1969 coronet 500 convertible resto.

[jamie]

Here is the convert.I have started on.

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Sorry some pics are out of order.I blasted inside frame rails and coated with Por15 then sprayed the pinch points with 3m weld thru.I made new pieces for under the seat bottom rather than replace the whole section.

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[69rag500]

Great car. Looks like what i had to start with. My floor and trunk were gone. Had to change everything you are changing.
Take a look at what i got going. My is in paint and started assembly. ccasion14:

 

[jamie]

So this is the part I am dreading.The best way to fix/rebuild the dutchman panel.What a mess.As you can see,the hardtop panel is much different.

 

[jamie]

More pics.That filler panel is even worse than I thought.

 

[5wndwcpe]

Yeah, with the compound curves of that piece, making one from scratch would be a bear. And your right, the hardtop unit is way off. Best bet is to find a donor car and work on the rest of the vehicle until one pops up. Fortunately they do surface once in a while and the dutchman is usually not a problem area.


Sherman makes the corners, though they list them for a Plymouth (263-72CL/R) if that helps.

https://www.shermanparts.com/ecat/base/dropdowns.php?make=Dodge&model=Coronet&year=1968

 

[jamie]

Yea,I have those pieces.They are for the quarter panel top.I have found a couple of these panels from guys on here and ebay,just real hard to tell the condition until you take out the lead,spot welds and pull it off to see what you are getting.I hope a nice one pops up,until then I will continue to fab one up.Thanks

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A little sandblasting today.

 

[jamie]

More progress.

 

[5wndwcpe]

Looks familiar. :faint:

Keep up the good work.

 

[jamie]

Here is a tip: Don't use 3M seam sealer on the upper to lower cowl.It sucked eggs trying to spot weld that on.Cleaning out the spot holes it burned and got runny.I used 3M weld thru and that is fine as long as you don't put it on too thick.There is probably a better product to use for this if you drive it in the rain or wash it alot.

 

[jamie]

Cowl is on.

 

[jamie]

Got my convertible repair panel today.Do not buy these! This thing is .063 thick and edges/body lines are wrong and not at all crisp.20% restock fee plus losing another $50.00 for shipping charges.Oh well,live and learn.

 

[jamie]

Installing the US Cartool subframe connectors.One side almost done.

 

[747mopar]

Awesome work Jamie! I love seeing guys did down deap to bring these old beast back to life, looks awesome.

 

[jamie]

Thanks.Here is another pic after I closed up the gap on the floor overlap.Not sure why they cut out such a big section from the rail but easy fix.

 

[Coronet 14]

That is some great work. I like your shop

 

[jamie]

So the new door jamb did not come with the provision for the jamb/aligner thingy used on the converts. Instead of cutting out a section from the old jamb and welding it in the new one I decided to make a tool on my lathe so I could stamp out the correct hole strengtheners.Worked and turned out nice.Here is some pics...

 

[jamie]

So it took about 12 hours total to repair and straighten this dutchman panel but I would say it turned out pretty good. I made front front lip using shrinkers and stretchers and cut the trunk gutter out of the new hardtop panel and spliced it onto the old one.Used the english wheel to get my shape and smooth it out.
I welded the ends fully to the quarter tops,then fabbed strips and welded them where they are usually leaded.This will help a ton with strength and minimize filler.Picture only shows one side complete.The dark spots are where I had to shrink the metal to eliminate the oil canning these tend to have.

 

[jamie]

So I tried out the new dustless blaster today.Pretty impressed.Way louder than a regular blaster though so ear protection is a must.Using crushed glass so no silica but still want a dust mask because I can smell the paint coming off.The only other thing is to get your part off the ground to avoid dirt contamination as the water will exasperate this.Took about 3 gallons of water and 35lbs of glass to do this fender.
I will be doing the body tub next week so I will post pics of progress.

 

[rrunner]

Ready for another, just posted a 69 Coronet vert here in the for sale section

 

[jamie]

So here is the car just finished with the dustless blaster.I sprayed the solution to rinse off the glass right thru the machine.It took about 65 gallons of mixed water to get it all out of all the crevises but it is very clean now.Close to 70 degrees here outside with a nice breeze so it is drying nicely.So far so good.