69 AMX Body Work, will help the people doing there own bodywork.

[cudaken]

 Ok, back to the hood. Last few day's have not gone as I wanted but there is a shocker. I had not worked on the front of the hood due to the chrome trim. When dealing with 30 + parts you will never know what will happen. Spoke with the owner and for warned that I may need to cut or break it off! If I had worked the front of hood it on, would have been as good as junk anyway.

I found out something about AMC cars. There bodys don't rust like a Mopar but there clips do? Well the good new's is the chrome is off the hood and in no worst shape than when I got the car. Bad new's? Well Eric needs all new clips.

If you look back to page one you will see the front of the hood was nothing but filler after I after blocked it. Use the icing on the front and used the Memory Block due to the fact it has a cruve all the way around that area.

Worked with 80, 120, then sprayed some guide coat. Blocked with 150, found a few low spots in the seond PIC but not unhappy at all with it so far.

[cudaken]

 Time for some high fill primer. I am using Tran's Star 6401 and hardner mixed 4-1-1 and a Sharp Colbalt gun with a 1.8. Cost for primer is $105.00 for the primer and hardner and gives you a little over a 1.25 gallons of primer. Sharp Gun is around $150.00.

I would have used my Sharp with a 2.3 head to fill faster. But the A-s wipes that use to work for me took care of 2 of them, well not! Big tip, clean the gun real well, no such thing as a gun to clean. My self, I run a 1/2 cup of thinner threw the gun when I am done, Then I pull the air cap, fluid seat and needel valve and leave in thinner, then seal the can they are in.

OK, guessing you are working at home garage. Cover anything you valve. Coblat is a HVLP gun but still but a lot of over spay and Cat primer is a bitch to clean off. Oh, it smells like hell as well. I have been doing this for over 20 years and I still hate the smell.

Will need to sit from 2 to 4 hours before sanding, maybe longer as well.

PIC of the computers, all so covered the speakers, Amps, and other gear.

[cudaken]

 Hum, for got about the models on the shelf in that last PIC. Well it will buff off.

Time to spary some primer Refresher, remeber the little black spots in the guide coat I posted way back? First I hit them and filler I have worked. Primer is a spray on filler, I want to fill them more to get them straight.

Flash time is around 10 mintues, then second coat. I started just a little farer out from than I did the first time to help level the bodywork and the low spots.

[cudaken]

 Next, I hit the whole panel. I have sprayed other area's as well but just posting the Left side. Guide coats helps a lot. But the first time you shoot primer will be the first time you will see what you have done. Over all I am happy with what I see. Want to guess what come next? Yep more blocking. When I get anel I block all the filler and the body 3 to 4 times. In this case all filler 2 to 3 times and whole panels I spary 1 time.

Starting to look like a AMX again. I like the right side better, but only took PIC of the left. Remember how bad the Left 1/4 panel looked on page 1 or 2?

                                        Cuda Ken

[cudaken]

 Now time for the truth. Primer I shoot is lighter than what Eric used. With it being different colors it shows defects that you will never see in paint. Think of it as plastic gauge for body work.

In this PIC of the right door and rest of the PIC the dark gray is where the metal should be, lighter gray is where a dent was filled , tan spots is filler that was high and bright spots is bare metal and a stamping flaw. Dark gray will also show deep door dings.

There are many stamping flaws when car where made, but with being new no one ever looked for them. I could write a book on 68 and 69 Charger hood alone. Everyone I have have done to date have the same flaw's inc a 32,000 68 Hemi Charger.

At his point it is up to the way it feels to you. The real low spots will stand out, I will use Icing on them. Panels where blocked with 150 and a air file.

                                                       Cuda Ken

[AirborneSilva]

Just wondering, how deep of a "dent" is it safe to put that icing in?   I'm wondering at what point do you take it down to bare metal then use body filler...

[haueter66]

Excellent write up!  Keep it up!

[41husk]

Looks good ken, Were did you get the reducer?

[cudaken]

 Tony, body filler should never be over a 1/4 thick, work the metal as close as you can to the original shape it should be. If it is a little thicker here and there that OK. Icing, I normal don't use it if it's over a 1/8th inch. Good way to judge is if you can feel the dent but not really see it.

Haueter66, glad you are enjoying it.

Allen, bought the thinner at O Rellys at $13.00 a gallon Dam, I wished I remembered to gap it out of your truck! Allen, do you have a Good Will never you? Be a good idea to get some blankets to cover your Roof and other parts before we spray.

Tip for you guys. When you buy thinner, tell them you want the most affordable thinner they have in a 5 gallon can. I get 5 gallons for right around $31.00. Gallon can will run a round $13.00.

                          Cuda Ken

[41husk]

I am sure we can come up with something but it probably won't be this weekend I have a Challenge tournament saturday and practice Sunday, kinda busy week prior to starting meets

[cudaken]

 Shoot Allen, I was looking forward to it.

OK, today I went after the last impact dent on trhe AMX I know of. Right Front Fender in the same spot of the LFF.

Remember the the pull rods I showed few pages back, time to use them. On pulling a dent, you need to be a little of a dective. When pulling a dent you need to do it backwards as a rule of thumb. In this case I think the car was moving backwards and started there. Other safe bet is start in the shallow spots and work your way to the center.

Frist I used a 3/16th bit and made my holes on top and bottom of the dent. Then I stock the pull rods in, I normal use two first (God This Primer Stinks) then go to one when I am close. While I pull I use a body hammer to work the crown on the dent down. Crown is the high spot like a impact crater.

