Alright! I stripped everything myself, and now it is finally getting blasted (tuesday) followed by some primer!!! then i will patch up what is leftover... I have a feeling I am going to have to replace the roof skin... :'(
:coolgleamA: been busy !! keep the pictures coming , love looking at this kind of stuff :yesnod: :popcrn:
hard to believe that 9 months ago, it looked like this....
Progress! Need some new metal...
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.......This week I'll get her epoxy sealed and primer'd up, then i will have to have it stationary for a while so I can save up for some of the necessary metal.
$$$
I love that after you have your car blasted . . . You know exactly what you have to work with and there are no hidden surprises. Looks great! :2thumbs:
:coolgleamA: looks pretty good now all blasted :yesnod:
Keep up the good work and the updates. :2thumbs:
Looks great,now the fun of body work begins. :yesnod:
dug out the mud and applied some primer... interesting finds under the mud.
Primered up everything and applied Rust Shield under the car.
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:2thumbs:
just need the new polyurethane bushing kit now. (this is the open 2.73 gear diff though, I have another 742- 3.91 loaded one that needs to be cleaned up... that "might" go in there.. depends on if i get an overdrive!
Youve been busy! Keep it going!
Alright I have a question....
I am saving up money so that I can buy the needed patch/replacement pieces.
When I paint the car I want to spray the entire car at once, would it be safe(or smart) to get a matching paint in a spray can and spray all the hinges and seams where I bolt back on the fenders, hood hinges, doors... stuff like that?
Not much progress since my last posts. Been busy!! But I am itching to do more this holiday season.
The big project is the roof skin. I am intimidated about cutting it off and attempting to weld a new one in. All these little holes everywhere.
I plan on putting that vinyl top back on (I like the look of it)..
what to do, what to do.
The bigger holes I know I will have to patch.
but what about the smaller ones....Could I just slap on some good quality filler all over it and clean it up? or would that be prone to more problems later?
Sure the holes won't be fixed. but this car is to be a driver, any chance I can get to take it out and go. So probability of it getting dings, scratches and more rust is pretty much a definite.
(pics from this morning)
more.
Hey Jayson.I think you no chose but to replace the whole roof.There's a lot of holes.Around the bottom of the rear window could be patch up,I think.But the front of the roof(swiss cheese anyone).Keep the pictures coming,I'm around the same stage with my 69,I hope to send it to paint be fore the end of the year, :2thumbs:
Would it be safe to strip the paint on the roof and then use a gelcoat fiberglass to seal up the holes? Trying to avoid the pain of putting on a new roof.
Quote from: sixty8charger on March 04, 2012, 02:09:45 PM
Would it be safe to strip the paint on the roof and then use a gelcoat fiberglass to seal up the holes? Trying to avoid the pain of putting on a new roof.
You probably could but who knows how long it will last. It would be a bitch to redo later after the cars all done and bubbles start to appear again :eek2: I would be putting on a new one....you won't regret it :2thumbs:
Your gonna be bringing that one back.. :popcrn:
Keep at it... That's very good of you tackling this all on your own...... :2thumbs:
Quote from: sixty8charger on March 04, 2012, 02:09:45 PM
Would it be safe to strip the paint on the roof and then use a gelcoat fiberglass to seal up the holes? Trying to avoid the pain of putting on a new roof.
It will be much easier to replace the roof than to try fixing it. It may seem daunting but replacing a roof skin is about as easy as it gets. Remember you are not moving the roof structure, it's just the skin.
Before you remove the roof I would weld in a few stabilizing bars to make sure the body doesn't sag. In fact you should weld in several before you start removing any more metal.
Drill the spotwelds, cut the c pillar seams and remove that perforated skin. Clean up and repair the frame, test fit the new roof skin, drill holes for spotwelds and get that puppy on there. Make sure to weld the seam between roof and quarter all the way, as if it was one piece of metal, just go real slow so you don't warp the skins.
Trying to fill the holes with fiberglass or anything else will be a lot of work, a lot of material and a lot of cleanup. And in the end you still have a crappy roof that was covered in goo.
I agree with dino and the others...essentially all the skin does is keep the rain off your head. Run braces between the door jambs and one spanning the width in front and back and you will be fine. Covering up problems will always haunt you later...
I would replace it. Now is the time. You would feel better doing it, and the parts are available. They may not be there 20 years down the road. :Twocents:
I appreciate all the advise. sigh... well, I guess I shall get a 3/8 spot weld drill bit from harbor freight on my way home.
I got those holes in the sail panels too... how should I fix those? since they don't just sell that one peice, and I would hate to waste money buying the full fenders.
Quote from: sixty8charger on March 09, 2012, 03:14:52 PM
I appreciate all the advise. sigh... well, I guess I shall get a 3/8 spot weld drill bit from harbor freight on my way home.
I got those holes in the sail panels too... how should I fix those? since they don't just sell that one peice, and I would hate to waste money buying the full fenders.
You could try a copper welding spoon pressed against the back, at Harbor Freight also, and tack those holes shut. I did that for a few holes on the inside of my sail panel.
