68 Charger Pinch Weld Blackout

[Classiccar68]

Members,  Did they blackout the pinch weld on the 68 Charger.  If so, can someone walk me through the process.  Thanks,  Scott

[charge69]

Welcome here Classiccar68 but I gotta ask:  What pinchweld are you talking about?  If you are referring to the bottom of the structural cage of the car where it attaches to the floors and trunk, ...... it is painted body color as far as I know.  Otherwise clarify your question and a REAL expert will come along.

[Dino]

I've seen both but regardless of what the factory did, it only looks good blacked out.

[Classiccar68]

Clarify - The pinch weld I am seeking advice on is the bottom of the structural cage of the car where it attaches to the floors and trunk.  During my research I came across an article - top 10 mistakes when restoring a b body.  One of the mistake was not blacking out the pinch weld.  If the pinch weld area does require blackout, I have a few questions.

What the blackout paint?  Organisol, gloss black, semi- black?
When is the paint applied?  After primer?  Paint?
How is it applied? Brush?

I am in my second year of the restoration.  We just finish epoxy and primer. We hopefully will paint the car next week.   Thanks, Scott

[charge69]

Sorry, I cannot help you as I must have made the "mistake" of not blacking out the pinch welds when I restored my Charger.  Just so you know, when I tore down my Charger for restoration, I do not remember that area of the Charger being blacked out. I have owned it since 1976 and am 99% positive it was original when I started. I guess it could have been but, I just do not remember that.

[Dino]

Seems some cars had it blacked out and others didn't.  Any car should have it blacked out.  The point is that the visible body line ends with the straight rocker and give it a crisp line.  Not having it blacked out makes it look unfinished but that's just me.

I don't know what they would've used at the factory but it wouldn't be gloss.  Flat black or organisol would work fine.  When and how they applied it I couldn't say.  I'd spray it after paint.  Tape the color, scuff the pinch weld and spray it.  

[cdr]

my 68 was not blacked out from the factory.

[charge69]

Really Dino! Any car should have it!  I am pretty sure mine did not have it from the factory and it isn't blacked out now. It is not going to be blacked out either and I will be sure to let you guys know when the first person comes up to me and comments "you're pinch welds are not blacked out" ! I've never even heard of this being part of a "judged" component in a show.

To each his own but I would like to be shown an original Charger with blackened pinch welds as I have never seen one. Not saying their cannot be one. I just have never seen it.

Notice the ugly pinch weld line? ...... I don't either !

[Lennard]

Notice the ugly pinch weld line? ...... I don't either !

I notice the ugly red brake drum

[kab69440]

Couldn't tell you. My 69 was covered with nice thick slathering of undercoat.

[cbrestorations]

Notice the ugly pinch weld line? ...... I don't either !

I notice the ugly red brake drum

[Bronzedodge]

I'm the 2nd owner of my '69, not blacked out at the pinch weld.

[tan top]

 

Clarify - The pinch weld I am seeking advice on is the bottom of the structural cage of the car where it attaches to the floors and trunk.  During my research I came across an article - top 10 mistakes when restoring a b body.  One of the mistake was not blacking out the pinch weld.  If the pinch weld area does require blackout, I have a few questions.

What the blackout paint?  Organisol, gloss black, semi- black?
When is the paint applied?  After primer?  Paint?
How is it applied? Brush?

I am in my second year of the restoration.  We just finish epoxy and primer. We hopefully will paint the car next week.   Thanks, Scott

 check out  ECS 's  awesome  challenger  , scroll down the page  , that will give you some idea ,   i'm no expert , but  no two cars are alike , it was up to the guy who was ever doing them at the time ,
http://www.moparaction.com/Article/PoP/PoP.html


http://www.moparaction.com/Article/PoP/KK.jpg





mine was original paint  under there ,   never had any either ,

[charger chris]

I seen them on some of the car I cut up. one was a six pack car

[charge69]

cbrestorations:  Ha!  Those brake drums were painted with left-over Hemi-orange paint we had leftover from painting the engine!  I wasn't  there when my bud painted them but I decided to just leave them orange and I get lots of compliments on them! Originally done as a joke! Kind of a "Butch Leal" look, I guess.

