I find using a heat gun or a blow dryer on the stickers makes it much easier for cleanup. Usually you can pull the sticker up and leave no adhesive with this method. And then wipe it up with some Goo gone or lacquer thinner.
I agree with you on the heat gun, most of the main problem here that I didn't explain too well was the goo left from the tape holding the bubble wrap and i really got the stickers off with a razor blade out in the sun. So I was using lacquer thinner and the wire brush on the drill.
nice keep them coming it really is a brand new 70 challenger better than the factory did you should be proud of the work you are turning out thank you for the videos
Another great video Rick. I want you to know that after following you over the past few years, you are the only person I would have the total confidence in to restore a project.
Your skill and know-how is truly impressive. Coupled with your attentions to every detail, the end result is fantastic. Keep up the good work. Greetings from Sweden :-)
Cheers for you , a great Máster of sheet metal , keep with this amazing rebuilds , better that new , i hope you Made a special of this two Challenger when Is finished . 👍🏼🍻
I seem to have missed this build, so I just watched you and Chase getting it on the jig :o) The other tool I like is the electric die grinder. I don’t have enough air to keep my air one running, so the mains powered one is great. And absolutely evil with a 6mm end-mill in it ;p) I would like to get it mounted on the lathe. @@carthageclassiccars
Another amazing video Rick! The way that you build them ensures that every part fits better than new! I like the 30 minute videos better because i think that most people have an easier time to schedule it in to thier day, because i like to really focus on your explanation of what you are doing! ( and i love E-bodies) keep the videos coming!
Thank you very much and I do appreciate the feedback. I am going to try and keep a lot of the stuff going forward short and straight to the point as I realize you are correct, viewers time is valuable, and most just want the information fast without being drawn out like most youtubers do for the youtube income.
Good job. I've been binge watching your videos and I generally agree with everything you do. I hate the stickers too. I use a heat gun and a paint stick that I sharpen to an edge like a chisel. I'm in my 60's now and when I see you kneeling on the concrete floor it makes me cringe. I ruined my knees doing that. Use some kind of pad. Have you had paint failure do to e-coat? I too use the Omni epoxy primer and it sticks well. I dripped some on a shiny chrome bumper and I can't get it off to this day. I don't think you need that much bite with it as they say. The factory had almost zero bite on their metal and their paint stuck well, up until they started using clear coat. I don't put any bite at all on clean metal (just wash) and have never had the Omni epoxy fail. I haven't used many AMD panels as the cars I work on don't have much aftermarket support.
Thank you so much for the support in watching. The I could see the heat gun working for sure thanks for the advice. You are right about the knees especially having a father that had both his knees replaced a few times, I need to take better care as I do have padded mats made for that. I have personally never had a paint failure on e coat but have actually seen rust developing under some of it when stripping before. I agree it probably doesn't need that much bite but I am a by the book guy as there is a lot of time and money that goes into the work on top of this so I am personally ok with the extra work even if its overkill for the most part. I can at least sleep at night knowing if something did happen I did everything in my control to go above and beyond to do it right. There is a few cars I have worked on in the past also with little to no aftermarket support and it does make it a lot more challenging for sure. Much respect for taking on those projects and bringing them back to life.
Another fantastic video Rick! Curious to the amount of hours you had in the back half. Never been that far into an e body. I’ve done quite a few B bodies. The SCT can be a huge help, no doubt Thanks really enjoy your efforts.
If you do it when you put the panel bond down and then you put the panels together, you have to use the resistance Welder while the panel bomb is still wet don't let the panel Bond dry and if you're planning on plug welding then make sure you're a couple inches away from where the panel bond was cause that'll mess your welds up
Im 62 and I agree that it makes me cringe to see you kneel on the cement. I regret not taking better care of my knees when I was younger because I have alot of knee pain now from years of kneeling on the floor! Take care of them now so you dont have to stop doing what you love to do when your in your 60's
Thanks Rick. That is really informative. Also I was wondering who makes the spot welder you use? I have seen smaller ones for sale but that one looks a lot more practical.
Thank you very much, the spot welder is a pro spot Pr-2000, its not super practical honestly unless you are doing multiple cars. This is an older model but perfect for the muscle car era and if you can justify the cost and its added expendables I do highly recommend this model. Watch out if buying some of the off brand ones bodyshops are selling I hear they only really last a few years.
If you can hazard a guess, how many man hours would guess you’ll spend doing the demolition, rust repairs, panel fitting, reassembly, etc. (up to the bodywork phase). I know there was sentimental attachment on this car, but otherwise it might be better to get a car in better shape.
