TOP 10 MISTAKES WHEN RESTORING A 68-70 CHARGER!!!

[dodgedarren]

Ive made a few mistakes I wish I knew before hand so I thought
I'd start this to help people not the same ones I did.

#1 Didnt black out radiator support.

[nvrbdn]

front upper door pads are different in a 70.

[skip68]

For me it would be thinking I can fix anything by myself.  I've tried to do several things and made it worse and then had to pay to get it fixed.   

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Using Bondo in the rear valance corners

[ChargersETC..ETC..]

Sanding the doors or hood . It looses the factory stamping lines original shape.Most common on the pressed door design.

[paironines]

On 69 charger tail panels alot of people paint black past the corner chrome   L pieces all the way to the body color quarter extensions. There should be a thin line of body color there.

[1968 Charger B5]

Biggest mistake....

listening to anyone else other than yourself....restore it how YOU want it....it is your car...

[Troy]

#1 Deciding to restore a 68-70 Charger
#2 Deciding to "save money" by restoring the car yourself
#3 Buying a car that is missing all the rare/expensive parts that aren't reproduced (or the repros are junk)

Then, once you get started...
Inner door frames not painted to match the interior
No radiator support blackout
Hood recesses not blacked out
Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out
No OR improper applied undercoating in the wheel wells
Tail panel black out incorrect
Too sharp center body line (or one that's curved)
Stripes installed incorrectly
Orange painted engines in 68
69-70 doors on a 68 or vice-versa when the door lock knobs aren't moved
Incorrect door handle buttons (black early, chrome late)
Headlight bezels on anything other than a 68
Painted 3-speed wiper motor

Some picky members will say:
Non-factory battery
Installation of electronic ignition
Washer bottle with the cap facing the wrong way

and about a 100 more "noticeable" things. I hardly count the vinyl pattern differences since so few know about them AND you can't buy the original stuff any more.

Troy

[dodgedarren]

#1 Deciding to restore a 68-70 Charger
#2 Deciding to "save money" by restoring the car yourself
#3 Buying a car that is missing all the rare/expensive parts that aren't reproduced (or the repros are junk)

Then, once you get started...
Inner door frames not painted to match the interior
No radiator support blackout
Hood recesses not blacked out
Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out
No OR improper applied undercoating in the wheel wells
Tail panel black out incorrect
Too sharp center body line (or one that's curved)
Stripes installed incorrectly
Orange painted engines in 68
69-70 doors on a 68 or vice-versa when the door lock knobs aren't moved
Incorrect door handle buttons (black early, chrome late)
Headlight bezels on anything other than a 68
Painted 3-speed wiper motor

Some picky members will say:
Non-factory battery
Installation of electronic ignition
Washer bottle with the cap facing the wrong way

and about a 100 more "noticeable" things. I hardly count the vinyl pattern differences since so few know about them AND you can't buy the original stuff any more.

Troy

Hey Troy thanks for some great pointers.
What kinda black should be used on the rocker panel pinch weld? Semi gloss???

and how should the undercoating in the wheel wells be applied??

[kikgas01]

Pentastar on both front fenders, 70 tail lights in a 69.

[Cooter]

#1.............




440 SIX PACKS AND 426 HEMI'S in EVERY freakin' Charger built...Especially, the 1966-68 Chargers with Six packs.

[John_Kunkel]

#1 mistake? Calling anything but exactly the way the factory did it a "restoration".

One tiny deviation makes it a "restification" not a restoration.

[SRT-68]

Restoration? There is no such thing. Although I have seen some very nice rebuilds.

[twodko]

Thankfully The only mistake I've made with my 69 was punching a hole threw the cone of a brand new package tray speaker. Ouch but small taters really. Given what I paid for the car and wanting to restore it properly, I asked a lot of questions of the members here. This crew saved me from some real bad juju. Thanks folks. 

[Vainglory, Esq.]

I personally hate all the stripe mistakes.  Stripes too wide, not wide enough, tilted all stupid, 69/70 stripes on 68s, 68 stripes on anything else, etc., etc.

I mean, hell, if you're gonna put a stripe on it, at least do it right.

[bakerhillpins]

If we could filter out all the extra questions and comments and keep it to individual issues with the corresponding "correct" way this would make an awesome sticky thread! 

Hood recesses not blacked out
Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out
No OR improper applied undercoating in the wheel wells
Tail panel black out incorrect

I would also like to know about these.

[jaak]

#1 mistake? Calling anything but exactly the way the factory did it a "restoration".

