hemigeno's Daytona restoration - a few more tweaks... again!

[hemigeno]

The hood pin attachment pattern shown in the first picture was copied exactly from a Daytona hood.  The holes are pretty close to being level/perpendicular, but one side is slightly off - to the point that it's noticeable without getting out a ruler if you're looking for such.  For the 1970 and later model year, the assembly plants had a jig which located these holes on hood pin cars.  Creative apparently did not have the benefit of such a tool, as these holes attest.

[maxwellwedge]

Looking really good Gene - Nice job!  

[hemigeno]

Looking really good Gene - Nice job!  

Thanks, Jim!

Hey, would you mind confirming how the turn signal bezels look in one or both of your 'Tonas?  Vance didn't equivocate much on how he remembers them to have been done, and it's my own fault for not having snapped a picture of that area from DocTona when it was staring me in the face.

[hemigeno]

 

[maxwellwedge]

The hood top (only) is stripped to metal but I should have some pics somewhere. Funny - I checked that out months ago and I forgot what the deal was.....old age strikes again. If I don't have pics my body man took some for sure.

[hemigeno]

The first picture shows the passenger side of that hood/nosecone seal after the masking had been removed.  Note the much larger gap size, which is exactly how the original was done.

[hemigeno]

The hood top (only) is stripped to metal but I should have some pics somewhere. Funny - I checked that out months ago and I forgot what the deal was.....old age strikes again. If I don't have pics my body man took some for sure.

If the bezels haven't been stripped yet, you might be able to get some telling details from them also 

[Magnumcharger]

Gene - thanks for answering my questions.
That's my favorite car...in my favorite color!
This may be the ultimate manifestation of my Charger desires!

[hemigeno]

The engine compartment hasn't been painted, as you can see.  Vance is planning to do the passenger's compartment, trunk, engine compartment, and finish up with the underneath side.  After all that's done, he'll install the engine, wiring, and the rest of the engine compartment detailing - before crudely draping a blanket or something over the engine and blasting whatever he feels like with a healthy dose of overspray... 

The last two pictures are the start of a long discussion Vance and I had about hood pins.  The pins you see here are a set from Frank Badalson.  Frank puts out a TON of great products, but these pins do differ from a lot of the original Daytona hood pins I've seen.  All of the pins I remember seeing are much more rounded or blunt on top, instead of being quite as tapered as the ones you see in these pictures.  A few more pictures follow which show what I'm trying to convey.  Vance had installed these for the time being, but I am actually going to have another set of original pins rechromed and we'll install/use those.  He'll have to come back and replicate a little bit of the overspray details, as the engine compartment and inner fenders were normally sprayed with the hood pins in place (there are a few exceptions, but you can clearly see the outline of the washer on my original fender brace).

[hemigeno]

Gene - thanks for answering my questions.
That's my favorite car...in my favorite color!
This may be the ultimate manifestation of my Charger desires!

    A Daytona in any flavor works for me... 

[johntpr]

Looking great..I'm jealous!

[hemigeno]

These three pictures were taken of original hood pins which show the different shape of the tip.  The first picture is of a hood pin taken out of Chris Sauer's former R4 Daytona.  A previous owner had drilled out the hood pin to allow an easier time of putting the pins in (why they didn't just adjust the pin to stick out further is beyond both me and Vance   )

The second and third pictures are of hood pins removed from a GY3 '71 HemiCuda.  Vance had another set of the blunt original pins handy that I'm going to send off to have some light scratches built back up and then rechromed.  In the meantime, Vance can use the repro set to mock up and to allow painting of the fender brace with the washer outline in place.

[hemigeno]

Looking great..I'm jealous!

Thanks John! Hey, any updates on your car's progress?  You gonna be starting up a resto thread for us all to follow along? 

Mr. Jacobs is gonna do a top-shelf resto on your car, I'm sure!

[hemigeno]

The first picture shows the hood/nosecone seal with all the masking removed.  Again, a rivet is still missing which will draw that seal up tight to the nosecone.

The next pictures were my attempt to show the inner fender where it joins up with the new Daytona fender.  Normally, a Charger had seam sealer applied in the joint between the inner and outer fenders.  When Creative removed the '69 fenders from the unconverted Daytona, it was a crapshoot as to whether the seam sealer stuck to the outer fender and then discarded, or stuck to the inner fender and then stayed in between the inner fender and new Daytona fender flange.  Vance opted to leave the seam sealer out, as it's easier not to have to work around it - and it's just as possible that it was gone as for it to be present.

