For an added measure, I emptied the cup and added some retarder or a slow dry reducer, and dusted the edge to keep the clear open so it would continue to flow and level past flash time.
I'm really enjoying learning these details. Thanks for sharing!! Beautiful work.
Your hard work, patience and knowledge are obvious. Almost there, congratulations. :twothumbsup:
Thanks for your "Motivational" replies. :D
No: Thank you for sharing your info. I hate to be repetive (well like sanding I guess) but great workmanship and I always enjoy hearing products and processes as I don't keep up with bodywork/painting advances and what worked even 5 years ago isn't the hot setup now.
At E-Bodies service. :cheers:
On to the Barracudas radiator support. The area was scuffed along with the latch support with a red Scotch-Brite pad. The engine compartment was masked off and cleaned. Two coats of black single stage paint were applied. Once dry, the Barracuda was moved to the other room for further curing.
Final painting.
The Shaker ring was reinstalled on the hood and then was placed on the stand with the backside up. The lower valance was also brought in for final paint. The hood was prepped with a red Scotch-Brite since the finish was nice and smooth from the prior paint job.
The rear of the valance was prepped with different grits of sandpaper to remove the old junk paint. (100 to 320.) Both panels were cleaned and tacked off and a coat of white epoxy was applied. Flashed then based green until full coverage. Flashed again, then finished with one wet coat of clear.
The header panel supports were later painted with black semi-gloss paint using a touch-up gun. Everything was stored in the main shop to cure for a few weeks before the cut and buff. Curing is very important to the look of the final product. I can't emphasize this enough.
CPI single-stage polyurethane. 3-1 mix. 10% reduced optional. 30 PSI. Two coats or till coverage.
Cut & Buff.
I fill a 5-gallon bucket with clean water about halfway. Wet & dry sandpaper, sanding block, and pad. Squirt bottle with 20% rubbing alcohol and 80% water and a Squeegee.
I soak my first sandpaper grit,800 in the water for 30 minutes or so. This will soften the sandpaper so the edges won't scratch the finish.
I don't use soap in the water. It allows the sandpaper to hydroplane and slows the sanding. Just plain water works just fine for me. The alcohol in the water cleans the surface as you sand and helps with the cutting.
I wrap a half sheet of 800 grit around the block, the Holy Terror, and start the sanding. The Holy Terror is a firm block that has holes in it that give me multiple cutting edges. Usually starting on the roof, I start to sand the surface moving the block in a front-to-back direction (length of the Barracuda) keeping the surface wet with the water and the squirt bottle. Squeegee often to track the sanding. Once the surface is dull with no surface imperfections, I move on until the complete car is sanded. The complete surface should be flat with no sheen. This is the foundation for a great shine.
Changing the sandpaper and water is a judgment call.
How I deal with runs and trash in the clear.
Jumping ahead to the header and front valance panel. (I'll explain how I cut and buff shortly.) Once I've sanded the surface with 800 grit, that's when I can see these annoying issues in the paint more clearly. Trash always seems to find its way into the paint it's just the way it is, getting it out properly is easy. I don't use those store-bought gimmicks or sanding blocks wrapped with sandpaper. I find that they are more trouble than they're worth and sometimes cause more damage.
I take a new single-edged razor blade and simply scrape the dirt off till the pimple is level with the paint surface. Re-sand the area, then just move on till I'm finished with that grit. It's that simple. It's important to scrape after the surface has been sanded to round off the speck of dirt. If not, the blade will get hung up on the sharp edge of the cleared trash and you may pull the dirt/clear off the base coat.
Great thread, following! :popcorn:
I avoid getting runs in the first coat of clear. They always seem to leave a ghost in the final finish no matter how hard you try to get them. If you load up the clear on a first coat run, it'll grow and it may solvent pop as more clearcoat is applied. A heavy run can also pull the base down with it. Not so noticeable on a solid color, but it'll show on a metallic base. So, I try to take it easy on the first coat of clear to protect the base, especially high solids.
My major run on the Barracuda was on the lower rocker. I mix up some glazing putty and apply it over the run. This will protect the surrounding area from sanding down to the base. (You'll sand through to the base long before you ever sand down the run.)
Using wet or dry sandpaper. I wrap 220 (dry) around the holy terror sanding block and start to sand over the run area. Once the glaze is about off, I move to 320 (dry), 400 (wet), 600 (wet), 800 (wet), and so on through the cutting process removing the glaze as I go, then on to buffing. I step out of the sanding area just a bit to smooth out the prior sanding scratch. Focus is a must especially the closer I get to the actual clearcoat. I'm very careful around edges.
I'm taking more and more glaze off as I use the finer grades of sandpaper till it's completely gone.
Currently, all the major parts for the 440 have been gathered.
440 block /Std. bore. Steel crank, heads, pistons, and HD rods. Bought 4 of them at a friend's Boat shop.
Found the exhaust manifolds at a swap meet.
The'Cuda exhaust tips were bought off the internet and just got them back from the chrome shop. I had to weld up a ding on the edge of the exhaust opening. OEM looks much more at home in the rear valance than the aftermarket Stainless tips.
Camshaft, intake, and Carburetors, etc.
Who sells the orange engine single-stage paint for engines? I'll be using a spray gun rather than spray bombs.
Not positive but I believe you can buy the single stage paint from Eastwood.
You're right. I forgot all about Eastwood. Thanks. :cheers:
I can't thank you enough for the details you've provided. I worked in auto body in the early 80's but so much has changed that it's not even comparable. I'm currently in paint prep stages on a well preserved 70 440 Challenger and always have little, stupid questions. I painted several completes back in the day and was well liked, but those were lacquer or centari jobs, archaic by today's chems. Taping the lines still leaves me with dumb questions. I get the part about maintaining body lines but (insert dumb question) do you move the tape from below the line to above the line during sanding? Similar dumb question for taping the lines during cut and buff. I also appreciated how you explained another mystery, and that's how to hide tape lines at trunk gutter drop offs and door jambs and fender-to-engine compartment areas. Mine is a F8 dark green metallic and I'm committed to PPG Deltron BCCC and their compatible products. Again, thanks for such great details.
I've seen so many forum users get stuck and fed bogus vague textbook information of this mysterious world of paint, I thought I'd show how I did it and get super results.
I'd like to have posted more about the bodywork but the car was in great shape and needed very little repair. These little tricks you've noticed will give you a better end product and you're not taking shortcuts. Know the product. Anyone can get a "Show Car Finish" (whatever that is) if you know the process. It's simple but not easy. Paint and bodywork are very unforgiving and will burn you if you are not careful. It's alot of work anyway so push a bit further and make it worthwhile. You'll be amazed. :unbelievable:
Anyway...
Yes. I swap the tape to the opposite side once the area is sanded. I wipe the sanded area with Acetone or lacquer thinner so the tape will stick. If the line is still off, prime, guide coat, and repeat. You may have to glaze the area if the line is way off or dinged. Use the same tape procedure when applying and sanding the glaze.
No. I taped the edges once when I cut and buffed, and it was more of a hassle than a benefit in my opinion. Why? If you tape the edge at cutting, you will leave the finish that you were trying to get rid of under the tape. A high gloss finish could show that surface difference. Besides, the water and the motion of the sanding block will push the tape off eventually.
When you tape an edge while buffing, afterward (3 sessions,) you'll have a dull tape line that you have to buff out by hand. Have fun buffing polyurethane by hand especially with a three-step procedure I use. Most likely the buffing pad will rip off or peel back the tape. And..... what's stopping you from busting through the clear by buffing by hand anyway?
Just be careful and focus especially during the aggressive sanding. That's where the buff throughs start. The buffer just finishes the job.
Thank you for your comment. I just want to show you guys that you don't have to settle for a mediocre finish because of a preconceived notion of a "Show Car Finish".
:cheers:
Now to cut the paint.
This is the stage that can make even a garden variety paint job look great, providing you have enough clearcoat applied. I'm a bit aggressive when it comes to sanding on clearcoat so that's why I used high solids clearcoat only. Past experience showed me that three coats of high solids clear is good for two cut and buff sessions, not that it's needed. After through curing, which will leave me with a hard shell finish, I break out the bucket of water,20/80 water bottle and the sand paper. I'll use pictures of the hood to explain how I do the cutting on the complete body of the Barracuda.
I start with some soaked 800 wrapped around the hard block. Splash the panel and use the bottle to keep the surface wet. Then start sanding in front to back motions of the panel. No side to side. Using the squeegee to wipe the surface, clean off the sludge and notice what the sandpaper is doing. Once the panel is flat with no shine, I move on to 1000 grit using a softer sanding pad.
This time, I move from side to side only. This is why. I use the same technique when I block out body filler/primer to get the surface flat. Criss X cross patterns. If you sand in one direction only on all grits you may get ruts, visible micro scratching and distortions. It's also easier to track your sanding. When I think I'm finish with one grit and go to the next, I make sure the surface is free of scratch from the prior grit, if not sand I'll till it's removed then move to the next grit. Focus and you'll see the fine sandpaper scratch's going against the grain.
Once the 1000 is complete (side to side), move to 1500 (front to back), 2000 (side to side), 2500 (front to back.) I always finish the hand sanding with the front to back grit. I sanded the Shaker Ring starting with 1500 grit.
As you sand, you'll notice the shine returning.
Cutting continued.
This step is optional. The compound doesn't have to work as hard the smoother the surface. After the 2500 grit is done, I use a D.A. sander with a velcro interface pad and a 3000 grit sanding pad. One pad will sand the complete car body. Using the squirt bottle of 20/80 water, then just run the D.A. over the surface of the panel for a short time, clean the surface then prepare for buffing.
I could work my way up to 5000, but I think 3000 is sufficient. A D.A. sander isn't necessary either. Just use the sanding pad instead. Just make sure the last grit sandpaper goes the length of the panels/body.
Sometimes I'll sand the complete body with single grits or sometimes I work one panel at a time. No rhyme or reason.
I used MIRKA ABRALON sanding pads for the final sanded finish. 3M or Mirka if using just the sandpaper.
I'm curious about your VIN. is it a COE or COB? if COE, is it a high or low #? just curious because I've seen a few low # base slants withe the B5/3spd combo out of the LA plant.
impressive body/paint work. I'm getting close to that stage now, but seriously dreading the costs with where paint/body costs have gone the last few years.