One tiny deviation makes it a "restification" not a restoration.

Good point, I have always tried to keep in mind not to call mine a restoration, since my car is totally different from how it came from the factory.

Jason

[J-440]

  For the anal retentive: Having the wrong stamping on your intake bolts when that "T" should be an "I' or the correct paint drippings were not exactly reproduced...good Lord just calm down and drive the thing will ya!!!

[Lennard]

Biggest mistake....

listening to anyone else other than yourself....restore it how YOU want it....it is your car...

[Rolling_Thunder]

biggest mistake:  taking it apart in the first place thinking  "it won't cost that much"       

[UH60L]

#1 mistake? Calling anything but exactly the way the factory did it a "restoration".

One tiny deviation makes it a "restification" not a restoration.

Good point, I have always tried to keep in mind not to call mine a restoration, since my car is totally different from how it came from the factory.

Jason

I try to catch myself before I say "I'm restoring my car", and instead say "I'm rebuilding my car". 

I am also quick to point out to the anal ones that I have in no way attempted to hide the fact that my car was orignially a 318 car.  Someoen swapped the 318 for a 440 over 20 before I bought it, and it's not going back.  My car is a mutt, thus I can do whatever I want with it, and I don't have to worry about it being exactly factory.

My car is an R/T clone resto mod, and the anal people can complain all they want while I'm cruisin & jamming to my alpine stereo system.   

I've spent a ton of money and put alot of elbow greese into my car, and I'm not even done yet.   I can only imagine how much more it would have taken to put it all back to "original".

[bill440rt]

#1 mistake? Calling anything but exactly the way the factory did it a "restoration".

One tiny deviation makes it a "restification" not a restoration.

Well said.
Anything other than a 100% stock resto would/could fall into the "modified" category. Then, it all boils down to details & workmanship.
Painted stripes that should have been decals on a stock resto is a big no-no. 

"Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out"
Troy, it is my understanding this was a '71-up thing? On a 2nd gen undercoat car, there might have been some sloppy overspray on the pinch welds, but I've never seen a separate black out paint applied there.
You have any confirmation of this?? 

[bull]

So is this about mistakes we have made or pointing out those of others? The main two mistakes I've made so far (there are dozens of small ones) is that I painted the car too soon. I should have painted just the engine bay and then waited until I had the entire underside of it done and the drivetrain in before doing the rest. The other mistake I made was choosing the clown I chose to paint it.

[440]

Bull - Overall are you happy with it or   

It's only the undercoating isn't it ?

[nvrbdn]

if we list all our mistakes, do we get judged with a point system? if we aquire so many points do we get benched for X amount of days? cause i have mistakes------or mabey mistakes to others, but just doin a charger the way i want to me. #1. i have 68 parts in my interior. #2. i have a 71 steering wheel. #3 i have 69 front seats, #4 i have a 69 block, #5. i have a black interior instead of a charcoal interior, #6. my paint color is a forien semi paint code, #7. i have smoothed out the seams in the rear valance, #8. there is bondo in my car, #9. (and this is a biggie folks) i painted a stripe on a car that didnt come with a stripe, and then i painted a "68" stripe on a "70" charger. im thinkin i could be in the lead for the most NO-NO's.

[dodgedarren]

I'm thinking top 10 "restoration" no no's, not "modifications". I like to hear more about this painted rocker panel pinch weld and undercoating application to the wheel wells. I did put my tail stripe on myself and it is not exactly
centered with the side marker. Was their and deviation on this from the factory???

[Troy]

If we could filter out all the extra questions and comments and keep it to individual issues with the corresponding "correct" way this would make an awesome sticky thread! 

Hood recesses not blacked out
Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out
No OR improper applied undercoating in the wheel wells
Tail panel black out incorrect

I would also like to know about these.

"Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out"
Troy, it is my understanding this was a '71-up thing? On a 2nd gen undercoat car, there might have been some sloppy overspray on the pinch welds, but I've never seen a separate black out paint applied there.
You have any confirmation of this?? 

The area of the hood where the turn signals reside has a few indentations towards the front. These should be blacked out (I believe these are decals) - including the area around the signal. I want to say that the sides of the lenses may have been black as well. No idea where that reference is at the moment.

