COVID cleanup and the tools of the trade

[lloyd3]

The upside of the "lock-down" is that I've had plenty of time on my hands to use my car. For the last 60 days I've probably driven it as much as I have in the last 10-years. Lots of reasons for that but....clearly the biggest is being forcibly kept at home and being unable to travel for work. My wife is a computer nerd and is only as far away from work as she is from a good internet connection. My son completed his sophomore year in high school in the same fashion and is now blessedly working at Home Depot (a business that has, if anything, been even more-blessed by our present circumstances).

The upside which creates the downside of more-frequent use results inevitably in more accumulated grime and dust and dirt. They're even paving in my neighborhood (which brings it's own mixed bag of blessings) so I've got tar and sticky grime from that to deal with as well. It was nice and cool here this AM, so the pooch and I got out for an early walk. Upon our return, I was energized enough to play musical cars and get the dirty old Dodge out for a bath.

The tools used today:



I know that none of these potions are new. Most are decidedly "old school" and even fairly cheap. So be it.



The vinyl is looking ok for being fairly ancient. Armour-All still works for me.



Clean glass changes everything...




These rims are getting fairly tired and if I ever want to upgrade to more-substantial tires I'm going to need to replace them but...nobody makes an exact replacement that I know of & I really do prefer chrome...





No hose used this time. Just a bucket of warm water, clean towels, and an old rag.  Turtle Wax cleaner is way too-easy...

Cooler days will be the rule from now-on through the end of Summer.  Big engines mean big heat and driving it in anything over 80 degrees stops being fun fairly quickly. Evenings are still ok but no AC means little daytime driving until September now.  The "dog-days" will be here soon enough.

My apologies for the rather "boring" post.  I really am running out of productive things to do here. Can't wait to get back to work.

[Mopar Nut]

Wow very nice?

[c00nhunterjoe]

Stoner's glass cleaner is my favorite. I use it in the aerosol can.

[Kern Dog]

That is a great looking car.

[lloyd3]

Thanks Kern Dog.

[Bronzedodge]

Beautiful '68.  Is that DD-1 Pale Blue?  I like that color.

[lloyd3]

I've never seen DD-1 to my knowledge. This is UU-1 Light Blue Metallic with a C6B Frost Blue interior.

[tan top]

Beautiful '68.  Is that DD-1 Pale Blue?  I like that color.

dont know much about 68 Chargers, but i think DD1 was not offered as standard optioned color !

also ive never seen a 68 charger fender tag with DD1 on it , although that dont mean much as ive not looked at enough 68s tags    

I've never seen DD-1 to my knowledge. This is UU-1 Light Blue Metallic with a C6B Frost Blue interior.

    nice looking 68 ! did not realise it was a four speed  

from the color chip DD1 looks more of a silvery blue while UU1 looks like blue ! a light blue    well to me anyway   , although color chips do not / never offer a fair representation of the true color especially metallics ,

[lloyd3]

Yep, a 4-gear car.  This unit has been repainted at least twice in it's lifetime so..who knows? I have seen other reportedly UU-1 cars that I didn't care for (looked a little more like a turquoise to me, with less silver). When we stripped the body for the last go-round on this one (back in '08) I asked the gentleman doing the work to match the basecoat/clearcoat color that was on it when I got it in '96. He was very-much "old school" and it's now the factory acrylic enamel. Part of why I still use the cheaper, low-tech waxes.  

I have seen whatever this color is on other Mopars (mostly Coronet sedans and station wagons) from the era.  It probably wouldn't have been my first choice but....it has grown on me over the almost 25-years I've owned it. I read somewhere that of the what... 5(?)  different blues available for Chargers in 1968, UU-1 was the least popular. Maybe, as I've never seen another in person.

[Puzbie]

Nice color... looks a lot like my 69 B3 Light blue metallic... maybe mine is closer to the DD...not real sure... either way your car looks great!!

[lloyd3]

For all I know it is DD-1. But....where the original color of the car remains (remote places in the trunk, door jams, behind the door skins, etc.) it seems to be very nearly the same color (w/o any sun fading) and the data plate is clearly UU-1.





You know, it's funny. I get it all cleaned up and I think, what the heck....I should go find a show or a get together (a pre-COVID attitude, I know). Then I look under the hood at all the road grime and bugs in my radiator and all the niggling oil (and other) fluid leaks and seeps and I remember....this is just a driver, and a Plain-Jane at that. Nothing fancy, just fun.

[lloyd3]

As mentioned earlier, grimy and leaky.  Oh well....





I'm shocked by how good it still runs. I haven't touched it in 10-years (maybe 15?), other than oil changes and the shift arm repair earlier this spring. I credit alot of that to keeping it as bone stock as I can.  I still drives so nicely. So easy. Good idle, stock exhaust so minimal interior noises, decent brakes (for drums), absolutely great torque. Almost never need to use 1st and starting off in 4th isn't out of the question. The Dana 60 is a bit noisy, as is the the 18-spline (clearly audible gear and synchro whines) but....it's all music to me.

[b5blue]

Perfect engine bay patina, mine marks it's spot also. 

[Puzbie]

Man, it's inspirational to me to keep working to get mine together and on the road!  I personally love the color that we have... whatever the heck it is... looks great!

[Kern Dog]

Beautiful '68.  Is that DD-1 Pale Blue?  I like that color.

I painted this car a couple of years ago. It is DD 1.

[Todd Wilson]

Is that an antique console radio the supplies are sitting on? 

Todd

[lloyd3]

Mr. Wilson: It is. Sadly, it's headed to the curb soon as it now occupies some fairly critical space in my garage. It was jettisoned by a family my son was friendly with and they couldn't bear to do that deed....I can, however.

Kern Dog: That sure looks familiar.  If you look closely at my engine bay, below the "arch" in the firewall is the original paint on my car. It isn't quite as "silvery" as the body paint is now and that probably indicates the primary difference between UU-1 and DD-1. It's quite subtle but it is different.  You know, it's amazing...I've owned this artifact for almost 25-years now and I'm still leaning things about it.