MOPAR JOHNS EK2 SUPERBIRD RESTORATION!!

[Aero426]

John, are they using panel bonding adhesive to install the new door skins? 

[Mopar John]

Doug,
Yes, there is some type of adhesive/sealer being applied. Next up will be to fold all the edges into place and spot weld in the same spots as the factory did! Great observation!
I would like to thank everyone for following along and all the positive comments!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                                                    SUPERBIRD WIPER MOTOR!
  Way back in 2003 we had the engine, transmission and rearend rebuilt getting ready for the Talladega 2004 meet.
While the engine and trans were out I repainted and detailed the engine compartment. Many items were taken care
of such as the original coil and voltage regulator. But for one reason or another I never got to the wiper motor?
I did a light bead blast and put some spray bomb clear on it. I have attached a picture of how it looked then.
Fast forward to late October 2012 and I boxed up the wiper motor and sent it off to "JULES THE WIPERMAN"! He told
me it would take 6 to 8 weeks due to all the differant plating that had to be done. This past week it showed up! It was
packaged real well and looks GREAT! I have attached a picture of how well it was packaged and the a back view
and finally a front view! I have it put away with the pile of parts that I will take on my next visit to the restoration
shop!
MJ

[pettybird]

What did that cost?  I need to do it, here, too.

[moparstuart]

What did that cost?  I need to do it, here, too.

did you try kim at  passion4mopars

  great work

  https://www.facebook.com/pages/Passion4Mopars/244743682218028?ref=ts&fref=ts
 
   
http://www.passion4mopars.com/

[Mopar John]

What did that cost?  I need to do it, here, too.

Doug,
Just this morning I was putting the paperwork away now that the restored wiper motor is here safe and sound. The cost for a full restoration by Jules including internals was $260.00. The return shipping from Canada was another $35.00. Not only did my motor need cosmetics but it didn't PARK! When you turned off the switch that is where it stopped! Although I got pretty good at timing the stop near the bottom of the windshield!
MJ

[Hoser2455]

John, Jules did my wiper motor also and he did a great job!  A little pricey but well worth it.  He also did my emergency brake assembly, wiper linkage, 4 speed pedal assembly, and my steering column.

[maxwellwedge]

Jules kicks butt - all of his stuff is correct, beautiful - and the stuff works properly 

[Mopar John]

                                          SUPERBIRD RESTORATION UPDATE!        DRIVERS HINGE PILLAR!
  Last week I received another invoice on the Superbird restoration along with a batch of pictures!
I had been waiting for an update and this was a BIG move forward! I will start out with some pictures of the drivers hinge pillar.
Even though the body had been REDI-STRIPPED Troy wanted to make sure there was no rust anywhere! The first picture shows
the drivers hinge pillar cut open. You can see some things that needed attention. This wouldn't have been possible without opening
this area up. The second picture shows the same area cleaned up. The third and fourth pictures show the work done and the
weldable primer ready for re assembly!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                                                      DRIVERS HINGE PILLAR PART 2!
  This batch of pictures show more work taking place on the drivers hinge pillar! The first picture shows the cover back in place with some work done at the front of the sill plate area. There had been some repairs done there in the past by me that didn't look so good. The second picture shows the cover welded and finished. The last picture shows this area in epoxy primer and ready for the next step!
In my next segment I will move over to the passengers side hinge pillar!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                                                PASSENGERS SIDE HINGE PILLAR!
  The work now moved around to the passengers side hinge pillar! When I made my visit after the body was REDI-STRIPPED Troy and I went over all the problem areas of the body. We decided that this outer panel should be replaced and not all patched together!
 The first 2 pictures show what it looked like before the repairs. The last picture shows this area with the panel removed! This shows what the good old Florida salt water does as it makes it's way down from the cowl! WOW!

[Mopar John]

                                                       PASSENGERS SIDE HINGE PILLAR PART 2!
 Troy had a parts car that had many nice pieces on it and had the guys remove the passengers hinge cover for the Superbird!
The first picture shows the part after it was removed. The second picture shows it after it was blasted. The third picture shows the pieces in primer. The last picture shows the replacement piece ready to install!

[Mopar John]

                                                        PASSENGERS SIDE HINGE PILLAR PART 3!
  With the replacement pillar ready to install it was time to prep the body for the new part! The first picture shows the to area of the pillar prepped. The second picture shows the lower area prepped. The last two pictures show more of an overall view of the prep! Next will be the installation!