Other people here are much more knowledgeable than me so I get most of my information from them. For example, Jim (maxwellwedge) has - or has owned - a ton of original cars so I pay close attention to whatever he writes and any pictures of his cars that show up. My bronze 68 Charger definitely had pinch weld blackout. Naturally, I took pictures of the shiny original paint after some of it peeled off without actually taking pictures of the blackout. I didn't take detailed shots of those areas on either my blue 68 Charger R/T or Sublime 70 Challenger which are both original paint. I guess that will be a project for this weekend! Daytona examples:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,64805.msg727016.html#msg727016
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,48725.msg745274.html#msg745274

I do have some wheel well pictures of the Charger that I need to upload. I did a quick search but didn't come across anything good. This may help though:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,48725.msg865426.html#msg865426
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,22608.0.html
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,48725.msg925282.html#msg925282
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,48725.msg925118.html#msg925118

On the tail panels, in 68 the black basically covered the entire inside of the line created by the trim with the edge of the paint usually splitting the trim holes. I have seen cars where the entire back end was black but it shouldn't go below the lower trim piece. Since 69 and 70 don't have the lower trim, that one is harder to figure out. We wandered around Carlisle one year looking specifically at that area and I probably still have all the pictures. If I remember right, the most common appeared to be a straight line down from the quarter extensions down to - and including - the top of the lip behind the rear bumper where the tail panel and valance meet.

Troy

[dodgedarren]

WOW!! Im amazed at the amount of over spray on the pinch weld. I don't think I could do that and feel OK with it.
It make me wonder why is it that important to have the correct overspray. Does it really add value to the restoration
or is it just to say that it is "factory correct"?

[maxwellwedge]

#1 mistake? Calling anything but exactly the way the factory did it a "restoration".

One tiny deviation makes it a "restification" not a restoration.

Well said.
Anything other than a 100% stock resto would/could fall into the "modified" category. Then, it all boils down to details & workmanship.
Painted stripes that should have been decals on a stock resto is a big no-no.  

"Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out"
Troy, it is my understanding this was a '71-up thing? On a 2nd gen undercoat car, there might have been some sloppy overspray on the pinch welds, but I've never seen a separate black out paint applied there.
You have any confirmation of this??  

My Daytona's all have it and pretty well all of my 70 stuff.

[maxwellwedge]

Restoration? There is no such thing. Although I have seen some very nice rebuilds.

Huh?

[Troy]

Going to use Gene's car as an example again...

you can see both the wheel well and pinch weld blackout treatment. On a bright color these are very obvious but shadows and lighting will keep most people from noticing on a darker color. Visually, the color stops at the bottom of the rockers where the designers planned. However, since his car is "correctly crappy", you can see where they overshot the outside color on the suspension and also didn't replace the pinch weld blackout when the front fenders were swapped during the Daytona conversion. Other manufacturers (like Ford) painted the whole bottom of the car black.


The undercoating inside the wheel well also kept rocks from putting an "outie" on the top of the fender.

Troy

[bull]

Bull - Overall are you happy with it or   

It's only the undercoating isn't it ?

What I meant was that I should have done most of the restoration before having it painted. By underside I mean get the undercoating done and rebuild/install the engine, front suspension, trans and rear end/suspension prior to paint. The reason it made sense to me at the time is because I had saved up a big amount of money and didn't want to piss it away on little stuff. What I should have done in retrospect is put that money away in a time deposit or something and then nickel and dimed my way through the other parts of the project. As it is now I have to be more careful around the paint as I'm working on all the other stuff.

[dodgedarren]

Bull - Overall are you happy with it or   

It's only the undercoating isn't it ?

What I meant was that I should have done most of the restoration before having it painted. By underside I mean get the undercoating done and rebuild/install the engine, front suspension, trans and rear end/suspension prior to paint. The reason it made sense to me at the time is because I had saved up a big amount of money and didn't want to piss it away on little stuff. What I should have done in retrospect is put that money away in a time deposit or something and then nickel and dimed my way through the other parts of the project. As it is now I have to be more careful around the paint as I'm working on all the other stuff.

I put blankets over everything I could during the reassembly. I did have a broom handle fall and make a small dent that cost me $150 to have fixed.

[maxwellwedge]

Here is what is left of the original black on Disco-Tona. Usually it is the same flatness of the core support black-out (25-33% flattened) but it is gloss black on this car - I noticed the same gloss on the Malcolm Daytona survivor as well.

[jb666]

biggest mistake:  taking it apart in the first place thinking  "it won't cost that much"       

B-I-N-G-O!!!

[lexxman]

My mistake buying the car in the first place.I would never buy a car in boxes again.

