this is what i'm hoping to have by the end of summer

[hotrod98]

I wasn't gong to  mention the "talking to my cars" thing. 

[Blown70]

I wasn't gong to  mention the "talking to my cars" thing. 

HAHA, I was in the shop last night and told them to rest, soon it will be time for a workover as I patted my 69 on the tail pannel ........ 

[BigBlockSam]

Hey Rene!!!   

Hi Bryan. i think i scared cuppy away

as I patted my 69 on the tail pannel ........   

i do that too   when i walk down to the gate , i tap on them  and say hello . good we're all nuts 

[66chargerkid]

speak for yourselves. I will stay off the short bus

[Fitz73Chrgr]

Lets see some actual progress pics!

[BigBlockSam]

the pictures haven't changed since last time i shared pics. the car is stuck in my friends shop till April. then i get it back . he  says he'll have the rear window plug done by then. i told him i don't care whats done , the cars coming home in April . the nose is assembled and lights open and close just like the orig. the wing is done and ready to install . I JUST NEED THE FING CAR BACK. HE'S HAD IT FOR ALMOST 2 1/2 YRS .
  it shouldn't take long after i get the car back . Rene

[BigBlockSam]

another

[hotrod98]

Rene, What's the holdup? Looks like he's got the hard part done. If that car was in my shop, I would want to get it finished and open up a space for another job.
Appears to be about three or four days of body work left at the most.  I'm assuming that you're going to paint it yourself. 

[BigBlockSam]

interior , yes it's an se

[BigBlockSam]

he ain't rite .he hasn't touched it since these pics.  he's working alone now .  i don't care rite now. i can't work on her cause of the weather . you guys know that i work out of my yard.
i don't know bro . i haven't had luck with bodyshops . this is the second time that a shop has had my car for over two yrs and then i get it back in pieces. same thing happen to me with my 68 r/t , differant shop .. then it took me and my partner 3 months to finish it. I'm hoping to do the same with this one . man, i wish you lived closer to me hotrod.  i have several plans on how I'm gonna git her done . we'll see what happens when i get her in my hands . Rene

[dads_69]

Crap man, wish we lived closer to each other, I'm not working right now and I'd be more than happy to get it ready for or even paint it for you. You have a lot of cars I noticed also, and are those '68 Cuda fenders in your garage striped down also?

Mark

[BigBlockSam]

thats my friend shop he's been collecting mopar stuff since the 70's

[hotrod98]

I see a lot of shops take on resto jobs when the collision work slows down. The problem is... when the collision work picks up, they abandon those relatively low paying resto jobs to make the quick buck. That's why I waited until everything was paid off to start this new shop so that I could do just the resto work and not have to worry about those bills every month.
To me resto work is a hobby that happens to make me a little money, collision work is a job.
In my opinion, it's almost always a mistake to use a regular body shop for your resto projects. There are exceptions, but they're few and far between.

[moparstuart]

I see a lot of shops take on resto jobs when the collision work slows down. The problem is... when the collision work picks up, they abandon those relatively low paying resto jobs to make the quick buck. That's why I waited until everything was paid off to start this new shop so that I could do just the resto work and not have to worry about those bills every month.
To me resto work is a hobby that happens to make me a little money, collision work is a job.
In my opinion, it's almost always a mistake to use a regular body shop for your resto projects. There are exceptions, but they're few and far between.

it's a catch 22 most of the time though because most full blown restoration shops have to charge out the but to make money and stay in buisness.  So your stuck going to the insurance style shop who will work on your car on the side cheaper.  Thats why your so awesome 

[BigBlockSam]

when the collision work picks up, they abandon those relatively low paying resto jobs to make the quick buck 

thats what he said . he has to do the little jobs first to pay the rent . i told him that my money was green too . plus the price he gave me is out the window now . i did half the work . i also paid to have the trunk lid done and bought the hinges he was suppose to make. Rene

[hotrod98]

I was thinking that I altered your trunk lid.
The way I see it is that the only thing left was to locate the brackets for the hinges and do the final bodywork.
I don't install the brackets since the location varies slightly depending on the location, style and length of the hinges.

