Now Complete Restoration / Pulling my 1969 'Bee down for strip and paint

[Dino]

Thanks Tim.. gonna try soaking in lye solution next. Looks like our Home Hardware still carries it, at least shows online. Home Depot / Lowes / all other lumber stores / Canadian Tire / etc do not carry it anymore.. so hopefully when I hit a store tomorrow they actually still have it at Home Hardware.

I found a plastic bottle of lye powder at Ace Hardware for a few bucks. I bought a plastic wallpaper basin that fit the trim and soaked them in there with the lye powder mixed in cold water. It didn't take long to remove all the anodizing. It's in my grille repair thread if you can find it.

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Dirk, not sure why I have to try and reinvent the wheel all the time  and so I don't have to search for it again.. lol.. http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,121524.0.html

[birdsandbees]

Soak box made from a propellor box and a roll of vapour barrier. If we're going to make hydrogen gas we may as well have some more flammables to help with the BOOM! (My OE panel shown, in just water... I only did the replacement in Lye).

8 gallons of water and a volume measured 48 ounces of Lye crystals. You can see the gray and shiny spots as the anodize starts to come off. Only place I found Lye available was Home Hardware in the septic department. $30 for 3 kg.

Boil and bubble..

Almost there after 25 minutes. Still some anodizing to come off. A light scrub with green scotchbrite and back into the soup.

Nice and clean of all anodize.

The wife caught the nut with the power washer from the kitchen window. -20C outside. Power washer not only rinsed, it took the blackish/gray sludge off from the process.

Ready for a LOT of nick removal, sanding and polishing. I ended up leaving it soaking for 45 minutes. I should have pulled it at about 35. The extra 10 minutes was when it really started to fizz. I should have known better and it added some minor pitting in places as it started to eat the aluminum.

[birdsandbees]

Mr Eraser foam block makes a good sanding block that will conform to the panel profiles.

Looks like I'm wasting my time starting with 150. Coarse #60 it is. Just gotta be careful with only .040 thickness to start with.

Honing stone works nice to return the sharp edge from profiled to flat sections.

Riffler files. Don't start without a set! The riffler file allows you to quickly remove any dents you've pushed up, while maintaining the profile.

Small file being used to correct the detent area (that gets black paint) in the "E". Almost absent on this tail piece and my OE barely had it there, so an original pressing issue that I am correcting.

Pill bottle has correct profile for the end sections concave area. Easy to hold and works well.

That $3000 US NOS tail panel is starting to look good right about now! Pull up a bar stool and make yourself comfy as you'll be doing this for a LONG time!

All pits removed, dents pushed up as I went and smooth. Todays work was 4 hours and 45 minutes of filing, minor dent clean up and sanding to this stage. 11 hours and 45 minutes to date on THIS tail panel for paint removal, dent removal, shape correction, anodize removal and todays work! Now you know why the NOS seller has a market at $3000 ! Still have to sand 320/400/800/1000/2000, cut and polish on the wheel, tape and paint...and try to wipe the DODGE clean without f'ng it up.

[green69rt]

You definitely have too much free time!  You need a job!!

[birdsandbees]

LOL, I do... I just keep calling in sick! Now sooner or later I'll need to walk another 70 feet each morning and get some airplanes done or Spring ain't gonna be pretty! 

[birdsandbees]

Realized the E was not only missing the lower indent, they also missed pressing part of the end tip. Upside down on a block of wood and using an old ejector pin that fit the exact width to tap in the shape.

About an hour and a half just spent on letters with the pin and riffler files. Sanding out pits on the letters = less indent for paint and some needed to be added, especially on the D's.

Sanded to 150 and then 320 dry.

So it doesn't look like you pissed your pants wet sanding with 400 and up.

400, then 800, then 1000 and then 2000 wet done. (note outer profile is the "show" inner gets painted black)

Dino's restoration comments had me remember to do this! Rubber cap on threads of the polisher.

Then electrical tape. On the very first buff I hit it and DIDN'T have to start over with sanding!!

A quick 5 minute hit with green on the one wheel and rouge on the softer wheel just to see how it's going to come out. Still a few little pits, but better than it's EVER looked on my car. Today adds 5 more hours to this tail panel ! Still needs the remainder cut and polished and then taped and painted.

[birdsandbees]

Tail panel power polished on the harder wheel with green compound.

You'll wanna sit down for this and hold on TIGHT. No way I could keep 6' running through the wheel standing up. Lost some gray hair through the day, all the black shit flying off the wheel is on my head!

Power polished with Rouge on the softer wheel and then realized I had forgot to do the upper and lower corrugations as they don't get paint.

Hand polish with MAAS. You can see both the ceiling corrugations and the blue of my car reflecting.

Trying to get a good shot and almost impossible. Looks like chrome in person.

Another try for a good shot here, with Jellybean! Is it perfect.. No.. is it better than when it came down the Lynch Road assembly line.. probably.

Rubbed down with corn starch and then almost an hour to get it cleaned up, to no black on cloth, with wax and grease remover.

