68 Charger RT in primer,how to get body lines straight?

[High Impact]

I ended up re-posessing my 68 Charger today after a battle with a local guy that was doing my car.  He was doing it the way he wanted not the way I wanted!   

My question is "how do you get the quarter panels and fenders to have a straight line when sanding primmer?   He's got maybe 5-6 coated of the 2000K high built primer on it but his center body lines to me dont look to straight and I thought Id take the time to block sand everything so that is arrow straight........Problem is I've never done it before.   I wondering if there is a trick or something that will show me that I got it straight.   I thought of maybe a chalk line???   or a long straight edge and use a marker to show me what to sand up to?   Not sure,   Im kinda depressed over the whole thing and it suck's when you know nothing about something,   but want to,  but hate to screw it up.   Any idea's?

[Charger-Bodie]

lay a strip of tape and bock to it but keep in mind that the body line on the 1/4 isnt really straight it flow slightly up as it reaches the wheel opening and back down

[hemi-hampton]

My Question is if you dont know what your doing why did you take it away from a Guy that probably did?? LEON.

[High Impact]

Well,  beacuse I didn't like the way it was going and he quoted a price but then kept asking for more and more money on top of his original price and that didn't fly with me!  It was supposed to be ready for paint  for $3000.00 and all the body work was pretty much done it just needed the primer to be applied and blocked a few times.  A good deal for him I thought but now my car is in primer and the body line's dont look to good and I feel it's now where near ready to paint.  Just sitting here disapointed now!

[Silver R/T]

Do you know much about body work, if not just spend extra few dollars and hire someone else who does. Itll be worth it in long run.
I like to guide coat entire body and drysand with long board. After its where I think its straight I;ll give it another couple coats and then finish it off with 600 wetsand. You stay off the body lines like mentioned and can use tape to guide you.

[Charger-Bodie]

3000.00 was too cheap to start with even only needing minor work IMO

[BlueSS454]

I just finished doing this to my 69.  It's not an easy task, even more difficult if you don't know what you are doing or if you have never done it before.  The best thing to do is make sure the doors are lined up with the quarters and the fenders ar elined up with the doors and run a tape line and block to it.  The problem with that is if you have a low spot somewhere.  It's tricky to apply the filler in a manner in which you don't make it worse.

[Charger-Bodie]

I just finished doing this to my 69.  It's not an easy task, even more difficult if you don't know what you are doing or if you have never done it before.  The best thing to do is make sure the doors are lined up with the quarters and the fenders ar elined up with the doors and run a tape line and block to it.  The problem with that is if you have a low spot somewhere.  It's tricky to apply the filler in a manner in which you don't make it worse.

i just want to touch on 1 very important thing mentioned even if you are going to paint youre car apart do all of the block sanding with the panels fully adjusted ...way too many cars get done on saw horses or stands and then they go to fit the parts and there is no way to make the lines good ecspecialy on a charger if you make it all line up when blocking it will be just the way it should be when its done

[K9COP]

I've never done this, but Larry Lyles uses body tape and a marker and makes a real big thing about the body line in his book 'Project Charger'.. a good investment IMO.

Paul

[charge-it]

I personally wouldn`t step into the middle of someone else`s work and then be expected to put my name on it. If you brought the car to me I would want to strip it back down to bare metal and start over. If that didn`t sound good for you I would then say bring it to someone else...Good luck.

[Charger-Bodie]

I personally wouldn`t step into the middle of someone else`s work and then be expected to put my name on it. If you brought the car to me I would want to strip it back down to bare metal and start over. If that didn`t sound good for you I would then say bring it to someone else...Good luck.

[1BAD68]

Do you know much about body work, if not just spend extra few dollars and hire someone else who does. Itll be worth it in long run.
I like to guide coat entire body and drysand with long board. After its where I think its straight I;ll give it another couple coats and then finish it off with 600 wetsand. You stay off the body lines like mentioned and can use tape to guide you.

what grit for the guide coat blocking?

[High Impact]

I can kinda understand about not wanting to put your name on someone else's work but who would want to start over.  I think it's fine what the guy did but it just needs more blocking to make it correct then I imagine it needs to be sealed. 