It's BH23 COE 142133. I'm curious now what all that means. Considering this car, I just never checked into it.
Thank you. I still get sticker shock now and then when I visit my supplier, especially when I bought this Limelight base. :o It's getting tougher & tougher to stay in the middle of the climbing cost of paint supplies. I'm dreading this year with the oil costs creeping up again.
C0E = C is Slant 6 225cu.in, 0 is '70 and the E means it was built at the LA plant, I seem to see a lot of slants come out of the LA plant (including mine 000322 and another member here Al has a '70 Challenger slant 6 3spd sequenced @ 000130ish, both built the 1st few days of '70 production). cool to see another one even if it's not a slanty anymore.
The last major step in the painting process. Buffing.
Pretty straightforward. I use a Makita variable speed buffer with three compounds and pads. I buff the compound into the finish. No particular size of the area, just buff till the compound is gone and move on to the next area. I make sure I overlap. When I finish a panel, I wipe off the compound haze with a micro cloth then I move to the next finer compound.
Makita variable speed buffer. Buffing RPM.1500. 2nd buffing. Meguiars #83 3rd buffing. Mirka Polarshine VF5
Wool pad with Mirka Polarshine compound 20. Foam waffle pad (white) 3M#05723 Foam waffle pad. (gray)3M#05725
Four quarter-sized dabs, spread with a chip brush. One half dollar size dab/spread. One quarter size dab. 1000 RPM.
* Lubricate the foam pads with Quick Detailer if needed. Wipe the completed panel off with a micro cloth. Polish/wax if desired. (I use F-11.) I use linear motions when waxing/polishing to avoid micro scratching over time (swirls). Use separate brushes for each compound. When buffing small parts I strap the buffer to a sawhorse with a bungee cord, pad side up, preset at 1000 RPM. "WARNING"-Keeping the pad spinning away from the part to avoid damaging the paint, part, or you.
This paint job is looking fantastic :drooling: :twothumbsup:
:cheers: Thank you.
Thank you for the tutorial. I bet a lot of people are quietly referencing your work.
My pleasure. I just wanted to help out and let the owners on this forum know, that they don't need a magic wand to get a great finish on their car.
Looking top notch all the way.
Thanks for all the detailing along the way. Will be a huge help for many years to come.
It was a nice day so I took advantage of some partial Sunlight coming through the shop door to check out the finish.
I bagged up the Barracuda to prep and spray single-stage black in the cowl area. I sanded the area with 400 grit and a red scuff pad, cleaned it, tack it off, and sprayed.
I used the same paint on the cowl and channels as I did on the radiator support. CPS Coatings. CPS-4006SG. Semi-Gloss Black. With a 3-1 mix activated. Kit form. 10% reduction (slow) is optional.
That is killer. You've bolstered my confidence.
Looking good :twothumbsup:
My old tail lights looked somewhat dingy so they needed to be brightened up. I took a red scuff pad (400) and scuffed the lenses till they were nice and dull. Cleaned and dried them. Tacked them off and sprayed on two coats of clear coat.
There's nothing quite like a Cuda in a high impact color that's been done right. Looking sweet!!!
Excellence
Those lenses came out excellent.
I have a spare set for Challenger I will try that on.
Quote from: 7E-Bodies on March 20, 2021, 07:30:16 PM
That is killer. You've bolstered my confidence.
:cheers: ...and that's what we're here for.
Quote from: ledphoot on March 28, 2021, 08:24:46 PM
There's nothing quite like a Cuda in a high impact color that's been done right. Looking sweet!!!
Agreed! :bigthumb: Thanks.
The Go-Wing looked a bit beat up and needed some fiberglass work. Stress cracks around the pedestal areas and cracks on the top from being banged around over the years. First thing is to dig out the cracks (V-shaped) using a small angle grinder with a 60 grit disc and rough up around the repair area.
As far as fiberglass, I use the epoxy resin from West System. The resin and hardener use a pump system so that mixing the correct ratios is foolproof. It's a one-push to one-push on the pump then mix. If I need more it's two to two and so on for what is needed. Compared to the polyester resin sold almost everywhere that is mixed 2% hardener per portion :thinking: it makes mixing effortless. Epoxy also does not leave drawback/mapping mark's in the repaired area. Seems that no matter how much bodywork you do on the polyester repair, you can always see the repair image in the panel.
Epoxy is stronger and works with SMC. Perfect for fiberglass hoods, scoops, wings, and spoilers common on Mopar's.
I mix the resin with fiberglass matting, never cloth. The cloth will also leave a cloth-like image in the panel. Body filler will not hide it either. I use a chip brush with the bristles cut back about halfway, wet the cloth, and prepped area. Build thickness with the glass as required. Let it cure. Once cured, sand with 80, and finish with filler if needed. Smooth off the filler then strip sanded off the old finish. Clean the Wing then I applied three coats of DMT high build. Once again, let it cure.
I sanded the primer smooth using 400 grit then 600. Then mounted the wing on sawhorses using clamps with PVC trim cut to fit w/the hardware into the pedestal mounts. I decide to use Organosol single stage. Not much info out there about the Wing finish, but it made sense to me to use it, so that was my executive decision. :yessir:
I had the Organosol made up into a spray can. After tacking the surface, I sprayed one wet coat with a 50%overlap the full length of the wing. I didn't let off the nozzle till I was past the tip of the Wing. This will avoid dry spots. The underneath was a bit awkward but I still made sure the paint was applied wet, with no dry spots. Flash for five minutes.
The next coat I sprayed across the Wing. 50% overlap, wet. Once complete, I immediately sprayed the length of the Wing again, 50% overlap, wet. I did the same under the Wing, then left the Wing to cure for a couple of days. The pedestals were stripped and primed with etching primer, and also sprayed with Organosol.
I liked the Organisol look on the Wing, it really turned out well. :banana: So far it has not scratched or marred so I'm ready to go on the next organosol job.
* I made sure my finger did not hang over the spray nozzle. If so, the paint will collect and drip onto the painted surface. Inadvertently if I do get paint collecting on my finger, I wipe it off at the end of the pass.
West System: https://www.westsystem.com/ Organisol: https://8774paint1.com/
Very nice! :yes: Big improvement! :perfect10:
Car show season has opened up here in Tulsa and I've been busy repairing bumps and bruises on cars that are have entered the three-day indoor show next weekend. There is usually a good Mopar showing, so I'll be sure to get some pictures and post them in this thread.
The paint has cured and is ready for striping. That's important because if you apply decals on fresh paint too soon the vapors escaping from the paint, may blister the stripe.
I marked off the stripe using tape. 3/4" from the top and 1 3/4" from the inside caricature line from the rear of the quarter panel.
I used Phoenix Graphix as my supplier. I had this kit for over a year and I didn't have any issues applying it to the Barracuda.
Application. I trimmed the back of the stripe to match the tape. Filled a spray bottle with soap (Dawn) and water. Sprayed the quarter panel. Peeled the paper from the back of the stripe, sprayed it, reapplied water to the quarter, then placed the stripe. Moved it to the marked area and lightly dabbed it with a paper towel so that the stripe wouldn't slide, then squeegee from the center out.
I moved to the door and repeated. I overlapped the stripe at the door gap to make sure they lined up but made sure the front of the stripe started at the front of the door handle. Once the door stripe was squeegeed, I tucked the stripe ends into the gap. This part of the stripe is too wet to stick to anything at this time. I let the stripe dry for 24 hours before I peeled off the plastic covering, then pressed the stripe ends around the door and onto the jamb.
I had to do a bit of finessing to center the "440" but I took my time and it turned out just fine.
Continued.
Nice work and a great job in explaining and documenting for others.
Odd that the numbers weren't already in the stripe :looney: Never seen that before, but I guess that's easier for them...
...but not for the end-user, but as you know, you adapt and move on. :dunno:
Now the tail panel. First thing was to find a reference to where the hole locations were for the trim clips that surround the tail panel. Eventually, I did find the information I needed. I found it on For E-Bodies only. Link is provided.
2 1/2"
Then 9"
16"
29"
39 1/2"
49 1/2"
56 1/2"
63"
https://www.forebodiesonly.com/forum/threads/71-cuda-tail-panel-moulding-clip-reference.18458/
I marked with a white paint marker where the holes were located. Using a black marker and a broken hacksaw blade I placed a mark to where the actual hole was to be drilled. The hacksaw blade which matches the trim crest size at 1/2" has a hole that is perfectly centered. This makes it a no-brainer as to where to mark and drill the holes. Once everything was marked, I used a spring-loaded center punch to prevent the bit from walking, then drilled the pilot holes. From pilot holes to the correct sized holes. Clean off marks.
I wasn't really concerned about drilling into fresh paint but I would recommend doing drilling before painting.
I sanded the tail panel with 400 then 600 grit, then masked and bagged the Barracuda. When masking, I apply the masking tape up to but not on the trim holes. Apply 1/4' vinyl tape over the masking tape and to the center of the trim holes. Press everything down flat with a spreader. Take a red scuff pad and scuff the edge of the vinyl tape to make sure the paint edge is prepped. This should keep the paint from bleeding under the tape and give you a nice clean edge. Did a final prep and cleaning then sprayed on three coats of Organosol. I used the same technique spraying the tail panel as I did on the Go-Wing.
I started the spray (can) just before the panel and continued till I got to the other side. I did not stop mid-panel. I jammed the license plate area prior to spraying the panel. Flashed, then sprayed a second coat moving up and down till coverage, once finishing that pass, I immediately sprayed side to side. 50% overlap. Keeping the speed consistent and kept a wet edge. (Sore finger too.)
After the last pass, I checked for even coverage. If I didn't have to respray the panel, I removed the vinyl tape. Panel completed. Pulled off the rest of the masking once the panel was dry.
I sprayed the tail light bezels at the same time placed on a masked off piece of cardboard nearby. Finish all the last coats using the same batch (or spray can) to make sure everything matches.
Looks fantastic, I love (and may have to steal) the saw blade trick :twothumbsup:
Stop thief! :haha:
:cheers:
Marty, you are a master of the arts and thank you for sharing.
I missed the saw blade trick, what?
I picked up a pair of the front parking lights a couple of weeks ago. $150. A great buy as far as I was concerned. Other than a small piece of plastic broken off on the corner, they were exactly what I was looking for in price and condition. The ones that were included with the Barracuda were too beat up for restoration.
