1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination"

Posted By: 70Cuda383

1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:24 PM

after sitting idle for a few years now, it's time to move the Cuda back to the front burner. previously I replaced the truck floor and rebuilt the rear suspension/axle...then a series of moves, and the big block Dakota project put it on hold.

pushed it out, empties all the boxes out of it, put the parts up on the shelf, and washed it down. it had a nice layer of dirt/dust/bird poop from sitting the last 4 years, including an 8 month stint in my parent's horse barn.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:25 PM

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:26 PM

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:26 PM

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:28 PM

5..

Lots of nasty stuff like this to get fixed. window channels, quarter panels, floor pans, etc.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:29 PM

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:31 PM

7 -- evidence of the dash originally being painted blue.

I have no paperwork to prove without a doubt that this was a St Louis Blues Cuda. all I have is the white paint under the orange paint, which is under the red paint. in the window channels I can see blue paint, as well as under the chrome around the door opening chrome around the roof. bits and pieces of the interior indicate originally being blue as well.

so I have the physical evidence of what was a white body, and blue roof, and my VIN # is 6 numbers off from another 383 2bbl Gran Coupe that the guy has documentation to prove the V02 option, along with paperwork from the title comapny in St Louis that took care of the cars. He said he also verified that my VIN# went through the same title company.

maybe not good enough for GG or BJ, but good enough for me!

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:36 PM

Floor pans. not bad, but they do need work.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/01/11 07:48 PM

Now I just gotta figure out WHERE TO START!!!

I have the full OEM style quarter panels from Goodmark. hopefully I can drill out spot welds and put these on without too much trouble...although I've heard they aren't as great as everyone originally said they were...

but really, I think that's the worst part of the car is the quarters. patch up the window channels, some spots in the lower rocker panels, patch in some of the cowl so that it doesn't leak anymore, maybe touch up the previous floor patch jobs, and call it good.

this won't be a perfect full on restoration, just clean up the rust, get a good paint job on the car, do the suspension and drive train, and get it back on the road.

Posted By: jrwoodjoe

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/02/11 02:24 PM

I'm looking forward to following your progress. The Blues Cudas are a really neat piece of history and they are pretty fascinating. Not to mention, nice to look at.

Joe

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/03/11 12:08 AM

I'm into it now!!

I'm pleasantly surprised by what I've found.

under the quarter, there's some rot around the wheel well, as expected, but not as much as I was worried about. looks like so far, all the damage is JUST to the quarter panel.

now, I just gotta take my time and clean up the edges, get all the spot welds off, and figure out how to spot weld those "hard to reach" areas.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/03/11 12:08 AM

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/03/11 01:18 AM

rusty, but solid. surface rust mostly, so far.

the worst part will be the wheel well area once I get the rest of the spot welds and sheet metal cleaned up off of it.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/03/11 01:21 AM

more. again.

(that's odd, I tried just "more" and it said "post already exists" since I made a post an hour or so ago that said "more"

)

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/03/11 01:27 AM

OH yea, and "just because" some of the evidence indicating more of the "blues cuda" paint scheme left under the orange and red re-paints this car has had.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/03/11 01:28 AM

she's 42 years old boys!!

that's 12 years older than me.

Posted By: moparpollack

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/10/11 02:43 AM

Looks like you have a lot of welding in your future. It's due a trip to the media blaster. This would show you what needs attention. The mechanical will be easy once you get the body straight. You need Gary to make you a smiley throwing money at the car.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/12/11 12:38 PM

yes. lots of welding. especially as I re-do mistakes as I'm learning along the way.

like here: cut out a soft spot on the inner rocker panel that was under the quarter. thought the end was solid enough to weld to when I cut through it and saw good shiny metal. once I started welding on it though, it started blowing through and proved to be too soft.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/12/11 12:40 PM

And I"d love to rip the car apart to a bare chassis, dip it or blast it, and start from "the ground up" but with my career, and my wife's career...we're not sure we'll be at any one spot long enough for me to do this.

I lack the funds, time, and skill to knock this thing out in a year like the pros do. so it's going to have to stay as a rolling chassis while I work on one area at a time.

here's the patch after welding and grinding.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/12/11 12:42 PM

just messing with the replacement pieces. fit isn't TOO terrible....but it's not perfect either. I'll definitely have to work this some when it comes time to put it in.

