A.G.A.R. The Last of the Sunroofs...Another one bites the dust...

[anlauto]

Okay, so this is the last of the cars I have for my sunroof customer .... #4 is a U code 440 4bbl, 4 spd 4:10 Dana car....

Today I moved it from storage to my shop.
Often times I get asked how I move cars around without chipping the paint with loose doors, hood or trunk lid. I thought I would share some tips that have worked for me for many years...

#1 Never rely on door latches or trunk latches IF there is no rubber seals or bumpers in place. There's still enough room for the panels to move around and chip the paint at the edges.

#2 Never use a stretchy bungee cord to hold things close....they tend to stretch and allow the panels to move.

Even though this car still has the latches in place, I like to hold the panels away from the jambs when moving the car around.

This is achieved with complete rolls of cheap paper towel and ratchet straps. One full roll for each door and each corner of the hood and trunk lid...If they don't get wet, they can still be used in the shop

These are just some ideas I use....I tend to move painted cars around a lot and have never had an issue since developing this method 

[anlauto]

Day One...All I got done was the "black-out" treatment.....A lot of masking and covering the car for a couple of quick jobs. Behind the dash and inside the sunroof opening was done with a brush for that factory appearance 

[70 Challenger Lover]

I like the paper towel idea. I'll have to remember that.

What color is that? I love it.

[anlauto]

1970 Dodge FF4 Light Green Metallic

[superdave]

     That's nice!

[750-h2]

Looks great! Love the colour.

[anlauto]

There's still a LOT of green to be added to this car.....even I'm curious to see the outcome.

[JH27N0B]

F4 is a color that has really grown on me over the years.  I've never owned a green car before, and hope to have one someday.  As long as the masses keep chasing the high impact and black cars, I shouldn't have much competition when I finally seek one to buy!  Can't wait to see this one finished. 

[70 Challenger Lover]

I really love the look of vinyl tops and side strips on these cars. That should really help break up the green. I can't wait to see how it looks.

[6bblgt]

Looks great! Love the colour.

green BANANAS of course!! 

[Cuda Cody]

      Looking good!!!     This is going to be another awesome car.   

[GCragtop]

Looking very nice!

[anlauto]

These cars don't come with step-by-step instructions like model kits, and there's no right or wrong way to assemble them.

I thought I would just kind of lay out my procedure that I typically follow....and throw a few tips in there as well....

First...I did the black-out yesterday...
Today I started assembly....
I start with the main brake and fuel lines...
Move on to the fuel tank. Tip #1 Fuel filler neck needs to be installed first on a Challenger, not so important on a Cuda.

I like to finish a system completely before moving on. This means the fuel hoses are hooked up and the vent line system installed as well. Now the fuel system up to the engine compartment is finished.

Then I install the rear axle, in this case a mother-trucker Dana 60...theses bitches are heavy    Again, finish off by hooking up the brake line, shocks, E cables, etc...

Then finish off the rear underside with the rebound bumpers, tow hooks and even the heat shields. Tip #2 if you want to install the heat shields, make sure you have the upper shock bolts tight first and don't forget the wire to the fuel sender.

[anlauto]

Next up for me is what I like to refer to as "both sides of the firewall" I'll go into more detail tomorrow, but today I finished the rear end a little early so I got a jump start on the inside of the fire wall...
First up is all the insulation, then each component .

For me, I think it's important to do both sides of the firewall BEFORE the engine installation 

[blown motor]

Alan, what's coming up out of the floor under the fuel filler pipe?