I thought they sold the inner sail panels somewhere? I would get the spot weld cutters from Napa if you got one nearby. I used some of the harbor freight ones and they were junk, You also will need a few bits since the roof has a lot of welds. I used a few doing my trunk and rear valance. Some people used the Blair brand bit where ever they are sold?
Been a while but made some progress. Patch panel on driver side floor is in.... looks... ugly.. but it will be covered. Cut out the driver rear lower fender... found some interesting stuff in the valance corner. Waiting for some more metal.
Your car is on its way...looking good so far.
You have to love the surprise gifts left behind by former owners down in those 1/4 panels huh? :lol:
..Well received some new material today! Big one being the roof skin... going to try and undertake removal of the old.. this weekend.. ugh.
But fixed the holes in the floor pan. And I have the drop off for the trunk extension so I should get the rear quarter finally in this weekend as well.
But.. yeah, the floor is ugly... but.. it was in pretty bad shape. One covered in carpet, it won't be seen anyway.
Glad to here you can move forward again. :2thumbs:
Quote from: Ghoste on August 14, 2012, 02:16:05 AM
You have to love the surprise gifts left behind by former owners down in those 1/4 panels huh? :lol:
I found some change the exact year of my car... I wondered if it had been waiting there the whole time :smilielol:
Trying to keep the motivation... been a busy couple months... crap weather... no real progress. Might have to move next year. Fear of losing pieces.... Pressure is increasing.
Take a breather and relax. :cheers: Just sit in the garage and look at it while drinking your favorite beverage. Pretty soon, you'll get energetic again.
Been there done that, 3 family deaths last year really slowed me up. Keep your chin up and do what you can. :2thumbs:
Thanks for the encouragement! :cheers:
C'mon buddy, its all sitting there. Think of the sun with your arm out the window, with that big grin on your face... man, sometimes I cant help but smile.
Where you at? I'll come help..
New Bern, NC.
Oh and I can picture myself driving it for sure... I have been dreaming of driving her for yeeeeeaaaaarrrrssss! I got to drive her for a little bit when I was a teenager a few times. I was watching Mikes Mustos new video he posted and got flooded with exciting emotions.. it helped with some motivation. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUaN21qZZSw&feature=youtube_gdata_player (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUaN21qZZSw&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
I just watched the video,those are a couple of cool cars.
Too far east for my blood... Someday, when Im rich and famous...instead of turning GL's back into everyday Chargers I think I might just tour n' work on other people's cars. Let me fill you in on a little secret. No matter what she looks like, no matter what she smells like, no matter what she sounds like, be sure, at that stop light... everyone is looking at her.
JAYSON,,,,,,,,,,,YOU CAN DO IT :yesnod: :icon_smile_big:
Quote from: Patronus on January 15, 2013, 03:41:45 PM
Too far east for my blood... Someday, when Im rich and famous...instead of turning GL's back into everyday Chargers I think I might just tour n' work on other people's cars. Let me fill you in on a little secret. No matter what she looks like, no matter what she smells like, no matter what she sounds like, be sure, at that stop light... everyone is looking at her.
That would be a pretty sweet business.. if that day comes, send me a message!
You are right about the looking, that's For damn sure. Even on the days grinding in the driveway, primed up and surface rust poking through, people slow down and some ask questions. Especially the mailman, that guy is great!
Props For taking on that thing in your back yard on your own. Takes some serious balls to pull that off. I know all too well about looking up at the roof and seeing what looks to be the dark sky and stars....
Again, kudo's for a job well done so far. Keep your eye on the prize.
Jason don't know how far along you , but those inner sail panels are available from charger or rt specailitys , got them for a friends build , good fit as well
Thanks for the heads up! I haven't put the roof on yet, so now would be a good time to order those!
Been extremely busy. Looking for a shop to give me a hand for the next few years. 4 months left until Okinawa.
Quote from: SmashingPunkFan on September 21, 2012, 08:35:36 AM
Quote from: Ghoste on August 14, 2012, 02:16:05 AM
You have to love the surprise gifts left behind by former owners down in those 1/4 panels huh? :lol:
I found some change the exact year of my car... I wondered if it had been waiting there the whole time :smilielol: Really damn , you found money ? all I found was my build sheet robbed , should have at least been some old coins in her ,
Well everyone! I got back from Okinawa Last year and finally got my Charger back. Picked it up from storage in NC and drove it all the way out here to California. The Mopar specialists at MOTECH (http://motechperformance.com/) have started repairing the bodywork for me. And if all goes well I should have it primered up and returned in January.
2018 should be the year to get this car back on the street!
That's the spirit! :2thumbs:
Glad to hear you're back at it.
:2thumbs: :cheers: :popcrn:
Yeah buddy! Get after it!
Mine was a 7 year process. Yours could be too!
Well the heavy body work has been completed! Still need to do paint prep, but that might be a couple years from now. Need to save some money back up! Nice to have a solid car again! And the frame has been connected with Hotchkis Frame connectors as well!
Looks good! :2thumbs:
You must love seeing the progress.
Glad you made it this far. :2thumbs: