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

[birdsandbees]

Thanks! On to the eyebrows and then prep and paint of all three pieces.

[birdsandbees]

Ready to strip someone elses attempt at an Argent repaint, as well as the Black. Acetone and 0000 steel wool.

Soak the steel wool with acetone and scrub, paint comes off easily.

Shot to show OE black out (and associated overspray) on outside of the eyebrow.

Plastic bristle brush works good in the tight corners.

Both ready for ding repair, front edge polish and then tape off and paint. If I was going custom this would have been a perfect set of eyebrows to just be polished vs the work to reproduce the OE look. Thankfully no need to use lye and take the anodize off!

Etch primer to fill some scratches where I took the dent out.

Sanded out and then primed the entire top mounting flange.

Duplicolor CDA1603 Semi Gloss Black. Next figuring out how to tape or mask for the main grills black and argent colours.

[Charger-Bodie]

My hands and forearms ache just looking at this! Great work

[birdsandbees]

   Thanks! Bought $100 worth of spray bombs a few minutes ago, there'd  better be one close enough for the darkish argent!

[birdsandbees]

Another $100 to the colour match cause. Paint is getting nuts, $16/can for perfect match and they're not even full size cans. The regular size can of metalic specks cost $20, get it home to find that someone stole the nozzle off it!

Now I have nine versions of "Argent".

We'll call this one the winner, I'm not buying anymore paint. Volkswagon Reflex Silver Metalic. CBVW2039

Had this ugly defect on one of the eyebrows and some deep scratches through the anodize on the other one. Deep thought last night on how to do a smoke and mirrors repair on same.

Wanted some liquid aluminum, but all I could find was an epoxy putty stick in the marine isle.

Knead the putty stick together to activate and force into the ugly void.

[birdsandbees]

Light sand and power polished. It's not perfect but a success on the smoke and mirrors. No more dark hole that stands out like a sore thumb. Actually came out pretty damn good.

Both eyebrow "leading edges" and other accents that stay bare all polished up, ready for tape off and paint.

Eyebrows masked off for paint or at least etch primer. Still deciding how to do the black and argent.. what order, taping or making a paint mask as I know damn well the tape will peel paint on me.

Got the center grill all taped off for paint and then remembered I have to media blast, paint and rivet the attach brackets onto it first!

[birdsandbees]

Rag stuffed inside each horn so I don't fill them with media.

Horns and grill brackets ready for media blasting.

Horns and brackets blasted, etch primered and painted with CDA1603 Semi-gloss. Painted the horns heavy hoping for the odd run, as they were dipped originally.

Headlight eyebrows taped off on the polished parts and etch primered.

Black painted on the eyebrows, now to wait for paint cure to tape/mask and paint the argent.

[birdsandbees]

Grill brackets cleco'd on ready to rivet in place.

Don't have any 1/8" steel tubulars so using some soft A4-4 aluminum rivets instead.

Brackets on and grill ready for painting.

Two coats of black and after it's cured will be masked off for argent.

While I had the paint flowing, headlight shields painted as well.

[birdsandbees]

I think the most dangerous thing I've polished so far, headlight rings. Leather gloves on and I still checked to see if my fingers where gone! Watch those screw tabs as it leaves your hands.... and sure glad my car wasn't in it's usual assembly spot!

My four OE rings looking like new, they were so beat up looking that I had actually bought some used replacements a couple years back.

Door locks that a previous body shop beat up, instead of removing, during a paint job in '88.

Same gig... up through the sandpaper grits and then power polish.

Both door locks and the trunk lock ready to install, if I only had a car.. maybe tomorrow!

Rubber spacers and glue for the tail light panel.

Spacers in place, ready to install when I get my car back.

Almost forgot about the front headliner trim. Painted with same paint as the upper dash board and steering column, CTP70000 Duplicolour Trim. It's not supposed to have gloss, just like the dash board.

[birdsandbees]

Took 154 pictures yesterday.. I'll bore you with 20 of them!  
...................................................................................

Time to bring Therapy home from the beauty shop.

Cut and buffed and lots of klear remaining for future touch ups.

Out in the snow with a 4 gear on bias plies. Reminded me of a simpler time, but driveable.

Ready to load.

Next trailer mod... some grit mixed into some clear. I "drifted" the car up the loading door and almost got the rear quarter on the cable.

Just an easy to grab shot while in the trailer.

Fender art.

Daughter Jen talking to me. Is it Purple or Blue?

[birdsandbees]

Reflection of Therapy's home showing in the door.

Mopar in the snow..

Yah.. I think I took 154 pictures today alone.

Gorgeous. Reflecting the big Oak tree that's 75 feet away.

Snowscape reflection.

Canada Eh !

[birdsandbees]

Sun shining through the garage door.

Reflections of my mess.

I hid a car in the trunk.

Now that's straight!

Lights out and time for me to get some house renos done. Back tomorrow to blacken her eyes!

Freshly painted rear marker bezels to match the stripe.

[kent]

Great shots! Great shop! Looks like lots of room. Yeah I know never enough room. Waiting for my shop(garage) to heat up. -16C with the chill. Time for a tidying up.

[birdsandbees]

-27C here this morning and the wife has me on renos. Not too upset about it, don't want to walk to work in that even if it is only 30 feet!  

