Florida "Key Lime" 76 Duster Build

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I start at the back of the car and work forward.....Big part of the stripe is easier to see and center to start with. I spray the area liberally with my solution so there are NO dry spots where the stripe is going..... Carefully peeling back a little of the backer (about 18" or so to start), I press the stripe onto it's starting point (determined by the rear and center body line)........I carefully place the rest of the stripe OVER the pinstripe guide to align it........When it's floated into place, I begin to "wipe" the stripe with my FELT squeegee.....(plastic will scratch the vinyl)......FIRST wiping lengthwise to "set" the stripe in place, THEN top to bottom to squeegee out the solution. After a short time of working the solution out, I CAREFULLY attempt to start peeling off the "mask" (wide tape that holds the vinyl stripe).......starting at the very end, I peel a tiny bit, holding the end of the black in place with my felt squeegee......then carefully and slowly proceeding, pressing the black vinyl down with the felt as I peel off the mask.........and the mask MUST be peeled at a VERY SHARP ANGLE as pictured....NEVER pull up.....pull sharply down and away.
 

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After the stripes are set in place, you need to squeegee (with felt preferably, but if not, be careful if you use plastic) the remaining liquid from under the stripes. It can look great, but chances are that there's some residual in there that can be removed easily.......Just start pushing up and away on the top of the stripe, and down and away on the bottom.....a small spot at a time.....you'll be surprised how much more you'll see come out. When the sides are done (one section at a time), you'll need to roll the stripe around the edge of the quarter, the door edges and the fender edge......if they don't stick too good at first (I hope you cleaned the inside of those edges!), they will in a few minutes....just work them in around the edges with your thumb and/or finger until they set down properly.......Check back in a half hour and do the same thing again. Don't forget to trim the excess from the inside edges and door jamb for a nice finished look. Three things (other than a good eye) will ensure a good job.............A good solution to float the stripes, a good felt squeegee, and a nice sharp razor cutter to trim your edges with.(Exacto or similar). (By the way, I'm NOT finished with the stripes yet......I have another black section in my mind for the upper quarter, "Duster" style, and the stripes are going to be trimmed with a contrasting color.)
 

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Like I said, I'm NOT finished.........

I can't speak for everyone here, and I don't mean to insult Mopar designers, but I NEVER liked the unfinished look of Mopar stripes.........I've painted cars for nearly 40 years now, and finish pinstriping has always been a mainstay and finishing touch for a classy paint job. SO.........., I decided to be true to my roots and finish the side stripes.

I chose Pro-Stripe metallic silver 1/4" for the job......I order bulk rolls from suppliers rather than trying to find stuff at a local jobber.....and HEAR YE......Do NOT "stretch" vinyl pinstriping when you put it ON !!!! This stuff is designed to be PRESSED on, with DOWNFORCE rather than trying to stretch it straight.....DRAW A LINE if need be, but don't stretch the stuff.....it'll stretch itself right back OFF the car if you do. On this application, I just follow the edges of the black stripes.....BUT, you have to look carefully and have decent lighting......it's easy to get it off track....so go SLOW and EASY.....just pressing it an inch or so at a time along your line. Patience pays off. When it's finished, it needs to be set with a blow dryer or direct sunlight for a good adhesion.....get it hot, and press STRAIGHT DOWN on it a bit at a time with your thumb.
 

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If you remember, I previously used plastic templates to mark the underside of the trunk lid for the correct factory holes used for rear Go-Wing mounting. I'm ready to mount the actual brackets now.....they have to be screwed into the lid, and then they provide a flat reinforced surface by which to properly hold down that spoiler......without these brackets, you have holes drilled through the lid into sharply angled steel surfaces......

I put the Go-Wing together and got it ready to mount.....Pretty easy.....Small brackets screw down and hold the pedestal in place.....I ran a tap through the adjuster holes to get rid of the excess paint from the factory, then inserted the tempered allen bolts which are used to adjust the angle of the spoiler for more or less downforce.
 

