My 1978 Dodge Monaco 4 door sedan.

[Gary P]

You are really making good progress on getting this car looking great again! It's unfortunate that your business has been dealt such a blow from the start but at least you are making the best of a bad situation, kudos to you sir.

Thank you so much Greg, I appreciate that very much - who knew? Comedy is all about timing, and my timing with this virus has just made me laugh and laugh.... today was a good day though, and a good handful of jobs came in, so I am very thankful for that....but sorry, back on topic, thanks for your words about the car, the more I dig into it, the more I feel excited by it!

Weird plug. Passenger side of car ? Possible power antenna ?

I have absolutely no idea...I don't think I have a power antenna but maybe it's there for that to be an option - you could be right!!

 

[Gary P]

I only managed a quick hour on the car today. I had to back it out of the shop and sweep up (we had a visit from the fire marshall), didn't have time to reinstall the seats, so a milk crate - the stuff of legends - had to be my drivers seat!

Once all that was over with (our shop passed the fire marshal inspection with flying colors) I removed the carpet kit because, well.....it's freaking grim, let's be honest...

I have since found a company OC AutoCarpets who have a very nice light grey that they call silver, for $150. I'll have my seats redone in grey as well, because there's just too much blue inside the car at this point.

I also need to make a new partition board with some insulation, to separate the trunk from the rear seat backer.

Last thing I did today was to rust treat this trunk lip (if that's the right term). I POR15'd the back end and up under this lip, and the top edge, where it has rusted through in places. Here, I will bond some steel on the underside of the lip and then finish the top side with filler. Once the rubber trim is on, it will look very nice, I think.

 

[HawkRod]

You are making great progress!

What are plans for repaint? Will you paint it up and make it like a police car, or do you intend something else?

 

[jprather]

Thank you for reminding all of us, it's not always about restoring that is a popular car with the masses, but about restoring and enjoying your dream car !
It's really great to see your passion !

 

[Gary P]

You are making great progress!

What are plans for repaint? Will you paint it up and make it like a police car, or do you intend something else?

hsorman - thank you so much, I appreciate your positive comments! Repainting has been quite a topic of constant thought for me. I don't want to insult anyone, but for me, driving around in a police car replica is not really my cup-of-tea, so I'm going with a dark grey color for the body, and replace the seat fabric and carpet to match - purely because there's a blue-overload inside the car right now. I really like the menacing presence these cars have and the Wedgewood Blue it's currently in, kinda defers from that presence. Something like this ...

As you can see, the blue dashboard still works with the grey, so there's no color clash. I will of course, paint the door jams and underside of hood and trunk etc so there isn't that awful neon sign pointing at the fact I didn't bother to do those hard to reach areas . (Apologies if this is a FBBO members picture, it was on google images and I don't mean to plagiarize)
Hopefully I can do a nice job on this car and it'll look somewhat tidy. My expectations for any car I've worked on is "tidy", simply because I don't have the talent to make it "concours". So wish me luck hahaha!

Thank you for reminding all of us, it's not always about restoring that is a popular car with the masses, but about restoring and enjoying your dream car !
It's really great to see your passion !

I appreciate that jprather, thank you for your kind sentiments. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love a '69 Charger, or a Cuda or a GTX, but I simply can't afford one of those in terrible shape let alone a nice one - they are saturated at car shows around here too and I've always shyed away from the popular stuff, despite them being bas-***. The Monaco has indeed always been a dream, and I'm happy that I get to live it now!

 

[HawkRod]

Sounds like a plan.

One other thought for your consideration (it is your car so do what you want): install black carpeting with the rest of the blue interior to tone that down a bit - similar to what they do when a car has a white interior. This can tone it down a bit without going through the need to dye interior panels. I have found that eventually starts getting scratches, etc, and then the blue will really feel like neon shining through! I am not a huge fan of painting interior vinyl as at least I have not had great success with that.

I'm sure it will be great whatever you decide!

Hawk

 

[Gary P]

Sounds like a plan.

One other thought for your consideration (it is your car so do what you want): install black carpeting with the rest of the blue interior to tone that down a bit - similar to what they do when a car has a white interior. This can tone it down a bit without going through the need to dye interior panels. I have found that eventually starts getting scratches, etc, and then the blue will really feel like neon shining through! I am not a huge fan of painting interior vinyl as at least I have not had great success with that.

I'm sure it will be great whatever you decide!

Hawk

Thanks Hawk that's another great idea! I'm going to do some "photoshopping" to see what I really prefer!

 

[Gary P]

This week (it's only Tuesday) I decided to go buy some weld through primer, because I was fed up with waiting for the stuff to be delivered, so I could get on with this...

I cut my 16 gauge steel and went about trying to bend it correctly. With barely any of the right tools...

Well, it's no "factory stamped panel" but with my crap skills and my lack of tools, I guess it'll do as a starting point. I will cut a notch in the return so I can take that bend out, and get busy with my hammer and dolly before and after I weld it in. I painted the rear of it with weld thru primer and set it aside to dry.

Then I cut small squares of galv steel, and metal-bonded them to the back sides of the trim holes. This eliminates unnecessary grinding on the body, from unnnecessary welding of the holes, which I've found out makes for unnecessary filler work.

Checking everywhere for rot before I painted the inside of the trunk with Rustoleum.

This grey is "Smoke Grey" from Rustoleum. It's way too light a grey for the body (I want a darker grey) but as it was on sale I got a big pot of it for $6. That'll do nicely.

As you can see, I metal bonded the trunk lip and spread some filler too - I've yet to sand it but all these little jobs are making the overall job a lot lighter each day.

 

[Gary P]

There is an annoying "parking lot ding" on the rear passenger door, too big to ignore. The six bolts on the bottom half of the B pillar there, unscrewed really easily and I was able to get the door off by myself no problem.

Then I got to work with the hammer and dolly. I've been watching a million videos and reading and listening and I applied all of what I learned to bring the dent out of the door, and I was incredibly pleased with myself. Whether I can do it again on the five million other dents on the car, remains to be seen.

The trim holes need to be welded up and filler applied - right on that body line damn it.

The graphics shop has had a nice steady stream of potential jobs the last few days, I've been able to bid some things and push for a few jobs to blossom - which they have! So I am very thankful for that. Artworks, renderings and pricing takes up a ton of time, so it's not always right for me to piss around with the car.

I have to jump on it when there's a moment, so today, it was bugging me so much seeing it in the shop all slouched to one side like a slovenly teenager, I had to get the car sitting straight. Under the front control arms theres an adjuster bolt on each side that raises and lowers the suspension (it's a torsion beam just like my old flame the Volkswagen), and lo-and-behold it was as simple as that! Now she's not slouching and I bumped her front end up a little!!

She will, however, now that I've cranked on that adjuster bolt, need an alignment. But that's ok, it's 3/4 mile to the nearest alignment shop and as a bonus he specializes in old cars! Result!!

I stayed at the shop after hours this evening, to finish off that rear tail light wiring loom. I bought two bulb holders and a load of bulbs, but all the parts stores in my area were out of more of them, so I have to wait for four more bulb holders (arriving tomorrow).

These are the current ones...

And these are the two new ones I soldered in...

They turn 90 into the back of the lenses and fit perfectly.

I used 3M Electrical insulation tape and bound the entire loom, which now looks brand new (Weirdly, 95% of this little tail light loom sits unprotected between the bumper and the trunk lip, so the probability of it being wet/hot/filthy/all of the above, is high. I figured I would wrap the loom in new and good electrical tape to give it another good run at life).

So as it stands tonight, the door is back on, loom back in (albeit temporarily), and it's ready to be backed out of the shop tomorrow, because I have a pick-up truck coming in for a nice little decal kit - which makes me very happy.

Signing off for tonight, hope you are all healthy, safe, and in good standing with work, family and careers. Best wishes. Gary.

 

[Chargerjase]

The car is coming along nicely. I agree, it’s amazing to have some high dollar car, but to have something you have dreamed about and love with such a passion, you can’t beat that. I am enjoying your build, can’t wait to see it move along.

