Re: Restoration of my B5 Blue 4Spd Charger 500... Blue Thunder debuts...Finally!

[hemi68charger]

Allen,
Ive actually never had my shield off.. Let me look... I was going to be a smarty pants at first and ask, "What makes you think it's NO? Why not "ON"?   

But, after seeing the "YES", I guess I'll retract that statment.. I'll check in the next day or two..

Troy

[69_500]

I'm too busy to get the car out today, but I'll try to do it before this weekend. Going to be gone all weekend, so couldn't do it then either.

Hmmm, makes me wanna actually check out a thread on Moparts now, and that doesn't happen often.

[70charger_boy]

Could it be a first shift, second shift thing?

[69_500]

Okay so I couldn't wait any longer the suspense was killing me. I went out to the garage with a flashlight, and a screwdriver.







My car doesn't have either one wrote on the tail light. 

[PocketThunder]

Okay so I couldn't wait any longer the suspense was killing me. I went out to the garage with a flashlight, and a screwdriver.







My car doesn't have either one wrote on the tail light. 

Ha!  Peasant.  So far i'm the King!

[69_500]

  Not sure what your the King of though are ya? JK

Ah we can't all be winners can we? I lose.

[PocketThunder]

Not sure what your the King of though are ya? JK

Ah we can't all be winners can we? I lose.

Nope, but it feels good!   

[xs29j8Bullitt]

  who have a daytona with rear defrost?  check them for the yes/ no   petty bird

So far the markings have only been found on Charger 500s... and not all of them.  We may never no, but it probably is related to a particular option... maybe Danny's database will eventually provide a probable answer.  The rear defroster was just a WAG, its probably not the answer.

Maybe just a line worker fooling around... imagine workers on the new Challenger writing things to be found 30 years later...

Its just an interesting tangent story, but I need to get back to work on the C500 this weekend!!!

Allen

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Allen,
Ive actually never had my shield off.. Let me look... I was going to be a smarty pants at first and ask, "What makes you think it's NO? Why not "ON"?   

But, after seeing the "YES", I guess I'll retract that statment.. I'll check in the next day or two..

Troy

If its "ON", the guy was a really bad speller!!! 

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Okay so I couldn't wait any longer the suspense was killing me. I went out to the garage with a flashlight, and a screwdriver.

My car doesn't have either one wrote on the tail light. 

Thanks for checking... now it will be just like a song you can't get out of your head...   

Add another column to your spreadsheet, and let the 'puter figure it out...

I guess your car is a "MAYBE"...    In fact you should have photoshopped it in! 

Not an important issue... but interesting.

Allen

[69_500]

I wish that the guy who posted on Moparts would contact me back. I wanted to know which 2 cars it was that he worked out, so that I could mark them in the spreadsheet as well. I'm making an extra column just for the YES and NO.

I'm wondering, but Jay's car is the only one of the three from this board that has the A01 light package group. Which would require someone to remount the light bracket in the trunk at Creative after the installation of the plug. I am hoping the guy on Moparts writes me back, and lets me know if the other two cars he saw with the "YES" all had the A01 light package. So far t hat is the only thing that makes sense to me. Would be a simple message/note to remind someone that they needed to remount the light bracket after the installation of the plug. Makes me want to know what Geno's Daytona had on it, as someone had mistakenly mounted the light bracket after installing his plug, and then took it back off. So I'm wondering if his said "YES, OOOOOPS I MEAN NO". Maybe it went from the drivers taillight, all of the way around the trunk lip. JK

[XS29J8]

Hey Allen! Great post, see the old BULLITT Charger is still in hibernation too. Hope to watch this resto with interest!

XS

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Hey Allen! Great post, see the old BULLITT Charger is still in hibernation too. Hope to watch this resto with interest!

XS

Hi Steve... Kind of weird seeing "XS29J8" reply to my post!    This was to be Bullitt's turn at restoration, but I had a last minute change of plans.  I am not sure if it was more a result of contracting Aero Car fever, or a logical decision to delay the '68 Charger to see what top quality reproductions will come out in the next year... the taillight sets are already on order, and I have already received some components like lenses & lense bezels ("cans")... EXCELLENT REPRODUCTIONS from BEAPARTS!!!  Glad to have you watching Steve... 

Well, another weekend with less progress than planned.     Made some progress on Friday afternoon / evening on the back end of the car & started on the interior removal.  It is slow going with about 25% of fasteners refusing to move, and others breaking off or rounding off the head.  Some, like about 50% of the Phillips screws holding on the wheel opening moldings will have to be drilled out...

I had planned to spend all of Saturday on the C500, but I got a call from a friend who needed part of his fleet of Mopars moved.  He has helped me numerous times before, so I was more than happy to help.  Counting travel time, it was a 12 hour task which took care of Saturday!

Below are a few pictures from Friday...

XS

[69_500]

Allen, how many slipes are in the trunk rubber? Is it one continuous piece? Are the corners split, or just pinched to make corners?

I'm nosey aren't I? Was the vacuum canister still under the battery tray in your car? Where were the vacuum hoses cut on your car?

