1970 Barracuda Reanimated.

[anlauto]

Looking good 

[Marty]

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.

[ledphoot]

There's nothing quite like a Cuda in a high impact color that's been done right. Looking sweet!!!

[7E-Bodies]

Excellence

[YellowThumper]

Those lenses came out excellent.
I have a spare set for Challenger I will try that on.

[Marty]

That is killer. You've bolstered my confidence.

  ...and that's what we're here for.

[Marty]

There's nothing quite like a Cuda in a high impact color that's been done right. Looking sweet!!!

Agreed!  Thanks.

[Marty]

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  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.

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.    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/

[usraptor]

Very nice!     Big improvement!

[Marty]

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.

[Marty]

Continued.

[7E-Bodies]

Nice work and a great job in explaining and documenting for others.

[anlauto]

Odd that the numbers weren't already in the stripe  Never seen that before, but I guess that's easier for them...

[Marty]

...but not for the end-user, but as you know, you adapt and move on.

[Marty]

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.