Ok body guys...here's the game plan

[jaak]

how hard was it to install your vinyl roof? did you just lay it out on the roof,spray the sealant on half at one side?

It was pretty straight forward, the hardest part on a Charger is the sail panel area (I spent a whole evening doing the passenger side, but after I conquered that, the driver's side went a lot quicker.
Here's how I did it.....
First off I sat the top on top of another car of mine outside in the sunlight all day long, it relaxes all the wrinkles from being folded up in the box. Find & mark centerline of roof. Lay vinyl top upside down measure between seams and mark centerline (in pencil) on the bottom side of the vinyl top. Locate and place top on the car. My front and back glass was removed, so I took vice grips and clamped the vinyl at front and rear (to help hold in place). Fold one side back over, and apply cement (I cant remember the PN, but its the expensive 3M brand, around 22 bucks a can at parts store...need 4 cans) apply cement to roof then bottom side of vinyl (from centerline to seam, let sit about 5 minutes to get tacky. Have a friend to help you, after the glue gets tacky pull vinyl down TIGHTLY over top, using your hands to smooth it out. Then repeat process with the other side of centerline. Then do the same steps from seam to edge (on both sides), then proceed to C-pillars and sail panels, the lastly the A-pillars. After everythings in place, trim off excess material. There are alot of great how to guides online, and I read several before attempting.....but it turned out great, and was proud I did it myself.

Good luck with yours,
Jason

 

[roadrunnerman]

thanks for the great info.I just need to decide when the time comes if i want to just primer the roof and lay vinyl or paint the color on.someone told me if i paint it i had to wait about a year to let the paint cure before i could put the vinyl on.

 

[jaak]

thanks for the great info.I just need to decide when the time comes if i want to just primer the roof and lay vinyl or paint the color on.someone told me if i paint it i had to wait about a year to let the paint cure before i could put the vinyl on.

I don't think that's true about letting the paint cure for a year, I never heard that before.....but I could be wrong. On mine, it was epoxy primered, and that's it (look at pic on page 4, right after i painted it). I had plan on putting atleast one coat of paint on the roof, but when I began painting, I was afraid I would run out of paint before I got finished, and I would have if I hadn't skipped the roof. I used OMNI paint, and It was thin as water....I will never use that stuff again.

Jason

 

[Big Jim]

Long, slow, tedious process but outstanding results! Pat yourself on the back- you eaned it!

 

[jaak]

I will update soon, putting the interior in right now.... all I can say is repo parts suck....ain't nothing fitting right. Trim parts carpets suck, trim parts rear window trim sucks, have nice door panels (made by and upholster), but they are giving me a fit. But everything is looking pretty good.

Rant off,
Jason

 

[jaak]

Long, slow, tedious process but outstanding results! Pat yourself on the back- you eaned it!

Thanks,
Jason

 

[66383charger]

Just read this complete thread, wow... I have to get my *** in gear, my 66 has sat on the body dolly for too long, filler work and first blocking done. I was very curious about the poly prime (hi build) what was it like to spray? what was it like to sand? how thick is it when sprayed compared to regular primer. Im going to the garage right now to get my butt in gear.
Fantastic job... you should be very proud of your self.
Jeff

 

[Donny]

Very impressive build for sure! Lots of skill and talent and determination! Nice!

 

[jaak]

Here's some updated pics. I'm pretty much finished for now, got a few odds-n-ends to do (wiper blades, dome lens, fix a trans leak), but should have it ready to hit the road when spring hits. Just hope its some inspiration to some of you guys starting or mid-way through a project. I did everything myself (my wife lent a hand when I needed it), took me a few years and was on a budget. It's not OEM correct or 100% perfect, but I'm pretty damn proud of my first ground up project.

Jason

 

[jaak]

Just read this complete thread, wow... I have to get my *** in gear, my 66 has sat on the body dolly for too long, filler work and first blocking done. I was very curious about the poly prime (hi build) what was it like to spray? what was it like to sand? how thick is it when sprayed compared to regular primer. Im going to the garage right now to get my butt in gear.
Fantastic job... you should be very proud of your self.
Jeff

Thanks Jeff.

