Upper control arm installation without paint damage 1970 Challenger

[Mopar5]

Hello , New to this forum. I have been restoring a 1970 Challenger for a few years now.My question is after all the hard work painting the car including the bottom and inner fenders ,the thought of gouging the paint to get the stock upper control arms in is a real bummer. does any one have any tips on avoiding paint damage when putting in the upper control arms? Thanks in advance

[Jalaska907]

All I did was endure the new bushings were fully seated and use a soft mallet to tap the control arms in.  If your worried about the edges scratching or the paint on the control arm chipping while tapping into place, you can use painter tape to tape off close contact areas, and also where your tapping with the mallet to protect the paint.  There wasnt much resistance in mine when I installed them

Hope this helps

[Cuda Cody]

   Take a little time and just go slow.  It's gotta go back and any little damage to the paint will be so minor that it's not going to be seen.

And welcome to the forum @Mopar5     Would love to hear more about your car!    

[Mopar5]

Thank you for the replies ,I appreciate it. The main area I m concerned about is the area where the dimpled ends of the bushings will contact the sides of the inner fender mounts as they slide in. My bushings are seated fully and the resistance is such that I will need to tap it in with a rubber mallet. I definitely will get some photos posted of the car when I can. Thank you

[Chryco Psycho]

Welcome @Mopar5 from Panama
you could use a little electrical tape beside where the bushings slide in to protect the paint there

[Mopar5]

Here a few pics of my progress

[jimynick]

Welcome to the site from Ontario,  and good luck with the reassembly. The car looks great so far! 

[Mopar5]

Couple more

[Cuda Cody]

Looking great!!!  Sweet color!         

[Mopar5]

 Hopefully this works

[70 Challenger Lover]

That looks amazing!

[Mopar5]

Thank you

[70 Challenger Lover]

I have a burnt orange Challenger too and I've been torn whether to go back to the original color or do it in black which I've always loved. Seeing yours though has me thinking it over again!

[Mopar5]

I felt the same way about the color when I started. Seeing older cars with the K5 paint that was faded reminded me of red oxide primer it wasn't my first choice but I want this car to look like it it did when it rolled out of the factory with very little alteration The K5 color when new is very nice especially in the sun when all the flake shines.  The color  flops to a whole different shade out of the sun .Overall Im happy I went with the color. Thanks for your good words!!

[Cuda Cody]

That color, when fresh, looks amazing!