Everything taped off except the lower corrugation. Enough for today. Wish I could find the daily drinker with steady hands,from the paint line, that would have just wiped the details clean after being painted! Ma Mopar sure didn't tape them off... 21 hours - 45 minutes to this stage!

[Dino]

It's a lot of work, and it's a mess. But it sure is worth it when you're done. Looks phenomenal! 

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Dirk ! Just sitting here procrastinating about getting out there and grabbing the paint... 

[birdsandbees]

Lower corrugation taped off and a quick scuff with 400 to put some bite back in where I polished paint areas while doing the profiles.

Cleaned up with wax and grease remover and sprayed with etching primer.

Two light coats of etch primer, that I wish I had of gone with my first thoughts and omitted. Made it impossible to do a quick wipe on the letters.

While waiting for the primer to tack up, made my letter swipers. I'd tried them on my OE panel and they worked good.

More to do, so I don't paint too soon. Needed some more spacer rubbers for the mounting screws on the panel.

No need to buy stuff that is easy to make.

Now I'm good for the install and 30 minutes has gone by, time to paint.

[birdsandbees]

Tail panel painted with Duplicolour CDA1603 (DA1603 in the USA). Note to self, never paint acrylic against plastic again.

First clean up I got the first D perfect, O and D dragged the cloth in the centers and part of the G. E good.

Pill bottle wipers caused me issues, so a wood dowel it is! Just a WHIFF of lacquer thinner.

Respray...

D O G E good... Respray the D again (SEVEN TIMES!)

Had to use an exacto knife to "cut" the paint along the masking tape for a clean line.

What a mear 27 hours and 10 minutes can do! Jesus I wanna build a resto mod next.... all black tail panel.

[birdsandbees]

All my life's a circle, sunrise and sundown...

https://youtu.be/Ns4xf-bRNjw

[BLK 68 R/T]

Finished tail panel looks great. 

[Dino]

Finished tail panel looks great. 

I'd say better than it has ever been. Great job Wayne!   

[timmycharger]

  Great work as usual!

[birdsandbees]

Thanks guys! Now we can all see why the NOS guy has a market for the one he wants $3000 US for ! 

Now I get to tackle the grill.... 

[alfaitalia]

Your attention to detail is amazing. This thread...and Keepats Bullit Charger are two of my favourites. Both of you are detail fiends! Luckily, due to my highly modified car, even though I spend time getting parts to look like I want them (spent ages shaving the bumpers to be right into the body) at least no one will be saying mines not correct..there is no "correct" on a protour type build. Keep up the good work.

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Alf.. !   

Tuesday morning I load the car, to arrive 10 to 11 AM in Warminster, for my passenger side missed roof rail seam sealer, paint, a few touch ups and then a total cut and buff on the car. George answered his cell phone with "Thank you for calling Body by Biggs, we are on holidays until Spring and you can bring that Bee then". I responded with F you and some laughs. He said NO WAY he was opening the shop door Monday am in -28C. What I wanted to hear.. as I don't want to open mine either! 

[birdsandbees]

Making sure she's ready for the beauty shop on Tuesday.

Finally getting some true blue shots in the shop.

Turned around and ready to take Therapy off of her rollers.

Ready to load for her cut and buff..

Found a new lower drivers seat and strapped it in.

I can't imagine how it's going to look AFTER cut and buff.

Yep.. that deep!

Then I just sat in a chair and stared at it for an hour.

[hemi-hampton]

Was it ever cut & buffed before after painting it? how long ago was it painted? LEON.

[birdsandbees]

Hood was done pretty well before I brought it home, as the scoops etc had to go on, but it still needs a final shot. The body itself had just enough done so, as my painter said "guys don't point out the dirt in the clear while it's in your shop being assembled". Fenders haven't been touched yet. I can't believe it, but it'll be 2 years next month since paint was finished.

That said, the first coat of clear on the entire car was infused/sanded out before the next 2 coats of clear went on.

[hemi-hampton]

Light dirt removal any time in the paint process is what some people call de nibbing. After 2 years I just hope the paint is not hard as a rock & impossible to sand. As some paints will still be easy to sand  & rub after a week or 2 & some others can be difficult to rub & sand after a week or 2. Like Polyurethane like Imron for example. Longest I ever waited was 6 months on one of my own cars. Best advantage of that is no die back or dulling gloss or sand scratch swelling or shrinkage as everything has had adequate time to dry. LEON.

[birdsandbees]

It's House of Kolors Shimmrin and their Klear. It still scratches easy enough so I'm sure it'll sand and buff just fine. My painter doesn't seem to have any worries, but we'll know full well next week!  

[birdsandbees]

Out you go..

The big 35 foot drive.

Lots of White "Smoke" this morning. -22/23 C outside. Still trying to find my finger tips after strapping her down.

Strapped in ready to roll.

Winter mural scene on the fender.

Two shots the wife grabbed from the kitchen window.

Made it to the beauty shop on time. Can't wait to get her back.

Also, seeing I was already half way there I took my AMD Back Glass back to National Moparts in Gamebridge and Nigel gave me 100% of my money back.