Now Complete Restoration / Pulling my 1969 'Bee down for strip and paint

[mopar4don]

thank you sir

[hemi-hampton]

Nice job on cold air box, looks like new. LEON.

[birdsandbees]

Thanks Leon !  
..................

Was sitting on my ass, feeling a little overwhelmed at how far I still have to go and just scrubbing up the old package tray trim for the rear window while I gathered my wits.

Correct OE profile, at least from my car.

Thinking back to how pissed off I was when I paid good money to Year One for this (on the right) absolutely incorrect / useless / "OEM in every detail" / POS that I bought last year.

I then decided to get off my ass and do something WITH THE CHAIR ! Rear bumper on same and attach brackets installed.

Quick check, with a length of angle iron, that both brackets are in alignment and sitting straight.

Chair is the perfect height and the "hump" at the front made it even better to slide up into place.

[birdsandbees]

Couple of bolts in to hold it.

Shot to show attach hardware on one side. Three bolts into threaded holes and one bolt / nut combo.

First shot and I'm centered and it's looking great on the drivers side.

And this is where I just wanted to lie curled up on the floor with my thumb in my mouth and make baby sounds! %($$!!!***. I was asured that it was test fit, etc before being sent out for it's $1400 re-chrome job!

Pin profile off the drivers side that looks perfect.

F'd up Passenger side. Guess the bumper's coming back off! Just shoot me now...

[b5blue]

  HO Crap! Ya know I fudged my repop 70 Charger rear bumper and brackets being the valance and corners under it were an unexpected nightmare. So when the transmission shop slammed a golf cart into the valance and six months later I noticed rust spots all over the bumper....I just gave up.  (I can feel your pain!)

[hemi-hampton]

What's that funny Tool you have on rear Bumper. LEON.

[birdsandbees]

I the last 2 pictures Leon? If so, it's a pin profile'r. All those pins slide back and forth, so you can duplicate a shape perfectly. I generally use it to make transitioning parts on airplanes so they blend perfectly. Here's another that I made for doing pipe fishmouths to multiple pipes, for when I'm making or repairing engine mounts...

[b5blue]

That tool is brilliant! 

[birdsandbees]

That tool is brilliant! 

It certainly makes life easier. I made the round one with a brass bushing, a bunch of TIG filler rod cuttings and a rubber hose sleeve.

[birdsandbees]

Need is the Mother of all invention !

Quick flux MIG weld.

..and yah gotta do what yah gotta do !

Out with the top, in with the middle.

Didn't really think I'd get away with it with out this happening, but it is what it is and at least the bumper is the correct profile now. I'll hash it out with the plater later.

Drivers side..

[birdsandbees]

Passenger side. I'll call that close enough!

A bit of fiddling and shimming to get the bumper top the exact same distance to the quarter panel tops on each side.

Tightened in place and spot on.

Passenger side gap even.

Drivers side even. A bit more gap but as far as I can pull it in and bumper looks even across the tail light panel.

What the Ford drivers will see! I also see body man Kenny didn't get all of the wow out of the passenger side tail panel from an old hit. Doesn't really show looking at it in person but the flash sure picks it up.

[birdsandbees]

Went back out to the shop and thought I'd end the day on a brighter note! My OE tail lights front and another pair, rear, that I scored at Tracy's junk yard West of Barrie Ontario back in 1988.

Now while my OE tail lights aren't really bad, I couldn't resist a deal a year or more ago for factory NOS lenses still in the box, from a Natcho-RT74 in Venezuela of all places!

I'm always terrible with the many ways Chrysler date coded stuff. I believe this is Jan 2 1969.. or Feb 1st or December '69. I don't really care they're 49 years old and NEW !

Shipped from the parts depot in August of '79 (along with 5 others). There is currently a SINGLE NOS tail light lense on Ebay right now... $500 US! I paid a fair price for the pair, but not that crazy.

The line up! Plan is to disassemble and pick the best two housings and install the new NOS lenses to same.

Purdy.

A little closer look, my OE.

The NOS !

[lukedukem]

Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't there is an 'early' and 'late' version for both the '69 Super Bee and the R/T. I think the changes took place approx 1/1/69.

Reason I'm asking is that I have two different styles, one of each, for my 69 bee. Can't remember which one I need for March 26th build date.

Yours look great.

Luke

[birdsandbees]

Would be later. Raised lenses, 3 bulbs. 2 brake/signal and one reverse.

Believe the early flat lense light was '68 build dates up until Jan 1/69 give or take a week.

How many bulbs do you have in the trunk?? 

[Ghoste]

Never knew that about the lenses.  My car lesson for the day (or at least the first one of the day)

[birdsandbees]

We're all learning Ghoste.. and that's a good thing! 
....................
Interesting that my OE tail light housings (lower) are flatish black and the set I got out of a Coronet 500 back in '88 are quite light. OE's are the same colour under the lens attachment so not over spray from anything.

Picking the best set came to a quick end today, as the spare sets rusted screws are a no go. Amazing that plastic can hold something so tight and strip the heads out so easily. Even my stripped screw extractors wouldn't work!

Hold the plastic web below the screw REALLY tight before attempting any turning.