So each project I build I do know the exact amount of time into that build. I usually don't share that information publicly for many reasons. If you had an e-body and were curious, feel free to contact me an we can talk about what most of these cars have into them time wise. I will say I don't believe there are any "better" cars out there that are not restored or flipper cars. All of them are rusted underneath due to lack of factory primer and protection. My opinion is by the worse one possible complete and plan on building everything, saving some time like this one cutting the entire rear clip off the car and allowing my spot welder to get in the whole floor pan where the wheel houses aren't in the way ect. Then you have essentially a brand new muscle car vs one that needs patching on all corners and you don't know how much rust you missed from not being able to access but paying more for the car up front. I am not saying this process is cheap but I feel for a car you want to last a lifetime and not have to worry about down the road this is the best route to invest in it one time. Especially what painters and bodymen are getting to bodywork and paint on top of the sheet metal I would want everything to be new and prepped perfect. Thanks for the comment I appreciate the feedback and ideas.
I understand. Elsewhere on RU-vid a shop did a similar “complete re-body” on an F-Body Trans Am. I asked them the same question and he estimated 450 hours. At (let’s say) $75/hour that’s $33,750 just in metalwork. Add that to the purchase price of the car and (maybe) $20,000 for a paint job and it’s easy to see how fast you could have $100k in a car like this. My recently acquired 1955 Nomad came to me as an “unfinished, rolling project”. The floors/rockers/tailpan had already been replaced but it had the world’s worst quarter panel patches. My suspicion is the owner who had the floors done saw how fast the bills were piling up so he called the body shop, told them to slap some patches on the quarters and then I’m coming to get the car. That was the end of that work for 20+ years until I got it.
@@johnkelly6942 So your exactly right, I am not trying to go "against other shops" or what they quote and why I don't want what I estimate out in the public. I am happy to talk or message per vehicle to give the owner and idea in general but again its a case by case basis as to what each car needs. I do agree with you now and days the projects add up really quick and it stinks to take it out of the hot rodders hands and the people that work hard but can't afford that kind of money especially with a family that love cars. That why I am doing these videos, they show what I do here at my shop and hopefully help the guys out that are going to do it themselves one way or another and guide them along the way so hopefully they don't have to learn the hard way like I have done in the past.
I have a 70 Cuda that I bought that looks like this Challenger before you started assembly. I have a 72 Challenger I can use to make a frame jig for the Cuda build, I know there is a length difference. Where would I make the adjustment to the jig length and how much distance to make it work for the Cuda. Thanks
I have a full video doing exactly what your trying to do 1973 Dodge Challenger on frame Jig episode 2. its 2 inches and around the foot pan in the back you will see on the video. Also go get the factory frame measurements and that will tell you exactly the measurements to double check. I show that also in the video, good luck!
Rick did you make a video. With your measurements on the frame jig? Im currently starting to build a frame jig. For a 71 challenger. I really like all your mounting points. So nothing moves.
I never put my exact measurements on a vide. I have a video on building a frame JIG where I show how I mount a cuda on a JIG and go over in general how I translate the factory frame measurements to a JIG. There is a another video I did on a 69 firebird the first video where I explain the JIG mounting numbers a little bit more in detail and how i get them.
Of all the things people are fussin about in 2024 I dont think there is enough fussin about sheetmetal suppliers not putting on easy peel stickers on their parts. Ticks me off!
Haha you know you are 100% correct I feel like that is good feedback for the manufacture, there doesn't have to be 2 miles of packing tape on a floor or trunk pan holding a small piece of bubble wrap when half the other parts are shipped with nothing and takes up 30 min to remove and clean.
Hey Rick, I came across this video on using filler (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-i5tWfpurkkY.htmlsi=_lGxiMB1r9711yHn) what’s your thoughts on this method, any pros and cons?
So I am really happy to have this question and might geek out a bit in the body world here but saying that I am still learning so this is just my opinion from experience. ALso I have seen his channel before he does a great job and gives great tips. I have learned that trick from the custom fiberglass guys I give credit to "sprayway customs" a long time ago for introducing to this process as he called it rondo and 100% really recommended for fiberglass custom parts as a way to level them out and that is where I have experience with it. Where I disagree in the bodywork world is the fiberglass might make it level out but it also makes it a lot harder to sand down almost turning it into a rock. My philosophy on filler is buy the high end filler for the rough work to get it close less pinholes vs the cheap bondo brand. On some of these cars that are close to metal finished out I might barely even touch a traditional filler or what I usually will mix instead of resin is filler and glazing putty. That will thin out the filler some and still build while being able to sand. They also use the same hardener like most body fillers so very compatible. In general I think if you want the smoothest finish on a vehicle you work your way down from filler, to glazing putty, high build polyester, then 2 k primer each has their way of building vs smoothing properties.