About your polyester primer question....I highly recommend it, especially for a do-it yourselfer. Its basically a spray on filler to level everything out. As far as spraying it, its THICK. I bought a cheep spray gun with a 2.0 tip and still had to thin it 10% to get it to flow the way I liked. If you had to purchase a gun to shoot it, I'd recommend one with a 2.2 tip! It sands nicely, after curing I would guide coat it (using powder or spray-can) then start with the long blocks and some 180 grit.

good luck,
Jason

 

[fla 66 cuda]

Looks great jaak i'm impressed with the outcome you have done a great job, we are presently doing a 73 charger i have been doing metal work since march,trunk gutters arrived today and they will complete the metal work on the body then on to mud work. Have the hood to repair and that finishes metal work on the body panels. I had never welded,fabricated anything before this project i'm not an expert nor will this car turn out a showpiece but i am going to do my best to do an acceptable job on it. I'm gonna save this thread for future referance. Thanks for the motavational thread.

 

[northerndave]

Congrats on your work! You have an awesome car!!

+1 on the 2.2 for poly prime. devilbiss finishline guns are relatively reasonable in price and you can swap nozzle sizes from as small as 1.3 on up to 2.2 without changing air cap or needle. I have one set up with a 2.2 as a dedicated poly prime gun.

(and I love polyester primer!!)

:grin:

 

[Tony]

Sweet

Very impressive. Thanks for the motivation.
:headbang:

 

[71ChallengerSE]

BAD@SS

To anyone who doesn't like FJ6 on a 69 Charger you can go find another brand.
This is one SWEET car!

 

[jaak]

Long over due update

Well, I have been driving around the town I live in seeing how the car runs, and making a list of 'odds-n-ends' I need to do to drive around and enjoy this thing during summer/fall. One thing I noticed is my gauges are not accurate, I hooked up a mechanical temp gauge while leaving the factory one hooked up...when showing 230* on dash gauge, it showed 170* on mechanical gauge. My oil pressure was reading low too. I decided since it will probably be a while before I can have my gauges rebuilt/calibrated, I decided to install aftermarket (at least temp and oil pressure) for the time being. I have looked at several gauges over the last couple of weeks, I want them to be electric, and I wanted something that would match the car, sort of retro looking. I wanted autometer, but couldn't find what I was looking for. I actually decided on SunPro Retro Line Gauges, mainly because the look so similar to the factory gauge and have the same 'sweep'. Well since I haven't installed A/C stuff you (will probably be a couple of years), and I deleted the radio, I made a metal bracket that goes where the AC/heat controls go. I got them installed today, and tested....temp looks good and oil pressure is good! I think they look decent.
SunPro Retro Line....

Installed in my Charger....

My right front parking lamp wasn't working, so I chased it down and found a bad connection in the wiring, repaired that today too. Also my headlight doors stopped flipping up, it was a simple fix, the vacuum connector came loose from the switch.

Both parking lamps working!.....

And last but not least, got to post a pic of my little helper out in the shop today....

Still got a few little things to take care of, but I'm pretty much ready to burn the roads up!
Jason

 

[68bee70rr]

Great job you did there! You should be very proud of yourself. Looks great.

 

[roadrunnerman]

the car turned out great inside and out.

 

[welder47]

That car turned out great. Im going to start on my 68 charger as soon as my roadrunner is done. I do it all myself also. Was almost thinking about not doing the vinyl roof over on mine but yours looks so good I might reconsider it. Im not a 100 percent OEM guy either, I get close but I do think that there are products and parts out there that far excede the quality of what the factory had in the sixtys and my cars are not factory one offs either that should be left correct.

 

[Moparsmitty]

Your Charger look great. Enjoy the attention when you are cruising. :headbang:

 

[jaak]

Sick!!!!

Well, looks like I might be repainting my car. I was under it working on a power steering leak, and my 4 year old must have thought a big green Charger makes a good aircraft carrier for his die cast airplane. He started at the drivers door, went down the drivers quarter, across the decklid (stripe) and on around the passenger side quarter. He must have been pressing down hard because it left 3 distinct scratches about 1/4 inch apart. I tried buffing an area, but I can still see them. Worst case if I can buff it out, I will, but I will have to replace the stripe regardless.
I'm still just thinking about fixing a couple of mechanical issues, then start stripping all the trim, sanding it down and re-shooting the outside of the car (if I do, I WILL use PPG this time), and have it ready to go next spring.

I think I handled it well, I fussed at him but didn't use profanity, and didn't beat him, LOL. I understand its just a car, and he is way more important than a hunk of metal, but I needed to vent a little.

Jason