Don's 69 Charger Rust Belt restoration

[mopar4don]

This is what I came up with.
pic1-2
I used small pieces of sheet metal for "backers" to help locate the common surface, and it would allow me to clamp it.
Down in that corner I bent a piece of sheet metal into a 90 so that it would span the joint and I could clamp it.

pic3 a view from the back side

[mopar4don]

So now that I am happy about the way it clamped up I am ready to apply the 3M plastic filler.
My idea is to un-clamp one side and gently opened the gap then applied the 3M plastic filler, then closed the gap back up and re-clamp it.
To keep the filler from seeping through and bonding with the sheet metal, I put some wax paper between the sheet metal and the repair.

pic1 - shows the back side of one joint (I applied the filler here 1st then waited a day to be sure it was dry, then applied the filler to the 90 degree joint)

pic2 - shows the back side of the 90 degree joint

[mopar4don]

So after the 3M filler dried, I removed the clamps and metal backer, and then applied the filler to the other side of the joint (where it was previously covered by the metal backer) Sorry no pics of this

pic1 - Here is a pic after I rough sanded the joint (the clamps are there for the next step)

pic2 - shows the sheet metal backer clamped to the bucket

pic3 - backside view

pic4 - shows me fitting the missing piece that I salvaged from an extra broken up grill I have

[mopar4don]

I was having some warping issues so I put a little english on it by taping it up

pic2 - Here you can see that missing piece

So after I was happy with the way everything fit I went ahead and applied the 3M filler like before (sorry no pics)

[mopar4don]

The next area was the broken mounting brackets. One on the center section, and one on the bucket.
I used modeling clay to form the area to repair.

pic1-2 shows the clay on the center section

pic3 - shows the clay on the bucket

pic4 - shows the filler pooled into the clay

[Lennard]

Great job

[Ryan.C]

I love the clay trick! I wish I would have gone that route when I did my grill, it would have been a lot easier and cleaner final product.

Good job! 

[birdsandbees]

Nice again Don! Neat that we've both been playing with clay this week!! 

[VegasCharger]

Excellent work Don!!! 

[Charger-Bodie]

3m 4240 is what I prefer to use too.

[Stevearino]

As always. I am astonished at your patient attention to the details. Very rewarding to watch.

[mopar4don]

Great job

Thank you Lennard

I love the clay trick! I wish I would have gone that route when I did my grill, it would have been a lot easier and cleaner final product.

Good job! 

Thanks Ryan, On my 1st attempt (with ABS shaving slurry) I did one of these bracket areas. I used wood to dam up the areas.... anyway that was a mess to cleanup compared to the clay!

Nice again Don! Neat that we've both been playing with clay this week!! 

I have to come clean with you. This grill resto was started about 10 months ago! I am really bad at keeping this thread up to date!
But yes we both have experience working with clay.

Excellent work Don!!! 

Thanks

3m 4240 is what I prefer to use too.

Nice to know someone else has used the same "plastic glue" have you had any issues with it?

As always. I am astonished at your patient attention to the details. Very rewarding to watch.

Thanks Stevo, I will try and get this thread up to date, and do better in the future!

[Hemidog]

Just went through this whole thread, awesome work, and looks like a labor of love 

[mopar4don]

Thanks Dog!
Well I don't know about a labor of love...., all I can say is I really enjoy getting out in the garage, tuning in to my favorite preachin or worship music,
and working on the car!

[mopar4don]

So once the mounting brackets dried I sanded them down to shape and used a hot stapler to add strength to the joint

pic1- Here is a pic of the hot stapler (I used this on every broken joint, more on those after I fix the ear)

pic 2-4 shows the staples melted into the plastic

After the staples were set, I clipped them off and ground them down flush. I then put another coat of 3M plastic filler on, then sanded back down to clean them up (sorry no pics of this)

[mopar4don]

The next area to fix is the drivers side dog ear.

pic1 - What I did was transfer the pass side outer perimeter to some graph paper.

pic2 - then I transferred that into a cad-cam system,

[mopar4don]

and using the cam system cut the shape into a block of ABS,
*NOTE*I mirror imaged the shape to get the driver side

[mopar4don]

Next I made some section templates of the pass ear (flipping them gives me the drivers side)
and started whittling away material until the template was close

[mopar4don]

So far so good!

[mopar4don]

Now that I have the rough shape of the ear done it's time to see how to mate it to the bucket.

[mopar4don]

Now that I have it close, I need to whittle a profile into the bucket that will accept my patch better than the jagged edge left, when the ear was broke off

[mopar4don]

To double check the attitude of the ear.(pitch or yaw for you airplane fans) I came up with a position fixture.

Sorry I did not get any pics, but basically I positioned the PASS side bucket onto a sheet of plywood and
shimmed the bucket up using a block of wood,(2x4) Till I got the ear to lay flat (as my patch is flat on the bottom)
So now that the bucket is shimmed up so that the bottom of the ear is flat on the plywood.
I transferred all outer edges down to the plywood.

Now I have to MIRROR image everything to get an accurate position for my ear
Hope this makes sense!

Anyway here is the paper with the mirror imaged outer edge of the ear

[mopar4don]

and the ear "patch" in position

[mopar4don]

So once I was happy with the position and how the seams fit, I v-notched all the joints and pushed a bunch of hot staples into it

[mopar4don]

Then I ground off the studs and filled all the joints with 3M plastic filler