[Mopar John]

                                                   PASSENGERS SIDE HINGE PILLAR FINAL!
  In this part it all comes together! The first picture shows the new part clamped in place ready for welding! The second picture shows the new part welded in! The third picture shows the passengers hinge pillar finished and ready for primer! The last picture shows the part installed and primed! WOW!

[Mopar John]

                                                                          DOOR HINGES!
  With the door hinge pillars restored the next step in the process was the door hinges! The first picture shows the
hinges after they were REDI-STRIPPED. The second picture shows the hinges in primer after they were cleaned
and rebuilt. The third picture shows the drivers side hinges installed! The last picture shows the hinges installed
and the drivers door hung! At this point the passengers hinges were also installed and the door also. I don't have
pictures of that side to share.  SORRY!

[Mopar John]

                                                     DRIVERS QUARTER WINDOW PANEL REPLACEMENT!
When I first bought the Superbird in the late 70's the drivers quarter window was all scratched up in an arc pattern??
Also when I rolled down the window I could hear a scratching noise?? I removed the back seat and rear panel and found
that the drivers quarter window panel was all bent up? I didn't know why? I took a pair of channel lock pliers and flattened
out the bent up panel the best I could. At least the window wasn't rubbing the metal any More! When I removed the quarter
panel around 1980 I found damage to it and the front of the outer wheelhouse! The previous owner must have used the
openings in the window panel to try and pound out the damage! This in turn bent the panel all up! My first picture shows
the damaged panel and wheelhouse. The second picture shows the panel being removed at the factory seams. The last
picture shows the donor panel from another car clamped in place for welding!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                 DRIVERS QUARTER WINDOW PANEL REPLACEMENT PART 2!
The first picture shows the seat belt bolt plate ready to be welded to the replacement panel. The second picture shows
the same plate welded in place. The last picture shows the replacement panel installed and the outer wheelhouse repaired!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                                          WHEELHOUSE RESTORATION!
  With the drivers quarter window panel finished up it was time to move back to the wheelhouses.  The wheelhouses were in pretty good shape overall. The drivers side needed that dent repair that I mentioned in the quarter window replacement. Both sides needed little things here and there due to the original quarters being removed by me years ago and now those used quarters being removed now.
There was some grinding work from where I used brazing rod back then. The guys say that is difficult to remove compared to the wire welding metal! My first picture shows the drivers side wheelhouse before and the second picture shows it in primer and ready to be covered up by the NOS quarter panel. The third picture shows the back of the passengers side before. You can see some of that brazing weld where I welded in new trunk floor extensions years ago. The last picture shows the passengers side wheelhouse also in primer and ready to be covered up! You will also notice some trunk floor progress in the pictures and my next segment will cover that!!
MJ

[hemi68charger]

Wow John,
That's awesome...... Inspirational !!!  How do you do it?

[Hoser2455]

Looks great!

[Mopar John]

Wow John,
That's awesome...... Inspirational !!!  How do you do it?

Thanks Troy!
  My part is using a great shop that doesn't double and triple bill and stays on track. I also give them no reason to pull off my project for lack of payment or parts. Once a shop starts work on another car and buries yours somewhere out back it's hard to get going again! I also try to find as many of the parts for the project as I can. The Superbird is way ahead of this story! I will post more late next week!
MJ

[Mopar John]

Looks great!

Thanks! I hope you are enjoying the restoration story! My goal is TALLADEGA 2014!!
MJ

[Mopar John]

                                                               TRUNK FLOOR!
This set of pictures showall the work that was done to install the original floor that was removed from a rust free donor car!
The first picture shows some of the holes welded up that were drilled in the wrong spots. The second picture shows some repairs
to the gas tank brace on the bottom side. The third picture shows the drivers side holes all drilled and ready for installation. The
last picture shows all the passengers side holes drilled and ready!

[hemi68charger]

All I can say is "Wow !!"   

[Mopar John]

                                                                           TRUNK FLOOR PART 2!
In this set of pictures I have more work being done on the trunk floor! The first picture shows the floor now fitted to the body
and the passengers side quarter extension in place. The second picture shows the bottom side of the trunk floor ready for installation!
The third picture shows the passengers side welded to the frame rails. The last picture shows the drivers side welded to the frame rails!