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Posted By: moparpollack

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/13/11 12:35 AM

Buy a small sand blaster you can do small areas at a time. I wouldn't cover that area up without blasting it. Take it one day at a time.

Posted By: Anonymous

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/13/11 01:50 AM

Those trunk floor extensions take a bit of finessing.

DAMHIK!

It doesn't look bad at all once the quarter was removed!

When you go to replace the quarter make sure you have the doors on, the rear valance and rear bumper. It took some work to get my valance to fit properly before welding.

Posted By: 1_WILD_RT

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/13/11 03:26 AM

Wise choice keeping it as a roller... Back in 79 I was stationed on Guam, a guy in a different command had a 71 Hemi Challenger.. He got the bright idea to tear it apart & do some much needed repairs.... Then he got accepted to Nuke school.... You have four days to pack & get headed to Great Lakes..... I wound up with a 71 Hemi Challenger for $400.00... Unfortunately I never found all the parts as he had scattered them in storerooms in his barracks, at his old command, at the base hobby shop & who knows where else.... Anyway enough on that... Yeah keep the car as a roller... & have fun...

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/13/11 02:01 PM

Quote:

Buy a small sand blaster you can do small areas at a time. I wouldn't cover that area up without blasting it. Take it one day at a time.

don't worry, that rusty stuff WILL be addressed before new skin goes on. I'm thinking wire wheel to knock it down, rust neutralizer or acid wash, neuatralizer for the acid if I go that route, then shoot it all with zero rust from Resto-Rick.

I opened up a hole in the rocker panel inside hte door area, where the kick plates go, just for inspection. actually it was pretty good in there. all the rust so far is in the wheel tubs and lower quarter area, in front of and behind the wheels.

I checked out the 71 Cuda that AMD built. talked to the guy, and apparently about 15% of that 71 shell is original. frame rails, etc. he said everything else is brand new parts. It made a great reference to take some pics of, for how the sheetmetal is supposed to "lay" since my stock stuff is non-existent in places! not many E-body owners will let you crawl all over their car, reaching deep into the trunk to snap pics, crawl on the ground under it to look up from underneath, etc.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 01:42 PM

some update pics! process is slow, but steady. it's interesting making these patch pieces with nothing but an angle grinder, some hammers, and a welder. no sheet metal brake, no wooden mallets, no english wheel, no shrinker/stretcher... so...I've resorted to making relief cuts, bend as needed, and weld up the cuts accordingly.

right now I'm patching in the outter wheel well. yes, it'd be faster and easier to remove it and weld in an entire replacement panel, but my clock is longer than my pockets are deep. if I buy every replacement panel that I was going to need--I'd probably spend $20K in just replacement sheet metal. I've got the goodmark quarter panels, trunk floor and floor extensions...I think that alone puts me at almost $1500. This car is NOT meant to be a perfect, concours, stock restoration show car. it's to be a solid, rust free quality driver that will get driven.

anyway, enough ramblings...on to the pics!

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 01:44 PM

more--sheesh, even after a few weeks, it won't let me make another post with just 'more' as the text! "post already exists" whatever!

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 01:46 PM

And, I hung the quarter in place, just to check the fitment of all my patch work, making sure it's going to line up still with the quarter. so far, so good! it's lined up PERFECTLY! and no hammering or massaging of the quarter needed!!!

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 01:49 PM

Dang, this looks good sitting there...SOO TEMPTING to just tack it in and go! but, I can't let myself do that. I have to kill the cancer before it spreads!!

plus, I'm enjoying the practice with all these little patches, getting the metal to fit, welding it, grinding the welds to find out where I have holes still. anyway...I'm excited for how well this is going so far!

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 01:53 PM

body lines are lined up perfectly with the lines on the door. it just "fell" into place.

I had my worries about how this panel was going to fit, when goodmark released these, everyone talked about how great they were...then after I had mine in hand, there were tons of posts on here about how crappy and junky they were. Maybe I got a rare set or just dumb luck, but this one is lining up with everything perfectly

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Posted By: rayztoy

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 09:57 PM

Hey Tom,
Thanks for posting pics of your work.

Ray

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 10:34 PM

Quote:

Hey Tom,
Thanks for posting pics of your work.

