Restoring 1969 Camaro with new dynacorn body shell

[jcautoresto]

I manage a classic car restoration shop in Georgetown, sc and we am restoring a 69' camaro conv. 327 for a customer. He bought a new body from dynacorn. None of the gaps were close to fitting right but weexpected that. The thing that makes me really mad is that when we were blowing the dust off with the air to get it ready for primer, the primer that came on the car started to flake off underneath the car. You can scrape the primer off with your fingernail everywhere around the car. This is going to cost the customer a lot more now since we have to blast the whole car now. Has anyone else worked on a new body and had this problem. This just happened today so I am going to call up dynacorn and let them know. Have pictures on my site. www.jcautorestoration.com

Chris Lung

[fletcherscustoms]

I have experienced many times the EDP coating coming off or biting you in the ass later on if not stripped off of some of the overseas panels. I completly strip every panel I get inside and out. Last car I did after we got paint on the hood, and few days later it started bubbling, and when we inspected it was the EDP coating flaking and therfor bringing everything on top with it. So my advice is to strip the car anyway! Those Taiwanese could care less about us, so why would they care if its clean before they dip them!

[jcautoresto]

The body is made in california. The off the market doors, hood, and trunk which came from who knows where have epoxy primer on them. The body which is made in america and costs over $10,000 looks like it has the cheapest primer you can put on it. A dupont specialist came to the shop. To test if it is laquer primer we put thinner on a rag and started rubbing. If its laquer the primer starts to come off and the rag turns red which it did. The customer and myself are going to have a talk with dynacorn tomorrow. Either they did not prep it right or its the primer. This is unacceptable, the body was welded wrong in a couple of places and now the primer flakes off too.

[vintageracer]

Dynacorn bodies are now "assembled" in 2 locations in the USA. They are assembled from mostly offshore made parts. The newer assembler in California on the west coast and the original assembler on the east coast located in North Carolina or Virginia (can't remember). I have seen assembled bodies from both coasts. The west coast assembled bodies now appear to fit much better to my eye than the east coast assembled bodies now that the west coast assembler has 20+ assembled bodies under his belt. I understand the west coast assembler has had a lot of input into the changes that were needed to make the body fit better.

I understand the bodies are now ONLY sold with doors and a trunklids installed to make the bodies fit much better. Originally the bodies were not sold with doors and trunklids and fit was poor when you tried to mount your doors, decklid and fenders. The quarter panel seams at the trunk weatherstrip gutter was also very bad in the beginning.

I would want to know where you body was assembled and how long ago. Quality has vastly improved over the original body used to build the 69 Green/White RS convertible originally built for and shown at SEMA. This original repo body car was was driven and shown on the Hot Rod Power Tour in 2005 and 2006.

Given your location in South Carolina, I'll bet your body was assembled on the east coast since shipping would be much closer. I also bet is was an early body. Concerning the primer issue, I personally would blast the body clean before I did anything to the body to avoid the issues you are experiencing.

By the way, one of the large Corvette vendors sent a complete mint 1967 Corvette to China in 2005 to have the whole car repo'd. The individual parts are now starting to show up and some of them are FANTASTIC!!!!! The 63-67 headlight motor repo is virtually identical to original. You can exchange the original removable dated housing cover and install on the repo motor housing and you cannot tell the complete unit is a repo. These new headlight motors are sold without exchange at only a 30% premium of what rebuilders payed for original cores before the repo motor hit the market! Expect this kind of quality with the complete repo 67 Corvette that will be available in the near future.

[jcautoresto]

The body was delivered in February. It was bought from north carolina. Classic automotive restoration specialists. The fitting of the doors, hood, trunk, etc. I do not mind as much. We fit them by welding rods. We expected that. What bothers us is the primer. You can scrape it off with your finger in some areas and can flake of with the air blower.

[Beegs]

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showthread.php?t=86875

East Coast builder of the repop bodies.

[Texas Bob]

Is Dynacorn the manufacture of all of these shells or is there several out there now. Just wondering as because if not I wonder how the job is on others compared to the Dynacorn ones?

I've seen several coupes on eBay like this one, and another, all in the $13,500 range and none have stated being from Dynacorn.

Bob

[EFI69Cam]

Dynacorn bodies are now "assembled" in 2 locations in the USA. They are assembled from mostly offshore made parts. The newer assembler in California on the west coast and the original assembler on the east coast located in North Carolina or Virginia (can't remember). I have seen assembled bodies from both coasts. The west coast assembled bodies now appear to fit much better to my eye than the east coast assembled bodies now that the west coast assembler has 20+ assembled bodies under his belt. I understand the west coast assembler has had a lot of input into the changes that were needed to make the body fit better.

I understand the bodies are now ONLY sold with doors and a trunklids installed to make the bodies fit much better. Originally the bodies were not sold with doors and trunklids and fit was poor when you tried to mount your doors, decklid and fenders. The quarter panel seams at the trunk weatherstrip gutter was also very bad in the beginning.

I would want to know where you body was assembled and how long ago. Quality has vastly improved over the original body used to build the 69 Green/White RS convertible originally built for and shown at SEMA. This original repo body car was was driven and shown on the Hot Rod Power Tour in 2005 and 2006.

Given your location in South Carolina, I'll bet your body was assembled on the east coast since shipping would be much closer. I also bet is was an early body. Concerning the primer issue, I personally would blast the body clean before I did anything to the body to avoid the issues you are experiencing.

By the way, one of the large Corvette vendors sent a complete mint 1967 Corvette to China in 2005 to have the whole car repo'd. The individual parts are now starting to show up and some of them are FANTASTIC!!!!! The 63-67 headlight motor repo is virtually identical to original. You can exchange the original removable dated housing cover and install on the repo motor housing and you cannot tell the complete unit is a repo. These new headlight motors are sold without exchange at only a 30% premium of what rebuilders payed for original cores before the repo motor hit the market! Expect this kind of quality with the complete repo 67 Corvette that will be available in the near future.

