Dechroming a GT?

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67Dart273

67Dart273

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I'm in a position to trade with my neighbor and hopefully improve the paint on the 67. Now bear in mind I don't have the energy, talent, or money to do a resto. This is going to be more of a "paint job" in the traditional sense

Goals:

1-- Improve the sealer - pumped - windshield gasket

2--Repair rear window leak

3--Improve paint, get rid of chipping and small scuffs on two fenders

WHAT I have:

67 rolling body, which was headed for assembly 20? years ago. It MIGHT have useable windshield and backlight gaskets, and MAY have better windshield / backlights than mine. It's straight clean, with good doors and front fenders

THE dilemma:

Dechrome to paint, then "hope" chrome is all reusable, or dechrome permanently. Using the doors and front fenders off the second Dart MIGHT save some on this, IE it has no GT chrome so no holes to fill

QUESTIONS

1--Just how tough is it to pull all chrome off a GT for paint, and how "bad" can it get for saving and reusing?

2--What fasteners are involved and what can be replaced, IE clips, etc?

3--Just how tough is it to weld, fill, permanently dechrome the car? Even if I swap doors and fenders, there's still some work there, and the body still has a lot of chrome
 
DO you want the chrome or not? How about de-chroming selectively? If my 69GT were ever to be painted again (it doesn't need paint) I'd get rid of some chrome. top of that list would be that huge chrome strip that folloows the top body line. I'd also seriuously consider shaving the drip edges.
 
Thanks but what I'm really looking for is more "how difficult" it is to remove for paint to put back, VS removing and dechrome permanently.

I don't even know how many holes there would be if one pulled all the top chrome off.
 
by the time you get the chrome off , IE , breaking the 45 year old clips and doo-dads , you may find yourself saying "screw putting it back on" "if" you can get it all off without bending the chrome , you may be able to get it back on. I have done this to a few cars , I decided to pop the door panels and splash shields etc etc and break out the welder , an aluminum backer , and just fill the holes , then hit them with a flap wheel. I never cared for all that goddy chrome myself any way. I don't know exactly whats involved with a dart GT, but damn near every mopar ive done has had holes coupled with protruding metal studs that clips attach to and have to be ground off, then a touch of filler over them because the factory basically "spot welds" the "pins" to the body and they sometimes had the tendancy to sink the metal in those areas. the chrome ran right down the side and over the top on the last car I just did.
BUT, I have never pulled it off a Dart GT
 
my 67 gt had the full gt trim package. I took all mine off and welded up the holes. my trim was all in mind condition and i still took it all off. I like the cleaned up look. It all comes off easily enough if you are patient. Aloto of it came of with plastic window tools.

before



after



I made nearly $900 when i sold it all too. something to think about. might help fund the project.
 
I'm starting to think it will be "left off." Can anyone show photos or details of how it comes on/ off?------something the shop manuals aren't much help on
 
My 69 GT has a 7/16 (I think) nut on the back side every foot or so. Being as you have clips I would start at the front see if you cant see behind the fenders.
 
the gt emblems all have a nut on the backside. the rear finish panel all has nuts on the inside of the trunk lid. the rocker trim has spring clips that hold it on. i just used a putty knife and slid it under the trim and pry'd it up gently until it let go. the trim that runs the top of the quarters, doors and fenders is held on both ends of each piece with a nut on the back side of the panel, then in the middle its held in with small plastic clips that go thru a hole in the panel. same deal on these, just use a puddy knife or plastic window install tools and get under it and wiggle it till it lets go. i had my trim all off in about an hour.
 
Thanks you guys. That gives me a little more. "I ain't" a bodyman
 
Thanks guys. I've just about decided to dechrome the car permanently. Now I do have a second, nice clean body with nice straight fenders and doors, and my neighbor thinks swapping fenders/ doors would be advantageous.

Question numbaw tew:

Any "better" books than the shop manual specifically to bodywork / assembly on these cars? Example showing better detail on window seal installation, etc?

For example, the Glenn Mitchell manuals?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1967-68-Dod...anuals_Literature&hash=item1c313bd6fc&vxp=mtr

Are the Hollander manuals useful? How about Motors/ Chiltons flat rate manuals?
 
I was interested in this topic because I thought the topic was de chroming..which I want to do with our mirrors..anybody know how..

I think I would use the term de clutter vs de chrome for thid thread.. :)

Grassy
 
grassy said:
I was interested in this topic because I thought the topic was de chroming..which I want to do with our mirrors..anybody know how..

I think I would use the term de clutter vs de chrome for thid thread.. :)

Grassy
Click to expand...

Your are certainly free to start your own thread on your topic
 
Thank-you. Indeed I will when I am a bit closer to needing this done.

BTW, I do like the slicker look of the Dart w/o all the chrome on it.

Grassy
 
i know this is an older thread and i dont know how i missed it when it was first started and im not sure if the OP already completed the work in the direction he was trying to get to.

my car is not a GT but a recently "de-chromed" what it had.

taking the chrome off was tedious.....i had to remove all the door panels and splash sheilds on the fenders.

i removed the chrome and clips very gently and sold them.

then when i had all the holes to fill i tried getting a piece of carbon behind each hole to weld it up ....that proved to be a no go....you simply cant get behind every hole and would need another person to help.....so then i thought nails would work ...weld the head in and grind off the rest...well most are galvanized so thats a no go.

then i found the easiest way was to just lay the wire from the welder across the hole spark it and repeat to make crosshairs with the wire across the hole and then proceed to plug weld it shut.

personally if my car would have been a GT i would have left it a GT .....but it was a plain jane 270 ...and now a GTS clone.
 

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I bought mine with the chrome blacked out. For your car the issue is punching out the center nylon plugs that hold the little trim holders to the side. When I found out how much it would cost to chrome, I powder coated and with the new color scheme, I have had nothing but compliments
 

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Thanks guys (and girls) I STILL have not decided whether to leaver or remove the chrome. That might get decided when I get it off.
 
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