body work on my 69 / she's finished!/ *UPDATE 5/25 * PICS*

[Doc74]

In pic 5 you can see the hardened sound deadener and corrosion preventing goo, that has got to go.
A new undercoating will be applied when all is done but you can never spray over the old one...I might try the dry ice trick here.

Pic 6 is me, freezing my butt off while removing a tiny crease in the patch panel, must've missed that.
The panel has been roughly sanded with a rotary machine and a grit 80, the quarter is whole again, edge to edge.

Pic 7 and 8 are the result of removing bondo with a grit 80 so as not to damage the metal and not having a vacuum around, wear protective clothing and masks boys and girls, this stuff will do you in.
I kinda like the b5 shade all over the place though 

[Doc74]

Pic 9 shows a bit more clearly the finished panel, this was the best pic I had out of 5, it took ages for the dust to settle so we went out for some coffee and cakes......mmmm

The others sow the damage where the quarter meets the rocker, it's all bondo here and it's real deep.
You can also see the door edge and the quarter edge not being aligned at all, same story on the other side, CB if you give me the ok, that stuff is gonna go, all of it.Drop by next saturday if you can for an up close look so we can decide what to do with the rest.

[Doc74]

Pic 13...some more lower bondo, they should put laws on this...

Pic 14 and 15, last ones for now

The quarter was cleaned up and protected with a coat of etch primer, this is just so I don't walk in next week and find new rust.
All bare metal always gets treated at the end of the day, an etch or rust stop primer is easily removed when needed, rust isn't .
Since no overlapping has been done, there's no chance of rust growing between two panels with the exception of where the quarter meets the extension and such.
Always use a good weld primer on those edges before you start welding and be sure to spray the again after, if you weld two bare panels against each other without any protection than rust will occur sooner than you think.
Everyone knows that a resto, usually done in the home garage can take years, I can't count the times I've seen cars come out of the paintbooth with rust allready forming underneath and clearly visible, just because of lack of protection and/or cheap products, what a waste.

About the patch panels, altough the fit isn't exactly great they're all easily modified if you have the right tools to do so, I have no complaints about the quality, the quarter patch never warped despite it's size and the fact we didn't overlap.I wish I had more new parts so this would have been a lot easier but alas we can't just get everything from the shelves here.Good thing we have access to the best sheet metal around, chargers need lots of it, i can't wait to start on my own....

[CB]

    great update Doc!!

I've been busy,very busy lately. Couldn't make it yesterday(directing a funeral, a co-workers diner later that day and a hot date in the evening/night  ) I will try to drop by next saturday so we can discuss the bondo problems.

thanks again Doc!
CB

[Johnny SixPack]

Man, it's freakin' awesome to watch it progress like this, guys!

[69fourspd]

Great progress...  I check daily, even many times a day to check for updates to your work.   

[six-tee-nine]

i can't wait to start on my own....

same for me........after i get my hands on one of course.

Although i already learned a lot myself on my previous resto car, i still have seen new things here so i'm learning alot about boing bodywork.

Hope to check out CB's Charger this summerand i'm sure the result will be awesome.....

[CB]

some progress pics

[CB]

more

[CB]

[CB]

looks great huh 

[69fourspd]

Looking Great CB!  Like the progress pics!

[mister bungle]

Any thought on the color yet?

[CB]

yep,  flat rally black acrylic...
It'll be really mean

[six-tee-nine]

Yeeeeehhaaaaaaa


:icon_smile_big:sorry can't help it.......


Looks great CB


I guess you gotta promise me to take me for a spin when she's finished.....



Greetz,  K.

[ChargerHound69]

That is looking good. 

[Doc74]

