Dart rear quarter style lines

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AuDart

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Hi Guys,

With every Dart I come across, one of the first things I look at is how prominent/sharp/rounded the center style line is on the rear quarters.
I'm referring the the one that's about 8" from the top of the quarter.

It seems they always look a bit 'softer' and rounder than the same line on the door adjacent door.

Were they always like this from new?? Should they look the same as the lines on the door? Have they been lost under many layers of paint and repairs over the years?

Thanks for your thoughts!!
 
Layers of paint seem to really soften the nice body lines our MoPars have.
It is amazing how a good sand blast or complete sanding down to steel makes a paint job “pop!”

The good thing is it is an easy method to get the price down.
 
I think it could also be a replacement quarter (aftermarket) as some of those are also not stamped as sharp as OEM. If it is a partial panel, the seam is usually just above or below the main body line of the quarter and if you put your head in the trunk and look up you may see the weld.

IMG_4801.JPG


IMG_4804.JPG
 
..and i've read that the longer the dies are used they become worn.
i.e. body lines on a '74 Cuda won't be as sharp as a '70 Cuda
 
AuDart said:
Hi Guys,

With every Dart I come across, one of the first things I look at is how prominent/sharp/rounded the center style line is on the rear quarters.
I'm referring the the one that's about 8" from the top of the quarter.

It seems they always look a bit 'softer' and rounder than the same line on the door adjacent door.

Were they always like this from new?? Should they look the same as the lines on the door? Have they been lost under many layers of paint and repairs over the years?

Thanks for your thoughts!!
Click to expand...
What year?
 
Take a look at that line just above the rear wheel. That is the biggest reason I never got the horizontal stripe back on the car after this paint job (never went back for a whole host of reasons, but that's a completely different story). They spent at least 32 hours blocking the car to have this result. I'm not sure what the metal looks like below the paint, but I'm going to find out. I didn't notice this until the pic was developed (remember those days). And, DON'T look at those lines on my son's convertible (cheap Goodmark skins...he's got new AMD skins in his attic).

1968 GTS 1988 01.jpg
 
But was it blocked properly? Body work is only done with 80 and 120 grit to finish flatten and shape panel filler after metal work is completed. Blocking with 120 / 180 / 220 ...400 etc is to remove successive sanding scratches for
paint. 180 and finer will just follow waves and can ruin body lines / edges if done poorly or aggressively.
Pick your body shop carefully.
...or do it yourself.
 
ir3333 said:
..and i've read that the longer the dies are used they become worn.
i.e. body lines on a '74 Cuda won't be as sharp as a '70 Cuda
Click to expand...
True to an extent. I believe they got rebuilt along the way.
 
re-visiting this post.
....i'm doing the bodywork on my 68 right now and this post made me checkout the lines on my car. I've stripped the body completely to bare metal and my original lines are quite soft.
So now i'm wondering how sharp and defined they were originally.
At this stage i can metal work them to anything but what is correct?
 
Welcome to owning a Dart. Can't remember ever seeing a straight Dart, and stay that way. I can't imagine trying to get one correct. I have 2 Darts, I just live with it.
 
i've seen a couple that are show straight...it's a long 16 feet. They weren't perfect from the factory.
Not aspiring for cut / polish / show. I'm ok with nice and a bit of factory orange peel on the sides.
...but were the original body lines sharp? Where my original lines are not disturbed they are soft.
and that would be my preference.
 
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