[bill440rt]

So is this about mistakes we have made or pointing out those of others?

Good point, Curtis. 

In that case, biggest mistake I made was using 440 hood callout decals instead of stencils the first time around when painting on the V21. I thought I'd be able to use the decals as patterns, then pull them off & complete painting the V21 hood treatment. I sure goofed on that one. The decals left a glue residue that was impossible to get off. It ruined the paint work, & I had to start all over again.    I used stencils the second time.
That, and using SSBC brake kits. 

But, then again, this was on a "restification" NOT a restoration.

There are countless mistakes that can be made when restoring a Charger. But, if a person chooses to build a car in a certain way, then that is not a "mistake", is it? 

[kab69440]

if we list all our mistakes, do we get judged with a point system? if we aquire so many points do we get benched for X amount of days? cause i have mistakes------or mabey mistakes to others, but just doin a charger the way i want to me. #1. i have 68 parts in my interior. #2. i have a 71 steering wheel. #3 i have 69 front seats, #4 i have a 69 block, #5. i have a black interior instead of a charcoal interior, #6. my paint color is a forien semi paint code, #7. i have smoothed out the seams in the rear valance, #8. there is bondo in my car, #9. (and this is a biggie folks) i painted a stripe on a car that didnt come with a stripe, and then i painted a "68" stripe on a "70" charger. im thinkin i could be in the lead for the most NO-NO's.

HAHAHAHAHA! You are NOWHERE NEAR being the forerunner...

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

If we could filter out all the extra questions and comments and keep it to individual issues with the corresponding "correct" way this would make an awesome sticky thread!  

Hood recesses not blacked out
Pinch weld under rocker panels not blacked out
No OR improper applied undercoating in the wheel wells
Tail panel black out incorrect

Troy

From this thread:

Decals, for sure 

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,74322.0.html

[nvrbdn]

are those black out stickers specific to 69?  were they on all 69's or just certain packages?

[Patronus]

My biggest mistake was waiting so long. I relish in a good project, except it's usually someones house. (contractor)
Now, I have this other side, making cars. 

[dodgedarren]

biggest mistake:  taking it apart in the first place thinking  "it won't cost that much"       

B-I-N-G-O!!!

Take what you think its gonna cost and double it!!!! I don't regret it. It was allot of work and frustration
but the ends results is well worth it. My friends were blown away. They had no idea to the extent I took it.
I would do it again if the opportunity arose.

[Troy]

are those black out stickers specific to 69?  were they on all 69's or just certain packages?

They were on 68 and 69.

Troy

[tan top]

#1 mistake? Calling anything but exactly the way the factory did it a "restoration".

One tiny deviation makes it a "restification" not a restoration.

yeah i'm guilty of that   

[Rustymuscle]

How about building a General Lee out of anything that's NOT a '69 Charger? (Not to mention mistaking Hemi Orange or Camel Tan interior for General Lee Orange and light tan interior?)

[Finn]

biggest mistake:  taking it apart in the first place thinking  "it won't cost that much"       

Lol too true...When I first started my project I had it all figured out how I could get it running and driving for 2500 bucks and a year's worth of work. 

Now it's been almost 5 years and a whole lot of money later

[Troy]

I took a bunch of pictures in the garage over the weekend but I'll probably start new threads for the details. My bronze 68 Charger has traces of blackout on the rocker pinch weld. The pictures I had earlier only showed the areas where it had peeled off. Since the car is under construction, some of the paint that's left has overspray on it but the back side and edges of the stuff that falls off is black. My January built QQ1 68 Charger R/T doesn't appear to have ever had anything on the pinch weld. My Sublime 70 Challenger (October built, LA plant) definitely has the blackout on the pinch weld and it's in relatively good shape. It looks like there was an attempt at masking it too - where the Charger, Jim's photos, and Gene's car all look like the gun was just aimed in the general direction. These cars are all the evidence that I can count on. My other Challenger has been "restored" at least twice, the turquoise 68 Charger R/T had been painted over, the gold 68 Charger had 10 layers of paint on the parts that weren't rusty, and my black 68 Charger was, well, black.

Troy

[Highbanked Hauler]

 before the wreck my car might have been "restored" in 1990  but now I would say its a little better than a paint job.

[wingcar]

How about painting huge 01 numbers on the doors and a Confederate flag on the roof.............
................JUST KIDDING, put down the rope!

*If you restored YOUR Charger the way YOU want it..............then there's not really an issue with it being a mistake....
as long as you enjoy it (besides the next owner can correct it)   

[ACUDANUT]

Pentastar on both front fenders, 70 tail lights in a 69.