Ray

It's ugly, I doubt anyone will be asking me to help them do their car, but I'm learning as I go, and it's way better than the Swiss cheese that was there before!

Hopefully it'll help motivate others like me, with a car they love, but no checkbook to pay for the work, just a vision of the finished product and the determination to do it... And the willingness to cut it out and start over if it doesnt work the first time!!

You guys would probably laugh at my equipment-- a harbor freight flux core mig welder, a cutoff wheel/angle grinder, and some body hammers!!

Posted By: moparpollack

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/19/11 10:54 PM

Quote:

Quote:

Hey Tom,
Thanks for posting pics of your work.

Ray

It's ugly, I doubt anyone will be asking me to help them do their car, but I'm learning as I go, and it's way better than the Swiss cheese that was there before!

Hopefully it'll help motivate others like me, with a car they love, but no checkbook to pay for the work, just a vision of the finished product and the determination to do it... And the willingness to cut it out and start over if it doesnt work the first time!!

You guys would probably laugh at my equipment-- a harbor freight flux core mig welder, a cutoff wheel/angle grinder, and some body hammers!!

You could of save yourself some work by starting with a rust free A body.

It took me along time to get my tools. My wife bought me my welder for Christmas and our Anniversary gifts. For two years I bought a $50 tool a month. My stud gun was off ebay on the cheap along with other used tools. My air compressor was bought from Lowes as a close out. It took a lot to spend $575 on a compressor. But it retailed for $900. Now I'm set up to do cars for the rest of my life. You're lucky you just have one car to do. Maybe I'll finish one of my 4 projects next year as I'm going on vacation again.

Posted By: phantomx

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/20/11 04:21 AM

Looks great to me. It can't be any worse than the work done to my car. I am going to have to spend a bunch of time finishing and fixing previous work on it. This does give me hope and motivation to tackle sheetmetal work.
Travis..

Posted By: moparmojo

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/20/11 04:49 AM

Hey it is looking great. I am in the process of doing a challenger and some of your pics are very similar. Just curious what your plans are to fix your windsheild rot. I have a 70 Challenger conv with rot also and the part is not available.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/20/11 06:13 AM

Quote:

Hey it is looking great. I am in the process of doing a challenger and some of your pics are very similar. Just curious what your plans are to fix your windsheild rot. I have a 70 Challenger conv with rot also and the part is not available.

Don't know yet!! One area at a time. Small sections till it's all done. If I can't patch it, AMD had roof skins which cover the top of the window channel, and I saw they also have A-pillars, and firewall/cowels too. Hope I don't have to buy them though... That's like, $1500 in replacent panels.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 01:23 AM

just about ready to weld on the quarter panel and move to the other side to start all over.

the bottom corner of this deck filler piece was rotted away so I fabricated it by cutting small pieces, bending some of them and welding them together.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 01:24 AM

after grinding the welds, re-welding holes/gaps, and final grinding. a skim coat of bondo and it'll be good as new!!

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 01:25 AM

another angle. not quite perfect on the fab work, but...nobody will really see this anyway with the trunk lid closed...and a little bondo and sanding might help clean it up some too...

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 01:28 AM

outer wheel well all patched up. no more holes or soft spots. everything passed the "pick ax" test. used the pointy end of a body hammer and didn't get any new holes anywhere.

--also, I sprayed everything down with a rust converter, the phosphoric acid stuff that converts the rust (FeO) to Iron phosphate (Fe-phosphate

)

you can see the new metal vs old, all the new metal is still shiny silver, from the front side of the wheel well about half way around, and then the very back corner of the wheel well.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 01:30 AM

holy crap...is it really ready to weld the replacement panel pieces back in, and toss on the quarter panel?!

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 08:41 PM

hit everything with 2 coats of zero rust today.

Resto Rick sells an awesome product! thinned it down a bit and it sprayed super easy. Also allowed me to test out my new HVLP guns.

I've got the air set to where the literature says to...I might do some more experimenting though...air pressure just seems too low, and I don't get a lot of atomization of this paint. maybe it's too thick, maybe I need more air, not sure yet. it sprayed ok, and I wasn't too worried about it being that it's just going on the "hidden areas" but when it comes time to paint, I think I'll want a "finer" mist pattern. I was using the 1.3 tip today too.

after this dries good and hard for a day or so, I'll start adding the re-popped panels back on!