The first thing was to disassemble and wash the dirt out of the lenses. The inner lens was like new. The tougher part of the cleaning was removing the yellow dried goo that stains the plastic from the black vinyl that covers the top rear of the lens. Lots of soap and a sponge with a roughish backing did the job. I wasn't concerned about scratching the acrylic plastic.
Once cleaned, I sanded the face and the back of the lens with 1000 grit wrapped around a foam block (soaked in water) sandpaper. Continued with 1500,2000,2500 and 3000. I set up the buffer on a sawhorse and buffed the lens as I did on the Barracuda paint. All the scuff's and scratches were removed and the lens looked as good as new.
The back of the bulb assembly was scuffed with a red scuff pad and wiped down with Acetone along with the pigtails. Fortunately, the silver reflection coating was in very good condition. Everything was masked off and the assembly was sprayed with etching primer then followed up with gold Duplicolor spray bomb.
Going back to the lens, I had to decide what to do with the blacked-out area on the top of the lens. I know that the black vinyl is available but decided against it. Electrical tape was out. It looks funky and never really stays put and will become a gooey mess once it's aged. So, I went for painting it.
The factory vinyl is about three inches wide and extends about halfway down the sides. I used vinyl tape to mark off the exposed area, then finished the masking with 2" masking tape. The vinyl tape holds up to the scuff pad which was used to prep the exposed plastic. The taped area must be pressed down to avoid the paint from bleeding under the tape which will result in a sloppy look. I sprayed on three coats of Semi Gloss-Black duplicolor paint then I pulled the tape after a few minutes.
I let the paint dry overnight before assembly.
Continued:
The only defect that I couldn't remove was the two tiny rock chips in the center of the left lens. Sanding them out would distort the plastic surface. So, I dropped a tiny drop of clear coat in the chips but it didn't change anything, so I just let it dry and didn't attempt any further repairs. You'll never see them once the lights are installed in the grill.
:clapping: :worship:
I'm realing liking your series of "how to" instructions.
Excellent work!
Thanks! Here's to you and E-Bodies.org. :cheers:
I went through a similar process to restore the OEM lenses on my '70 Cuda but you took it to the extreme and the extra effort shows. I thought mine came out pretty good but yours are fare nicer than mine. Great job! :perfect10:
:) I really appreciate your comment. Thanks.
The rocker moldings were in pretty good shape, just needed a coat of paint as far as I was concerned.
Scuffed them up with a red Scotch Brite pad, clean then sprayed on a couple of coats of an adhesive promoter. Mixed up some Argent silver base and clear coat. Sprayed the base till coverage then a couple of coats of clear coat.
Next, was the intense part. Masking off the Gills. It wasn't as easy as you might think due to the mild curve on the edge of the Gill. First, the masking tape then followed up with the vinyl tape on the edges. The vinyl tape is pliable and molds easily to curves. What a masking marathon
Once all the masking was completed, I mixed up some low gloss black single stage paint into a Preval bottle and lightly sprayed it till coverage after the adhesion promoter flashed. Although I expected the paint to bleed under the tape in some areas due to the rough surfaces, keeping the coat's light prevented this for the most part. Besides, the first light coat after flashing makes a decent seal on the tape edge.
Removed the miles of tape after the paint tacked up and let the molding dry. Mixing up some clear coat in a bottle cap, then I would dab a brush dipped with some silver base and touched up the black where it may have leaked under the tape. In the lower picture, the touch-up has not been done.
:unitedstates:
.
:bigthumb:
That looks great!, Not just a masking marathon, its also an unmasking marathon.
A lot of patience there :twothumbsup:
And that's why body shops cost so much. A lot more labour than it looks.
Looking good Marty!
:drinkingbud: to those that commented.
I went through the same thing with the gills on my '70 'Cuda except I painted the black first, then masked off the black and painted the silver. You did a nice job. :twothumbsup:
It's amazing how many times I get asked at car shows if they are stock.
When I did some a while back...painted them all silver first, then them the rear view, I painted the flat black, then I painted the silver again, only from the front view...no masking at all and plenty of over spray on the black like the factory :alan2cents: May not be correct, but I thought it looked cool 8)
Quote from: usraptor on June 06, 2021, 09:03:33 AM
I went through the same thing with the gills on my '70 'Cuda except I painted the black first, then masked off the black and painted the silver. You did a nice job. :twothumbsup:
It's amazing how many times I get asked at car shows if they are stock.
Very good idea now that you mention it. Considering that's how I paint stripes on cars, I don't know why I didn't paint the gills that way. :dunno: Your way would be so much more efficient material and time-wise. Guess I overthought that one. :-[
Quote from: anlauto on June 06, 2021, 09:42:14 AM
When I did some a while back...painted them all silver first, then them the rear view, I painted the flat black, then I painted the silver again, only from the front view...no masking at all and plenty of over spray on the black like the factory :alan2cents: May not be correct, but I thought it looked cool 8)
I'm with you on the factory look on these cars. :twothumbsup: Sometimes though, I just can't bring myself to do it in certain areas and items.
Did a very light cut and buff on the side marker bezels, installed new lenses. Cleaned up the backing plates with a red cuff pad, then a light coat of etching primer. Finished up with a coat or two of Gold. The nuts were also cleaned up then sprayed with dull aluminum.
Did the same to the tail light housings.
Eazy/Peazy.
Really good thread and good tips!
Drove my 1969 Camaro to the next town over for a car show today. 6/13/2021. I parked next to a 1970 Charger (Until a C-8 Corvette decided to squeeze in between us. :verymad:) I like the look and I was very surprised at what I saw under the hood.
Quote from: Marty on June 12, 2021, 10:22:22 PM
Drove my 1969 Camaro to the next town over for a car show today. 6/13/2021. I parked next to a 1970 Charger (Until a C-8 Corvette decided to squeeze in between us. :verymad:) I like the look and I was very surprised at what I saw under the hood.
:barf: :pullinghair:
Well, thats a little different....
He told me Ford's were always good to him so why not in his Charger. He added that he gets quite a bit of flack over it. I'll bet he does.
Did an impulse buy Monday morning. I decided to go ahead and get a Dakota Digital RTX for the Barracuda instead of using the stock Rallye assembly. Bought it through Summit Racing. Ordered it Monday morning and had it the next day around 1:00 pm. I always liked Summit's customer service. As soon as I feel comfortable with who to buy a Dash Pad from, I'll do that next. Still wondering about the Year One/ Al Knoch partnership.
I was very fortunate that the floor pans were solid as well as the trunk pans. This saved me hours and hours of time in repairs or replacement. The only repair that was needed was to weld up some useless screw holes on the transmission tunnel. Cleaned out the interior and applied two coats of gray primer. Roof to the floor. Once dry, I welded on the manual stick console brackets and installed the floor plugs.
Reassembling the back of the Barracuda.
'CUDA emblem placement.
https://www.e-bodies.org/Resources/Engineering_Illustrations/Decal_Tail_Panel_Cuda.pdf
.625 = 5/8"
7.375 = 7 3/8"
You're really making good progress! Looks really good.! :twothumbsup:
New grill assembly. No prep was needed here since the grill surface was very rough from the manufacturer. I just used compressed air to remove any dust off the surface. Then applied two full coats of dark argent silver for full coverage. The grill opening was painted in low gloss black.
That is looking really nice!
8) Thanx!
I went over to my buddy's shop to apply a stripe kit on a 1969 CJ Mach1. He had just finished up a 1970 "V" code 'Cuda. An older restoration. It was there for an engine rebuild. The cam bolts had backed off and the cam pin sheared off. It didn't surprise anyone due to that most of the bolts holding the engine together were not torqued properly. Nice car. It was a rare time for me to look the car over for future reference.
Here are the fender tags for anyone interested in them.
Putting the build off to the side for a short time, in the meantime, I've been adding parts to my inventory.
I ran into a friend of mine who bought my 1966 GT-350 clone I had built years ago. We were at a car show and I noticed that he had a regular spare tire mounted on top of the rear seat delete shelf. I had equipped the Mustang with a space saver in the trunk. I asked him about it and the next day he brought it to me. He said he had no use for it and it was mine if I wanted it.
I was doing some paint repairs at my buddy's shop and I wandered out back to where he has a few parts cars. Snooping around I found a 1966 4 dr. Coronet. In the trunk, there was a jack assembly. It was in really nice shape. He said he didn't want it so...
I dug up an Inflator and a bracket off the internet. So now, I just about have all the space saver parts, less the jack hook.
Picked up a 3431077 wiper motor.
A complete set of interior trim. I needed the two pieces on the lower back window since my set was incomplete, and a 2863216 fan and fan clutch at a swap meet.
In a 1970 Super Bee parked out back in Rat Row at my buddy's shop, Brown's Performance, was a set of bucket seat back panels tossed into the stripped-out interior. Since the Super Bee was set to be restored sometime in the future, I ended up with them. I think the reason was, they were covered with an ugly Diamond tucked velour, as new ones would replace them. Probably glued on sometime in the '70s is my guess.
Actually, it was a blessing since that velour protected the panels from scuff's, scratches, and the Sun. I peeled off the dried-out cloth (I didn't think to get a picture at the time.) and what I saw under the dried glue was a very well preserved grained surface.
To prep them, I started out by spraying them down with Easy-Off oven cleaner. This released the old contact cement and with some water and a brush, the glued came right off without damaging the plastic. The panels looked almost new at this point.
Next, I scrubbed the panel with Ajax and a red scuff pad to remove any leftover residue and most importantly, the Release Agent, if there was any left.
NOTE* I highly suggest if you have new seatbacks, that you scrub the surface with a scuff pad, Ajax or Comet, and water to remove the release agent or the paint will eventually flake off. This will also prep the surface for paint. I'm refinishing some seatback panels now from a 1970 Coronet R/T with that problem. The paint is falling off the plastic. When the water does not bead up on the surface, you're good to go. This is for any plastics that will be refinished.
Once the panels were scoured and wiped clean with a water-based surface cleaner, they were ready for paint. The water-based cleaner will reduce static electricity on plastic.
I decided against primer that would just add another layer of paint to fill the grain, I went with an adhesive promoter and sprayed on two separate coats. After flashing, I applied three coats of Landau Black paint spraying the edge on the back of the panel first. Set aside to cure.