Anyway with the original steel wheels on it, you cannot see them anyway. I have them, just prefer the Cragar and painted drum-look. Ha!

Easy to change the color or just remove the paint if I want to.

[Troy]

Try not to confuse years, body styles, and/or manufacturing plants. My bronze 68 had rocker blackout but my bright blue one (early car) does not. I couldn't tell on my black one but, since most of the blackout was skipped on black painted cars, I assume it never had any. Both of my gold cars and my green one had been repainted. On my bronze 68 and my 70 Challenger both the black appears to be low gloss and it looks like it was sprayed. Likely the same stuff used for the rad support.

Troy

[Dino]

Really Dino! Any car should have it!  I am pretty sure mine did not have it from the factory and it isn't blacked out now. It is not going to be blacked out either and I will be sure to let you guys know when the first person comes up to me and comments "you're pinch welds are not blacked out" ! I've never even heard of this being part of a "judged" component in a show.

To each his own but I would like to be shown an original Charger with blackened pinch welds as I have never seen one. Not saying their cannot be one. I just have never seen it.

Notice the ugly pinch weld line? ...... I don't either !

Hey take it easy!  Geez!

Yes to me any car, meaning any make and model, should have it.  It's a finishing touch.  Pinch welds are not supposed to be visible.  My own car doesn't have it blacked out either because they did a horrible respray on it and I need to do more prep work than I'm willing to do to make it look nice.  If yours came without it and you want to keep it that way then fine, I don't care!

[cdr]

I thought the drums were supposed to be REDish orange ?

[charge69]

Charlie, I believe the drum cars that had Magnums installed had the drums painted red but I'm not really sure. I do know my drums were unpainted and, eventually, rusty from the factory. My Charger came with black wheels and full wheel covers from the factory.

Like I said my buddy that was helping with my restoration had some "Hemi-orange" engine paint left over and, on the spur of the moment and without me being there, painted the drums with it kind of as a joke! I know it isn't stock but it would be really easy to fix .  I kinda like the painted-drum look and left it that way.

[charge69]

AND :   Sorry Dino,  I did not want my post to come across that way.  I just have never seen a Charger with a painted pinch-weld area and I just cannot believe the factory would take the time to mask off the body and paint them black!  To me, it is inconsequential and I really doubt 1 in 100 would ever notice.

Mine just do not show and it would probably make no difference.

Again, sorry man.

[Dino]

Forget about it, I probably overreacted anyway so my apologies.

Knowing Mopar they probably would've just run over it with a brush, and they likely did only a handful of them until they said this is not cost prohibitive and then dropped it alltogether.  It's just my personal opinion that a car, any car, looks more finished with the blackout.  It won't ruin it though.

For the record, your car is one of the nicest I have ever seen, and in my favorite red to boot.  Those drums though.      Sorry, couldn't help myself.   

You should get some fresh pictures though.  I'd love to see some more of your car in different settings.   

[Troy]

AND :   Sorry Dino,  I did not want my post to come across that way.  I just have never seen a Charger with a painted pinch-weld area and I just cannot believe the factory would take the time to mask off the body and paint them black!  To me, it is inconsequential and I really doubt 1 in 100 would ever notice.

Mine just do not show and it would probably make no difference.

Again, sorry man.

They certainly didn't mask anything!

Troy

[hemigeno]

I would like to be shown an original Charger with blackened pinch welds as I have never seen one. Not saying their cannot be one. I just have never seen it.

Photo of original/untouched area of the car... '69 Daytona (maxwellwedge's 'DocTona')

During this production timeperiod, Hamtramck tended to spray the pinchweld blackout - with no masking, or concern if there was overspray.  I've heard, but don't have any photographic examples of such, that different models/years/plants used the brush method.

[charge69]

Yeppers, that looks like it was blackened although a pretty bad job of it! I was told years ago by someone that those pinch welds were actually there to allow for water drainage that would accumulate in that area as the water inevitably got in there while driving in the rain!  I don't know, might be true.

[charge69]

Also, I know I need new pics and promise to have them soon. This Spring or sooner!