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Would like to see how the entire profile of the car looks with the added silver stripe. Diggin the Keystones.
 
I'm going to put together a separate thread on this Go-Wing installation so the guys can benefit more from it.......It's basically "hidden" in the resto thread.....I'll get it put together soon.

To install the spoiler brackets, I use the actual factory holes that are pre-positioned for them in the standard trunk lid....A small 3/16 bolt down through from inside, then carefully threading the nut in place and tweaking it good. Next comes a #10 X 1/2" stainless screw in the other hole (I had to drill for that one...no factory hole) to finish the install.
 

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After the brackets are installed, I double checked the overall width from bracket to bracket....I found a tolerance of 1/8" between the holes, so I'm good to go.....the bracket holes are oversized for some possible variances.

I taped over a small philips screwdriver until it was the same size as the bracket hole......Inserting the screwdriver in the hole, it's now centered.....I carefully line up the screwdriver at a 90 degree angle to the bracket, and punch upward carefully for a tiny "ding" that will show up on the outer trunk lid. I mark both punches, and check for proper width (has to be the exact width of the spoiler studs) AND I also measure down to the marks from the upper corners of the trunk lid, AND from EACH SIDE of the lid to be CERTAIN the holes are centered and even with the body lines of the car.
 

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After being certain that my measurements are correct, centered and straight across the body lines (as previously stated), I'm ready to drill the upper holes that I've marked..........I center punched the mark, and used a sharp 5/8" drill bit....the studs are 1/4".....you want that tiny bit of play.

After drilling ONE hole, I install that stud on the spoiler posts, and set it in place on the hood INCLUDING the rubber gaskets......When it's set perfectly in place, as I hold it down, I make a ball point pen mark around the bottom of the gasket, and remove the spoiler. After this, I can easily and accurately mark the second hole for a perfect fit.
 

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Included with the spoiler, you get your 1/4" studs and a set of washers and standard nuts.....they're OK I guess, BUT I opted to use the real deal.....Factory nuts are available as a repop, and they look right, AND cover the extra threads.

I NEVER use a wrench when installing these nuts.....Being sure the spoiler is setting down FLAT to the trunk lid, I install a flat washer and the factory nut under the bracket......I FINGER tighten it.....I install the second nut the same way......THEN, moving to the other side, I repeat it......After a close inspection to be sure it's again FLAT on the lid, I gently press the Go-Wing DOWN onto the lid one side at a time, and again FINGER TIGHTEN the factory bolts to snug them in.......If you OVERTIGHTEN them, you'll adversely draw down your lid and get big dimples around the spoiler. When it's just right, add a drop of lock-tight on the tip of the nut if you want.

If you've done it as stated, you'll have a perfectly installed Go-Wing.
 

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As you can see in the last photo after the Go-Wing installation, the tail panel of the Duster is just a plain Jane.......It's green.......that's all......kinda' like Kermit Thee Frog........and the body work was leaving MUCH to be desired.....again.....(I honestly don't know WHY more guys don't use a simple sanding block on flat surfaces......SO, I stared at it for a while..............

I decided to lay out a tail panel blackout design similar to what I've seen on classic Mopars.....not exactly like anything, but in the ball park.....I decided on a split stripe, over but not under the tails, and again, trimmed out in silver with a Duster logo. Problem was the finish.....the green was pretty rough.....I decided to lay out the pattern, then block the area a bit flatter than it was.....after this, I cleaned it with a good prep solvent, finished the masking and laid on a couple coats of a "textured" metallic, similar to Mopar Argent (but a LOT cheaper than the big brands)........After it dried for an hour, I b4egan to lay on thin dust coats of flat black to match the Go-Wings finish....(keep in mind that the wing is textured too.....This will be a close match).....After thorough coverage with the black, dry time and demasking, I stood back and saw that I liked it...........(sometimes I don't....that can be a bummer).
 

