Scott, would you consider that pic the norm but not as "gospel"?

Ive got 3 here, one looks close, the other two really not even close with alot of red oxide overspray on the bottoms that does look the same/equal.

The FE5 im doing now that seems to of been one of the reshot in argent when new as well as my friends org FE5 Red thats still red shows the oxide primer shot from several diff directions, id question it but both the offenders have the same equal overspray patterns.

So would it be safe to say the pic you posted was the norm after a system got put into place?

Ok....."The Norm"

At this stage of the game I'd say that no true "Norm" has been established, with so few surviving original paint examples to reference we simply do not have enough data (collectively) to know enough to assign one IMO. A lot depends on when your car was built, what color the car was (red etc.) and other production model year and time of year related variables.

What we do know is that the some of the early 1970 bubbles were first painted red, then at some point that changed to light argent and during that transition some already painted red bubbles were painted dark argent right over the red. After the color transition from red to dark argent was completed they seemed to be remain fairly consistent in the way they were painted (overspray patterns etc.) based on the larger number of these examples that I have seen.

I have noticed that some bubbles only had red primer and some had both grey and red primer (one is a sealer?) and this was probably another poorly documented process change that took place during production to cure a problem such as solvent or color bleed? Or it could have been as simple as a different person at Fram doing the painting and either had his own way of doing things or just flat screwed up?

Then for the 71 production the change was made to go from light argent to Organosol black. When this transition took place they must have had some leftover dark argent bubbles in stock and simply painted over the argent as I’ve seen a couple that were original this way. I have also seen original examples of Organosol bubbles with either both grey and red primer/sealer, and only red primer.

So what was the “Norm”? The norm was whatever your car had. If you don’t know which yours had I’d go to the next best guess which in the case of a mid to late year 1970 vehicle would have likely been a red & grey primer sealer covered in Dark Argent using the pattern my example has. Basically because that is the most commonly seen version (at least in my experience).

Red bubble.

just adding that there is another moparts member here with a challenger shaker registry and his own b5 blue 71 challenger was built with an argent shaker as he has pics dated back to early seventies. the build date on his challenger is may 10th 1971 and the build date of my 71 440-6 cuda is may 11th-my shaker was black. i also know of an argent shakered fe5 71 440-6 cuda and also frank badalson`s 71 hemicuda has an argent shaker-sorry don`t know the build date of that one.
all the best
frank

Yes there was some 70/71 argent/organosol crossover near the end of the 1970 model year. There is not ryme or reason to which cars got which, I believe it was simply a suppy issue, they used what they had one the shelf and there was no first in/first out inventory control so a silver one may have hidden on the shelf and used after the black production change had been made etc.

Started stripping my bubble today, thank god it's a labor of love! My bubble was painted black right over the original argent with two coats of primer inbetween. Half of it took me over three hours, pics later.............

My fingers hurt, 4 1/2 hours plus clean-up and I am only half done..........

Stripped, Repaired and ready for primer......

Mine is a black bubble looked like semi gloss had car since it was bought in 71 dont remember it ever having that speckled paint on it it is a early 71 seq.1449 made for 71 challenger

Applied a plastic adhesion promoter along with a few coats of white high build primer. In eager anticipation of the NOS argent silver paint that is on it's way from the great white north....... Alaska!

Created an off white satin for the underside to best match the bubbles original color.....

You dont have to goto Alaska to get it...

Why use white primer vs the norm?? Oem type color. Just a ? But Why paint the underside when it seems to have had a natural finish from the mold with just overspray from the painting.

Maybe one here might remember the car, in 1984 a fella named Kurt Bremer? in northern Indiana sold at the same time a 70 V code GTX and a 70 V code FE5 cuda, with red bubble.

He was asking 7500 for the GTX, 6500 for the cuda, my one friend bought the GTX, spun a rod bearing on way home.

My other friend bought the Cuda, in 84 it was freshly ???? restored if thats what you would call in then but it was when everyone was freaking over the NS1 term.

There was a secret to the cuda I never get let in on...vin tag was rived on with std rivs due to a dash change we were told, didnt know if it was a real v code 4 speed car or not, we found a u code 4 speed lime cuda for 600 bucks and robbed the Dana and trashed the rest.

The car was top notch, but the lack of the dana, driving lights, vin rivited on already in 84 has always made me wonder....and so why was the GTX priced 1k more???

The car was nice enough and I know the buyer after my friend was the long term keeper type....dam I wish I paid more attention back then.

That makes sense on the bottom, thanks for explaining wasnt being critical just courious...sorry about the email if I even seen it windows 7 blows imo.


People complained about $150 a pint which some current auto paints cost alot more so I offered a gallon up for $600 to a couple guys with no sale which was about 1/3 the asking price for the "last gallon on earth" a good while back on the bag so I said screw it.

I can do a few now and then as a hobby and really when I add up the actual time/labor im just as happy to use the paint on my own stuff.

The textured argent cut to black with organosol make an awsome blackout on any car as it shade shifts from silvers to blacks.

I did the whole blackout on my car with less then a pint before being reduced and it just freaks everyone out. Ive many gallons between the two, hell the inside of my trunk is NOS text argent...It makes exe rock guard paint on the lower rockers and such...

Six Pack lids look nice too...

Ahhhhh, 41 yr old virgin Light Argent Silver. Not easy to work with, but turned out great.

These pictures were taken in very bright direct sunlight................

Very interesting thread! Don't have much to add but this cool picture.

I've had this early e-body ad framed for some time now. It's an ad showing a HemiCuda and a 440 sixpack Challenger with color keyed shakers.

"A HemiCuda and a 440 sixpack Challenger head into the marketplace, late but prepared"

I was told the color painted shakers caused glare so they changed to the argent. Maybe it was bacause of paint issues?

Mike

Looks nice Stewpar, if I could pick your mind a bit but can you share how much paint you used and how much you reduced it and what type of gun and tip size.

Probably the camera but even when I shoot the light ext, the texture and flake in the sun is alot more a perdominate?

I really do like the light argent paint myself as in photos it shows more white to me and the flake blends in a bit more.

Ive a nice NON ebody grille in which I used light argent and it really photographs white with the flake looking crystal like.

Anyways looks great

I love the old paints, put me near base/clear and a hvlp gun and im lost.