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

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Looks great Allen! The years in the warm dry shop must of prevented it from rusting. I'm lucky, the rear window channel and deck filler panel on my '69 looks to be not rusty...thank god

Good news for you Cody!  I have seen a lot of cars that seem to have minimal rust... until you pull the various moldings & other exterior items off and find foot long rot-out in several places hidden by the moldings.  This is especially true if the car has been stored under a tree and the channels are filled with dirt, leaves, and other debris which holds the moisture for longer periods of time.

Allen

[moparstuart]

 I see you have the high dollar optioned ventilated truck floor

[The70RT]

I see you have the high dollar optioned ventilated truck floor

Looks like the front floors are gonna have to be replaced too. I guess the car sat outside somewhere quite a while? Back window area is nice!!! I wonder how the trunk rusted but the  rear window area isn't? It is a good thing it is a 500 or your back window area would have been pretty rusty also.

[hemi68charger]

Allen, that C500's pretty solid.... great car to start with.............

[69bronzeT5]

Good news for you Cody!

   

[xs29j8Bullitt]

I see you have the high dollar optioned ventilated truck floor

OMG!...  A 39 year old Mopar with rust holes in the trunk floor... GASP... and after the craftsmen at Creative Industries took the precaution of leaving a .25 inch gap in the trunk gasket for drainage! 

BTW, since my C500 is not coded for the optional ventilated trunk floor, I will remove it for use on someone else's car... 

Any takers?    Remember, its a real Aero Car part... 

Allen

[xs29j8Bullitt]

I see you have the high dollar optioned ventilated truck floor

Looks like the front floors are gonna have to be replaced too. I guess the car sat outside somewhere quite a while? Back window area is nice!!! I wonder how the trunk rusted but the  rear window area isn't?   It is a good thing it is a 500 or your back window area would have been pretty rusty also.

The upper drainage gap in the trunk gasket might have something to do with it...

Allen

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Allen, that C500's pretty solid.... great car to start with.............

Thanks Troy... so I should not ask for a refund of the $600 purchase price?   

Except for some areas of the quarter panels, most areas of the car have been as good or better than I expected going into this project! 

Allen

[69_500]

I think that you should probably get at least a 20% rebate on that $600 price. Or do you think it has passed any kind of warranty time since purchase? Then again if you hadn't mailed in the warranty card until 6 weeks ago, wouldn't it still fall under the 90 days same as cash? 

[moparstuart]

I see you have the high dollar optioned ventilated truck floor

OMG!...  A 39 year old Mopar with rust holes in the trunk floor... GASP... and after the craftsmen at Creative Industries took the precaution of leaving a .25 inch gap in the trunk gasket for drainage! 

BTW, since my C500 is not coded for the optional ventilated trunk floor, I will remove it for use on someone else's car... 

Any takers?    Remember, its a real Aero Car part... 

Allen

allen wasnt trying to offend , just being not so funny i guess   
car does look good  for it's age  , all mine seem to be rust buckets you have far less rust then any of the cars I have had so far!
Keep up the good work !!!!

[The70RT]

I see you have the high dollar optioned ventilated truck floor

Looks like the front floors are gonna have to be replaced too. I guess the car sat outside somewhere quite a while? Back window area is nice!!! I wonder how the trunk rusted but the rear window area isn't?   It is a good thing it is a 500 or your back window area would have been pretty rusty also.

The upper drainage gap in the trunk gasket might have something to do with it...

Allen

Wow Allen. I guess maybe the gasket shrunk? Back then I guess they thought it was just another car and it wasn't an issue. I wasn't trying to offend either.....like some may have thought. I just mentioned the floor having some rust    I'm sure it will look great when done.  It looks like you found a good shop and they are moving right along and it won't be there for years. 

[xs29j8Bullitt]

allen wasnt trying to offend , just being not so funny i guess   
car does look good  for it's age  , all mine seem to be rust buckets you have far less rust then any of the cars I have had so far!
Keep up the good work !!!!

