1969 Plymouth Barracuda Restoration Thread

MikeK said:
And you want me to come paint your car ?
Sheeeeeeee......
You keep This caliber work up and you can come paint mine Grasshopper.
Really nice!!!
Click to expand...

Spray my bc/cc would have been your task. I'm very concerned about doing that seeing as it would be my first time spraying bc/cc, and I'd sure hate to screw it up..

There is a process and "learning curve" for each step when painting a vehicle as you and everyone who does this knows. Such thing as.........

1. how to strip a car with razor-blade and heat.
2. how to properly prep the metal for epoxy
3. how to set up a spray gun to spray epoxy
4. how to weld and repair metal
5. how to mix and spread filler
6. how to properly sand filler
7. how to properly define body lines
8. etc etc......the list goes on.

Its taken me a year to finally lay down 4 to 6 hour induced epoxy that I consider to have a professional flat, smooth appearance. It was a learning curve for me that, as far as I'm concerned, took way to long too master. Granted it's 4 to 6 hour induced epoxy, and 9 times out of 10, it gets sanded so it doesn't need to have a professional flat, smooth appearance after spraying but, being able to spray it and have that professional appearance makes the difference as to ones ability.

It makes me question my ability when it comes time to spray bc/cc.
 
Last edited:
Just continue with The List till It says,
.Done

Your gradually working to the paint. Each step involving spraying is the experience and Confidence gained with the Process of It. Using Epoxy as your 'school,teacher. Once you learn the procedures necessary to spray It,it's All the Same for the Rest. Sure there are differences but you have the experience and familiarity of doing it.
You never Master Anything.
You come to a Mutual Agreement of Satisfaction.

I suppose if you're going to be a "one and done" and sell all your stuff,get someone to shoot it.
I find when a person goes as deep in as you are,Will end up at,

.Done
 
Defining some body lines that nobody will ever see using my new favorite sanding block. Two low spots to fix as you can see.

20220905_143318.jpg


20220905_142508.jpg


20220905_143651.jpg


20220905_171501.jpg


20220905_230310.jpg


A couple glazing putty spots to hit tomorrow with two more coats of epoxy and the passanger side jamb is done.
 
Last edited:
Hey I forgot all about this thread. What the heck, let's update it with more progress.

One big milestone was to make the car look all one year model, not two. My car is originally a 1969 model year but, I have an entire 1968 model year front clip which includes, fenders and header panel. Fenders and quarter panels in 1968 had round side markerlights, 1969 had rectangular marker lights.
Also 1969 header panels where a one year design making them more pointy at the front then 67 or 68 header panel that where flat. I personally like the 67 and 68 model header panel.

With that said, I decided to make the car look more like a 1968 model year with a few additional touches from 1967 and 1969 thrown in. Quarter panel patches where made for new 1968 markerlights.

Englished wheeled two quarter panel patches.
20230524_153637.jpg

20230524_164424.jpg


Cut out existing rectangular markerlight and prepped for replacement patch.
20230607_105424.jpg

20230609_141802.jpg


I started to weld the patch with fusion tig welds but, I quickly found out I couldn't get in a comfortable position to fully tigweld it. It was apparent to me I needed more practice so, I idiot welded it with my mig.

Welds dressed
20230701_152518.jpg

 
Finished gapping the trunk lid to quarter panel.

Drivers side 3/16" gap is good.
20230803_112532.jpg


Passanger side gap is too tight.
20230803_112521.jpg


Grid the edge down, then reweld the edge
20230806_124702.jpg


Once rewelded, I laid down another piece of masking tape as a straight edge to grind the weld for a 3/16" gap.
20230806_125822.jpg


Weld dressed with 3/16" gap to quarter panel.
20230806_194431.jpg
 
Last edited:
Here's a little sneak peak of some of the panels I've worked. Work performed consisted of stripping to bare metal, epoxy, filler, epoxy. Some areas required another round or two of filler, epoxy. All panels have been reworked using Black Diamond Blocks. I couldn't believe how much more material I sanded off for a truer flat surface.

I'm pleased with what I'm seeing as far as panels looking flat with no lightening bolts.