Ok another update, it's been a while.
Lots has happened but not all has been documented due to a few weeks of not having a camera and a few of being too busy to think about it.
After straightening the rear quarters and making sure they were as stiff as possible all we had to do was apply filler and sand up to the metal again which showed the flaws perfectly.The corner caps which needed a bit more than saving were more than a headache so I just cut them up and reformed them so they'd match the quarters and the rear valence.
The edges got filed so that any press errors you find on all cars would be gone, a strong primer filler, the white, covers the entire back are and most of the roof which had plenty issues of it's own, previously hidden by a top.
After blocking the filler it's as straight as can be but not ready for paint, it needs a final primer to cover the sanding scratches from this and seal it.I'll get back to that later.
We also welded the sail panel holes shut since it won't see a vinyl top, except for the charger script holes, they've been kept.
The infamous c pillar to roof seam was simply put scary. When I started sanding it the bondo got stuck in the sanding paper, it appeared that it takes a bit longer than 38 years to make this stuff dry !
It felt like crusty plasticine, all had to go and metal to metal was used to fill the seam back up.We also let it sit two weeks before we touched it in case of sagging but this stuff is amazingly strong, grit 80 does nothing to it.
The blue tape you see is not to protect the bodyline, it's meant to show where the line is and to indicate up to where you sand.To protect the line...don't touch the line...The bodyline was there to begin with so I did this more as an example as anything else.
After all was done I machined the entire area crossing the line many times, it has the same sharpness head to toe and the metal was visible along the entire line, very pretty really, you can still see the dark edge on top of the 2nd pic, like pinstriping. 
A longblock and medium long was used for the quarters and sail panels. Alas I had no rounded or flexible blocks around so I had to do all with those, pressure or lack of is key here.
The part that had a lot of damage we couldn't properly address was the left rocker panel and quarter patch in front the rear wheel.
It was seriously crumbled and bondoed over a long time ago and lack of materials time and funds to do it properly had us resort to less conventional means.
However adding bondo wasn't an option.
I managed to remove most and get the panels straight again, it was crumbled up to the first bodyline, that part i got straight.
The rocker itself was a different matter.Whoever fixed it initially after the accident did not straighten the rocker and underside before he welded it together leaving it impossible for me to fix all without a whole lot of cutting and welding.
Luckily with some hammering and lots of swearing it got straight ish again, enough to get it done with one coat of the metal stuff, the rust holes on the inside doorjambs (yes the right side too) did get welded, no bondo will keep that shut.
We all wanted we could make a rotisserie job out of it and replace all the bad parts but being here in this position, it's impossible without some serious cash, a lot more space and more time even.
And now too it's straight, it's solid and it's gorgeous.Flat black looks sooooo cool, check the second to last pic to have an idea.
The front end and doors have been left alone except for patches that needed welding in the doors and a few dents, also in the hood.
The doors and fenders start showing their age but nothing bad really, you'd have to be real picky to find something so to keep the cost down and get the car done before summer they get sanded, primered partially and repainted.
After some masking and lots of cleaning it was time for the final black primer which was a treat for us, after all the hard work we saw those beautiful lines appear in gloss black, I can tell you we both sighed with relief to see her so purdy.
The primer is a high solid and needs 2-3 coats, after we block this once it's ready for the final paint.It fills scratches but only the ones you don't see very well, the final grit I used on the white primer was 280 on a excentric rotary sander, that doesn't mean it's got an attitude, it's just the way it turns...
Sorry about the misty picks, these are the best I got.
Next week CB will hopefully have the tank straps so we can drive this baby to the shop I work where the final sanding and painting will happen together with covering the seams and undercoating everything so it's roadworthy.Oh yeah and repairing the decklid which is bent at the frame, picks of that to follow soon !
Now all we need.....is a color CB .   

[Doc74]

More

[Doc74]

And some more

[Doc74]

Last set...for now

[Doc74]

Ok the camera is acting up again so no pics yet, sorry.
The trunk lid was seriously bent near the rear window, an antenna got stuck between it if i recall bending the cr*p out of it.
It also had a ton of bondo in the middle which wasn't exactly a good sign so after some grinding and sanding, a clean panel was to be seen with what appeared to be a butt plant !
Seriously, the inside of the trunk has several structural forms one being right in the middle running top to bottom and the metal has sagged seriously left and right of that.
Father time and the elements can definitely get metal out of shape and so can the bend in the lip but not like this, it's deep.
CB....I think your car has been the set for some funky lovin' 

The bend is out, the edges are straight and tension is again coming to the panel but not all is out, I only had about an hour or so today and to my boss' pleasure I managed to coat a nice chunk of the prep zone in blue dust thanks to the large grinder 

Tomorrow is moving day ! The charger will go to the shop where it'll get sanded and painted acrylic flat black.
Look at it any way you want, it might be a temp job but it's very strong and durable,it's not a primer look, this stuff has gotten it's way on plenty hot rods, it's very easy to sand and reshoot in any color at any time AND it looks KILLER, you'll see 

Apart from paint it'll be completely undercoated, all floors in and out will be rust protected and coated, all seams will be resealed, the old gunk has been removed.
And when all is done the entire inside, all places you don't see will be waxed with dinitrol, a grease/oil mixture that seeps into every nook and cranny and puts a thick wax coat on everything.

Pics will follow asap.

[CB]

ok, let me add this:

               

'nuf said

[Silver R/T]

looks straight, I would just paint it color while its all apart and ready for paint job.

[Silver R/T]

I noticed you had rear valance corners smoothed with valance, they're supposed to be separate from valance, or is it different on 69's

[Doc74]

I noticed you had rear valance corners smoothed with valance, they're supposed to be separate from valance, or is it different on 69's

Because the corner caps were in such bad shape I welded them shut and treated the rear valence and corners as one panel.Afterwards I took a cutting disc and cut the divider back in.
I also made them somewhat thinner than original, it just looks a lot cleaner now but it's also hard to see in the pics, the flat black doesn't help.