68 GTX Project

[threewood]

Dang rust hides everywhere but that looks very fixable. My roof was all rusted out at the c pillar from a shoddy re-vinyl.

When was your car last painted?

 

['68 Coronet R/T]

You car actually is in very good shape considering its age.
The nature of restoration work is to tackle each problem as you come to it. That's why it can take so long to finish one.

 

['68 Coronet R/T]

So curious, what does the world believe is the correct cluster for 68 'X? I pulled from my 68 'X a 120 MPH speedo cluster with no tach(see the middle cluster in the pix). For some reason I don't think this 68 cluster was OEM, but not real sure. I pulled from my '69 'X the one on the right with the tach and 150 MPH speedo with single/two digit (no zero) speedo numbers. The one on the left is a donor 150 MPH cluster I grabbed at a swap.

What speedos had the full 2/3 digit speed numbers?

My car has an October 6th build date and came with the early speedometer. Not sure if there is an exact date for the switch over but I am sure they used up any stock they had first.

 

[rakort]

My car has an October 6th build date and came with the early speedometer. Not sure if there is an exact date for the switch over but I am sure they used up any stock they had first.

So that must be Oct 67....I'm thinking by Oct 68 they were building 69's

 

[rakort]

Dang rust hides everywhere but that looks very fixable. My roof was all rusted out at the c pillar from a shoddy re-vinyl.

When was your car last painted?

Well, not real sure when it was last painted. I find the green over most of the car. I'm guessing maybe 20 years ago. I'm sure the car was never on the road after that paint job. The weird thing is I find petty blue in weird places under the green but not under the entire green paint job. Seems like the blue was painted around the jams and edges then they changed direction and went with green.

 

['68 Coronet R/T]

So that must be Oct 67....I'm thinking by Oct 68 they were building 69's

Correct!

So your car was originally yellow? I didn't see the fender tag but saw the read out given and spots of yellow showing.

 

[rakort]

Correct!

So your car was originally yellow? I didn't see the fender tag but saw the read out given and spots of yellow showing.

Correct, it was originally yellow. After much debate we made the decision to stick with yellow for the repaint. Although I will likely use a more modern yellow that pops. The interior was green. I had to come to terms with keeping it original and doing something that I like. So bright yellow ish and original green interior.

 

[rakort]

Yep, I had problems in all the same places.
You can see the filler at the top of the door post.
Support structure under the sail panels needed major repair. Ended up scrapping the roof skin.

Well some times I'm a dumb *** and can't see the forest through the trees. I'm all bummed about the rust on the roof panel near the joint and started planning fabbing patch panels and making a custom flanger to get the right offset etc.

Then suddenly my memory starts to work again! This is why I never rush into anything! WAIT, didn't I totally cut apart and ENTIRE 69 GTX and SAVE every possible reusable panel!? Why do I have this huge pile of scrap sheet metal laying in a storage unit I ask myself? OHHHHHHH just for this occasion I say to myself! Suddenly I wake up and smell the patch panel I actually have in inventory!

Sorry for the ramble, but dug out my path forward on the rust on the roof at the roof q panel joint!

Look no rust on the roof panel!

 

['68 Coronet R/T]

Correct, it was originally yellow. After much debate we made the decision to stick with yellow for the repaint. Although I will likely use a more modern yellow that pops. The interior was green. I had to come to terms with keeping it original and doing something that I like. So bright yellow ish and original green interior.

Wow, it will be interesting to see how that turns out. I am blessed with blue on blue.

 

[rakort]

So the q panel was extracted today! Some kind of progress

 

[rakort]

So I was excited when I received the new edition of Mopar Muscle. So as usual they have an article about body work curiosity of the shop near me in Chippewa Falls.....what is it called MCR? They were documenting the process of swapping a q-panel. So I dug right in as I am up to the same task with my Q-Panel. I was disappointed as their process was leave the perimeters in place and match cut the remnants and but weld them together. so what say you? Leave the perimeters in place or dig out all the edges like I am doing?

 

[eldubb440]

hang doors on that thing.... make them perfectly parallel / level with the rocker....... I have butt welded that to save the original spot welds; but if it's rusting underneath, remove it

 

[rakort]

hang doors on that thing.... make them perfectly parallel / level with the rocker.

Doors are hung, in fact they have never been removed since I owned it for the very purpose you mention.. Doors fit great and wanted to keep that theme going

 

[rakort]

 

[rakort]

So I extracted the roof patch panel and drip rail patch today from the donor.....gheesh...no small task, but should be good to go now!

 

[rakort]

Still plugging away on the quarter panel, but getting close. to gluing that on with molten medal

Finished on the trunk drop.

So still looking for advice on this issue:

https://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopa...rner-filler-and-quarter-panel-fitment.177735/

Any help would be appreciated.

Cutting back the flanges to allow the corner filler piece to tuck in there will make the gaps and lines worse.

 

[rakort]

So is this a standard procedure to have to cut apart AMD quarters to fit the rear window corner and the gutter flange?

 

[eldubb440]

So is this a standard procedure to have to cut apart AMD quarters to fit the rear window corner and the gutter flange?


View attachment 951463 View attachment 951464

more often than you may think......... put your trunk lid on there to keep things straight, sometimes its the dutchman that is off.....i go into metal work expecting to dice and slice........all these parts are pretty much hit and miss; and ya gotta do what ya gotta do

 

[rakort]

I just made an arm to bolt onto my metal stretcher to turn it into a portable unit. I plan using it to re-curve the top of the quarter panel (pinch flange) to match the curve on the dutchman......of course it is one more thing that doesn't match up. Not enough clamps and what not to finagle those two into alignment with out some intervention.

I do have the trunk lid on and will be test fitting the window again soon as well.

 

[dadsbee]

Mine...

You can take an English Wheel to work with you too.. LOL