Here's a few pictures of the panels sanded with 180 grit in preparation for another wet coat of epoxy before spraying Clausen Rust Defender.

Roof - wet coat SPI 710
20231003_150014.jpg

20231003_145927.jpg

20231003_145921.jpg


Drivers Fender - wet coat SPI 710
20231003_151014.jpg

20231003_151018.jpg
 
Dean Jenkins said:
:) :) :) :)
Click to expand...
It's true, Dean......no bullshit. I always anticipated I would be sanding off "some" material after I reassembled the doors and fenders seeing as I worked those panels with filler off the car.

Now that I've reassembled so I could refine panel gaps and body panel to body panel plane, your Black Diamond blocks really refined and defined the shape of the car.

Just look at how much filler was exposed and refined on this fender when I was blocking for panel to panel plane. That skim coat of filler was less than 1/32" after Dura blocking. Yet your block found the panels truest flatness.

 
Here's a little detail that had been missing on the car for a good 35 years.

It's a fade out body line on the door that extends into the quarter panel 4". The drivers side had no indication of that detail due to body damage. On the passanger side the detail was found after stripping paint and filler. So both sides of the car where missing that fade out body line.

Here is a pic of the missing fade out body line I made for the drivers side quarter panel.. I left the low for the picture before sanding it true.

Quarter panel fade out body line
20231013_164933.jpg
20231013_165029.jpg
 
Last edited:
Found some things to do during the winter months. 1st up is to cut out the existing door bars and replace them with swing out bars. Ordered up a tube notcher and is expected to be delivered tomorrow. Need to order up some DOM tubing. I may have to buy a tube bender to get around the armrest pad. Going to pick up some PVC pipe for a mock up tomorrow.

Once the door bars are done, I'll prep the inside of the car for Kilmat sound proofing.

Existing door bars
20231204_112333.jpg

20231204_112400.jpg


Armrest pad and window crank installed for mockup swingout bar.
Yellow tape holding door seal in place during panel plane alignment and primer sanding.
20231205_105919.jpg


Door bars cut out. Used a Sawzall, then ground the remaining tube and welds flush without taking material off of the main hoop.
20231205_134911.jpg

Door bar cut out and prepped to remove the remaining excess material and weld.
20231204_134759.jpg


Main hoop all cleaned up ready for new swingout bars.
20231204_155840.jpg

20231204_154329.jpg
 
Last edited:
Now for the disappointing. This adapter was not machined properly which causes severe runout when the holesaw is attached. Going to Grainger tomorrow to see if they have an adapter.

Black adapter improperly machined.
20231211_184225.jpg


Adapter
20231211_184316.jpg


Adapter threads on to arbor shaft.
20231211_184348.jpg


Hole saw screwed on to adapter.
20231211_184407.jpg
 
You sure the runout is in the adapter? Reason I ask is I find the hole saws, even good ones often have runout. It was really never a problem using them in the notcher. It's not like using an end mill in a Bridgeport or a high end notcher. But as long as the hole saw is sharp, fed in slow letting it cut with plenty of cutting oil the copes were more than acceptable.
 
metalman said:
You sure the runout is in the adapter? Reason I ask is I find the hole saws, even good ones often have runout. It was really never a problem using them in the notcher. It's not like using an end mill in a Bridgeport or a high end notcher. But as long as the hole saw is sharp, fed in slow letting it cut with plenty of cutting oil the copes were more than acceptable.
Click to expand...

Just came in the house for lunch. Been working on the PVC mock-up for the new swing out door bar.

I will take two videos, one with the original messed up reducer bushing, and one with the new reducer bushing. It's definitely the reducer bushing causing the run-out. Tested the holesaw without that reducer bushing and it runs true. New bushing should be here by the end of the week. I called the seller of the tube notcher, Jermeywell Industries, and explained the situation and they are mailing me out a new reducer bushing.

I'll post up the two videos as soon as I received the new reducer bushing, stay tuned ;)
 
I can say with 100% certainty, that no two threaded reducers are the same.

Threaded reducer that came with tube notcher. .070 thousand runout, yikes!

New threaded adapter bought on Amazon......... .010 thousand runout. Not great but, much better.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top