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 08:42 PM

another angle

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Posted By: moparpollack

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/23/11 09:32 PM

Quote:

another angle

How hard is it to remove that stuff? Looks like your window roller got a liberal dosing of it.

We had a primer that was so hard once you couldn't scratch it off with a screw driver.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/24/11 12:43 PM

it dries pretty hard. I wasn't too worried about the roller guide for the window. that was such a loose and sloppy fit before, that I doubt it'll block the roller from movement, and after it dries for awhile, it'll be so hard that it shouldn't gum it up.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 09:59 PM

it's on now!

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:00 PM

the back corner. tucked up nicely. I was worried when trying to fit it, this area was giving me some trouble. had to move the tail panel flange in a bit, as well as the flange on the quarter to allow the edges to "tuck" together.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:02 PM

nice...you can see my "gobs of seam sealer" through the tail light hole....is that as good as factory?

here's the upper edge. I fabricated patches for the window channel and the trunk gutter area on the deck filler piece. managed to get an acceptable seam there, I think good enough for a little filler....plus, with the lid closed...you'll never see it anyway.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:03 PM

another angle of the quarter seam with the trunk gutter piece. AMD for the gutter piece, goodmark quarter.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:04 PM

body lines look pretty good. a skim coat of filler at the door and quarter, and some block sanding, and it'll be perfect (I think!)

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:05 PM

door seam--not the greatest job, but with some seam sealer, maybe a little filler it'll be ok I think

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:06 PM

end result -- 100 times better than the rusty crusty panel I had before.

now, to grind down the welds, add some seam sealer and get to work on the other side.

it's a "quarter panel" so...I'm 25% of the way done, right?!

Posted By: moparpollack

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/25/11 10:13 PM

How did the trunk lid line up? The rear valance etc? When I did the quarter on my dart I thought it looked good. Boy am I glad it fitted everything than welded.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/26/11 01:05 AM

trunk lid is great. I bolted it on as I was moving the panel around, then removed it again to weld the quarter.

I can't hang the valence because there's nothing left of the other side to hang it to!

the trunk floor extension/quarter panel was so rusted away and previous owner filled with bondo and sculpted it, that when I did the trunk floor, that part of the quarter panel basically fell off!

the lip to the driver side trunk extension and quarter panel is left un-welded right now (all th way up to the rear wheel well actually), in case I need to try to move them around after I get the passenger side on, to widen or narrow the gap to hang the valence.

Posted By: FuryUs

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/26/11 03:10 AM

Looking good!

Posted By: wally426ci

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/27/11 10:35 PM

Looks good!

Ah, you can work the valence if you have to anyway, you can always cut the end off and reweld it....

Posted By: NV69B7RR

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/28/11 03:29 PM

Great progress so far!! Keep up the good work.

Posted By: 68SportSatvert

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/29/11 01:24 AM

Looks GREAT! The problem with the flow of the Zero Rust is you need a larger tip. A 1.3 is too small. I shot my ZR with at least a 1.8. I don't remember the exact size but is was a primer gun with at least a 1.8.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 08/29/11 01:28 AM

Quote:

Looks GREAT! The problem with the flow of the Zero Rust is you need a larger tip. A 1.3 is too small. I shot my ZR with at least a 1.8. I don't remember the exact size but is was a primer gun with at least a 1.8.

OK. I'll try that too...but I thinned it down the way Resto Rick says to, and it was pretty watery and "self leveled" nicely once it was on the surface. I'll try the bigger tip when I do the next side.

Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 09/02/11 03:49 AM

Time to start in on the other side!!

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 09/02/11 03:50 AM

some area's look better than the driver side...some area's look worse.

the outer wheel well.

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 09/02/11 03:51 AM

and down lower

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 09/02/11 03:54 AM

lookie there!!! the gutter on this side doesn't need to be replaced! a little work maybe, but the corner is solid! (other side was rusted through.)

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 09/02/11 03:56 AM

after seeing this...pretty much confirms it...gotta pull the roof skin and examine all the metal in the structure, to make sure it's solid. most likely put a new AMD skin on instead of trying to patch this one up, from the rust on the other side, and thin spots full of pin holes above the quarter seams

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Posted By: 70Cuda383

Re: 1970 Blues Cuda "Rejuvination" - 09/02/11 03:57 AM

and the underside...

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