Roof fill

During the in-between work on the doors, my dad began applying the filler on the roof. I want to get the body nice and smooth again... so it begins with the roof.

Door windows

The driver's door window was crazy stuck.. My dad and I fought to even get this out because of the window. Once we got it out I noticed the green tint of the window (once I cleaned a portion of it. I got to thinking that these windows being tinted won't match the front or back windows. Soooooo, I had to yank the whole vent window system from the passenger side, take both mechanisms and windows from the 68, put them in the 69 doors, make sure they rolled down and everything, and bolt everything back up. I'm so glad both door windows now function properly.

Body Patches

Today's goal was to get the patches cut from Marley and transferred over to Rusty. Before I could weld the spot on the front vent I had to make a new wall I side of the vent that blocks crud from going into the heater box. I took the grinder to clean up the welds afterwards.

Interior roof paint

The roof transplant was a huge milestone for me. The moment I pulled the car out of the garage after the fire I knew we would have to scrap my roof. I wasn't happy about that... But onward I went crossing things off the list until it was nice enough to perform the surgery.

The underside still contained the original insulation from Marley. I cleaned that all up first, sprayed Rust O Mort, let it sit, and finally brushed on the black Rustoleum paint.

Roof Transplant

My back hurts... Why? Well this weekend I made it a goal to take Marley's (68 Charger) roof and transplant it over to Rusty (69 Charger). After getting the marks down to cut on the roof, I took the cutting wheel and went to work. First we put some different braces under the roof. The others were dented and really not straight.

Ofcourse it didn't fit exactly right at first. We were hung up on some staples and screws. After a little more grinding and trimming we were set to spot weld. I then spent the next several moments in and around the car welding.

I moved from welding to grinding which is the start of why my back hurts. Awkward positions, leaning over the car all led to the start of aching.

Next I sanded the top and sprayed Rust O Mort on there and let it sit.

Mother's shine

The pictures don't give these pieces justice. I used Mother's polish to give me that shine. You see the before and after here. I scrubbed and rubbed my arms off. I'm satisfied with these for now, but I'll come back for more coats later.

Headlights to Frame

Receiving six lights, 3 high beam, 3 low beam... I was curious if they worked. We hooked them all up to jumpers and sure enough "let there be light". I cleaned them off and then polished the chrome bezels that go around the lights. Hooking them up proved a little more than just popping them in. Everything is cleaned and looking good.

Birthday "Duke" ing it out

I took the day off today for my birthday so I could get some things done on Rusty. First on the list was to go to Belle Tire to mount the new tires and get the burnt ones off. My cousin, Jay, works there and he hooked me up with FREE service. I was shocked and very happy at the same time. My son Brady screams YeeHaw every time he sees the wheels.

Know we move to the front dash pad. I have met both John S. and Tom W. (Bo and Luke) at local events here in Michigan. Not at the same time... Not even in the same year. Why this is important is because I always kept the dash OFF the car. I'm so glad I did, because it could've been toast. I layered it today with clear spray to protect it before I put it on. I also have the glove box door signed by Cooter and Roscoe, but I might be meeting Daisy and Enos later this summer so I'll have that on stand-by.....

Dash Bezel Paint.. Dash Pad

I attached the dash and the dash vents first thing today. I then spent time cleaning and repainting the bezels. The only pieces I had saved from the fire is the piece above the glove box and the small right side piece. I lucked out and took them off days before the fire. The radio section came from a Coronet and will match the b body radio that will be in there.

I painted the black a trim satin black. The outer edges are just chrome paint put on with Q-tips. I also did the lettering on the dash cluster there.

Symbolism??? An URN

Ok, many people know the car burnt to the ground... but does everyone including eBay sellers???!!! I mean, sending me a radio in an URN box?! Yikes.

Dash Pad

This weekend has been a wash... I have been extremely ill and I couldn't get off the couch. With that said, I could only muster getting up and setting the dash cap.

First I sanded the old dash and the underside of the new dash. Then I cleaned both with window cleaner. I put a steady line of dash glue and clamped it down. Had to let it 2-3 hours and all was nice and tight. Now excuse me while I go pass out on the couch again. My head feels like there is a monkey with a hammer trapped in there...

Marley's Windshield

Worked around the glass. Didn't take as long as I thought it would. Didn't break... Whew!! I also started taking interior trim out. A lot to get yet. Pieces were in great condition too. Glad the back window trim is good. Just needs a wipe is all.

Marley's Transfer

Dad came over to load Marley. It is nice having the space in my garage again so I can work on other components of the car.

Just a taste. Rumble.

The New Sunroof?

My father in law came to measure, mark, and cut the roof. Wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. We now have to bring Marley over (my 68 parts car) and make the surgery complete. We'll put on new braces too from Marley.

Deck pan

Hard to tell really in the photo, but the deck pan was warped bad from the blaze. Probably the hardest hit, or the metal was thinner than the car. That is my opinion; the replacement pan was not a 300.00 usual purchase. I got a 100.00 special. I guess it wasn't heat resistant. Can you guess which one I'll be getting this time?? What? The 100.00 one again. I don't plan on driving through fires often.

Door patch

The window cranks are simply frustrating trying to get everything out and aligned again. I switched the vent window first. Then I moved to fixing the bottom of the driver's door. Wasn't too difficult, just took a few moments.