[maxwellwedge]

It looks like he shipped 69-1/2 hood pins which are tapered/pointy - I'll check the ones he sent me vs the originals.

[hemigeno]

One old business item...  Vance scrounged some shoe locator spring retainers that have the round shape instead of the stamped inner hexagon shape...  I also snapped a picture of the manual steering box.  Anyone know if these are date coded?  This is the original one from my car, but neither Vance nor I could find a date code anywhere on that housing.  There is some VERY faint evidence of some casting marks which may have been a time clock type deal, but there were no apparent stampings that either he or I found.

Finally, a gratuitous shot of my daughter Samantha, who made the trip up to Vance's with me.  The day before, she and I did the father/daughter thing and went shopping in Chicago on Michigan Ave., did the John Hancock Building tour, etc.  Let's just say that I got my fill of Radio Disney last weekend...    We had fun though...

That's all the photo updates for the moment!

[hemigeno]

It looks like he shipped 69-1/2 hood pins which are tapered/pointy - I'll check the ones he sent me vs the originals.

That makes sense, as I wouldn't expect Frank to miss much when it comes to detail!   

[tan top]

   looks  awesome  ..great attention to detail of creatives handy work .......     man thats going to be a some Daytona when finished   ..........................    

[Davtona]

Red paint finally!!!!!    You are right Gene those nose seals turned out very nice.  Well that's actually an understatement. They look absolutely fantastic.

[PocketThunder]

Finally, a gratuitous shot of my daughter Samantha, who made the trip up to Vance's with me.  The day before, she and I did the father/daughter thing and went shopping in Chicago on Michigan Ave., did the John Hancock Building tour, etc.  Let's just say that I got my fill of Radio Disney last weekend...    We had fun though...

That's all the photo updates for the moment!

Its a good thing she takes after her mom!.                j/k   

Geno, i'm just amazed as how many extra parts Vance has laying around his shop for Daytona's.  From what i can see you picked the best man for the job...   

I'll see you in 220 days..

Paul
in Minnetonka...

[nascarxx29]

Wow color is on looking good wont be long now .Till its a turn key driver

[hemigeno]

Thanks guys, this was a big step in getting the car done.  Based on the progress I'm not ready to guess when it will be completed - not because the work remaining is too overwhelming for Vance, but because we'll undoubtedly run into some little part needed that can't be found easily.  I'm already bracing myself for that possibility.

Its a good thing she takes after her mom!.                j/k  

I have told my kids that at least they chose their Mom wisely   

I'll see you in 220 days..

With or without the Daytona (and I sure hope it'll be with) I plan to be there.

[hemi68charger]

Geno !!! Wow !!!  Paint !!!!!!!  Looking good..............

Guess your daughter's posing to her future car? 

Also, I have to ask, it apprears the rear valance gap to end caps are filled in? Is there a reason you did this?

Troy   

[hemigeno]

Thanks Troy, but I don't know if Samantha's much of a gearhead at the moment.  Jonathan (my oldest son), now that's a different story.  I will have to watch him - after all, I remember what I got away with when I was young.  He's only 10 right now so I still have time to design the security system.   

On the rear valance corners, your comment got me thinking.  I dug out one of the '69 engineering graphics, and it shows seam sealer around the top seam (between the corner and the taillight panel) and all down the side seam between the valance corner and the quarterpanel.  It does not appear to show or require seam sealer at the vertical seam between the corner and the rear valance panel itself.  It could be that I just haven't taken a picture from the correct angle to show this differentiation, but it'll be something I check out.

Of course, that's another area I did not snap a picture of from maxwellwedge's DocTona.   I did spend a while looking at some of the other archived reference photos I have, and couldn't find any that show a clear shot of the valance-to-corner seam.  Something else to look for...

Here's a picture from one of the Malcom's survivors showing the quarter-to-corner seam:

[hemi68charger]

You are correct on the seam sealer on the top portion of the rear valance/end cap where it meets the rear taillamp panel and as well, the union between the end cap and the back of the rear quarter panel. All those locations have areas exposed to the inside of the trunk where as the vertical union between the end cap and rear valance is exposed to the air gap between the rear valance and rear cross-member panel/section. It is this rear cross-member panel/section that encloses the trunk area. It's also the panel in which the rear bumper bracket attach bolts go through. I have both my '70 six pack Charger R/T and have seen plenty of original paint/unrestored 2nd gen's that show an open gap between the rear valance and end cap. I measured my gaps on my '68 before dipping it for it had the original paint. One side of the valance had a 1/16th gap and the other side had a 1/8th gap. Needless to say, I stressed to Smitty to duplicate the gap measurements............

Troy