1968 Plymouth GTX

Well the Dakota is gone and I finally got the GTX back in the garage.
It was covered in dust and dirt, so after a quick hosing and blasting with compressed air, I pushed her on in.

Finally Back in the Garage.JPG


I might even change the masking paper on the wall to celebrate. :cool:
 
I've got the main frame rails on jack stands. Measuring from the concrete, the left side and rights side are within a 16th of an inch from being the same.
Existing Floor Pan.JPG


My concern now is the order in which I should tackle these panel replacements. The existing floor pan seems to be structurally sound and diagonal measurements taken here and in the engine compartment area are identical. So I am thinking the drip rails and roof skin should be installed first, thereby adding even more structural integrity before attacking the floor pans.

The roof skin is sitting on the car at the moment and seems to be a great fit.
Roof Skin Fit Rear Window.JPG

Roof Skin Fit Quarter Panel.JPG

Roof Skin Fit A pillar.JPG


Any thoughts or suggestions as to my plans?
 
I think you have a good plan. Maybe Rusty will chime in as you see how they do the mustangs. I would brace up the car before removing the floor pans.
Yes, that is part of the plan when I get to that point. The replacement floor pan will take some work. There are no console brackets, seat belt nut supports or holes for the installation of the shifter seals or dimmer switch. I will have to transfer them from the old pan. :(
 
Someone is making repro roofs for B bodies now? thats awesome. But I'm not sure about the A pillar alignment.
 
Someone is making repro roofs for B bodies now? thats awesome. But I'm not sure about the A pillar alignment.
The A-pillar section needs to be trimmed a bit. Also, there are no drip rails on the car yet, so that will affect the position as well.
I bought the roof skin, drip rails and floor pans from AMD. Noticed they are made in Taiwan but AMD insists they are made to their specs. Have never had a problem with AMD products not fitting, unlike Goodmark stuff.
 
Great job 68 Coronet R/T. It nice to see another classic mopar being restored properly. Lots of work and time involved. Keep up the fantastic work.
 


Note the rust area above the door is well above the drip rail, and the rust in the sail panel is well above the quarter panel "underlap". This is typically condensation that generates in the car during a hot day building up humidity. When the car cools off at night the water condenses on the underside of the roof skin and travels to wherever gravity takes it. In the area of the sail panel seam, just above the seam usually gets it first, the hole under the seam toward the front is where water seeped through that area as it was concentrated at that corner. A common occurrence...
 
Probably spent most of its life in California, with their warm days and cool nights. Cars rust from the top down. Its hard on chrome also.
In the concrete jungle cars park on the street, so the passenger side is worse.
 
Note the rust area above the door is well above the drip rail, and the rust in the sail panel is well above the quarter panel "underlap". This is typically condensation that generates in the car during a hot day building up humidity. When the car cools off at night the water condenses on the underside of the roof skin and travels to wherever gravity takes it. In the area of the sail panel seam, just above the seam usually gets it first, the hole under the seam toward the front is where water seeped through that area as it was concentrated at that corner. A common occurrence...
This makes sense and Chevman is right as well. The car was manufactured in California from what the VIN tells me and my guess is it spent most of its life there.
The roof skin was so deteriorated along the edges where the welded seams were that it wasn't worth trying to rescue. I also have some rust through spots at the front and rear window corners. These are common and they sell patches for them.
 
Do you see that as the filler was mixed too hot and caused condensation on the cooler panel, or???
I have no idea whether mixing too much hardener in the filler causes this type of issue.
My thoughts are this is caused by poor metal prep or holes in the metal, whether from rust through or intentionally put there for the filler to stick to, that would allow moisture to come in from the back side. However, it is just a guess on my part.
 
I had to order new drip rail stainless steel moldings today. Since I am attempting to install the replacement drip rails and cannot be sure if the length needs to be trimmed near the quarter window.
After viewing a bunch of photos of these cars, it is clear that the one curved piece, which fits the rear corner of the quarter window, that I found in a box of parts, isn't for this car.
Nothing on these old Mopars is cheap. The best price I could find on the 8 pc. set that I needed, was $265.86 after tax and with free shipping.
I may try to salvage the pieces I do have and sell them to recoup some of the money.
 
I had to order new drip rail stainless steel moldings today. Since I am attempting to install the replacement drip rails and cannot be sure if the length needs to be trimmed near the quarter window.
After viewing a bunch of photos of these cars, it is clear that the one curved piece, which fits the rear corner of the quarter window, that I found in a box of parts, isn't for this car.
Nothing on these old Mopars is cheap. The best price I could find on the 8 pc. set that I needed, was $265.86 after tax and with free shipping.
I may try to salvage the pieces I do have and sell them to recoup some of the money.
I always try to use restored original moldings. Repop moldings generally suck in my experience.

Don
 
I always try to use restored original moldings. Repop moldings generally suck in my experience.

Don
I agree but when they are not there and used ones are more money that a new set . . .
These are AMD parts and the reviews I read stated they looked and fit great. Hoping that will be the same outcome for me, if not, I will send them back.
 
Wife is starting to recover so I get to sneak back into the garage. LOL

Decided to put the passenger door on hold for a while. Got quite frustrated with trying to get it perfect. The straight edge shows I am very close but it's still not quite there to the touch.
Some Progress 2.JPG


Decided to tackle the drip rail installation. These AMD parts fit great but there is a lot of plug welding to do.
Started by clamping it into place and marking all the holes that needed to be drilled.
Drip Rails Preparation 1.JPG


Clamped it back into place and began welding before calling it a night.
Welding Left side.JPG


Takes me a bit to get the welder dialed in. Hopefully by the time I get this side done, things will start going much better. LOL

Drip Rail Left Installation.JPG
 
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