1968 Plymouth GTX

You are doing great.:) It takes a long time, especially spots like that. The Tommasini DVD will help a lot.

Jeff Lilly has a bunch of good build tips on his website. Worth checking out. Applies to all aspects of a build. Lot of that stuff is gold.
Here are a couple specific to what you are doing:

Dent Removal Build Tips by Jeff Lilly Restorations

Jeff Lilly Restorations offers the highest level of expertise in dent removal. Click to view our expert build articles on dent removal demostrated on a 1954 Ford F100 front fender.
www.jefflilly.com www.jefflilly.com

36 Dent Removal

From custom Hot Rods built to your specs to original Muscle Cars restored to a level rarely seen we build many styles of specialty vehicles. We are known for exact fit and finish and we specialize in building projects for clients who have a strong sentimental attachment and for those who have...
www.jefflilly.com www.jefflilly.com

There is a lot of good info there.
 
Ugh!
This was the best I could get it after 8-12 hours of concentrating on the bad spot. Waiting for the Tommasini DVD to arrive for more incentive and motivation. LOL
D Door bad spot work..JPG

D Door Bad Spot work 1.JPG


I can see what needs to be done but getting there has been the problem.
 
Really curious how this one is going.......I am on a similar path with a 68 RR and would love to see where you are at.
 
Brian,

My car is on hold right now while I finish two projects for other people. My pledge to myself is not to take on any other work so I can finish my project.

My signature car, a 1968 Dodge Coronet R/T is very similar to the Plymouth b-bodies and I learned a ton during that restoration. If you have particular questions feel free to PM me and I will try to assist you the best I can.

To me taking pictures is a very important part of the process and I have a lot of them.
 
Thanks for the offer I will take you up on it when I get stuck someplace! There is also a pinned thread over in the B Body forum called "My fathers GTX" where he documented his restoration very well. I am going to start a thread on the 68 RR here and will take more pics as I go.
 
BrianS said:
Thanks for the offer I will take you up on it when I get stuck someplace! There is also a pinned thread over in the B Body forum called "My fathers GTX" where he documented his restoration very well. I am going to start a thread on the 68 RR here and will take more pics as I go.
Click to expand...
I restored a 68 Coronet for myself as well.
www.forbbodiesonly.com

1968 Coronet 500 Project

I may as well start sharing some of my trails and tribulations on this journey. May 2016 I decide the kids are grown enough and my promotion at work warranted a serious look at a classic Mopar. My teenage years in 1980 found me with a 1969 Sport Satellite Convertible with a '70 front end and...
www.forbbodiesonly.com www.forbbodiesonly.com
 
Thanks Jim I actually found your thread the other day when I was cruising the B Body forum (pretty much the only other forum I am a member of). Great work, if I can't figure out where something goes I will probably give you and 68 a yell on here or there.
 
I am still working on the Dodge Dakota but trying to get things prepared for this GTX project.
A question for you professionals.

I need to replace the roof skin, drip rails, floor pan and trunk floor pan. The plan is to also install a frame stiffener kit similar to this without the spring relocation and mini tubs. Mainly the subframe connectors and torque boxes:
Frame Stiffener Kit.JPG


With all this metal to replace I want to be sure I do things in a proper order and manner.
The car is sitting right now on a home made setup that allows me to move it around.
This is the rear assembly:
Homemade Stand Rear.JPG


The front:
Homemade Stand Front.JPG


These do have some height adjustment to them. My concern is not having the unibody flexing or twisted while working on it. One thought I had was that these could be connected and modified to provide support for the body structure.

In the past I have simply used jack stands under the front and rear frame rails but for this much metal replacement I am not sure that will be adequate.

My thinking is to install the roof skin and drip rails first but not so sure if the stiffener kit should be installed before the floor pans or after?

Any advice and suggestions by those in the know is appreciated.
 
I replaced the trunk floor in a 68 Charger many years ago. You have to brace the rear of the body to the shop floor when you cut out the trunk floor or it will sag a lot.

Similarly brace the cabin diagonally etc when removing the floor. These cars seem to be a wet noodle without the floors.

Don
9FCA9925-470D-4C27-9DBB-366F90D66182.jpeg
D9C97EDB-8241-458E-B690-DAD44DBBFFBE.jpeg
 
Yes!!! I’ve been waiting for you to start back up on the GTX!! I removed and replaced a lot of the structure on my ‘71 Road Runner. I was advised by many to put it on a frame jig before doing so. I made mine a little too high but it’s been working out great.
7658C0A1-7DC0-4A3F-8D9B-7AC9165F115C.jpeg


96CA7D0E-1EF8-4704-B765-FFB477112274.jpeg



Can’t wait to see the progress.
 
I am anxious to get started on it also. Just have to finish the Dodge Dakota and the owner is in the hospital with Covid. :(
He had a heart attack about two months ago and was quite overweight. Lost 40 lbs since then but now back in the hospital.
Still owes me for last month so I am kinda dragging my feet on that project and trying to prepare for this one.

Looking at your frame support makes me think that I should install the subframe connectors first. This would enable me to support the car on jack stands while replacing the floor pans and then do the roof skin. :confused:
 
Last edited:
Well the Dakota is finally done, just waiting for him to get it out of my garage. :confused:

Decided I could at least work on the passenger door, so got it out and set on a table. This one is going to take some work.
Here is a picture when it was still on the car.
This is the worst of the dents but I will post some pictures of other areas once I get started.
Door Passenger Damage 1.JPG
 
Looking forward to how you handle that dent, If it was me I'd have to consider removing the door skin to pound it out.
 
'68 Coronet R/T said:
I have some videos that Chris had recommend and a CD that Chevman recommended, but I will look into this book as well. Can't have too much good information, especially since I have a lot of metal work to do. My goal is to try to keep this car free of filler as much as I can.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I found that book to fill in a few key of details that explain the WHY and not just the how in the videos. Now the videos will be more valuable. For me it was the key that unlocked a number of things for me at least.
 
After some bumping from the inside, a few studs pulled and some sanding I am looking at this.
After Some Bumping Stud Pulling.JPG


I used a flexible straight edge to check the profile:
Checking the Profile.JPG


Then a short stiff straight edge to check for highs and lows:
Using a Straight Edge.JPG


Due to the indentation traveling so far down the door, I decided to start by straightening the top portion first. The profile was very close there and it would give me something to match the damaged area to.

First I began sanding the door with my air file and 36 grit.
Air File and 36 grit.JPG


This revealed just how bad the door really is, as high and low spots can be clearly seen.
The car was covered in a light gray primer, so as it comes off the blue begins to show. However there are some very high areas where the metal is showing.
Revealing Highs and Lows 2.JPG


Since I am still in the learning process, I can't assume that the bare metal areas need to go down. This is where the straight edge comes into play.
You can see in this next picture that the metal is pretty even under the straight edge. However notice the bare metal showing above it and to the right. My first instinct was to tap that metal down, however when I moved the straight up to that spot, It looked almost the same as below. Thus the area in between is low and needs to be raise up. (I know some of you figured that out just by looking but I couldn't.)
High or Low 2.JPG


So I began to bump the underside with a dolly and hammer a little at a time, checking my progress very often.
Raising the low spot.JPG


Each time I run the Air file over the area again.
This is where I got before calling it a night. You can see more of the metal showing and the low spots are much smaller.
Some Progess.JPG


This took me a little over 2 hours, but I am not in a hurry since it's MY car and the guy working on it isn't charging me anything. LOL
 
Looking good! I thought from the original pic that the leading edge was flattened and bent but it looks like you got it straightened out. thanks for sharing the progress pic's.
 
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