The hinge covers were media blasted then painted black.
While I was in the painting groove, I media blasted, primed, and sprayed on some activated single-stage Semi-Gloss black on the engine fan. The fan clutch was cleaned up and reinstalled.
I rounded up all the parts I needed to re-build the front seats.
The seat bottoms were first to get back in shape. The bottoms had the wrong seat tracks that were fastened with junk, rusty hardware, which included missing the square nuts at the front of the frame. Installing the correct, new sliders, I welded on new square nuts. Filled the holes with weld. Finished up the bottoms with a bit of smoothing and media blasting.
The spring baskets and miscellaneous parts were removed from the vertical frames. The left vertical seat frame was missing the center support bar. Using a 1/4" bar stock, I fabricated a replacement. I used the other seat frame rod to make a template to help form the "L" shaped ends. Cutting and welding small pieces together, and with some shaping, I came up with a replacement. The rod was welded on the pre-marked spots on the frame. These frames were also media blasted.
The frames were epoxy primed and sprayed with an activated semi-gloss black single stage.
Once the frames were dry, the spring baskets needed to be reinstalled. I had new springs that I was going to use on another project but I decided not to bother with it. Installing the springs was a :pullinghair:. The spring ends just didn't want to slip back into the pockets. These were aftermarket springs, so I thought maybe they are different than the OEMs in some way. (I overlooked this detail when I removed the springs.) No surprise, they were. The difference is pictured. Using a cutting wheel, I cut off the curved ends. The modification helped quite a bit but it was still a fight to install them. They aren't popping out that's for sure. The tabs will make sure of that. Just to clarify, I only cut the spring ends on the four center springs. The other springs need that curved end to stay in place.
Since this job had parts collected from different seats. I had to make sure everything fits together before upholstery work. The seatback panel fit well, but the hinge covers needed new holes drilled into the hinge arm to line up correctly.
The seats are assembled and ready for new foam and covers.
Refinishing the Shaker.
First thing... scrub down the Gelcoat with some Comet, water, and a red scuff pad to remove the release agent. Cleaned up the inlets to make sure the grills fit with some 80 grit. Sanded the complete scoop with some 120grit. Drilled out the holes for the badging while double-checking that the dimples in the fiberglass were correct first. Wiped off the surface and sprayed on two coats of polyester high build primer. Once it dried, I smeared on some guide coat then sanded the scoop again with 120 then 220 grit.
The scoop obviously needed to be fitted to the adapter before the final paint. The first thing was the drain holes. I used a Dremel tool with a carving bit and molded the extended drain hole to fit into the adapter so that the scoop would sit flush onto the adapter ring. Once that was done, I used a chamfer bit to countersink the drain hole in the fiberglass.
I fit the two parts together by bolting them down at the drain holes making sure the scoop was centered in the adapter ring. Next, I drilled the holes for the Scoop fasteners. Checked to make sure all the fasteners fit and lined up then disassembled the parts, prepped, and applied two more coats of high-build primer. Set aside to cure.
To finish up the Scoop.
Standard procedure when it comes to painting. Applied the guide coat and sanded the primer starting with 220,320/dry and finished it up with 500/ wet. Cleaned off the sludge and tacked off the surface.
One little detail I did before painting was to get a small brush soaked with a black base and painted the inside of the drain holes. This hides the unfinished fiberglass. I'll let the argent overspray do its thing after that.
I applied the Dark Argent from a spray can, wet with 75% overlap till coverage, alternating the spray pattern after a few minutes of flashing. The last coat which in reality will be two will be from side-to-side then immediately front-to-back. I pull back a bit on the front-to-back coat to give the finish more of a rough surface.
Shaker looks real good. What argent spray did you use?
Thank you. :bigthumb:
I used Dark Argent Gray mixed at...
https://8774paint1.com/
Quote from: Marty on September 13, 2021, 06:19:36 PM
Thank you. :bigthumb:
I used Dark Argent Gray mixed at...
https://8774paint1.com/
Thank you.
Not the most interesting post, but after 6 months since ordering, the Six-Barrel installation kit finally arrived.
Installing the Door/Quarter Top Edge Molding on my non-equipped doors and quarters.
Drilling into the sheet metal can be a bit nerve-racking especially when alignment is critical. The first thing I needed to figure out was where these holes should be. I couldn't find any direct information so I searched out pictures of project cars and I found a couple. From there it was locating reference points and educational guesses. I think I got the drill points close after playing with the measurements a bit.
What I figured was from the jamb working forward, 3/8", 9.5", 9.0", 9.0", 9.0". 6.0", 2.5". +/-. The quarter was 3.0" from the jamb and 7.0" from that. +/-.
The molding is 3/4" wide. So I ran a 3/4" wide piece of tape alongside the door to window edge. Digging through my metal scrap pile I cut out a small 90* piece of metal and placed some 3/4" tape along the top edge. This represents the molding. I found the center and drilled a pilot hole. Now I have a drill bit guide that will keep my holes lined up as I drill along the top of the door and quarter. I do a dry run to make sure the template and the door tape line up. Once it checks out, I drill the pilot holes then step up the bits till I get to the final 13/64" bit.
Install the metal clip on the jamb end of the molding then... snap on the rest.
:o EXCEPTION. :o
When the molding does not follow the contour of the door. :'(
At the door handle area, I had about a half-inch space in between the door and molding and I just didn't trust the nylon clip to hold that much tension. This is what I did and it wasn't easy. I had some extra trim molding clips usually used for body side molding or rocker molding. The reason I used these was, the stud was longer than the one on the clip provided. I clipped off the tension wire, smoothed down the top, and shaved the sides till the clip slid inside the molding. Placing the molding onto the door with the window up, I had to hold the molding down and, run my hand up into the door with the nut barely held in between my two fingers and thread the nut onto the stud. I'm working blind, dealing with the inner structure of the door and my fingers are about one inch too short. Eventually, I got the nut(s) threaded on. Tightening them with the 1/4" ratchet with extension was also a huge challenge. Determination and patience.
The issue was that the nut would lock against the inner structure and turning it was a balancing act in getting just enough space in between the nut/stud and the inner structure to turn the nut to grab a thread. I don't know how I did it but it's done and the molding fits against the door as it should.
Fantastic Marty, love the detail :twothumbsup:
Thank you, Tony!
:cheers:
Installed the sport mirrors which included replacing a bad Rivnut on the right door. The pinch weld area was prepped and painted in low gloss black then the rockers were drilled and the rocker panels installed. I painted the inside of the door handles with cast iron gray using adhesion promoter first then installed them into the doors. Drilled and installed the Pentastar.
I removed the "K" frame and suspension to go through it later. Now I wanted to paint the blackout in the wheel wells.
Nothing really special in prepping the surface and masking that hasn't been covered before. I used a detail gun that would have a small pattern and lowered the air pressure to keep the overspray down and to give me a splattered-like look to mimic undercoating. I used a 2K single-stage semi-gloss paint.
I had a set of wheel well moldings sitting on the shelf for quite some time, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to install them due to fitment issues that I had read about. I guess now was the time and I wouldn't be concerned about the finished product. I gathered up some tools which included "C" clamps and plug welding vice grips. I found an old rubber squeegee that I used for wet sanding paint and cut it up into squares.
The molding had two pre-drilled holes. I centered the molding and clamped it at the top with the vice grips with the rubber pad lightly glued to the jaws on the molding side. Installed the "C" clamps\rubber insulator to the outside of the pre-drilled holes. I made sure that the molding was snugged up against the wheel well lip. Using a spring-loaded punch, I marked the pre-drilled holes, drilled a pilot hole then finished with the proper sized bit. Grabbing a trim screw, I dabbed some Anti-Seize on the threads and screwed it into the hole.
I removed the vice grips, marked the hole, only this time going through the molding flange, drilled, and installed the trim screw. I worked my way down the sides using the vice grips to hold the distorted trim in place then installed the "C" clamps as required, remove the vice grips, and drill/install. This whole time I had to put pressure on the trim up against the lip until I could get the vice grips in place. Sometimes using the palm of my hand or at times pushing lightly with the head of a rubber mallet. Using discretion.
I used 5 screws per side with one at the top. 11ea. Marked the molding with a marker at the approximate spots to drill.
There were some areas that wouldn't fit as close as I thought they should but it isn't that noticeable once you're standing away from the wheel wells. The shine from the paint and molding masks the minor gaps. The molding edge is ridged and you are not going to get it any closer than it is.
No marks, distortion, or scratches from the clamping action, and overall they look pretty good. Next time I'll check the product reviews first.
Car is looking real nice :drooling:
Very nice job looks great :bigthumb: :australia:
Quote from: cudamadd on October 17, 2021, 11:24:27 AM
Very nice job looks great :bigthumb: :australia:
Thank you!
:australia: :drinkingbud: :unitedstates:
Quote from: anlauto on October 17, 2021, 07:51:23 AM
Car is looking real nice :drooling:
Thank you too! :yes:
I wish you had installed your wheel molding before I did mine. Get idea using the clamps. I had the same issues of not fitting very good with mine and fought it every inch. Great job and the car looks amazing BTW. :twothumbsup:
Question: Where did you get your door molding clips from? The ones I bought didn't fit the molding properly and I had to modify each clip to get them to fit into the molding. Even then I wasn't happy with how they clipped to the door. I've read that this seems to be a common problem with repo clips.
Thank you for the compliment above.
Sometimes you have to show the stubborn part who's Boss.
I used the clips that came with the door molding. (OER? I don't recall.) I did do some minor trimming to the bottom of the clip. There was some flashing under the clip that made it sit too high off the surface so it wouldn't snap in place, so it was trimmed off with a razor blade. Other than that no other trimming was needed to get them to fit "into" the molding. I figured I would have a fight on my hands, but the molding snapped right in place and stayed. Surprise me that's for sure. :rubeyes:
The back seat is finished.
Thank you and BTW the back seat looks amazing. :twothumbsup:
Tackling the "K" member and suspension was a breeze. I had it apart in no time. The prior owner just had everything in place and the hardware just snugged so everything came apart very easily. No grease or grime to mess with either.
Once the "K" member was free from the suspension, I used a chemical stripper to remove the paint. I used Citrus Strip. No media blasting was available at the time. I stopped using Kleen Strip since they removed the Methylene Chloride. That stripper just lays there and does nothing. Waste of time and money as far as I'm concerned. I also use the stripper that is in the home improvement aisle. They haven't ruined that stuff yet.