Could you post a picture of the two side by side...I really thought they were the same.

[XS29L9Bxxxxxx]

Pentastar on both front fenders, 70 tail lights in a 69.

Could you post a picture of the two side by side...I really thought they were the same.

From, Bull:

4.  Incorrect 1968-70 Charger Tail Light Lenses:
There are at least three different tail light lenses that were used on 1969-70 Dodge Chargers.  All lenses will bolt up to both years, but there are subtle differences in all three lenses.
1969 Chargers use only one style tail light lens. It is solid red with a silver-painted pin stripe along its lower, inside edge. This lens also has a bright chrome bezel surround.   
1970 Chargers used two different styles tail light lenses depending on their model designation. The first lens style was used on the base model (VIN beginning with the letters XH). It looks almost identical to the 1969 lens with the silver pinstripe with the exception of a rectangular shaped red reflector mounted horizontally in the center of the lens face. (New safety mandates for 1970 required that all 1970 models have rearward facing reflectors for better visibility at night) The second style 1970 tail light lens was used only on the 500 and R/T models. It looks like the first 1970 style but does not have the silver painted pin stripe. This lens is pin-stripe delete because 500 and R/T models used an aluminum bezel that ran the entire length of the tail light panel. The area of this bezel that fits around the tail light lens, is painted black, so silver accent pinstripes were not needed


1969:


1970:

[vancamp]

Pentastar on both front fenders, 70 tail lights in a 69.

Could you post a picture of the two side by side...I really thought they were the same.

they are essentially except the 70s have a reflector in them the 69s dont the repros are correct for a 70 but will fit in a 69

[1970Moparmann]

For me it was with the last car..   Wanting to finish it, I put a crap load on my credit card - still paying for it!

Other than this, I'm really glad how it turned out.   Exactly how I wanted it to.  Research, research, research.....

[Magnumcharger]

Here is the other 1970-style tail lights with rear facing reflector...

[69bronzeT5]

Headlight bezels on anything other than a 68

'69s should of had them too.....makes the whole assembly look complete. I put them on my '69.

[ACUDANUT]

Biggest mistake....

listening to anyone else other than yourself....restore it how YOU want it....it is your car...

True, and it's only ORIGINAL once.
Thanks for the info on the tailight lenses. Never in my 30 years of playing with Chargers did I know there is a difference on 69-70 tailights...It's not a big deal to me, but I am not a nit-pick.
Just happy to own one.

[472 R/T SE]

This was an early September car like my current car so they both have the non reflector-ed lenses in them.  They used up whatever '69 stuff they had.

[472 R/T SE]

Master cylinders that are left natural.  Sure, some years that's normal.

[ACUDANUT]

 Hey, a 472 cubic motor does not sound "original" 
But I love it.

[ACUDANUT]

This was an early September car like my current car so they both have the non reflector-ed lenses in them.  They used up whatever '69 stuff they had.

So a 69 could have 70 tailights in them. ? It makes sense too me, to use up 69 parts on a 70.

[dodgedarren]

Here is the other 1970-style tail lights with rear facing reflector...

What kind of license plate is that??? Your plate frame is from the dealership I bought my Dodge Nitro from.

[FrnkNsteen]

Restoration? There is no such thing. Although I have seen some very nice rebuilds.

I have to agree with SRT. There is no way to bring the cars back to 100% original, unless it's a perfectly clean survivor car that has all it's original paint. I know some are going to want my head on a platter for this, but in my honest opinion, some people get WAY too concerned about "making it exactly how it originally came out of the factory".

I was at Monster Mopars a couple weeks ago and I was looking at some of the "restorations" where they even put the paint smears on the plug wires and the wax and chalk marks in various places. To me..... that's going to far. I'm not going to repeat crappy quality and ugly craftsmanship, just because that's how they originally rushed them through the manufacturing lines back in '69. If I would have bought one new back then, the first thing I would have done is go home and crean off all the paint smudges and chalk marks off my car.

In my case, my fender tag and original motor were gone long before I got my car back in the late 80's, so everything is moot. My car has no reference point that I have to get back to, so the point is moot. I do appreciate all the things people pointed out though. I didn't know the differences between the '69 and '70 taillights. I also know my '69 has black buttons on the door handles, so it must have been built early in the production run then. Beyond the obvious things though, like making sure to paint the engine compartment body color instead of black, I really don't care if I have the right percentage of gloss on the pinch weld below the rockers. If someone wants to get that picky about my car...... they don't have to ride with me. Don't get me wrong..... for you guys that have the ultra rare, investment grade collectibles, I can maybe understand being a bit more concerned about those little things. BUT,.... I can drive mine without worrying about how many miles I put on it!!

