66 Cuda

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It may be an optical illusion, but the saw horses holding the car up don't look strong enough to be safe. Please be careful, and don't get smushed ! Not trying to be a smart ***.......I just like watching the progress you're making, and don't want you to get hurt. :prayer:
 
2 weak men can lift the front of that car when stripped with an 8' 4x4 under the front frame rails. for what that's worth..
 
memike said:
Digging this build :cheers:
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Why Thank You!

The saw horses are very strong and not the first car that has sat on them (last one was full 1967 chevelle). The only thing I have to watch out for is when I drop the rear that the weight is fully supported. The boards going across are a 2x4 T and glued and screwed together beam. The hard part was getting the scissor lift out from under it once I got it on the horses!
 
It's been a while since I've been able to spend any time with Penny (trying name on for now). I've got her pretty mush stripped as for the front end. 50 year old undercoating all off and working on finishing up taking the engine compartment down to just metal. Dang if there isn't one thing or another that needs to come apart in order to get it off (steering column mounting and clutch pedal, heater core pipe (almost the entire under dash, oh well I had a new core to put in and I found critter and leaf debris so a good cleaning will be done now) Thinking about buying a rotisserie for cleaning the underside and well, just to have one too. Next step will be starting sanding...spring is still the plan!
 

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wmckusick said:
Starting the process from front to back scraping old under coating from fender wells...who said we need to go to a gym to get exercise, ain't never restored cars! I'm doing this mainly because I want to make sure there isn't anything hidden, I'll re-coat during restore (maybe not so think though, pretty ugly if you ask me)

Question: I want to paint the K frame and suspension black, what about the unibody frame rails? Should they be black too or car color? yeah, i know the easy way would be car color but thinking it looks sharper black...want to stay authentic but nice.

Thanks
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Welcome to the camp.

FYI, Mopar bodies of this vintage were dipped in cleaning tanks and then into primer tanks as they were hung on big hooks. The car came out of the tank and it drip dried leaving hardened drips at the low points. The color of the final primer was kind of a charcoal gray color. You will probably see this on the bottom of the floors especially near the rear seat area. When the body was sprayed with the final color it was not painted underneath. The only body color on the bottom would come from overspray near the rocker panels from being shot side ways. The engine compartment was sprayed also and the inside faces of the frame rails would have body color on them as well. The paint in those areas is really thin and there was no attempt to get a great finish down there. The undercoating in the wheel wells and inside quarter panels (in the trunk) was done with a crude spray gun. They used to call this stuff body schutz. The way you do this areas depends on how close to a true restoration you want to do.
I'm sure you've seen cars at shows that have the underside finished as well as the top side compete with mirrors but all that is incorrect. It's entirely up to you how accurate you want to be.

As pointed out already, your car shows the grille black-out paint near the radiator. This was shot from a pit upwards to cover the body color so it wouldn't show behind the grille. It was not done on dark cars like a deep green or blue.

My favorite place to look for original color is inside the car along the top of the rockers. There are metal strips welded there to protect the wiring.

Just from what I can see in the pics, you have a pretty nice unmolested car. It has the Commando valve covers but that engine was only available with the Formula "S" in 66 and it looks like yours is not an "S". And yeah, the engine was red originally. The trans was natural and the bellhousing shows red paint or just an overspray from the engine. I'm in the rust belt and take liberties to paint almost everything. People in CA and TX can leave bare metal on their cars but my junk rusts overnight, even in the summer.

Take LOTS of pictures as you move along, it makes it far easier when putting things back together. And don't underestimate how long it takes to prep and paint an engine compartment. I know I did!

Good luck!
 
Thanks Guys, yeah I'm motivated as in this is like therapy for me. Got the big D not too long ago, kids moved on, house gone, so yes, this is my mistress!

I think as far as this go around, the bottom side is going to be powered washed, scrape off the wheel well undercoating, sand and take care of dings and zings, paint it back to original color, frame/suspension to be POR15 so it's clean looking, not hack looking job from factory. She'll be looking all gussied up and just enjoy her for being a 50 year old.

Even the rust looking areas on firewall are just pitted enough that primer and a little sanding should smooth it all out nicey nice.
 
As i am now going to "strip" her clean so I can make sure I don't have debris in hidden places, I've decided to at this time redo the interior. Taking out everything so when she goes back together it will be new or cleaned and painted inside and out. WELL, when I took out the bottom back seat this is what I found. The original build sheet straight from the plant! I'm going to have it laminated for cars show. I was in awe for sure! Now to decode all the little spaces.
 

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It's a little blurry, but I see it has the heavy duty 892-893 torsion bars!! Shoot a nice clear pic up close and I'll decode it for Ya!!!
 
