Wyatt convinced me to destroy my 71...

Were you on the body shop list for a long time or did you just call up and in?
The car is going to the body shop next weekend, but I was told it will most likely sit until the end of the month before it gets worked on, while he finished up another job.
There are a lot of body shops around here, some good, some not so much. I was considering 3, and made the final decision yesterday.
 
I saw an article years ago that said a way to get some elasticity back into plastic parts is to put them in boiling water for ten minutes. At work we were installing a cable harness with large plastic strapping and buckles. The guys broke numerous buckles and were running out of them. I didn't have boiling water so I soaked them in water straight from the hot water tank. The ones that were soaked installed without any more breaking.

I understand these clips are made of unobtainium and you may not want to try it, but it's worth a try if they start breaking on you.
 
Hi Tim, glad to see you are finally getting it painted and removing the lock on the fender!

I assume you must have found a very close match to your crystal dawn metallic color. Tell us more: who did the color match - the same folks that supplied the spray cans or someone else? Is it single stage or basecoat/clearcoat? What brand did you decide on?

I am excited to soon see it finished!
 
She looks to be in really good shape for being in the Motor City for 30 yrs.. NO Detroit termites. Without giving up the ghost, can you give a ballpark on what the paint job is going to cost?
 
While finishing up the prep with getting the car to go to the body shop, another build sheet was found tucked under the "no speaker" rear seat bezel, making this one #3.
Back seat_removed.jpg
Back seat_build sheet found.jpg
Back seat_build sheet.jpg
 
Yesterday 2 cars left my shop. One will be going to Europe, the other to have the body work done and repainted.
Taking off the trim from the doors and fenders weren't as difficult as I had thought it would be, but not wanting to damage any of the remaining trim or breaking any clips, I was going to leave it to the pro's to remove the rest of the body & window trim pieces and the front bumper too.
I wound up removing the rear bumper a little less conventional way by way of leaving the bumper brackets on the car.
After removing the rear valance, the 4 bumper bolts are easily accessible.
Paint rear valance removed.jpg
Paint rear bumper wiring.jpg

After the bumper bolts are removed the bumper is supported by 4 bolts (2 each side) into the body with access through the trunk.
Paint rear bumper trunk bolt.jpg
Paint rear bumper trunk bracket.jpg

The lower bolt is secured with a small bracket, and is tucked inside out of view. Being too small of an opening to retrieve by hand, having an extending magnet to remove it will do the job.
 
After the bumper was off the car I needed to remove the rear seat insulation to make room for the long tube of trim pieces that were going with the car to the body shop.
Paint rear seat insulation removed.jpg

I grabbed a couple extra pics while I was in the trunk of the rear window defogger.
It's really amazing how untouched this car is. All original clips & hardware are still there.
Paint rear seat insulation.jpg
Paint rear window defogger.jpg

After some final preps were made, covered up the seats with plastic, loaded up the trim, rear valance and fender skirts, then called the tow company.
Paint seat protection.jpg
Paint trim old and new packed.jpg


Paint on roll back 1.jpg
Paint on roll back 2.jpg
Paint empty shop.jpg

The shop is looking empty now.
 
Good work Tim.

Nature abhors a vacuum - so what are you going to buy next???

At least that has been my ever present problem! :rofl:

I like the way you plan your moves and think through the whole process to ensure problem free results. That is the way to do it. :thumbsup:
 
It's my problem too Steve.
My shop will only hold 5 cars, 6 if I had a 2nd lift, but that ain't happening.
So seeing that the 300 is now gone for good, I suspect something will be parked in it's place in the near future.
 
Took a ride out to the body shop last week to drop of some smalls that will be going on the car after paint, and to check out the work that's been done so far.
The body work started a couple weeks ago, and is expected be completed in time for the 5th annual C Body Show in Union for it's unveiling.
Bodyshop1.jpg
Bodyshop2.jpg
Bodyshop5.jpg
 
The car is going to the body shop next weekend, but I was told it will most likely sit until the end of the month before it gets worked on, while he finished up another job.
There are a lot of body shops around here, some good, some not so much. I was considering 3, and made the final decision yesterday.
good luck i hope it comesout the way u want it too
 
Met up with a bunch of FCBO members out at the Rockford swap meet over the weekend and picked up a new windshield for the New Yorker.
After getting it back to the shop I took advantage of the daylight and began removing the old seal and clean it up. There's some small scratches that need some work still, but it'll worth the effort, and will make a nice OEM replacement.
Window removal of seal.jpg
Window scraping off old seal.jpg
Window old seal.jpg
Window cleaner.jpg
Window washed.jpg
Window cleaned 1.jpg
 
Once the scratches are removed from the windshield, it'll go over to the body shop.
There are two spots on the current windshield that look like they were hit with a BB gun at some point. This is a pic of the worse one.
Window damage1.jpg


The car is coming along nicely. There isn't much more to do on sanding it down to bare metal. There will be a different hood going on the car from another 71 NYer because the frame on this one has some rust holes that was noticed last year during the engine rebuild. It's not worth the time & money to fix.
The quarter panel trim still on the car is there for a reference point to line up the door panel trim. The studs on the door that hold the plastic trim retainers will be removed, filled and and sanded. Then new trim studs will be spot welded in place on the door for the retainers and new trim. The rear quarter panel trim will get the same process after the door trim is mocked up in its correct place.
Bodyshop9.jpg
Bodyshop8.jpg


I'll be stopping out at the body shop later in the week with some new mirrors I picked up. I haven't decided on putting the right outside mirror on or not, since it wasn't on the build sheet. I guess I'll have to see what it would look on the car before making a call on it.
 
Do you polish out the scratches? I've asked about that before and people said it tends to distort the view through it
 
I saw a post by @david hill on how he cleaned up his windshield using Cerium Oxide Polishing Powder. I called and spoke with him about the process and David mentioned with some patience, the scratches can and will come out as they did on his windshield.
No mention if the process caused any distortion though.
The pic on his post didn't show any distortion, and I'm sure if it didn't turn out nice for him, he would've advised against doing it.
 
Took a ride out to the body shop last week to drop of some smalls that will be going on the car after paint, and to check out the work that's been done so far.
The body work started a couple weeks ago, and is expected be completed in time for the 5th annual C Body Show in Union for it's unveiling.View attachment 449941 View attachment 449942 View attachment 449943
do u have experience putting in windows on older mopars . they was put in with the butyl rubber welt they r hard to find & hard to use they use urethane caulk on the newer cars but dont use silicone latex caulk it will cause the window channel to rus . i was told this by a glass replacement (windshield doctor)


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