After a failed experiment trying out a Mopar, I returned to the fold last year when I bought a '69 Torino GT fastback. 351W, 4 speed and black bucket interior, it had all the options I was looking for in a musclecar. I got it from the second owner in Michigan, where it had spent its whole life. So, naturally, it needed some body work.
According to the second owner, the original "Black Jade" car had been merged with an "Arctic White" car at some point 10 years ago due to accident or rust. The original owner did it so he wasn't sure. The second owner picked the car up at an estate sale about a year before I got it after the original owner passed away.
Unfortunately, the original owner had been a cheap bastard and got Maaco or some other blow-n-glo shop to do the repaint on the car, so now the paint was peeling off in big chunks due to zero prep work.
Those white spots around the rockers are where the paint is peeling off.
In terms of rust, there was some in the quarters on both sides, in the trunk lip and in the hood latch area.
Not in the pictures is the trunk lid, which is basically junk.
Other than that, the body was solid - the doors and rockers are good, the fenders are good, the torque boxes are fine. There's a bit of surface rust in places but nothing a wire wheel can't handle.
Once we started taking it apart and stripping the paint, it was obvious that the car has led an interesting, accident-filled life!
At some point, both front wheels had been bashed into the body with enough force to put some small ripples into the main body! But there's no frame damage and no evidence of it in the a-arms or the suspension at all. If you look closely, you can see the impact point.
Also, the car looks like a strip of bacon.
Additionally, at some point it had been hit hard enough in the rear end to make the tail panel as wavy as the Atlantic ocean, and slightly ripple the roof! It's hard to see in this photo, but there isn't a straight line on that panel. And the trunk lock support is bent to the right a full INCH off center!
So, I have a new trunk lid and will need to get a new rear panel and hood. Could be worse, it could need doors, rockers, etc.
As for the paint, it's so poorly applied we have been removing it with a razor blade! It took me about 5 hours to strip the quarter panel to this point using the blade.
Lots of shavings!
The next step is to get it straight enough to paint black. I'll update this thread as it progresses.