Wow Allen. I guess maybe the gasket shrunk? Back then I guess they thought it was just another car and it wasn't an issue. I wasn't trying to offend either.....like some may have thought. I just mentioned the floor having some rust    I'm sure it will look great when done.  It looks like you found a good shop and they are moving right along and it won't be there for years. 

No offense taken guys, just wanted to make the point to some "non-car" folks that I have provided the thread link to (co-workers, family, friends, neighbors, etc.) that this is actually a solid project car now-a-days.  Even so, along with the many good surprises, there have been some bad ones... like moderately heavy pitting of the chromed vent window framing on both doors.

Soon the car will look MUCH worse when the quarter panels are cut off... hopefully that will only be for a few months.  A February ice storm could put the C500 on the back burner for a while at the paint shop... 

BTW, also following the thread are a father & son that had the car in the early 1980s and sold it to the guy that I purchased it from.  Hi Phil Sr & Phil Jr  Thanks for sharing the history of the car from when you owned it.  I appreciate the help and look forward to giving y'all a ride in the C500 when it is finished!  ...However long from now that may be...

Allen

[69_500]

What you mean you actually think that one day you'll be giving rides in that 500? 


Okay feel free to  me.

Where do I sign up for a ride? I want a ride too.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

What you mean you actually think that one day you'll be giving rides in that 500? 

With my recent record of endless restorations, that hits too close to home... 

Okay feel free to  me.

I just remembered the age remarks & other comments several pages back... I feel better now!   

Where do I sign up for a ride? I want a ride too.

I owe you a ride, so no problem!     You can even drive the car... however, you may notice airway constriction at full throttle...   

Allen

[69_500]

Age comments?  You must have me confused with someone else. I wouldn't ever comment on how young I am, my comments are always that I wish I was older so that I could have bought these cars at the same time my dad was.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Its Unplugged!!![/b][/color][/size]

More progress!    The "fastback" rear window plug has been successfully removed without any problems... 

Most Excellent!!! Next will come the cutting of the quarter panels... 

Below are some pictures taken today.  The C500 was flying straight & level today... 

Allen

[xs29j8Bullitt]

More pictures...

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Pictures of the removed plug...

[The70RT]

Wow............that's the best rear window area I ever seen. 

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Wow............that's the best rear window area I ever seen. 

Thanks, it's been in the "garage" provided by the plug for 39 years...   Too bad it gets covered back up later, but I'll take lots of pictures to display with the C500. 

Allen

[hemi68charger]

Wow Allen, nice.......... But, why did you separate the plug? Very interesting about the lips screwed into place to help support the plug, never knew that.........

Troy

[PocketThunder]

Wow Allen, nice.......... But, why did you separate the plug? Very interesting about the lips screwed into place to help support the plug, never knew that.........

Troy

He is having the full quarters replaced at factory seams.

[hemi68charger]

Wow Allen, nice.......... But, why did you separate the plug? Very interesting about the lips screwed into place to help support the plug, never knew that.........

Troy

He is having the full quarters replaced at factory seams.

Ah heck... Didn't think the quarters were that bad...... Then, that makes sense.... Thanks Paul........

[tan top]

more good progress , being made        intresting pictures ..............

[xs29j8Bullitt]

Wow Allen, nice.......... But, why did you separate the plug? Very interesting about the lips screwed into place to help support the plug, never knew that.........

Troy

He is having the full quarters replaced at factory seams.

Ah heck... Didn't think the quarters were that bad...... Then, that makes sense.... Thanks Paul........

The original quarter panels were useable, but unseen rust spots may exist between the ones now visible around the wheel opening.  To leave the plug in would have required the top of the quarter to be cut off about where I have the red line below, instead of the factory seam (yellow line).  The extra seam woul have been visible from the inside of the trunk, but in such a tight area that it would have been difficult to conceal...

Have a look at the pictures below to see the rust around the wheel opening and the marked up picture showing the factory seam vs the repair seam if the plug was not removed...

Allen