This is a extreamly nice and clean 68 RT that's all #'s matching and was a silver car with no options that only has 54,000 mile's and by all respect's probably shouldn't have been even messed with,  but I was talked into re-doing it and this is where I am now........screwed!    I need this car finished an have one other shop to talk with that may be intrested in picking up where this joker left off.   I dont mean to rant and rave but it really get's me fired up!

[BlueSS454]

Post up some profile shots of the car from various angles, and I may be able to help you a little more.  It's really not that difficult, but like I said before, with no prior experience, you have to take your time and be careful.

[High Impact]

I'll get a few shot's today.

My wife works at one of the local body shop's in town and her boss (which me and him get along pretty good)  would be able to lend some advise to,   so it's not like I have "no-one"  to give me a advise but sometime's getting it out of him is like pulling teeth!   I thought maybe he'd show me and let me work on it there alittle when their slow but he still want's to charge me $46.00 hr.  to work on it there.  I just can't afford that right now at this point in my life. 

Like alot of you guy's,  I have more than one car and I try to work alittle on all of them but it's hard when your one man and try to make a living and keep your wife happy...........I need to be "cloned" 

Anyways,  thanks for the input,   I stared at the car for a couple day's now and it just need's to be blocked a few more time's.  Im going to hang the door's and then run a tape line down the car.   I guess my bonus is that I have a 68 charger out back behind my shop that I can look at and take measurement's off to compare to mine and what Im working on at that point.

I'll get some pic's.  Thanks, Dave

[1BAD68]

anyone know how to fix little door dings in the body line?
I've been filling and sanding over and over and it just makes it worse. It actually is less noticeable when sanded down to bare metal but I know once paint is on they will show up HUGE!

[K9COP]

I am absolutely not a body man, but maybe if you used a tape line, filler primered above and below, then block sanded it up to the line .. then do the same in a cross pattern down to the line, but never over it. Don't forget that filler should only cover the traces of a repair, not fill big imperfections.

So open the flood gates from the experts!!

As you can see below I do have exemplary bodywork skills, so take my advice!!

[1BAD68]

your bodywork skills are questionable but it looks like your a pro at custom exhaust fabrication 

seriously though, I'll give that a try. thanks

[Doc74]

anyone know how to fix little door dings in the body line?
I've been filling and sanding over and over and it just makes it worse. It actually is less noticeable when sanded down to bare metal but I know once paint is on they will show up HUGE!

If removing the dents is not an option then fill them with a thin coat and do NOT sand through the filler.  You'll want one patch of filler covering all those little dents.  On the straight metal it would be feathered and near transparent but you do want one patch, forget about filling those little dings one by one, they will always show through.

If you can reach the back however, they're not that hard to remove and you don't need pro tools for it either.  A simple screwdriver could do the trick.

On the bodylines: I'm on dial up now so I'm not even going to try to upload pics but maybe if you search this section for CB's 69 you'll see how I used masking tape and spray guide to make sure the lines where were they should be.

[K9COP]

Good advice. Seriously recommend you check out Larry Lyles book "project Charger".. he makes a big thing about that line, and the finished job is awesome. They're not filled screw holes from an old repair pulling out a dent are they?

Good luck. Get the book.

Paul

[hemi-hampton]

My Computer broke down for last week but, I agree with 1HOT68, To cheap at $3,000 & Block panels installed & aligned. Also agree with Charge-it, Nobody wants to finish up over somebody elses possible Earl Scheib Garbage work & then when it falls apart a year later be Framed for someone elses crappy work. If car was done at my Shop you'd be happy. We got 2 1st places & one 2nd place & 2nd over all best restored at Recent Detroit Autorama & only entered 3 cars. Legendary Restos in Toronto caused our 2nd place with there 70 Camaro. Our Red 70 Super B Took first in it's class. LEON.

[LL1 1967 Coronet]

What shop do you work at now?

[hemi-hampton]

I left Sullivans 3 months ago & now a Rics Restorations in northern Detroit Suburbs. High Quality but exspensive. LEON.