[birdsandbees]

Hood lip extension screwed into place.

Painter George would probably kill me if he knew what I was about to do!

All taped and covered to give Therapy her black out treatment. I've lost a lot of sleep over this decision myself but it is what it is, correct. I didn't think B5 cars got it, but the consensus and Chryco literature says it does.

Scuffed all that pretty paint with 320 and wiped clean.

Painted with Duplicolour CDA1605 Flat Black, from the bottom upward.

Passenger side I did about correct keeping the spray shooting upward only as was done on the assembly line. Drivers I got a bit heavier, but still looks okay.

All the tape and masking off.

Ready to do headlights, bumper, grill, etc.

[birdsandbees]

Headlight pots painted as per assembly line spec for easy ident without trying to read the position stamps. Passenger side Hi/Low = Black, Pass Hi = Blue, Driver Hi = Orange and Driver Hi/Low = Red.

New headlight adjuster kit. You need two kits to do a car.

They come assembled backwards, don't let that confuse you.

The plastic snaps into metal housing.

Push into hole and give a good smack to lock in place.

Adjuster in place.

Wish they'd taken my old ones out before paint and body work, but a pair of 90* needle nose or similar is what you'll need.
In through the hole beside the adjuster socket and use the hole as a pivot point to pop the old ones out.

Marker reflector bezel backs painted with etch primer to simulate factory colour for final assembly.

[kent]

Looking real sweet! You do know you did the right thing. I felt the same way when I had to black out my Roadrunner. A no brainer when the car is white.
So how do you like the quality of the headlight retaining kits? Happy with them? I just took mine out a couple of weeks ago. Managed to save all of them but with the fresh paint I'm going to get a couple of new sets I guess. You say you need two sets?? It looked like one set did both sides. But I never read the description. I'll check that out later.
Are you happy with the quality of the stuff from Year One? Right now at this stage I'll be getting everything else out of the States.

Can't wait to se her with the grill and lights in.

[Dino]

Awesome work as always Wayne.   

Do mine next!

[birdsandbees]

Thanks guys!

Kent, each kit only has 4 adjusters and 2 springs and screws... so one side. I hate buying stuff from YOne with a passion, but I'd ordered some stuff only they had and threw in the adjuster kits at that time. I suspect Jamie at Megaparts or Jeff Brown @ 521 Resto would have them as well and are much easier to deal with.

[kent]

Thanks Wayne. Never heard of 521 Resto. Going to check them out right now.

Do you mind me asking why you don't like dealing with them? I dropped some change there this weekend with the 30% discount.  I have only ordered from them on the 30% promos.

Once more thank you for your insight.

[birdsandbees]

YOne use to be the only game in town 30 years ago ( I still have a 1988 Catalog) and they still treat you like they think they're the only game in town. Them, like Classics, also won't use the mail and always use Fedex or UPS which just adds to the $$$'s getting across the border. I think the only time guys shop there is when they have a discount code.. 

[kent]

I hear you Wayne. Always a little extra waiting for you at the door eh? Can never just pay the bottom line.  Thanks for the response.

[birdsandbees]

Headlight "bucket" spring. Screw goes through the spring to retain same to mounting frame.

Adjuster spring installed.

All 4 buckets are marked for location. Hi-Lo RT, Hi RT, Hi-Lo LT and Hi LT.

All four buckets in place on their adjuster screws and springs.

The OEM style bulbs I bought from a guys collection a few months ago. 4000 and 4001's, all General Electrics

All 4 bulbs in place.

They even work... well after I remembered to put the dimmer switch in the wiring harness.

Still need to aim them all of course. That can wait for a warm day outside to use the white door.

[birdsandbees]

Reproduction signal lights. My "OE's" weren't from my car anyhow, something I picked up in 1988 at the Oro Flea Market and they weren't in the greatest of shape. Would be nice if the repops came ready to install.

Taped off and painted with Flat Black Rustoleum Primer and Paint.

Carefully taped off the center grill with some 3M fineline 1/4" tape on the fresh black and no other tape touching fresh paint for fear of it peeling.

Three light coats of the CBVW2039 Reflex Silver Metalic

Carefully peeled all the tape and amazingly all clean crisp lines.

I stared at it for some time! Absolutely amazed at how it came out.

Now the eyebrows were another story. Terrified paint would peel on the anodized finish and I wasn't disappointed in that! Knew I should have tried to construct a painting "mask". How Chryslers supplier would have done it. Paint the Argent, drop a mask over it and paint the Black.

A few coats of the Reflex Silver and I was quickly reminded that just because it's the same brand of paint... it doesn't mean it's compatible.

[birdsandbees]

The Black was Acrylic Enamel and I let it cure for SIX days under the furnace outlet. The Silver is Acrylic Laquer and it crazed like hell.

I managed to save it by sanding out the lizard pattern.

Sprayed a light coat of Hi Build Primer and then waited an hour.

While waiting I got the freshly refinished horns ready to install. They get their own Brown colour coded bolts for some reason, with serrated tooth washers to bite in for a better ground.

Horns and horn relay installed.

An hour later, a few coats of the Silver over the Hi Build Primer and success with a smooth flow out.

Of course my expected nightmare happened and now I get to hand paint the black. I'm not taping it again...

The Silver/Argent came out nice in the end though, now to see if I can save the Black.