I removed three coats of paint, Factory, LimeLight, and spray can black. It appears as I went further in the re-finishing of the suspension, everything was sprayed in green at one time.
The paint was removed and the stripper deactivated. I dried the metal and removed the stubborn paint with a 3M Roloc Bristle Disc (green) and hand-sanded it in the tight areas. Cleaned the "K" member once again then sprayed on a couple of coats of epoxy black primer then finished it with low gloss black activated single stage.
I used this on the lower ball joints. https://harborfreight.com/3-4-quarter-inch-forged-ball-joint-separator-99849.html
Nice work! That stuff looks great.
:thankyou:
Whoever installed those calipers in the first picture had them backwards...The calipers hang of the front on all 70-74 E Bodies :alan2cents:
Thank you for the heads up!
I gathered up the upper and lower control arms and media blasted off the old black and green paint. Hung them up and applied gray epoxy primer.
The uppers were sprayed with a silver base coat then clear coated. I added 50% flattener to the clear to remove the high gloss.
The lowers were also sprayed with silver. I masked off about two inches of the knuckle area. The exposed area was sprayed with Dupli Color battery terminal protection. I found it in the battery accessory section at the Auto parts store in town. This gives the decent appearance of Cosmoline. It took a few days before it actually dried. Added the spacer and bump stop.
Front seats finished.
Front-end parts are ready for install.
Finally got around to getting the front suspension installed or at least part of it. Typically waiting on parts. Sign of the times.
First thing was to spot in the bottom of the frame rails with a touch-up gun with some Limelight green then install the "K" member.
Install the new front to rear brake and gas line. Attach the sway bar to the "K' member. Install the upper/ lower control arms, steering knuckle, and strut arms. Leaving the lower control arms and strut rods loose. Install steering box.
Cleaned out the Torsion Bar holes in the cross member using a brush and Acetone then greased them up. I made sure the control arms were full down and lubed the "T" bar well. Next, I slipped the new T bar through the X member. Moving to the engine compartment, I greased up the inside of the dust boot. Using a heat gun, I warmed up the inside of the boot. I had cut the spout off a funnel earlier to help me install the boot and slipped the boot over the tapered side. Quickly before the boot cooled, I placed them on the greased end of the T bar and slipped the boot on. Easy peasy. Slid the T bar into the control arm with little difficulty, installed the clip and boot.
I buttoned everything up with torque specs and cotter keys. Prepare to finish the rest of the suspension shorty. *I corrected the jack stand placement. :unbelievable:
Christmas Eve.
For the most part, the front suspension is installed. I still need the brake hose's so I just installed the calipers loosely so I could clear the bench for other projects.
Merry Christmas...
Great artwork there, is that yours ? :clapping:
Wow, looks awesome. Great artwork too.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: anlauto on December 23, 2021, 05:14:43 AM
Great artwork there, is that yours ? :clapping:
Thanks. The Corvette, Camaro, and Barracuda are mine and the Willys, Charger, and Challenger are my friends. Just something to clear the head and get me away from painting old cars.
Got the front end back together and put the Barracuda back on the floor to check the stance. It was nice to see the barracuda sitting the way it should and that cocked-eyed left tire back in place. I'll get back on the rear axel at a later time.
I think the next thing I want to do is start back on the front clip. The wiring will probably be next. I want to install some of the accessories to make sure the wiring will be the correct length. I'll be using the American Auto Wire Classic Update kit.
The first thing I checked was the horns. The "HI" horn faced the wrong way. The up position. To correct this, I drilled out the spot welds..carefully, on the back of the horn body. I prepped the attachment point then applied a bit of Panel Bond Adhesive. (SEM or Evercoat Edge.) Both sides. Placing the bracket in the opposite direction I placed a socket over the top of the arm. Wrapped some gorilla tape over the top of the socket to keep the arm in place. I wiped off any excess glue using Acetone and left it to dry. (24hrs.) Once dry, I dabbed the former spot welds up with black paint.
There is no way I would have attempted to weld. I'm not that precise.
I added some parts to the engine compartment.
Cleaned up the headlight buckets/lamps and reinstalled them.
Assembled the grill.
Reinstalled the grill assembly.
I would have installed the bumper but the rear bracket bolts will not quite line up with the holes in the frame due to the brackets hitting the bumper filler panel. Time to research and modify.
I love looking back at page 1 and see how far you've come...great job, it's looking awesome :bigthumb:
Appreciate you for following along. :twothumbsup: Thanks.
Looking good. Won't be long now. :twothumbsup:
The bumper brackets finally relented, and the bumper was reinstalled :banana:
Looking good Marty. My favourite restoration thread. I don't post in it often...but I'm watching.... :bigthumb:
Quite a compliment. Thank you.
Removed the rear and the leaf springs for paint.
It's obvious that this rear is not OE but it fits the bill for the final product. Just the same here's some light info that I found out about it in case anyone was curious. :dunno:
603717-12
Dana 60.
Traction lock/4.10 (Will change to 3.54.)
1976-1977 Ford F-250 3/4 Ton.
4x2 pickup.
She's a beaut, Clark!
Following intently.
:))
LOL!
Quote from: Marty on April 27, 2022, 03:44:02 AM
It's obvious that this rear is not OE but it fits the bill for the final product. Just the same here's some light info that I found out about it in case anyone was curious. :dunno:
603717-12
Dana 60.
Traction lock/4.10 (Now has a 3.54.)
1976-1977 Ford F-250 3/4 Ton.
4x2 pickup.
I like the rear discs! Any details on them?
Sorry, I have no info on them. They were already installed on the axle housing when I bought the car. I see now they're missing a few items. I'm going to have to match up some brake parts now to make them functional.
Now for some Spring cleaning. :smile:
Applied some paint stripper to the leaf springs to remove the manufacturer's paint that is used for rust control. Once applied, I wrapped them in painter's plastic so that the :thumbdown: EPA-approved stripper will work better and let them sit for a day or so.
The stripper did ok. I removed the softened paint using razorblades, wire brush, red scuff pad, and lacquer thinner. A nice surprise is that these are like new leaf springs. The bushings are pliable and are in really nice shape. I decided to keep the natural finish of the springs instead of painting them. I could clearcoat them using an adhesive promoter, but due to friction and flex, I don't think it would last. Using a flex additive is out. Flex additive is temporary (30 days) and is used for the assembly of parts only.
I decided to use RPM. Rust Prevention Magic. I cleaned the springs with Acetone first. Used a heat gun set on high and worked the wax per instructions. It applied easily enough. I liked the way it looks on the steel. It just darkened it a bit. I'm good with it.
I had to pay attention to where my hand was, it was easy to get it in front of the heat gun now and then. I scorched a couple of chip brushes too. Once I got a routine down, it was all good.
1) Wrapped with stripper. 2) Natural finish. 3) Top w/o RPM. Bottom w/RPM. 4) Completed w/RPM.
They look nice like that!
Should anything be done to prevent rust in between the blades?
Thinking some thin oil, or maybe WD40, or similar.
I believe RPM needs to reapplied from time to time?
Quote from: soundcontrol on May 02, 2022, 12:34:11 PM
They look nice like that!
Should anything be done to prevent rust in between the blades?
Thinking some thin oil, or maybe WD40, or similar.
:iagree:
I wouldn't think there's not much you can do to prevent rust in between the blades due to the constant friction going on while driving. Most anything you apply (disassembled to apply of course) would eventually be worn off. I applied the RPM thicker along the sides of the spring pack to seal up the blades but other than that... :dunno: Fortunately, these cars are cared for so much better now I don't think it'll be much of an issue as it was in the '70s,80's and so on.
Quote from: dodj on May 02, 2022, 04:17:00 PM
I believe RPM needs to reapplied from time to time?
I read that it should last up to a year before reapplication. It's so easy to apply, that it probably wouldn't hurt to touch up the springs once they're installed. I barely put a dent in the 4 oz I have.
Cleaned off the housing by removing junk paint. There was a bit of oil on the bottom to clean off but that was it as far as gunk. It was good to see that all the gear oil that was leaking out has been fresh and clean.
Once the casing was presentable, I reinstalled the calipers so that I could line everything up to weld on the hose brackets, fit the brake line and flare them.
Shortly I'll do a heavy prep and refinish the brake parts and housing.
I pulled the cover off the Dana and I see someone left me a note. The oil was clean with no evidence of use. So, I feel confident the rear is in good shape if not rebuilt when it was narrowed.
The casing was cleaned and prepped once again and sprayed with two coats of epoxy and two coats of activated single-stage semi-gloss black.
I was told that this was a 3.54 rear. Wrong! After actually checking the ring gear, it's 4.10. Fortunately, I have a 3.54 gear set so I'll go through the rear and swap them out. No big deal.
I temporarily installed the rear end cover so I could get the brake lines sorted out. Modified an Adel clamp to hold the brake line in place at the top of the cover. Once in place, the brake lines did not fall in line with the hold-down tabs. Since my welds were crap anyway, the hose brackets broke off easily and I relocated them to line up with the tabs. This led me to have to re-bend a new left-hand brake line as it came up short.
Finally, after everything was lined up ... again, I used structural adhesive to bond the hose brackets onto the housing. Zip ties were used to keep the brackets in place until curing.
You don't want to 'rip up' the streets with the 410 before you put in the 355's? :burnout:
Believe me, our streets are ripped up enough without my help. :yes:
The dash frame was media blasted and attached to a stand to prepare for painting and assembly. I went over the metal with some 320 sandpaper to clean up the surface a bit then prepped for painting.
Using epoxy sealer, I applied two coats front and back. I let the epoxy flash for about an hour then applied two coats of semi-gloss black single stage. Set aside to cure.
It is time to deal with the headliner issue. The rear headliner bow. The reproduction bow #5 wasn't even close to fitting. As usual with these things you have to deal with it somehow. Nothing new in the Repro world.
There was a 1965 Coronet at my friend's shop. When they got into the trunk there were some stock headliner bows. I was welcomed to them, so I took the rear bow. After some thought, I decided to see if I could make it work. Since it was much longer, I cut it in half and then placed it in the bow pockets. I used magnets to hold the two parts in place on the inner roof. (I used the magnets that have a dial on them to turn them on and off. Much better control.) I marked the center, then removed the bow.
The bow was placed on the bench using clamps to hold it in place then I cut at the mark. I removed the clamps and prepped the bow for welding. The bow was clamped back on the bench. The nice thing about the OEM bows is they aren't made round, they have flat sides so it was easy to clamp it on the bench and easier to line up the bow to make sure it was straight. The two parts were welded together and dressed. I reinstalled the bow to check the fit and it fit just fine.
I rolled out the headliner and marked the center. Made measurements so the bows were centered then made the cut in the bow sleeves Slid the bows in place.
Glued headliner insulation (Jute.) to the inner roof. Installed selected screws and harness bolts to make them easy to find once the headliner is in place. The headliner was hung in place. I used cut pieces of Windlace to hold the sides of the headliner to make sure everything was good to go before it was glued and engaged at the front and rear.
It appears the rear bow will work just fine too.
Headliner continued...
I gathered up some supplies to start the installation.
1) Wind Lace. Which hold better than clamps, paper clips, etc. They cover more area, don't pop off when pulling the material, and don't get in the way. Can be bought from a Mustang parts store. Early model years.
2) 3M weatherstripping glue.
3) 2-inch chip brush.
4) Lacquer thinner in a cup. This will keep the glue from drying on the brush. I use a paper towel to wipe off the glue when it builds up.
5) Mallet. To assist in installing Wind lace as required.
6) Heat gun.
7) Box cutter.
I started by removing all the wind lace and letting the material hang. Starting at the front with glue on the brush, I applied the glue to the back of the windshield pinch weld. Then jumped up on the dash frame and applied glue to the back of the material along the crease that was made when I had the headliner in place. I lined the centering chalk mark up with the cut out on the pinch weld and pulled (((FIRMLY))) back and wrapped it over the pinch weld and slid on a piece of wind lace. Then I worked my way down the right side pulling back and towards the right, a few inches at a time till the material would stop me at the A-pillar. Then did the same on the left side.
I jumped to the back and did the same thing. Pulling firmly back and to the side and popping on pieces of wind lace as I went.
With that done. I looked over the surface and if I saw the material bunching up on the bottom of the bows, it meant the sleeve material was jammed up against the bow retainers. I reached up behind the material with a box knife and trimmed back the sleeve.1/4' above the retainer is a good measurement. Pull and smooth the headliner after a cut.
Approaching the sides. I applied glue to the back side of the pinch weld and material. Started at the center and pulled back hard, installed a wind lace as I moved to the front till the material bound against the A-pillar. Then center to the back. I checked again to make sure the material was smooth and not bunched up at the pinch weld. Adjusted as required. Moved to the opposite side and repeat. At this point, the headliner should look fairly smooth and tight for the most part. Mild wrinkles and wrinkles from packaging are no issue.
I cut reliefs into the material at the A-pillars That was a judgment call. Glued the material in place keeping wrinkles down the best I could. I used the A-pillar trim to make sure the wrinkles were hidden. I used Duct tape to hold the material tight at the bottom of the glued material till curing.
Now the back. Tough area. I applied glue at the retainers, pinch weld at the back window, and the down-turned pinch weld at the front of the C pillar and material. Cut reliefs as needed. Attached the material and worked the wrinkles out the best I could. This took a lot of patients. Pulling, releasing pressure, adding glue, re-adjusted, and so on. I used the Sail Panel as a guide to making sure all the major wrinkles that couldn't be worked out might be covered. The left side gave me the biggest headache. The right side went very well. Trimmed off excess material but left a couple of inches. By now the headliner was tight and was left for the glue to dry.
Next day. Using a heat gun on high I removed all the wrinkles. I kept the gun moving at all times and didn't get too close. I just watched the material as the wrinkles disappeared then moved on. Note* Large wrinkles will not shrink. The material will only shrink so much.
Headliner completed. One less major job out of the way.
Glad that's over. :smile:
Headliner con't.
Looks AWESOME :twothumbsup:
Great job! :clapping: Having done the headliner on my '70 'Cuda I know firsthand what a job that is. However, I had all the original bows to the car so I thankfully didn't have to go through what you did.
As they say...It's simple but not easy.
Thanks for the comments, guys. :cheers:
Pulled the back glass out of storage and did a deep cleaning of it. There were lots of embedded crud on it and someone had used a urethane adhesive the last time it was in the Barracuda. I used fresh razor blades, 0000 steel wool, Clay bar, and Quick Detailer on all as a lubricant to clean the glass.
I installed the new clips for the stainless. Two locations were not drilled for the screws.
I measured out and marked the point where the holes would be located. Using a guide that I made out of metal stock just for jobs like this, I drilled the two screw holes and installed the clips.
I had thought I had the complete set of the back glass trim, but apparently, I don't. I am missing the left and right top-corner trim pieces. If anyone has the pair, that they would like to sell me, drop me a PM.
Thanks.
Quote from: Marty on November 01, 2022, 07:54:05 PM
I had thought I had the complete set of the back glass trim, but apparently, I don't. I am missing the left and right top-corner trim pieces. If anyone has the pair, that they would like to sell me, drop me a PM.
Thanks.
Well that sux. Hope they aren't tough pieces to get.
Call AMD and see if they will sell you the two corner pieces.
I meant to post here but it slipped my mind. I did find a set. (Of course, the ones I thought I had will probably show up shortly after they arrive.)
Seriously... Thanks for the AMD suggestion. It's something I hadn't considered. :bigthumb:
Brought out the back glass for cleaning. First, the urethane that was glued to the glass had to be removed. Not an easy thing to do. Fresh razor blades and solvents were used to remove it. After that, the back glass was deep cleaned and coated with some paste wax.
Going back to the back glass channel, I finished drilling the molding clip holes. Finding the location of the holes was easy. I just ran my fingers along the back of the channel and located what was left of the broken screws and drilled a hole off to the side. Installed all clips.
Fitting the molding. This is because I can adjust the clip tension with the screws before the glass is installed. I turn the screw till the molding pops on with a firm push of the hand. I use the molding tool to remove the molding to leave the clips as they were set.
I cleaned out the channel and ran the 5/16 Butyl ribbon sealant around the edge of the pinch weld. Put the rubber blocks in place. To make things work smoothly, I spray Quick Detailer onto the butyl seal and the inside edge of the back glass and then install the glass. The detailer will allow me to move the glass around so I can center it. Once the detailer dries, I press the glass firmly onto the butyl to make a tight seal. Clean the glass.
Prepared to restore the molding.
Two of the molding clips should be spacers for the rear glass. Unless you have them and haven't installed them yet.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I didn't have them, so I went with the rubber spacer blocks that were supplied with the Butyl kit.
:bigthumb:
Restored the back glass molding. The tools I used was a body hammer with a squared end. (I rounded the edges to get a clean hit on the stainless.) Jewelers file, foam sanding block, steel dolly, an anvil, and assorted sandpaper starting at 120 and ending at 2500.
I tapped the dent from the back of the molding against the dolly/anvil till it was flat. Level the repair with the jeweler's file and use the 120 and 220 to smooth the surface. From then on I used different grades of sandpaper starting with 320 for removing the scratches and dulling to start to bring back the luster of the molding. Finished up with 2500. I wiped the trim down with lacquer thinner in between grits.
This was all done by hand sanding the length of the trim. Listed the grits below.
I used black compound on the stitched buffing wheel and finished with green on the loose cotton wheel. Cleaned off the sludge and installed the trim.
*Respect that buffer. :o
180/220 for repair. (dry.) 320/400/600/800/1000/1200/1500/2000/2500 polish. (wet or dry.)
Looks nice Marty. Mine has been installed for over 20 years now. I ought to take it off and give it a good cleaning/buffing.
Tedious work with tremendous reward :worship: :clapping: :drinkingbud:
Brings back not to pleasant memories. I did the same with all the SS trim on my 'Cuda. Countless hours invested in the process. My least favorite part of the entire restoration. But I will admit when I finally finished and installed it all I did have a great feeling of satisfaction. :twothumbsup: Great job on yours! :clapping:
:iagree:
It is mind-numbing work for sure and the hours just slip by. I bought all my equipment and supplies for under $100. Small investment compared to having someone else do it for you. :takemymoney: It is worth it all around though.
...and thank you. :cheers:
Now I have all the parts needed to complete the 3-speed wiper assembly.
Media blasted the linkage. Applied a couple of coats of acid etch primer. Finished with some flat black single stage.
Made it through a dead spot in this build. :bricks:
Bought a tinted windshield through Summit. AMD. I did a dry run install and it fit just fine. While I was at it, I decided to get a new tinted back Glass too. I hate rework but I think I had a good reason or two. The clear back glass was of driver quality, and it just annoyed me, and the molding sat a bit too high to my liking. When the glass was ordered, I also bought some front and rear OE-style molding clips that I found on eBay.
Removed the back Glass and did a dry run fitting of the new back Glass. It also fits just fine. :yes:
I compared the trim clips sold by OER to the eBay ones. The OE style is a bit shorter. That should solve the trim height issue...and it did. I suppose the OER stuff is more of a universal type of clip. Anyway, I rebuffed the trim and installed the new back glass. The tinted back glass looks much better, I like the way the tint compliments the Limelight paint.
Prepped and painted the rear window interior and headliner molding.
I dug through the pile of drip rail molding and picked out the best set. Did some repairs on one of them, then sand and buff. 1500/2000/2500. After that back-breaking job, I installed the right-side trim and channel using low-profile screws.
Loaded up the Dana to take to Brown's Performance for a gear swap.
Looks good, I can't believe how wrong those clips were, well maybe I can. Ha, ha, buffing trim is an interesting job. I always put on a monkey suit and put the buffer in the middle of my lawn and let her fly. I don't think it's possible to clean everything up afterwards if you do it in a building.
Thanks!
The clip thing was a hunch so I took a chance on the OE style. Like you, I was surprised but not really.
Let her fly, are we talking about the trim when it catches the buffing pad? :o I add leather gloves and a face shield for my buffing attire.
Ha, ha, the catching thing is fun too. No I wear a full body condom and polish in the middle of the yard just to minimize all the black juice that flies everywhere within 50 feet it seems.
:)) That would be quite the sight to see from the street. :haha:
Come to think about it, maybe a catcher's mitt instead of gloves would be a better choice.
