Finally Restoring My 1970 ‘Cuda

[nsmall]

Super late to the party.  Glad to see you had it blasted.  If its a car you plan to keep, worth spending the big bucks now to enjoy the car for a lifetime with no surprises/have to repaint again. 

[cashmoneyerick]

Did you get a good picture of the door VIN decal , , as Runcharger said you can get near perfect repro decals if you did

I did not. I'm new to this and figured the guy wouldn't blast it off. Didn't even cross my mind to take a picture. But moving forward I'll be sure to document everything.


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[Chryco Psycho]

That is too bad , a quick picture before would have been great to have

[340challconvert]

It has been said already; take detailed pictures of the areas you work on before and after.  It gives you a reference as to what needs to be done, both exterior and interior. I have taken hundreds of pics of my car as I work on it. I will at times reference them as needed! It really helps me as I put things back together.

I take my time and learn as i go (sort of what I am doing with the body work)
I make time each week and focus on one area at a time.

I am no body man and I am tackling patch panels currently (AMD cut to fit where needed)
I'm a decent mechanic but not a welder.
There are good people here always willing to help! 
You are making great progress.
Good luck with your car

[Topcat]

Did you get a good picture of the door VIN decal , , as Runcharger said you can get near perfect repro decals if you did

I did not. I'm new to this and figured the guy wouldn't blast it off. Didn't even cross my mind to take a picture. But moving forward I'll be sure to document everything.


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A copy of the title or Reg will be all you need to get a new door Vin sticker made.

Contact ECS http://www.ecsautomotive.com/productdesc.php?co=c&id=52

Was the decal mounted horizontal? Or vertical?

[cashmoneyerick]

Did you get a good picture of the door VIN decal , , as Runcharger said you can get near perfect repro decals if you did

I did not. I'm new to this and figured the guy wouldn't blast it off. Didn't even cross my mind to take a picture. But moving forward I'll be sure to document everything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A copy of the title or Reg will be all you need to get a new door Vin sticker made.

Contact ECS http://www.ecsautomotive.com/productdesc.php?co=c&id=52

Was the decal mounted horizontal? Or vertical?

Thank you for that. I will order them.
And it was mounted vertical I believe.
Left to right. If that makes sense.


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[cashmoneyerick]

Haven't responded in a while.

But, I was wondering if anyone in the Bay Area would be able to help out. So now that I have the car back from the media blasters. It seems like ALL the panels and frame rails needs to be replaced. It just seems like there's wholes everywhere.

My friend whose helping me does body work, but he's never did body work on a car like this. I'm curious for a second opinion as to what really needs to be replaced and what may be patchable or fixable without replacing the entire panel or original metal.

If anyone has some time please feel free to reach out to me. Thank you guys!


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[Chryco Psycho]

Wow that is not good 

[nsmall]

@HP_Cuda Can you help this guy out?  I know @Cuda Cody would give you a few minutes of his time.  I think it's worth doing the research and knowing what you're getting into so you don't give up.  I think it's really wise of you to pause for a minute and really think through this.  Wishing you the best of luck.

[70 Challenger Lover]

If I were closer, I'd come check it out. You'd be surprised what can be saved. Post some detailed photos of the worst areas and some of us will chime in for sure.

[aussiemark]

I found the rear rails are very easy to replace and the front ones are a little bit more tricky but not real hard. Just take a heap of measurements and put them on paper before you start and do the rails one at a time. I would recommend replacing the rail rather then trying to patch it unless the rust/damage is very minor. I also sprayed heaps of epoxy paint on top of the EDP on the inside of the rails before I fitted them.

[Cuda Cody]

LA plant vs Hamtramck plant.  That is what we've seen when it comes to what way they were installed.  It's easy to get a new door VIN sticker so I would not worry about it. 

And it was mounted vertical I believe.
Left to right. If that makes sense.


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[Cuda Cody]

I'm always happy to help.  I'm not close enough to you to come look at it in person, but post as many photos as you can on here and I'm sure you'll get lots of good tips and advice on what needs to be replaced and what can be repaired.

[RUNCHARGER]

If you haven't restored a car before they all look bad after blasting. You really have to make a few good decisions going forward though to make the end result a better product. Lots of eastern guys have done major jobs before. Perhaps post a few photos and we can help steer you a bit.
If the rear is in real bad shape and needing everything just buy the Dynacorn prewelded frame rails and trunkfloor unit. Even then you need to know how to jig everything up and how to weld it as well as knowing how to cut it apart initially.
I looked at it again and it does look more like a coastal car. Not huge holes but small holes everywhere.

[anlauto]

Good luck with your project