 

[HawkRod]

Gary,

I too am enjoying your build - nothing like rolling up your sleeves and taking on a project! None of us are born with the skills to do all this stuff, we learn it through trial and error, and by doing it! Good job!

A recommendation: Chrysler wrapped looms in non-adhesive tape. It is available and I would suggest you use that rather than plain electricians tape. Why? The adhesive in the electricians tape will be exposed in lots of areas and will start picking up dust, dirt and crap (ask me how I know!). Since you will likely need to wrap more, I suggest you order some (I don't recall it is particularly expensive) as you move along.

Regardless - good luck as you move along with the project!

Hawk

 

[Gary P]

The car is coming along nicely. I agree, it’s amazing to have some high dollar car, but to have something you have dreamed about and love with such a passion, you can’t beat that. I am enjoying your build, can’t wait to see it move along.

Thanks Chargerjase - I feel lucky to have even found one of these cars let alone one in this good shape. As for high dollar cars, I would love a '69 Challenger - but the value again, like my old flame the Volkswagen, has come to the point where the average hobbyist (me) is about $100,000 away from getting into one. More power to the guys who have one, though, it must be such a rush driving a really sorted Challenger. Saying that, if I had $100,000 to spend on a car, I am a 911 fanboy so I would be at the Porsche dealership buying a 911 Carrera 4s

Gary,

I too am enjoying your build - nothing like rolling up your sleeves and taking on a project! None of us are born with the skills to do all this stuff, we learn it through trial and error, and by doing it! Good job!

A recommendation: Chrysler wrapped looms in non-adhesive tape. It is available and I would suggest you use that rather than plain electricians tape. Why? The adhesive in the electricians tape will be exposed in lots of areas and will start picking up dust, dirt and crap (ask me how I know!). Since you will likely need to wrap more, I suggest you order some (I don't recall it is particularly expensive) as you move along.

Regardless - good luck as you move along with the project!

Hawk

- Thank you Hawk, I appreciate you and the others tagging along in this little build! Never have I professed to know anything much but I sure am enjoying finding and figuring things out the hard way!
I very much appreciate your advice with the non-adhesive tape...what a great tip!! I will grab some and keep it handy for the final reassembly! You guys are awesome!!

I'm going to do some more to the car this morning, so hopefully I'll have some good pics for you later!

 

[Gary P]

Our little truck decal kit job went so well this morning. As the car sat outside I glanced at it and felt so glad I adjusted the front ride height yesterday, as it now sits like it should.

Now it's back inside, my bids are done and it's time to get real...

 

[Chargerjase]

A recommendation: Chrysler wrapped looms in non-adhesive tape. It is available and I would suggest you use that rather than plain electricians tape. Why? The adhesive in the electricians tape will be exposed in lots of areas and will start picking up dust, dirt and crap (ask me how I know!). Since you will likely need to wrap more, I suggest you order some (I don't recall it is particularly expensive) as you move along.

I concur with this. I think a roll of non adhesive vinyl tape is about $10. Trust me, you will not regret it. Normal electrical tape also loses its adhesive after a few years and will become super sticky, then fall off. Properly wrapped wires will stand the test of time.

 

[Gary P]

A recommendation: Chrysler wrapped looms in non-adhesive tape. It is available and I would suggest you use that rather than plain electricians tape. Why? The adhesive in the electricians tape will be exposed in lots of areas and will start picking up dust, dirt and crap (ask me how I know!). Since you will likely need to wrap more, I suggest you order some (I don't recall it is particularly expensive) as you move along.

I concur with this. I think a roll of non adhesive vinyl tape is about $10. Trust me, you will not regret it. Normal electrical tape also loses its adhesive after a few years and will become super sticky, then fall off. Properly wrapped wires will stand the test of time.

Brilliant!! Thanks you guys I will do just that!!

 

[Gary P]

Well, I'm no expert but that doesn't look great. It doesn't look bad either but it's not warped and it fits ok. The bit above it I hoped was going to be a simple repair but as with all this kinda stuff, I started digging at it and of course, it got worse and worse. So I cut that crap right out...

After standing around scratching my head for a good twenty minutes I figured out what to do.