A great find for sure :cheers: Yes let cosgig de-code that for you, heavy barr's are a good thing I bet, enjoying Penny :color:
 
Well I started to take off the inside back panels and found critter nest leading up the wall behind the window...which led to the ceiling liner...yep, she totally naked, inside and out. Question for you cuda guys, is this for a rear speaker? I even took out the dash figuring now she can be given a totally clean look...hopefully after tomorrows clean up the process of cleaning and sand the bottom shall commence and well, putting her back together...I need a good manual to make sure I put things back in right place!
 

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That "speaker" hole is actually for the rear window defogger, a rare and not often ordered option!!

So, on to your build sheet! I'm going to go down the sheet from top to bottom, skipping the sequence number, SO number and such, and skipping the VIN as I think you have that decoded!! Now, if there is a number of letter in the box below an option box with a 2 digit number and a dash, it reads as a 3 digit number, so I'll give you the 3 digit number and the option!! So let's go...

YY1= Bronze Metallic roof and lower paint (1)= Monotone
B= upper door frame paint color= Black
31B= Horizontal Accent Stripe (B)= Black
P4X= Premimum Trim Level(Barracuda) (4)= Vinyl Bucket (X)= Black
31= 273- 1bbl
303= 4 speed trans
404= 3:23 axle
408= Sure Grip
421= AM Radio- 2 watt
487= Cigar Lighter
Tires (21)= 6.95x14"
509= Glovebox Lock
511=Map and Courtesy Light
548= Padded Sunvisors
564= Bucket Seats
565= Rear Armrests
 
Well, now on the list is new head liner, carpet, seats re-foamed and drivers new vinyl. any recommendations for replacing the horse hair (?) sound deadening under carpet. Since I've gone this far (way beyond but purely elated therapy) I'm going to update technology but keep her more towards original. Like rust proofing inside panels, Hidden bluetooth stereo speakers in back, console, undercoating (think smooth black bed liner) the entire bottom side (I live in new england and even dry roads have stuff on them), suspension is being prepped for sand blasting and flat black powder coating. One good thing is that the mice didn't chew any wiring but I'm going to go through it all and if anything looks or feels brittle, It's getting updated/replaced. oooohhh the giddy feeling of body work and preparing for the road back to driving her in the spring.
 

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I know the feeling on the mice. Must be something they like about that area. My fuel sending unit wire had been chewed down to the copper.
 
Good job G :coffee2:
cosgig said:
That "speaker" hole is actually for the rear window defogger, a rare and not often ordered option!!

So, on to your build sheet! I'm going to go down the sheet from top to bottom, skipping the sequence number, SO number and such, and skipping the VIN as I think you have that decoded!! Now, if there is a number of letter in the box below an option box with a 2 digit number and a dash, it reads as a 3 digit number, so I'll give you the 3 digit number and the option!! So let's go...

YY1= Bronze Metallic roof and lower paint (1)= Monotone
B= upper door frame paint color= Black
31B= Horizontal Accent Stripe (B)= Black
P4X= Premimum Trim Level(Barracuda) (4)= Vinyl Bucket (X)= Black
31= 273- 1bbl
303= 4 speed trans
404= 3:23 axle
408= Sure Grip
421= AM Radio- 2 watt
487= Cigar Lighter
Tires (21)= 6.95x14"
509= Glovebox Lock
511=Map and Courtesy Light
548= Padded Sunvisors
564= Bucket Seats
565= Rear Armrests
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Here's a picture of my sending unit wire. And the smell of mice urine in that insulation...
 

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ah, the smell...ooohhh that smell! come on and sing it now! I doused mine with lysol and then broke out the shop vac, putty knife and lit a cig... and started scraping away. was determined not have to come back so I stayed later than expected..like that never happens, RIGHT! she's all metal now except for some window trim and the back glass. going to build a ceiling rack for that big *** glass with foam wrap and up she goes until ready to put back in.
 
Thanks to this site and bigus1949 I am taking the week off from work to strip and paint the underside. I EVER do another car "cough cough" I'm definitely buying one of these. $999 from northern tool and it has a hand crank to spin her gently around. Thanks guys!
 

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Cleaning off 50 years of built up grime...just one of the wire wheel styles and proof that I'm doing this..
 

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Well bought a new bigger air compressor...and I think I fried it. Only ran for like 2 days. Might have something to do with the dust? She is like 95% sand blasted, bottom totally done, engine compartment almost done, passenger fender well needing to be finished. Dang, almost made it. Thin I'm going to have reality check and reevaluate spring time finishing. Maybe early summer...who am I kidding...keep on trucking.
 

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Awesome work. Wish I was as motivated as you. I am retiring march 2 and will get more involved in mine. I have everything I need, including paint and interior to finish. The only thing I haven't had is time. That will be coming soon though. Keep up the good work
 
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