[wingcar]

Well said FrnkNsteen....................

[Back N Black]

Restoration? There is no such thing. Although I have seen some very nice rebuilds.

I have to agree with SRT. There is no way to bring the cars back to 100% original, unless it's a perfectly clean survivor car that has all it's original paint. I know some are going to want my head on a platter for this, but in my honest opinion, some people get WAY too concerned about "making it exactly how it originally came out of the factory".

I was at Monster Mopars a couple weeks ago and I was looking at some of the "restorations" where they even put the paint smears on the plug wires and the wax and chalk marks in various places. To me..... that's going to far. I'm not going to repeat crappy quality and ugly craftsmanship, just because that's how they originally rushed them through the manufacturing lines back in '69. If I would have bought one new back then, the first thing I would have done is go home and crean off all the paint smudges and chalk marks off my car.

In my case, my fender tag and original motor were gone long before I got my car back in the late 80's, so everything is moot. My car has no reference point that I have to get back to, so the point is moot. I do appreciate all the things people pointed out though. I didn't know the differences between the '69 and '70 taillights. I also know my '69 has black buttons on the door handles, so it must have been built early in the production run then. Beyond the obvious things though, like making sure to paint the engine compartment body color instead of black, I really don't care if I have the right percentage of gloss on the pinch weld below the rockers. If someone wants to get that picky about my car...... they don't have to ride with me. Don't get me wrong..... for you guys that have the ultra rare, investment grade collectibles, I can maybe understand being a bit more concerned about those little things. BUT,.... I can drive mine without worrying about how many miles I put on it!!

+ 1

[dodgedarren]

I think it is well understood that no way you can build a car that is show room fresh. Also it should also be said without mention that everyone has the right to do whatever they want to there car. Reason I started this was to get
some tips from the purest on what they believed was the top ten "rectification" mistakes made. So far I have learned allot and have made a few of them that I hadn't realized. Some I will correct, some I won't. Again to each there own. Thank you for all the comments and suggestions I will be out in the garage with a rattle can blacking out my radiator support and rocker panel pinch weld.

[charge-it]

Figure out what the total restoration cost will be, add 20%, then multiply by three.

[maxwellwedge]

Restoration? There is no such thing. Although I have seen some very nice rebuilds.

I have to agree with SRT. There is no way to bring the cars back to 100% original, unless it's a perfectly clean survivor car that has all it's original paint. I know some are going to want my head on a platter for this, but in my honest opinion, some people get WAY too concerned about "making it exactly how it originally came out of the factory".

I was at Monster Mopars a couple weeks ago and I was looking at some of the "restorations" where they even put the paint smears on the plug wires and the wax and chalk marks in various places. To me..... that's going to far. I'm not going to repeat crappy quality and ugly craftsmanship, just because that's how they originally rushed them through the manufacturing lines back in '69. If I would have bought one new back then, the first thing I would have done is go home and crean off all the paint smudges and chalk marks off my car.

In your "honest opinion" as compared to what? A dishonest opinion?    It is still your opinion. As others opinions may be to want a near perfect representation as to an "as delivered" factory restoration and their pursuit to acheive that.

There is the rattle-can resto crowd and the 100% factory crowd and there are the people in-between. That's the hobby - all of the above. To pick on anyone's opinion, including yours - is wrong........in my opinion. 

[472 R/T SE]

I think it is well understood that no way you can build a car that is show room fresh. Also it should also be said without mention that everyone has the right to do whatever they want to there car. Reason I started this was to get
some tips from the purest on what they believed was the top ten "rectification" mistakes made. So far I have learned allot and have made a few of them that I hadn't realized. Some I will correct, some I won't. Again to each there own. Thank you for all the comments and suggestions I will be out in the garage with a rattle can blacking out my radiator support and rocker panel pinch weld.

If you look at the schematic for the front rad. support it lists green as one of the colors not needing black out.  Your call though.  I've heard of some survivor cars having it some not.  What I've never noticed before is the top side of the valance shows it getting blacked out.  That should end a debate we've had over @ the '70 Registry.

I have original survivor pix of f8 green slopped on pinch welds though, don't remember what year.