1969 Dodge Charger RT Restoration

[bg1767]

This year (2020) I have been blasting parts, reassembling to straighten the body, and preparing for paint. Also had to cut up the new front drivers AMD fender as it had a weird angle and thickness where it met the hood. Anyone else have this with AMD? All the floors and quarters aligned nicely, as well as the passenger fender.

 

[bg1767]

And now we are all caught up. And time for the questions and asking for suggestions.

I have spent a lot of time trying to decide the order in which to paint the parts. I am currently on this approach:

1. Epoxy prime the exterior, body filler, high build prime and sand
2. Disassemble and put back on rotisserie
3. Prime/paint/clear the backs of doors/hood/trunk/valence and interior and trunk
4. Prime/paint/clear roof (vinyl top), lower/outside engine bay, and under body
   
5. Remove from rotisserie, assemble (hood, doors, front valance, trunk), align all body panels.
6. Final epoxy sealer/paint/clear of exterior and upper engine bay.

Any suggestions on this? My biggest area of concern is the upper engine bay with the hood hinges and bolts to the fenders.

 

[bg1767]

And one last topic for today is paint. I have just purchased SPI (https://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/) products for the primers and clear. All that is left to buy is the base paint. For B5 blue do I spend over $800 a gallon for PPG Deltron DBC base? I looked at Dupont Chromabase ($400+) and didn't care for it after what others have said. Should I consider (1) BASF Diamont or (2) Metalux? I was told Diamont would be about the same cost as Chromabase and it is seeming like a good option from what I have read.

And a second question, how much base paint do you think I should get to do the entire car (exterior, roof, under body, under fenders, interior bottom half, trunk)? 2 gallons? 1.75? 1.5? Thank you for any knowledge you can provide!

 

[Pistol Pete]

The quarter panels are done too. There was a lot more bondo in the quarters than expected, most from accidents just behind the doors. The lower rears were very thin and had many holes. With those issues I just decided to replace them. Also completed the rear valence and corners.

Assuming these were AMD as well, how did the valence, corners and quarter panels all line up ?

 

[bg1767]

Assuming these were AMD as well, how did the valence, corners and quarter panels all line up ?

Yup, I only purchased AMD. Found out they are less than an hour drive from me. The quarters, rear valence and corners lined up pretty well. My car had been in a fender bender on the drivers front and rear corners so the left side needed more adjustment, but I don't think it was anything to do with the AMD parts. The passenger side all slid right on.

 

[bg1767]

Would someone be able to add a picture of where the front of a vinyl top meets the cowl at the bottom of the a-pillar? Mine didn't have the vinyl top when I got it and I want to make sure I understand where it ends. Thank you.

 

[DarksideJim]

Looks great keep posting up dates

 

[DarksideJim]

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[bg1767]

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View attachment 915323

Thanks for the picture!

 

[bg1767]

Got it epoxy primed and am working on the body filler now.

 

[bg1767]

I previously seam sealed my rear valence extensions (corners). Should these have a seam seal look and have vertical lines going up? Or should they be filled smooth? Can anyone provide pictures of how it should be done? Thank you!

 

[bg1767]

Here is how they look now. Maybe more seam sealer so the grooves aren't so deep?

 

[bg1767]

Oops, didn't get many pictures of body filler and multiple rounds of high build primer and block sanding. I will probably do one more round on the final exterior. Anyone have thoughts on the amount of seam sealer for the rear valence?

 

[bg1767]

Like I mentioned before, due to space and the amount of work involved I have broken up the underside/engine compartment, interior/trunk, and exterior work. Over the last week I completed the underside/engine compartment. It was taped off, epoxy sealed, filler applied to roof dents/driver's floor patch, more epoxy primer, B5 blue, and clear. A lot of this will be covered by under body coating and a vinyl top, but it was good practice.

The engine compartment pictures are before and after clear.

 

[69bfan]

Sorry for a late response, just again viewing this post. The rear valance extensions should have a distinct seam where it transitions into the lower quarter and the rear valance itself. A dead give away of damage repair is shops blending the corners into quarters and rear valance.

The work looks great and proceeding along nicely.

 

[bg1767]

Getting ready to paint the interior and trunk. Body filler and seam sealer is done. Should have it blue early this week.

 

[bg1767]

We now have a blue trunk, interior, and a lot of small parts. You have to look pretty close to tell the driver's floor was replaced.

 

[bg1767]

I do have a few questions for those that have done this before. The rear panel around the tail lights and the indents in the hood need to be black. What should I use for paint? I have a satin black urethane that I used on my two tone Bronco that may work.

Also, how should I go about applying the paint? Paint the blue and the tape off the area and spray black? Can the black go over blue and clear, or should I tape it off before the blue as well? Anyone have detailed pictures on where exactly to tape off both of these areas? Thank you!

 

[hunt2elk]

If you want it to be correct, the black paint should be Organisol. Has a matte textured finish. We have always done the tail panels after the body was painted.

 

[bg1767]

If you want it to be correct, the black paint should be Organisol. Has a matte textured finish. We have always done the tail panels after the body was painted.

Thank you, and would you paint over the clear coat?