If you don't... this happens on the initial screw "crack"!

OE's apart. Housing reflector surfaces are very good so I'm not going to repaint and possibly mess them up.

[birdsandbees]

Shot to show Dodge used some sealer/glue on the housing to lense gaskets.

Glue dribble across the face. Also note that the signal/brake housing pocket is fully painted argent/silver and the reverse light is only painted in the dish and not top/bottom.

Quick wash in the laundry sink.

Not sure how to proceed on the housings. Don't want to lose the blackish finish by media blasting but have a few corrosion spots to treat. Might just wipe them down with Krown.

Always amazed at how "pot metal" seems to get bent over time, but you don't dare try to bend it back!

[mopar4don]

Need is the Mother of all invention !

..and yah gotta do what yah gotta do !

I absolutely love how you toke that bull by the horns and got it done! 

[birdsandbees]

Need is the Mother of all invention !

..and yah gotta do what yah gotta do !

I absolutely love how you toke that bull by the horns and got it done!  

Thanks Don! Didn't sleep much the night before and just figured it made more sense to correct the shape ON the car than taking it off and expecting the chromer to match it side for side. I could actually live with it by putting a bit of JB weld in the crack and a touch up, but when I have time I'll get it redone, hopefully at their expense.

Pretty sure that is where it was originally cracked and based on the wrong shape I suspect the dummies pushed top and bottom down to get the crack together and welded instead of filling the void.

[birdsandbees]

You certainly can't walk into a service station and buy a new bulb these days. Not nearly as easy as you'd think to source a set of matching GE hi and low beams.

Chrysler OEM 4001 Hi beam bulbs.

And some old stock GE 4000 Low beam bulbs. Not totally correct, as OE in '69 was the 4002. These cost me enough thanks...

Wiped the housings down with Krown Rust prevention. It cleaned up the white corrosion spots fairly well and gave the housing a nice look. Left side as washed, right side coated.

Reproduction stuff really pisses me off, can't even get gaskets correct. Old sitting on top of the new, which is too wide and it makes the gasket hang over the edge into the reflector housing.

Gasket trim with sissors. What really ticks me off is when I bought the NOS lenses they came with NOS gaskets and Customs lost the gaskets somewhere when they opened and resealed the packages both in Venezuela and the USA (looking for dope I presume).

Ready to put the new NOS lenses on my OE housings.

Set into place.

[birdsandbees]

Had to grab a shot to show they are NOS virgins...never screwed!

The OE's showing the screw threads.

When they go together with 8 screws, be sure to put in the two that are the locators first.

The other 6 holes are slots to cover manufacturing tolerances.

One assembly all together and the other will have to wait until the screws come out of the evaporust bucket.

New foam gasket.

Slipped into place.

Looks pretty good. Waiting for the acorn nuts in the evaporust bucket as well. Everyone sells "tail light nut kits" that are not correct and are washer head nuts. Not acorns.

[birdsandbees]

For the crowd that likes to stamp things. OE hood to cowl seal. Washed off some dirt and this appeared on the drivers side end on the side that attaches to the hood.

PART NO: 2736142
SUPPLIER CODE NO: 82682A

Passenger side tail light assembly together and set in place.

Pulled my OE rear glass out, that was just sitting on dust patrol, and gave the rubber headliner trim one last chance to sit in place.

Even after all the hours I spent polishing a spare back glass I was never satisfied with it's clarity, and in May bought a new AMD repro back glass through National Moparts. $541Cdn + tax and a 2.5 hour trip to pick up!

I specifically asked Scott and Nigel if AMD had corrected the curves of the backglass, as I had been told they were wrong. They assured me all was good so I ordered one and heck the bottom edge fits the contour better than the OE !

I spent 1/2 an hour spacing the glass out nicely with rubber spacers to get even overlap onto the metal edges.

Put some "alignment" tape in place to be sure I hit the spot when dropping it in onto fresh butyl.

[birdsandbees]

Stood back and thought, why the F does this look like a windshield? It humps out like one, or similar to the Superbirds back glass.

The OE glass sits cleanly down in.

The AMD repro is convex at the top and I have been lied to !

OE is concave at the top and around both sides.

AMD repro is convex all the way around.

OE glass is almost flat from top to bottom in the middle, with a concave area at the top and around to both sides. This shit could drive a guy to drink! Not sure how to proceed now... anyone close have a good scratch free OEM back glass??

[hemi-hampton]

SO, Your saying the AMD Back glass is junk, or inaccurate not correct aftermarket? LEON.

[birdsandbees]

The bottom profile is perfect and it's nice and clear! But that's where it ends! Optically incorrect, physically incorrect. Look at the pictures. OE glass is concaved at the top and down both sides and almost flat across the middle span from top to bottom. The AMD is all convex with no concave sections where it should be (top and sides), other than the turned out lower corners and there the optics are very visibly wrong from twisting the glass out and not having the concave sides to blend that into.

Not what I needed to find when I'm on the home stretch. Wanted the glass in tonight, so I could start on fenders and nose tomorrow. Car's supposed to go back to paint in early January and I don't want to be doing the back glass after she's had her final cut and polish.