Reference material for misc factory finishes/colors

[usraptr]

I've been searching the site for over an hour and can't find anything that addresses what the factory finishes/colors are for misc latches, strikers, gas filler tubes, upper and lower control arms, sway bars, torsion bars, etc. for a '70 'Cuda are.  I don't want to have to ask every time I get ready to restore one of these misc parts what the correct color/finish is supposed to be. Is there some sort of reference guide/book or internet site that lists the correct colors/finishes?  I look at a lot of cars on Ebay and Autotrader but it seems that finishes differ from one restorer to another.  I'm not trying to build a 300 point car, however it is a numbers matching car and I'd like to be as accurate as possible.  There's an abundance of information on primary parts and components but nothing that I can find on the misc parts.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[rallye73]

Here is a link to a good site with a wealth of info. www.mmcdetroit.com

[burdar]

I highly recomend the fastener guide.  It's money well spent if you have a tub filled with nuts/bolts.  It's very detailed.  I have noticed a few omissions, mostly with the newer cars since most stock resto's are of the 70 and 71's.

For instance, it lists two different seat track to floor pan nuts.  Both are zinc dichromate plated and have a toothed washer.  The difference is in the diameter of the washer.  Well, my 73 Challenger(HooDs 73 Cuda used the same nuts) used a phosphated nut with NO teeth on the washer.  There is no mension of these nuts in the guide.  They also don't list what fasteners are correct to hold the Rallye fender louvers to the fenders.

I have no experience with the restoration guide but here is a list of some of what you are looking for.

brake booster/master and cover.....they were assembled first and then sprayed gloss black as an assembly
driveshaft....bare unpainted
upper control arms.......natural unpainted
lower control arms.......natural but dipped in cosmoline just shy of the lower ball joint
torsion bars.......dipped in very cheap gloss black paint that lost some of it's gloss very quickly
leaf springs....natural unpainted(some Challenger T/A's have been found with black springs)
fuel filler tube....lead dipped(this process isn't done anymore due to EPA regulations)
blower motor....zinc plated in 70-71...not sure about 72...73-74 they were black

The trunk latch and the door latches were zinc plated.  The hood latch and safelty hooks varied by year.  My 73 was brown phophate.


Check out this Moparts link.  There are many many great reference pics in this thread.
http://board.moparts.org/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=A12&Number=4501907&fpart=&PHPSESSID=

 
 

[usraptr]

Rallye 73 and Burdar,
Thank you very much.  That's very helpful.  Also, I seemed to remember having read that at one time one of the moderators was selling a CD of numerous pictures of an original low mileage Challenger or Cuda.  Does anybody know who that was and if he is still selling the CD?  Any other suggestions for reference material/pics is greatly appreciated.

Thanks again,

Brad

[Cuda Cody]

It's Barry that made and is selling the CD of the 176 mile TA.

[usraptr]

Thanks Cody,  Do you know how I contact him to order it?

Brad

[70_challenger]

Barry's username on this site is: Alaskan_TA.  You could send him a PM, and ask how to order the CD-ROM.

He also runs a website called:  www.hamtramck-historical.com  There is contact information on that site.  (And it is a very informative site, btw)

I met Barry at Carlisle, PA last year, and I bought a copy of his CD-ROM.  It is very helpful, although the owners of the car had sprayed some yellow paint under the car at some point, so a few of the original finishes are obscured.  But it is WELL worth the money, just to see how things looked, and were assembled, when the cars were new.

Good luck to you!

-Tom

[usraptr]

Thanks Tom,

Brad