Mopar Trunk Detail
Understanding and correctly detailing one of the most overlooked areas of your Mopar musclecar
by Tom Shaw
photos by Tom Shaw
This is a story about getting it right, down to the minute details. We’ve seen plenty of stories on quickie trunk spiff-ups — clean it, sand it, hit it with a spray can and toss in a new trunk mat. That’s not where we’re going here.
We’ve spent some time with Frank Badalson, the most knowledgeable Mopar authority we know. Frant took us on a guided tour through several very sweet, original, unrestored B-body trunks, pointing out factory assembly techniques, and things that are routinely missed or done wrong by even experienced restorers. We also examined a ’69 Hemi Road Runner trunk authentically restored under Frank’s direction by his paint and body specialist, Stuart Jackson.
Besides owning lots of top Mopars beginning back in the early 1970s, Frank has meticulously inspected dozens of original, unrestored cars. He spends hours photographing the details that most of us would skip right over. Frank’s background in law enforcement and an expert witness in accident reconstruction has helped train his eye to notice the fine details. That is what we’re looking at in this story — how to get the details right.
Restorers generally have a decent grasp on what’s right and wrong with engine detailing, but the trunk is still a frontier where we’ve got plenty to learn. So let’s get started.
This is the trunk from an original, unrestored 1969 Road Runner. It’s a treasure chest of information. The body color spare came on cars ordered without Road Wheels and with “dog-dish” hubcaps. Cars built with Road Wheels and full wheels covers got a black wheel for a spare.
Weatherstrip seam is typically offset by several inches from either side of the trunk latch. Left or right is OK. As we will see, Mopar was not particularly careful in applying the weatherstrip adhesive.
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