68 Tail light Panel

[Darkman]

Hey Charger freaks!

I am planning my Charger rebuild at the moment, and I have sorted all the bits and pieces I want to to to the body but need some advice on the tail light panel.

I have decided to keep the 68 tail lights in the 68 as the look is growing on me, and will paint the car in B7 blue (or similar), but am unsure of what to do with the tail light panel

Should I paint it black or match the body colour?





It has the chrome moulding around the panel. If I am to paint it black, then the moulding would stay, but if it was to be body colour, the moulding would go. It won't have a vinyl roof either.

What do you guys think?

[Hemidog]

Paint the panel satin black inside the mouldings 

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,38644.0.html

[8WHEELER]

My    it always looks better black, than painted body color.

Dan

[Darkman]

It's a tough decision! I like the look of both styles. I want to get it right the first time!

[suntech]

moldings, and satin black inside them

[Troy]

I think it looks weird without the blacked out tail panel as it's a distinguishing feature of the car. Usually, when it's removed it looks like the owner was just too cheap/lazy to do it right. In the end, it really depends on how "correct" the rest of the car is. The farther away you get from stock the more liberties you can take.

Troy

[Patronus]

black

[Mike DC]

Yeah the black will win you the most votes from the crowd. 

IMHO the factory setup looks pretty good.  Although I've wondered about also eliminating the strip of body-colored paint below the lower trim strip.  (Between the chrome bumper and the blacked out area.)  Like just blacking that out too.  Maybe keep the trim piece running through the middle of the big resulting black area, maybe not. 




Sometimes guys like to do the blackout in satin or even glossy black.  Over-restoring these cars is popular and I've got no beef against it. 

But you're interested in staying original there really was no shine to it.  Mopar's "organisol" black paint was about the flattest finish they could give it.  It was like a flat black with texturing.       

   

[twodko]

Its your car so finish it the way you want it to look.....but

For me, the car came with a blacked out tail panel shot with organisol. It's a feature that sets our cars apart and looks great INMO.
If you do choose body color put the trim back on the tail panel. I think it would look very odd without it.

Tom

[Darkman]

Thanks for the advice guys. The more I think about it, the more I like the look of the black panel. So black panel it is (considering all the trim is already there)

Don't get me wrong, I love the look of original Chargers, but this one will not be restored back to full original/stock.

[Cooter]

That red car looks like they forgot something on the taillight panel...Too much color...Black out the area...I hate to see 69's and 70's done with body color as well....Kinda like an elevator in an out house, just don't work...

[twodko]

What Cooter said.

Tom

[1BAD68]

Darkman, your Charger looks like it was a RR1 burgundy car  

[Ryan]

It's a tough decision! I like the look of both styles. I want to get it right the first time!

Sorry but I am not a fan of that look. It takes away alot of character from the rear of the car.
Paint it low gloss black like it should be and use the mouldings

[Silver R/T]

Definitely keep it black. It gives it that Ferrari look.

[skip68]

BLACKBLACKBLACKBLACKBLACKBLACKBLACKBLACKBLACK.....................

It looks like it's missing something if you do it like the red car.   

[elitecustombody]

paint it black,please, love the 68 tail,

[Darkman]

So the feeling I'm getting is that maybe I should paint it black 

Rest at ease, the more I think about it, the more I want it black!

However, if I paint it low gloss black, and put a clear over it, won't that make it glossy?

[Darkman]

Darkman, your Charger looks like it was a RR1 burgundy car  

That's right. It was RR1. According to the fender tag. This car is a tripple red it has/had a red vinyl roof on it, red exterior and red interior (even though the tag said it was a black vinyl roof), apparently one of four ever made. Since the tag said it was a black, I don't buy the fact that it was an original red roof from the factory. However, since I'm not a fan of vinyl roof, it will not be going back on the car anyway

[68charger383]

I think it looks weird without the blacked out tail panel as it's a distinguishing feature of the car. Usually, when it's removed it looks like the owner was just too cheap/lazy to do it right. In the end, it really depends on how "correct" the rest of the car is. The farther away you get from stock the more liberties you can take.

Troy

Here's mine if you want to see it in a blue. I think the black makes the blue stand out even more!

[Darkman]

   That settles it, black it is!

[Hemidog]

That's the right answer! 

[Bob T]

Yep the right answer is black    , just looks nude otherwise  

saw this one on the net a while back tho, not black,  but it seems to work on this car