Garbage to see clips that badly sized. Agree that trim that much higher would a never ending eyesore if left.
Looking great.
Details, details. :thinking:
Thank you.
Great thread and absolutely beautiful car!
Some great ideas here and I'm sure I'll be revisiting this thread often when I start to put my car back together.
:perfect10:
Absolutely amazing job. I've had trim catch and fly across the shop at deadly speeds. The color on the car is awesome.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Quote from: Deezel on May 31, 2023, 07:48:53 PM
Great thread and absolutely beautiful car!
Some great ideas here and I'm sure I'll be revisiting this thread often when I start to put my car back together.
:perfect10:
Thank you! :D
Please do... if just one idea works for you, then this thread did its job.
Quote from: ebodyproducts on June 11, 2023, 03:02:57 PM
Absolutely amazing job. I've had trim catch and fly across the shop at deadly speeds. The color on the car is awesome.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It'll definitely snap you out of a buffing stupor...fast!
Thank you for the color comment. So much more to do. :popcorn:
Just read through this entire thread. Awesome job and badass that you did it all. Well done. Looking forward to more.
Quote from: Blowout on June 13, 2023, 09:17:57 AM
Just read through this entire thread. Awesome job and badass that you did it all. Well done. Looking forward to more.
...and there will be more. Thanks for the comment.
My dash pad controversy will end today. Not the way I intended.
I sourced a dash pad from Dash Pad Pros. Smooth transaction. Quick delivery. Nicely made part. :bigthumb:
Alanna Foxx and the Dash Pad Factory, not so much. :thumbdown:
A major piece of the interior is here, and now I can move on. :yes:
I think I need more of the story to understand your last post. :dunno:
I mention it very briefly on the ABS Core thread. Now I can be a bit more detailed.
Back in October 2022, I contacted the Dash Pad Factory by e-mail for the price and availability of a black dash pad for my 1970 Barracuda. Alanna Foxx responded. She explained everything to me. The type of dash pad, core charge, shipping, total price, etc. She made a point that when I send the core, make sure to send her the tracking number. I agreed. I told her I will pay in USPS Money orders. She was fine with that. I got everything in order and ready to go.
At the last minute, I had to hold off. I contacted her and gave her a heads-up. A week or so later, I sent off the dash pad, contact information, and $$$. I contacted her again to let her know the shipment was on its way with the tracking number included. A short time later I checked the tracking number, and it said it was received by Alan Foxx.
It was at eight weeks, and I hadn't heard from her, which was ok at the time. This was at Thanksgiving, and I decided to drop her an e-mail asking for an update. She responded and wrote that the dash pad will be shipped after Thanksgiving. I wrote back, thanked her and to have a good Thanksgiving.
I never heard from her again. I sent timely e-mails to her over the months but no response.
I have a record of the e-mails, Money Order receipts, and a record of when I shipped (Tracking number.) the core and $$$. I didn't get a copy of USP info when Mr. Foxx received the shipment.
I wasn't aware at the time that the Foxx's had so many business titles. I checked the Dash Pad Pros for contact information and did not see any. When Deezel reported that all went well and he was happy with his dash pad, I figured I'd go for it. The site said they had one left. I used a CC and hit the enter button. When I got the e-mail receipt, I went into panic mode when I saw the same El Paso address. I decide to wait it out. (Holding on to Dezeel positivity :haha:) Sweating it out for a couple of weeks I received a dash pad. I'm mostly relieved that I got a very, very nice dash pad, but it still bugs me a bit that the other (her) company stung me.
I have never in my career of building classic cars, have I ever been taken advantage of. I've bought and sold parts here and at E-Bodies Only. Using Money Orders and PayPal and everyone was awesome. They would go out of their way to please you. I expected the same from Ms. Foxx. The experience really took the air out of the Barracuda build.
I'm not out to trash her, just relaying the experience as asked. I finally got a dash pad and I'll move on. Not worth the time or expense to pursue it.
She is welcome to reply to this thread if she chooses to. In fact, I'd welcome it. That would be more than what she did with my e-mails.
They have it. :verymad:
Well that sux paying twice for one pad!
Great that you got a nice pad though.
Maybe, if you're lucky, another pad will show up at your door someday.....
Sucks that that seems to be par for the course when trying to buy an E-body dash pad these days. I appreciate you sharing the details of your experience. Good luck with the rest of the build going forward.
The Dash Pad Factory's BBB reviews are all one star. https://www.bbb.org/us/tx/el-paso/profile/auto-parts/the-dash-pad-factory-0895-99155104/customer-reviews
All the parts are collected to assemble the dash.
To match the rest of the dash assembly, I painted the two lower dash trim pieces in SEM Landau black. First things first was prep. I use AJAX/water and a red Scotch-Brite pad and scrubbed all the release agents off the plastic. This will also scuff the plastic for paint. Appied two wet coats. By the way, all the dash parts should be sprayed from the same batch of paint to avoid a different color cast from part to part.
I bought a new Rallye heater trim bezel. It had a wrinkle finish which was different from the radio trim bezel I got with the Barracuda. Using VHT Wrinkle finish paint, I sprayed three very wet coats of paint onto the prepped plastic. I let the paint flash for at least 10 minutes or more in between coats. Changed the direction of the spray on each coat to get even coverage.
The five-minute flash did not work for me. Using the ten-minute minimum flash, the paint wrinkled in an hour. I'd let the part sit for at least 24 hours before handling it. I let the part sit overnight then I set it outside in the Oklahoma sun all the next day.
As far as applying heat, it works but it will give you a different effect. The wrinkled appearance is much smaller and tighter than the air drying method. It won't match. The color was a bit off from the new part, but I didn't want to load up the finish on the heater bezel with more paint. The difference isn't enough to make a difference to me.
The light bar was media blasted, and primed with acid etch primer, and two wet coats of SEM were applied.
I made a major improvement to this dash by installing the new Dakota Digital RTX series gauge kit. I didn't want to deal with with the old technology of the original gauges. Just install the unit knowing everything will function and finish up the dash assembly.
Now I've got some wiring to do.
Regarding achieving a proper wrinkle finish, I saved this picture and quote from Jules the Wiperman years ago.
I also bought a new heater control bezel after my attempts at redoing the white lettering on the original were a dismal failure. Like, you the replacement piece had a different wrinkle finish than the original or radio bezel, much coarser. However, I just opted to leave well enough alone since they were on different sides of the steering wheel. Yours came out really nice. Good work. :twothumbsup:
Quote from: larry4406 on July 09, 2023, 05:15:16 AM
Regarding achieving a proper wrinkle finish, I saved this picture and quote from Jules the Wiperman years ago.
That's the finish I got when I used the heat gun. I appreciate the post. I'll use it as a future reference. :cheers:
Quote from: usraptor on July 09, 2023, 11:26:55 AM
I also bought a new heater control bezel after my attempts at redoing the white lettering on the original were a dismal failure. Like, you the replacement piece had a different wrinkle finish than the original or radio bezel, much coarser. However, I just opted to leave well enough alone since they were on different sides of the steering wheel. Yours came out really nice. Good work. :twothumbsup:
Sometimes we all need to know when to draw the line.
Anyway, I get the "leave well enough alone." That's exactly what I'm going to do with these parts. Leave well enough alone. Especially since they're already installed and match for the most part.
Regardless, thank you for the :twothumbsup:
Thank you!
I don't have a current update on the Barracuda. Time has been tight. To keep the thread moving though, I thought I'd post some shots of some E-Bodys that we checked out in Missouri yesterday. A potential new owner wanted them checked over before he was going to purchase them.
The first one is one of three Shriner's 1971 Barracudas. You can read up on them here. https://barnfinds.com/1-of-3-1971-plymouth-barracuda-convertible-1/
The second owner changed the top to black shortly after he bought it. When he banged up the front fender he quit driving it. He owned it for over 40 years. Torn apart and forgotten till now.
The two red Fords in the back are rare 1970 Twister Torinos. Two of 90. There is a third one in another building. The one on the left is a 428 CJ.
The second Barracuda to be looked over was also a 1971. 318/automatic. Restored(ish.) Unfortunately, I didn't get a clear picture of the tag.
The last two.
1971 Challenger R/T. What was odd about this one was it was a 3-speed manual.
1970 'Cuda V-Code.
The Camaro is a 1968 RS/SS. 396/4spd.
The Mustang is a 1970 Sportsroof.
That's a cool bunch of cars you were looking over. :twothumbsup:
Really like that '70 V Code. :clapping: So did the potential buyer buy them?
That clone Challenger and V-code Cuda are a really nice pair.
Quote from: usraptor on August 27, 2023, 09:14:01 AM
Really like that '70 V Code. :clapping: So did the potential buyer buy them?
The buyer lives in Hawaii and was contacted today. I won't know anything at the moment if the sale went through.
The Challenger and 'Cuda will be going to Mecum.
Working on the door assemblies.
Installed the door weatherstripping, roof rail seals, door stop bumpers, and felt kit.
The window guides/stabilizers were removed and cleaned up a bit. I carefully removed the worn material with a razor blade leaving the rubber cushion. I replaced the worn surface with the soft loop side of Velcro.
Installed and adjusted the striker making sure the stripe and body lines stayed constant and the door opened and closed with no effort. The windows seal at the top and move up and down freely.
Cleaned off the years of crud that was stuck on the windows with lacquer thinner and 0000 steel wool. Finished up with a coat of wax. The windows are in great condition.
Prepped the rear torque boxes and applied a couple coats of epoxy primer. I need to get them installed shortly since the rear will be ready soon.
I decided to make my own moisture barriers. I rolled out some masking paper and cut it to the size of the door. I made an impression from the door to the paper and cut as required. Once the paper was fitted, I applied a couple of coats of clearcoat, per side to waterproof the paper.
Installed the left rear torque box. It was trimmed to fit, welded in, epoxy primer was applied then sprayed with low-gloss black.
Finished installing the right rear torque box. I sealed the weld with panel adhesive but have yet to paint it.
The Dana was dropped off today. Changed the gearing to 3.54's.
Finished up the right torque box with some low-gloss single-stage black. While I had the paint out I refinished the media-blasted rear suspension parts. Excluding the shocks, calipers, and discs. They just were wiped down with solvent then primed and painted.