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After a bit of drying time, I laid out my silver metallic pinstriping to match the side stripes, and added a Duster 340 logo where the old "holes" were for the metal tail badge...............I think this treatment SCREAMS Mopar......and it cost me under 10 bucks, + the logo decal.......and the flat treatment is VERY forgiving on less than perfect surfaces.
 

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If any of you guys are actually being helped by this thread, could you please hit the "thanks" button on the bottom of the posts..............I'd appreciate knowing if any of the sections are doing anyone any good............:coffee2:
 
your tail light bezels look like they are in decent shape, you need to clean them up and paint the black line on them. Consider yourself lucky it took my 5 years to find nice factory replacements. I hear the repo's are junk and they are def over priced
 
Since I've been working on exterior finishing touches, I decided to finally clean that vinyl top........The previous owner had it redone a while before I bought it with new deep grained ivory white (Navajo, Antique, whatever shade you want to call it....it matches the new Legendary seat covers nicely).

I wiped the dust off, gave it a quick wipe with windex, then did small areas at a time with a stiff bristle tooth brush and some Lemon Simple Green.....really digs out the dirt and grime from the grain....I followed close behind with paper towels on each area..... After half of the roof was scrubbed and wiped, I sprayed it lightly again and wiped it good........Did the other side, and baby it was clean.

Next, I used some Armor All "Ultra Shine" protectant....Got the entire top good and wet with the stuff (it's thicker than normal....pretty good stuff)......I let it sit for HOURS so the vinyl drank up what it needed, THEN came back and "scrubbed" off the excess with dry paper towels.....Not much excess came off....Now it looks like new.
 

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pastortom1 said:
Piano, Keyboard, Guitar, Bass & Vocal........& MIDI.......A bit eccentric me thinks.
Click to expand...


Car looks awesome!!!!
Cool!!! I play Keys also. I have a current stable of a Korg Triton LE, Kurzweil K2000, A Roland U20, a Yamaha PF85, Roland E500. and 2 upright pianos and 3 Yamaha Portasound boards. Been playing since age 8. Classic Rock and Blues.
 
Yeah, we could open our own music shops........I like the Kurzweil PC88mx....have 3 of them, a Suzuki Grande Ensemble 6 foot Grand for Church, a Korg X3R and a Roland MT32 MIDI set-up....along with my MIDI drums and my geeeetar & amp stable......I've been tryin' to thin the herd, but it ain't easy........:banghead:
 
Subscribed. Just the thread I needed to find, for this is something that I will be doing very soon I hope. You're doing an awesome job. Hope your family in New York is OK.
 
Thanks guys.......... I'll be getting back to the next phase of the build in a few days......

I have to do a dash restoration, a console "freshening", new carpets, restoration of some very tired door panels, etc..........I'll post each step as I go. :glasses7:
 
Well, it's been over a year since I last updated the restoration........Sicknesses, scheduling, floods, etc.......WHAT A YEAR....... But here we go again.

After the last posts, I needed to get going on rebuilding the fold down rear interior of this strange beasty. For those of you who own one, you may know the plastic wheelwell covers are very brittle with age, and can be a pain. BUT, I repaired them using silicone in the holes, building what I needed for a nice surface, then textured the things with "Stone" paint....a really aggressive spatter paint, in various colors. Worked GREAT. I installed the covers after recovering the rear steel deck with black carpet. I rebuilt the rear fold-down out of 3/4 marine grade ply, using the same hardware and latches.....Used the old one as the pattern, including the exact screw holes. Recovered it with black carpet, and it looks great, and works perfect.

After I finished the install, I covered the lower lips of the wheelwell covers with a custom cut piece of birch to firmly hold the edges down and give it a nice touch (lots of woodwork going in this car)....those edges are very old, and needed some extra support and protection..........I recovered the rear upper deck too, and reinstalled the steel trim...the trim will likely be polished a bit when everything is done. It has a tough factory finish, and I wanted to leave it if possible. Looks pretty good.
 

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