Is it just me or does the thought of a Chinese Corvette make anyone else ill?

[ProdigyCustoms]

Here ya go JC, a rep from the company joined up at Camaros to "address issues" I bet the boys over there would LOVE to here what he has to say about this.

I did ask him how many hours CARS would charge to paint one. He was honest and answered 300 hours. I was glad to see that. I have / had a potential customer that actually got pissed when I qouted 250 hours. He thought since it was all new it was ready to paint and a few grand would do it. Funny thing is I think he found someone, LOL!

here is the link, this could get interesting

http://www.camaros.net/forums/showth...t=86875&page=2

[cykotic]

I wish there was a place that you could pick up a camaro shell already mini tubbed and with the firewall smoothed.

[ProdigyCustoms]

You can, they will do it

[JoshStratton]

Hey Frank.

I didnt want to join up Camaros to ask this question, maybe you know the answer or can ask for me? What is stopping a person who builds one of these cars from registering it in another state and then transfering the title to California? Wouldn't that at least make the process easier?

[fletcherscustoms]

I wish there was a place that you could pick up a camaro shell already mini tubbed and with the firewall smoothed.

Mike's custom cars!!! We actually use his bodies in my shop for cars that are a complete loss!! He does a great job and his bodies are A1 quality! Pricing is in line with the Taiwan cars but his bodies come with real 1969 vins and the trims tags from the original body. My 69 SS car on my site www.fletcherscustoms.com was done by him!

[PRO TC]

you have to sand all the edp off all the repop parts or you will have problems. good thing its always thin or flaking.
barry

[68fusion]

I understand the bodies are now ONLY sold with doors and a trunklids installed to make the bodies fit much better. Originally the bodies were not sold with doors and trunklids and fit was poor when you tried to mount your doors, decklid and fenders. The quarter panel seams at the trunk weatherstrip gutter was also very bad in the beginning.


Given your location in South Carolina, I'll bet your body was assembled on the east coast since shipping would be much closer. I also bet is was an early body. Concerning the primer issue, I personally would blast the body clean before I did anything to the body to avoid the issues you are experiencing.

I (we) live not to far from CARS and have been to the shop , in and around. The area for welding these cars is small and no "state of the art welding machine or measuring device can be found. They are I hear in the process of moving to another location.
I could understand the anger over the primer deal, that sucks. The fit is something to get used to. The reason that the doors and deck come with it is that they need to be fitted when assembled. ONe can only imagine, we have enough trouble with these crappy asian qrtrs- I dont even want to thing about doinig a whole car...

[ProdigyCustoms]

I do not know. I think that is what Boyd got in trouble for. Going to Alabama, using a lost title service, then bringing it to CA. Last i heard Ca was threatening to cancel all titles from known lost title services

Hey Frank.

I didnt want to join up Camaros to ask this question, maybe you know the answer or can ask for me? What is stopping a person who builds one of these cars from registering it in another state and then transfering the title to California? Wouldn't that at least make the process easier?

[vintageracer]

Boyd got fingered for sales tax fraud for not paying "proper" sales tax on finished cars in the State of California. Registering the car as what it was, a 32 chevy and paying tax on the value of an original 32 chevy instead of the real value of the rodded 32 Chevy. California law is different concerning the finished value of a car when registering/transfering the car.

In Tennessee you pay sales tax on the purchase price of the vehicle which can be low if you buy a cheap donor and title the car immeidately when you acquire the donor car or a LOT if you buy a car completely finished for the big bucks from a seller/builder.

[Mean 69]

In Tennessee you pay sales tax on the purchase price of the vehicle which can be low if you buy a cheap donor and title the car immeidately when you acquire the donor car or a LOT if you buy a car completely finished for the big bucks from a seller/builder.

That's the same deal over here in California, Mike. The whole deal is "when" you title the car. Out of state tranfers are physically inspected by thte DMV at the time of initial registration, to confirm VIN's, etc.

Here's an interesting note, somewhat related. We have a customer doing an install on a first gen right now (our 3-Link) that uses a repop floor pan, the full stamped deal. It appears that the driveshaft tunnel is significantly shorter than a stock unit, by about an inch or so, AND that the tunnel is actually centered in the car. The original floorpans had an offset driveshaft tunnel, most folks don't realize that, even we didn't until we started to trial fit our crossmembers (what the?!?!?! Oh man, that sucks!!!!!). I bring this up because he "thinks" it was a Dynacorn pan. We're looking into it. Point is, if this is the case, there may be issues with driveshaft clearance on very low cars with these new bodies. He's concerned enough to modify the tunnel on this particular car, but this one concerns us, because when the titling issues get sorted with the Dynacorn bodies, we hope to sell a bunch of more kits, which will require a modification/two different sets of part for the new bodies relative to the old ones.

Second question, how many different companies actually stamp repop parts? Or better stated, how many different molds are there, specifically is a Dynacorn mold different than the mold used to press OEM parts, or the other brands?

Mark

[ProdigyCustoms]

Mark, as I understand it, OER owns molds for some parts, Dynacorn for other parts, but not the same. Goodmark plays in there also.

[toxicz28]

What is stopping a person who builds one of these cars from registering it in another state and then transfering the title to California?

You would still need a 69 Camaro vin. Or be forced to register it as a kit car like Hot Rod 1 (vin# HR001 I believe). And I also believe that CA is one of those eco-nazi states where it (as a kit car) would have to pass emissions standards of a brand new vehicle.