I inspected the leaf springs to see how the RPM protection was holding up. I saw some spots with some flash rust developing so I scrubbed the spots with some #0000 steel wool and recoated both springs. For the most part, the RPM did its job. Apparently, I just missed a few areas. I suggest a minimum of two coats instead of one.
The hard part was muscling the Dana in place. Once bolted in, the rest of the parts were installed.
:popcorn: :popcorn:
Getting my popcorn out. It's been four months. I'm expecting quite an update soon.
Quote from: dodj on February 21, 2024, 03:57:23 AM:popcorn: :popcorn:
Getting my popcorn out. It's been four months. I'm expecting quite an update soon.
Ditto! :popcorn:
I took a break from the Barracuda to regroup. I'll be reporting back shortly.
I was sidetracked for a while to refinish a 1971 Hemi Cuda. It gave me a break from my own Barracuda.
When I found my Barracuda, it came with the 440, 4-speed, and Dana. As I was loading things up I didn't pay attention to the 4-speed. We just grabbed it and loaded it in the trailer. Recently, I took it out to get it rebuilt and noticed it was the wrong one. It was a 1968 B body trans with only the one shfter mount.
The search for another 4-speed started. Hopefully something local. A friend of mine last weekend went to Joplin, Missouri to pick up a 1970 Roadrunner and a 1970 Z/28. Somehow the conversation went to 4-speeds. The gentleman said he had an M22 Muncie and an A833 out of a 1970 E-Body for sale that just came out of the transmission shop. I was contacted, and I told him I'll take it. It was dropped off along with a 1970 Corvette on Monday.
The purchase included a freshly rebuilt A833, Shifter, shifter linkage, pistol grip, Aluminum bell housing, and mounting plate. I hope to get the 440 and the four-speed installed this Summer. looks like having the wrong transmission put me ahead of the game with having the complete assembly instead of having to track down all those added parts. That doesn't happen often.
My front torque boxes also arrived and are epoxy-primed and ready for installation.
The old paint job reminds me of the paint jobs you would see in Camaro Craft magazine...I mean Car Craft magazine. ...Early 80's maybe?
The owner told me it was done in the 70's. The things we thought were so cool back then. Not so much now.
Crawled back under the 1970 Barracuda to install torque boxes. The box was trimmed and prepped for fitting then welded into place. Touched up the welds and sprayed on some epoxy primer using a Preval bottle. Finished it off with low gloss single-stage black.
The 1971'Cuda engine compartment was prepped and refinished. The finish in the engine bay was in excellent condition so I used a red Scotch-Brite pad for the prepping. But first I wiped the area down with Prep-All to make sure oils and other contaminants were removed.
Just before sealing I applied two coats of adhesion promoter to ensure that all the hard-to-reach areas were able to hold the paint. Spraying on "two coats" of adhesion promoter is important to hold the paint. Once flashed, a coat of epoxy sealer was applied. Two coats of Tawny Brown Metallic were applied then two drop coats finished off the base coat. Clear as required.
*It's important to note. Whenever I spray metallics/polys, I always use slow or very slow quality reducers. Never fast or medium. When spraying silvers, I use"very slow" reducer only. Then I finish with a drop coat. This way I reduce mottling and striping. The slow base stays wet longer so the metallics can flow, mingle then settle properly together. Slow reducers also dry more thoroughly since they stay open to the airflow longer. Good gun control helps too.
I also started wet sanding the body using 1000,1500,2000,3000,4000. I used 3000 and 4000 foam discs/wet on the D.A to finish up the color sanding.
Dug out the heater box and did a quick inspection. Very minor damage but overall nice shape. Disassembled it and did some heavy cleaning using #0000 steel wool and lacquer thinner. The only spot that needed attention was a hole the size of an eraser that needed some attention. I placed a piece of tape on the outside of the box and packed the hole from the back with some panel adhesive. Removed the tape. The repair was smooth and did not need any further attention. Prepped and painted all the metal items. Sprayed on two coats of adhesion promoter, letting it flash in between coats. Three coats of low gloss clear coat. 6-1 mix. Reassembled after curing using the heater box rebuild kit.
E-Brake. Media-blasted the brake assembly. Applied one coat of epoxy primer then refinished the assembly. The release handle was missing the bushing. I found some bushings at the local parts store. I picked the one the handle fit then filed the outer side till it press-to fit into the flange. I did apply some glue to make sure it stayed in place. Dorman PN 14041.
Finished wet sanding the 1971 'Cuda and the buffing begins. Finished up the front fenders.
Pulling more parts off the firewall. The pedal assembly was media blasted and epoxy primed. Once dry the pedals were painted in gloss black. The epoxy I use is Autobahn Epoxy. The Autobahn brand is an older PPG formula. Tough as nails. Once it's mixed you'd better be ready to use it. It dried fast and hard. 1 to 1 mix. Add up to 25% reducer as required. I used medium temp.
Then came the Air vent. I used a citrus base stripper to remove the first Limelight repaint. Then a heavy cleaning.
The defroster vent just needed a good cleaning along with the gas pedal.
As far as the 1971 'Cuda, all the buffing was completed and the rockers were blacked out. I need to give the body a good bath to remove the sanding sludge then I'll start on the hood.
This week I was asked to do some work on a 1970 Challenger T/A. The owner needed some carb work and I was asked to freshen up the interior hard parts. Once the parts were removed I took the kick panel to a friend of mine who owns a collision shop. He matched/tinted the color in basecoat. The parts were scrubbed with a red Scotch-Brite pad and Sem Soap. Once dry, two wet coats were applied. One coat of clear coat mixed with a flattener. I tried eggshell but it was a bit still too glossy so I went with flat using a medium temp hardener. 4-1-1.5 mix. Medium temp hardener.
You is a busy boy. Nice looking work.
Thank you.
Too busy actually. I'm only posting a (E-Body) portion of my week. :looney:
Moving to the rear of the interior, I wanted to finish up the headliner by installing the sail panels. I suppose I should have waited to install the back window since I would have had more room to work in. So, I pulled the glass. (No big deal.)
I placed the sail panel up against the spikes to mark the hole for the coat hanger. I did this by painting the screw head that was in the frame and pressed the sail panel against it. That marked the cardboard so I could drill it.
I tried to use a metal clip to hold the sail panel at the center onto the frame but it just wouldn't go. It got to the point where the clip was distorting the cardboard. So, I grabbed some velcro and stuck it on the hole where the clip went into and to the center of the sail panel. While I was at it, I wrapped the lower spikes with velcro and the bottom of the sail panel too. I installed the coat hook/screw to line up the sail panel and pressed it to the pillar. The velcro worked great to hold the curve at the bottom of the sail panel. Glued the front and the rear of the sail panel to the spikes/pinch weld and used wind lace to hold the panel cloth till the contact cement dried.
Installed the rear window molding, dome light, backglass, harness retainers, and interior side molding.
Finished repainting the rest of the interior parts for the Challenger T/A.
Finished the buffing on the Hemi 'Cuda and installed the hood, header panel, and Gull Wing. Drilling the holes for the wing is outlined earlier in this thread.
I like it. It's like viewing three restoration threads at the same time.
Pulled out the machined 440 block to start the assembly.
The valve covers for the HEMI and the 440 for media blasting.
Not one of the things I like doing is the wiring, but I figured I'd start in the trunk to get into the swing of things. American Auto Wire is the kit I used. I also used the wire crimpers they suggest. They worked great. I used zip ties to keep the wires organized in a bundle so I could run the harness from the inside of the car to the trunk. With the wiring diagram close by, I used masking tape to hold the connections together and get an idea where to cut. Once the harness was trimmed and connections made, the zip ties and masking tape were removed. I used friction tape every few inches to keep the wires together then covered the harness with braded sleeving then secured the harness.
Installed the gas tank vents, trunk mat, bumper jack assembly, trunk lock/rod shield, and the space saver spare.
1970 Challenger T/A.
Finished up the interior. The painted parts matched up nicely. Next, I had to replace the left fender stripe and engine callouts. They were scratched. Before anything I marked the positions with masking tape, then removed the vinyl decal. The areas were wiped down with a surface cleaner then tack ragged. I even tack rag the decals before the backing paper is removed. I laid down a piece of painters masking paper to keep everything clean. I applied the Phoenix Graphics Slide On gel to the back of the stripe and to the surface. I got the decal in place and used a spreader to remove the gel out from under the decal going from the center out using short overlapping strokes.
I let the decal dry over night before I pull the paper. That ensures the decal does not move when pulling the paper. I've used soapy water before when applying these decals, but I prefer the gel. Much easier to work with. It does not evaporate quickly like soapy water does and the gel stays in place unlike water, which is an advantage since you don't want to get the front of the protective paper wet. You have a much longer working time.
1971 'Cuda.
A bit more intimidating. I needed to apply HEMI billboards to the 1971 Cuda. It's the same procedure as the Challenger stripe except for an added step. I did a dry run on where I needed to put the stripe. Once it was taped in place, I marked the top with a length of masking tape, then made a small mark on the tape onto to the decal. This will help me line up the decal quickly. From there I continued to apply the stripe like the Challenger. The quarter stripes first. Once the paper was removed, I applied the door stripe, which was lined up to the quarter. I did make a relief cut on the quarter stripe at the lower corner of the marker light so that the vinyl would lay flat.
The marker lights were prepped and sprayed with low gloss black.
Continued...
Wow....... :bradsthumb:
I pulled out the rear interior panels after years of storage. These were not original to the Barracuda since the interior originally was blue. I have no idea if these are original or repro's, but once all the dust and dirt was removed, they were in excellent condition. No cracks, scratches or the usual deterioration. Even the screw holes were intact. The only thing I noticed was, there were some traces of gray and red overspray on the left one.
I reconditioned the panels:
Washed off the dirt with a soft brush.
Scrubbed the plastic with a red Scotch-Brite and AJAX.
Wiped the panels clean then re wiped with a Prep-All surface cleaner.
Wiped again with a water base cleaner to defuse the static.
Applied two coats of Adhesion Promoter. Five-minute flash.
Applied two coats of SEM Landau black.
Let it dry overnight.
Wrapped the wire harness with vinyl harness tape and secured it to the inner wheel well.
I installed the moisture barriers using 3M Strip-Caulk and duct tape.
Installed the interior panels using new hardware.
Installed the seat belts and rear seat.
1971 'Cuda.
The engine completed.