1969 Dodge Super Bee Coupe Restoration

[dadsbee]

I've already drove it on my milk crate!! LOL. Spring hasn't got here yet... I have 3000 feet of gravel road to get to pavement, it will be awhile !

 

[dadsbee]

FSM calls for no washers on the single seat belts, but I had these steel "hat" bushings that worked perfect to take up the slop when using a C10 bolt. I don't think there's been back seat belts in place since '78

Center doubles spaced perfectly with just enough free shank left on the C12 bolt for them to swivel if needed.

Back belts all in.

Rear seat back in, passenger side arm rest installed and belts bagged for now.

Refurbished mirror post that I picked up on Ebay for less than I could buy materials to refurbish one. My mirror was borrowed from a C body so needed replacing.

2765577.. don't come nicer than this.

Why you put screws in all the holes BEFORE you install the headliner. Jam the driver in and rock it back and forth to cut the liner.

Roll the cut headliner around the screws and then remove the screws.

Mirror post installed with 2 x 5/8" and 1 x 1" #10 oval head screws.

Sunvisors all cleaned up and ready to install with the shoulder belt clips.

 

[dadsbee]

How they go together.

Temporary screws popped out of headliner and clip in correct orientation.

Clip in place with temporary screws and time to get serious.

Hole melted and sealed with the soldering gun. Hole is for the visor spring and base to go in.

Visor / clip assembly.

Don't forget to buy a couple new Barbie dildos!

The metal end of the visor shaft is adjustable in and out to get the correct postion to fit to the mirror "sockets". Then install a new rubber tip.

Visors and shoulder harness clips both installed.

Leave it to Chrysler to make a C11 bolt shorter than a C10 bolt. You'd think an 11 would be between a C10 and a C12, but it ain't! Thank god they weren't in the aviation industry. C11 is for the shoulder belt mounting.

Find the hole with your finger and press to make a mark in the headliner.

 

[dadsbee]

Burn the bolt hole with the soldering gun and then install the shoulder belt. No washers.

Shoulder belt in place. These stupid elastic snap ends are the reason they went to two storage clips and just folding up the belt in '70.

Plastic plugs for the allen bolt hole in the door panels. Only place I found them.

Plug in place.

Polishing up my mirror housing. Believe it to be a C body part, but I like it... other than it could use a new mirror.

Need something in there that shines, with all that black interior!

Just in case the next owner wants speakers in the back! Ran some 14/2 down the passenger side before the carpet goes in.

Carpet vacuumed waiting for the wife to demonstrate how the carpet cleaner works.

Nice backed formed carpet that I bought in '88. Still in great shape.

 

[Richard Cranium]

What paint did you use for the rear view mirror mount & shoulder belt latches?

 

[themechanic]

I've already drove it on my milk crate!! LOL. Spring hasn't got here yet... I have 3000 feet of gravel road to get to pavement, it will be awhile !

I test drove a 68 Coronet convertible at the owner's property way out in the country. The paint was so nice I had to basically idle all the way down the gravel road. It took forever to get to a paved road for a proper road test. That was agonizing.

 

[dadsbee]

What paint did you use for the rear view mirror mount & shoulder belt latches?

As I noted Mark, I bought the mirror base / post already restored and the belt clips are just plated metal. They are reproductions as my originals wouldn't clean up with a few rust spots showing through the plating.

 

[PeteBell68]

Beautiful man

 

[dadsbee]

Thanks Pete! Enjoy your new digs!

......

Was hoping for a live demo, but was advised how to work it myself! LOL

Might be a bit of dirt in there after 31 years!

Came out looking pretty nice. Now to see how well it still fits.

Must be getting close, the empty box collection is getting out of hand!

Honouring inspector # 47 !

New package tray and back seat in place.

Carpet, gas pedal, front seat and a white stripe.. oh and an alignment and then we're done! oh and wiper arms and blades.. and a carb rebuild.. and ....

 

[dadsbee]

Excuse the cardboard, Bird's power steering system decided to dispense all it's fluid for reasons unknown at this point.