[BigBlockSam]

I was thinking that I altered your trunk lid.   

you did. so i'm not gonna pay him for it. thank god you did that for me or the job would be farther behind.

[hotrod98]

Rene, Which car do you drive the most? I sort of guessed that you drove the black charger most of the time but now that you have the chally, I may be wrong.
I usually jump in my red 71 cuda but sometimes I drive the 79 Trans Am. The Trans Am is an automatic car and it's just easier to drive in traffic.  I love driving the 4 speed car but I get a little tired of shifting after a while. My cuda has a high gear for the highway and with these hills around here it can be a real bitch to drive sometimes. When I get around to building my other 71 Cuda, it will defintely have an automatic, probably an A518 od tranny behind the 340. It's a factory hemi orange, 340, bench seat car. The guys at Street and Performance near here have a guy working on the A518's to make them stronger. They're also maiking adaptors to bolt them up to the new hemis and big blocks. The big advantage is that they fit into the stock tunnels with very little modification so much better than the 5 speed autos. I'll have to cut the drive shaft tunnel and raise it completely in Sandra's bird clone to make that 5 speed auto work, but with the A518 in her cuda, I didn't have to. The real big advantage is that the engine isn't screaming at 75 mph and you get a lot better fuel mileage.

[A383Wing]

Hey Rene!!!   

Hi Bryan. i think i scared cuppy away

Rene.....naw....he will be back........

Bryan

[BigBlockSam]

Rene, Which car do you drive the most? 

thats a trick question, the only way to enjoy riding the cars is to take them out on the highway . it's mostly bumper to bumper in town with a lot of traffic lights  .
  i do enjoy the charger with the sixpack and  323 rear on the highway the most . it's a friggen rocket ship on the highway . i enjoy the rod  just as much  but the rod is more radical . 373 rear, high stall converter and tci trans. i can be doing 15 mph and stomp her , she'll smoke the wheels for as long as i hold her.  lotsa fun . rpm's are a little high on the highway.
  then there's the rr. thats got a 4 speed i like playing with that but sometimes i don't feel like having to shift so much in traffic. there all fun and they all have 440 motors . 
  the challenger has no motor yet . i just got the heads back from the machine shop. there a work of art . oversized stainless valves, harden seats molly retainers,new guides, big springs and mild porting and polishing . I'm trying to decide what block to use i think I'm gonna use a 73 , since the challenger is a 73. i have other motors but the 73 is one of the strongest blocks .
 
  so it's daytona in primer and challenger running before next winter . GOOD LUCK! i don't know if i can git er done but i'm gonna try .

you got a lot of high tech goodies in your cars . makes them easier to drive . my cars are more old school stuff.

Crap man, wish we lived closer to each other, I'm not working right now and I'd be more than happy to get it ready for or even paint it for you 

man! i wish you did too. i could throw you some work and we could have some fun.  i can handle the mechanical shit  but  i suck at welding . plus body work is a bitch to get it right . Rene

[hotrod98]

I have been leaning towards the new tech stuff lately. But, I still like the old school stuff. I just built a new 383 for the blue runner. I plan to drive it a lot more this year. The 69 Charger  has a 440 and the 69 superbee has a 383. I have a mix of old and new. Everyone that drives Sandra's cuda with the 5.9 FI motor and 4 speed auto falls in love with it immediately. Most say that it's like driving a modern day car but it has the musclecar looks. Once the bird is finished, we plan to drive it on long trips with the St. Louis wingcar event being top priority. That's one of the reasons for wanting the 5.7 hemi / 5 speed auto setup. The bonus is the ridiculous amount of trunk space compared to the Cudas.
Here's the pic that you sent me. I lightened the color up a little. Sandra just saw it and said that it was perfect. Even the white interior met her approval.

[BigBlockSam]

that's sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet!

[General_01]

All black is too cool. I like Black with a red stripe . No matter what color it is it will look awesome. I like the Lime Superbird too. Can't wait to see the finished product.