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Allen, how many slipes are in the trunk rubber? Is it one continuous piece? Are the corners split, or just pinched to make corners?

I'm nosey aren't I? Was the vacuum canister still under the battery tray in your car? Where were the vacuum hoses cut on your car?

I will have to have another look at the C500 to answer a lot of your questions... But I will take a few guesses for now.

Trunk gasket - From my existing pictures, it looks like the gasket was (poorly) installed as two pieces starting and stopping roughly at the center of the top & bottom of the trunk opening.  Because the top corners have a somewhat rounded appearance, but still take a 90 deg turn, I am guessing they "V" notched but did not fully cut the corners.

Vacuum canister/hoses - Once again from existing pictures, no vacuum canister, but the engine bay was repainted by a previous owner...  The vacuum hoses were bundled up with black tape, I am guessing there was no vacuum canister (removed by Creative?).

Although a lot of things are probably original on my C500, it is definitely not a "go-by" car.  I will have a better look... other questions? 

Allen

[69_500]

I'm just nosey i guess. I just like to know from car to car how they are found. Some are 1 gasket, some are like how you said yours is. Some have 1 gasket and still have the corners slit about 3/4 of the way to make the 90's. Others just have the corners folded to make the turn.

Vacuum canisters are a whole other issue. Only a few of the cars I've looked at had the canister after it left creative. But its not totally uncommon.

The hoses on the other hand are all over the place. Some cut off at firewall, others about 2" out from firewall, others are still full length like they go to the canister.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

I'm just nosey i guess. I just like to know from car to car how they are found. Some are 1 gasket, some are like how you said yours is. Some have 1 gasket and still have the corners slit about 3/4 of the way to make the 90's. Others just have the corners folded to make the turn.

Vacuum canisters are a whole other issue. Only a few of the cars I've looked at had the canister after it left creative. But its not totally uncommon.

The hoses on the other hand are all over the place. Some cut off at firewall, others about 2" out from firewall, others are still full length like they go to the canister.

Like I said before...  I am going to pretend Creative used temp help the day they modified my C500, and unlike their regular crew the temps gave a damn about what they were doing...  For example, I plan to do the trunk gasket differently, like omitting the 1/4 inch "ventilation" gap at the top of the trunk opening... 

BTW, looks like the hoses would be full length if untaped...

Allen

[69_500]

Well according to a person me and Gene were talking to this weekend Creative was known around the area of hiring people right from the unemployment lines. He was telling us they would just go over there in the morning, get a crew and put them to work for the day.

I don't think that there was supposed to be any seams in the trunk seal other than the one spot where it would wrap back around to. But it seems that many of them had small pieces placed in to make up for where someone mistakenly cut the strip too short, or messed up on a corner, and had to put in a second piece.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Well, if I don't get a phone call tonight to change my plans like happened the past two weekends, I will get back to taking the C500 apart tomorrow.  With the greater than expected problems with removing fasteners in place for almost 39 years, it is going to be sloooow going! 

One problem that held me up during my last effort was removing the bezel nut holding the driver's door mirror remote control.  My usual way of removing the nut is by using a pair of needle-nose pliers as a spanner wrench, but the nut is not budging.  A seller on eBay "johnscudas" has special tools to remove these and other unusual fasteners... anyone ever use his special tools?  I am probably going to order some.  The bezel nut and door pad are in nice shape, so I don't want to take a chance of damaging them.

Also, who offers the best quality Charger nameplate reproductions (with studs, not stick-on)?  Anyone reproduce the Charger 500 nameplates (especially the taillight panel one)?

Lastly, a picture of me with the C500 yesterday...    Alright, lets have none of this...

Allen

[69_500]

You sure that's you Allen?  JK

Figured someone had to do it.

Looking forward to more and more photo's. I'll admit it I have a soft spot for 500's for some reason.

[Magnumcharger]

OH MY GOD!! You're OLD!!

Seriously though, you should be able to make a tool for that mirror nut by grinding slots in an old socket.
Then you can turn the socket with a ratchet...

[pettybird]

taillight housings in my car have been changed...

the problem i have with it being an added option is why would some cars have things written on both sides?  like, super yes it gets undercoated?

[69_500]

I still think that the "YES" has to do with the A01 light package. I think it meant "YES" cut off the light bracket, and reinstall it on the new trunk lip for this car. Or "NO" don't remove it because this one doesn't have the trunk light option.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Made some progress today, even with a swarm of 75-100 Yellow Jacket hornets buzzing all around along with about 20 red wasps... I have know about some large nests high in the building and on the outside of it also.  I hit the nests with wasp & hornet spray this evening, but most of the hornets were gone... I should have taken care of the problem several weeks ago.

Below are a few pictures...

Allen

[xs29j8Bullitt]

I found a spare set of keys in a magnetic "key hider" box stuck to the headlight brackets on the passenger side of the car.

I looked at the way the trunk seal is installed at the front corner, and as I expected the gasket was "V" notched about 3/4 of the width to allow the gasket to make the sharp 90 degree turn.  See pictures below...

Allen