I cut a piece using the body as a guide to get the right curve and scribed the back of it to make a lip. Using pliers. Yes, pliers. I do not have any bodyworking tools at all.

Then I used my jack stand, that has a nice rounded edge to the top of it, to hammer against, and cut some notches in it to get it to the correct shape. It worked out ok. I know some of the experienced metal-work people are crying into their hands right now, but I am learning, and I don't have anyone here to be a guide or a teacher.

It went in, and so did another patch panel.

I am frustrated that this took me so long today, and I have to say it was mostly because my phone was going off constantly. Friends, family, work stuff, just a constant "binnnnng" "binnnnnggg" and then a minute later effing "binnnnnggg"!! I know I'd miss it if my people didn't stay in touch, but it was a major factor in why this job took me 4 hours instead of two.

That's it for today, so it's some progress and that's what matters.

Don't look too close ^^^ :-D

 

[Gary P]

Morning! Hope you are all keeping well.

Today was quieter in the shop so I fought long and hard trying to remove the window trim.

The amount of "stuff" that was caked up inside a small bit of trim was unreal!

The reason I did this was so that I could pull out the remnants of the vinyl top, which is tucked in here at the factory and is sandwiched in between the body and these annoying little clips...

Once I had cleaned it all out as best I could, I went to the hardware store and bought a selection of wire brushes, ranging from big-*** ones to toothbrush-sized ones, which came in very handy here, as you can see...

The gutters are now cleared out and here ^^^ I used this product below to remove all the etching, stains and other crap from the glass and I have to say, it's excellent!! I recommend this, it was $30 on Amazon, smells like ammonia but works great with the little stiff sponge they provide. Highly recommend.

While I was "digging out the trenches" I found two little rust holes that were clearly two of the reasons why my trunk was always wet. I filled them. It's ok now.

Trenches cleared out really good. I masked it all off and blasted some self-etch primer in there.

Disclaimer: You are correct, to do a proper job, I should remove the glass completely.

I absolutely agree. I did that with my 67 Bug and it made for a much nicer finish.

BUT - the glass for this car, is almost impossible to find, so I left it in place so to reduce the risk of breaking it. I also didn't fight too hard with those trim clips because of breakage. If all the parts were available, I would totally pull the glass out but I'm not prepared to take the risk, especially as this is siliconed into place, and some of the interior trim has been encased by said silicone too. I'm sure some of you who know these cars, know how hard most parts are to find.

Anyways, just taking a lunch break, my love bought me some fish taco's to the shop, while the etch is drying. Here's to a successful afternoon!

Thanks for reading guys!

 

[Gary P]

This afternoon I took the trunk lid off, which was surprisingly easy. The stays have these funny sleeves inside them which are threaded for the mounting bolts. Quite why Chrysler couldn't thread the holes without using these sleeves is beyond me - but it's been a riot finding "Oh Chrysler" manufacturing things on this car.

I also removed the perished rubber seal for the lid - and hoped that they are available, or at least a generic one that will work is available. Here's hopin...

I took the trunk lid off so that I could spread filler here, more easily.

I'm glad I did that.

The size of this trunk lid....

While I was in "spreading mode" I mixed up some more filler and spread the repairs I made yesterday. Fingers crossed I did a good job at spreading for that body line. We'll see in a few days.

To finish off today, my bulb holders came in, so I'll fit them.

Well, it's the end of Thursday April 23rd and tomorrow we have a sign and graphics install job about 3.5hrs south in St George Utah. Me and the lady are going together, so that we can stay at her Moms house and then we can indulge in our mutual hobby - mountain biking! In one of the Worlds' Mecca's of Mountain Biking! We need the down time, her more than me (4 kids)!!

I wish you all a safe and great weekend and happy Friday!!

 

[Greg Ducato]

I'm loving the attitude of fun you bring to this rebuild and the economical and practical approach you have applied, it is very refreshing.

 

[Gary P]

I'm loving the attitude of fun you bring to this rebuild and the economical and practical approach you have applied, it is very refreshing.

Thanks Greg!! That's awesome of you to say! I'm glad that is translating.