 

[PeteBell68]

Thanks the new place were really happy with . The Bees Looking great , and that's a ton of boxes in your shop
Remember I mentioned I'd keep the bird for you it will fit just in case you need more room to put the Bee together . Lol

 

[Richard Cranium]

Beautiful man

You can tell that by seeing a couple pictures of his fingers holding parts? I'm beginning to wonder about you.

 

[PeteBell68]

You can tell that by seeing a couple pictures of his fingers holding parts? I'm beginning to wonder about you.

Maybe he's also trying out to be a hand model as well on the side .

 

[dadsbee]

Wife helped me get the front seat out of the marine container. Top side is still looking good after 31 years since recover.

Bottom side, looks like I have some track / adjusters to restore and I want to firm up the springs somehow as well.

Need some new plastic hinge covers.

Yes.. I was / am a Redneck. Guess they didn't make washers and cotter pins back when...

Need a pair of these.

New seat spacer blocks and correct nuts for under the car. I grabbed some new 5/16 x1.5" carriage bolts when I went up town after this shot.

 

[hunt2elk]

"Just talked to Jamie, as I never use his website as it f's up with Paypal for canucks. Covers ($45) and a bunch of other smalls on there way Monday and some new Top Cat Whiskers for the Bird to make the postage all worth while."

Had to laugh a bit when reading your other thread about finding other little things you still needed. Glad I am not the only one this happens to. Take inventory of everything and place one big order to save on shipping and be done, right? Never, ever seems to work out for me. By the way, Jamie sells a kit with the hardware for the seat back latches if you are missing the clip and plastic washers.

 

[showard]

You are working on many of the interior parts that I am getting ready to do so I am paying close attention to what you are doing and and your pictures.
Thanks, you’re doing a great job!

 

[dadsbee]

Front seat separated to repaint some sections.

Seat tracks removed for clean up and a quick repaint. Mechanically sound, just need some TLC.

Upholstery clamped back out of the way to prep and paint the seat back swing arms.

Seat bottom prepped, taped off and painted where I could.

Mice will appreciate the new shine, nobody else will see it. I need to wipe the springs down with Krown and add a stiffener wire, if I can, into the springs.

Swing arms primed and painted.

Figured I may as well get the center hinge / seat back mount as well.

Would be nice if I had some seat mounting holes... metal man missed step 600, used the seat brace bracket holes to weld to the new pan instead !

 

[dadsbee]

Hopefully I have the tracks taped off good enough to keep the media out of them while blasting.. Doubtful, but worth a try as they don't come apart without drilling out rivets.

In the cabinet and ready to blast away.

Out of the blaster, tape taken off, wiped clean and primed.

Painted in 1603 semi-gloss and mother nature obliged for a paint bake with sunshine and 19*C !

Passenger side of the seat is nice and firm, drivers side not so much. Borrowed some of #1 son's election sign frames cheap spring steel and practiced my safety wire tying.

Good for another few decades.

 

[dadsbee]

Figures that I'd find my window crank handle washers a day after Megaparts confirmed my order shipped!

Decided I'd hook up the dome light jam switches the easy way. Gave up long ago trying to get them connected installed.

Wire fed out, connected and threaded back in.

Drilling my front seat holes.. 44" across x just shy of 11" front to back. New floor pans got welded to the reinforce bracket holes instead of drilled out.

Rear carpet back into place and lining things up.

Burning the tunnel seat belt holes clean for an easy bolt install.

Rear carpet pegged in seat holes and all 4 seat belt holes.

New seat belt stowing brackets. My rear seat ones probably would have just cleaned up, but my front seat has had none since recover in '88.

Probably one of the first correct in every detail reproduction parts!

New brackets installed to rear seat, ready to put it in.

 

[dadsbee]

Using my head today...

Rear seat locked down into place and all belts stowed.

Front seat, carefully looking for bracket screw holes...

New brackets into place on front seat.

Front seat outer retractable belts installed with C10 bolts.

Front belts sorted out for correct positioning and new bolt covers ready to install with C12 bolts.

All seat belts now installed.

Front carpet thrown in to see how close old holes are for dimmer switch and throttle pedal... and to see how close my 4 speed hump got welded back into place.

Fortunate to have snagged this nearly new OE shifter boot back when I first tore the car down.

Part # 2950074 - correct rubber overmolded shifter boot to seal to floor, then carpet, then deco trim ring.