[cudaken]

 Next I ground down the primer that was around the dent and the high spots made from the pull. Holes you drill pull up a litte and will be high.

Where there is still primer is a low spot. Remeber this AMX was stripped and primer before I got hold of this! Same thing if car is in paint, and my self rather it would have been.

[cudaken]

 That PIC look's odd, the black is bare metal and ground off more metal after that PIC. Next I worked the dent with a hammer and dolly from in and under the fender. Lay the dolly (I used a heel dolly) and the flat part of the pick hammer to work the metal close as I could to the orginal shape. Use the dolly as the anvel and hit litghley with the hammer. Want message the metal into shape, litetaps. If you beat the sh-t out of it you strach the metal. Think a ball of hamburger, lay it on a tray and push down, what happens? Gets bigger and no good for body work.

Dam this primer stinks! 

PIC from the front of the dent after working it

[cudaken]

 OK, on to me getting anel. I cannot help my self. Guys that used to work for me blew me sh-t about it when I did a Mopar. What they did would pass with the custmers but not me. But as I like to say "it's not my car" and gave the customer the price for a decent repair or the full tilt boogie. 99.9% went for the dencent, go figuer But most where Fords, Chevys, Honda's and rest of the herd on the street.

Nex PIC are of the L Door center body line. Will be very hard to pick out the bad spots (God it smells bad in here , no need of a joint if you want to get stoned and make your head hurt ) Little black spots under the body line.

Remember the tape trick I used on the RFF fender? I used that on this part and other parts I did not take PIC of. Ran the tape on the upper line to keep Icing off of the good part and bulid up a little.

[cudaken]

 Hood is in it first coat of primer, all the filler is in it second coat and I will say this, God this primer stinks! OK, much happer than I was yesterday.

Saturday, rust and my secret weapon!   Spray on bondo, 41 Husk will tell you how much he loves it as well. NOT!

                 Cuda Ken, blocking again

[CB]

Nice work Ken
It gives a great idea of how my Charger will be done very soon (hope next weekend)
Thanks formaking time and posting those progress pics, appreciate it!!

[cudaken]

 Glad you are enjoying it Christen, I think I spend as much time posting as I do blocking.

                                   Ken

[Charger_Fan]

Definitely looking good!

Geez, this thing's gonna be in paint in no time!

[cudaken]

 CHARGER_FAN, not far off. Just got anel on some stuff.

Back to the right front fender. When working dents get them as close as you can to the correct shape like I posted toward the bottom of page 3. It paid off today, after only 1 coat of filler and about 10 minutes of air file work looks like some icing is all that will be needed. Then primer time.

[cudaken]

 For what ever reason PIC of the worked spots sure look fuzzie, guess I need to break out the Tri pod for the camera and slow down the shutter speed.

Anyway today did not yeild a lot of things worth taking PIC of. Nick pickie things, kind of like after the only block is srew together and you dialing in the cam. Looks the same, but deveil is in the detail's.

Left front fender needs just a spot of icing say 1/16 by 1/4 and is done. Bodylines on the doors look good and crisp and worked out few more spots I was not happy with. Here is a shocker, found a few more small dents I will fix as well?

I will tell you guys, I have yet to see a perfect car. I had 350 hours in my Charger and still found a few things I did not see!

Pic of the hood in first coat of primer. Took a few more and to be honest was not worth wasting Troys bandwith with.

[cudaken]

 Few tips on hood's, first they are a pain to work. After filler has been worked with a air file or DA should be worked by hand unless it is in a renforce spot like by the edge of the hood. Metal is flat and not reinforced and will flex. Motion of the air file will make it shake, that cause's high and low spots.

When using using any hand held sanding devices, do not push down! That will also make the hood flex and = low spots. Just push it a cross the hood with a very, very light down forces. Let the paper do the work.

Unless the area is curved like the front of the hood use a long boy or a paint stick. You need to work all the area, not just the filler. You will need to look at how small the dent looked vers the sizes I am working. Think the PIC where on page 2 but not sure now.

PIC I posting will show the range of a stroke I had to use as well. You should be able to pick out low spots as well. Know it looks pretty much the same, but 5 hours today and not a drop of Cam 2 was used.

                                                     Cuda Ken

[MOPARHOUND!]

Impressive.   I can only wish to know one day half as much as you do about body work.

Thanks for sharing the pic's, and look forward to more.

-'HOUND

[cudaken]

 Hound, sometimes I wish I did not know sh-t about cars. I have way more money and less headaches, like the one the primer is causing!

OK, first pic is of the right front fender. Hit it with a little icing abd primer. Pretty pleased with it only having one coat of filler.

[cudaken]

 Today I found only 6 more dents! At this point, I am there so what the F--k.

OK, another Cuda Ken trick. First you must under stand that most panels look flat but are not 45% of the time. 68-70 Chargers are the worst I have worked on! Over the rear Wheel Well it is a big long gental curve. It is a bitch to get straight looking, memeory block work great but that is a driffrent story.

One of the new dents I found. Pretty shallow and hit with one coat of filler. Bare metal seems to be high spots around the dent.

[cudaken]

 At this point I was not sure if this was the way it should be or not so I used the stick test.

I used a straight paint stick across the dent, then I placed it above the dent. Gaps where the same so there is a factory curve in this area.

Uesd a coat of icing over it and did hit with a paint stick, then the menory block with a very gentle pressure and 3 coat's of high fill primer.