There’s something beautifully gaudy and in-your-face about the muscle cars of the late 1960s and early 70’s. If touting near-insane quantities of horsepower and neck-snapping torque wasn’t enough, Detroit saw it fit to flaunt these machines’ potency right there on its sleeves.Flashy chrome badges shouted massive cubic inch sizes and horsepower totals.

Iridescent paint schemes drew every car lover’s attention from down the street while sporty decal and stripe packages helped hammer down the point that this particular machine was not to be messed with.

It goes without saying that no other manufacturer was more flamboyant than good ol’ Ma Mopar, coating its latest creations in eye-scorching Citron Yella, Green Go, Plum Crazy Purple, and Panther Pink hues.

Additionally, many of these Dearborn, Michigan-born vehicles came with a variety of tail, hood, and quarter panel stripes in a wide spectrum of colors. Typically marking it as one of Chrysler’s high-performance few, these particular R/Ts, T/As, and Super Bees stood out among the rest of the Detroit iron on the highway.

It seems like it was forever ago, but it wasn't so long ago that Killer Kong was beaten straight and painted back to original T7 Copper. The color choice was one of those love-it-or-hate-it decisions, but we love the classic metallic colors of yesterday, and wouldn't have it any other way. Before installing any body decals, a clean surface is a must.

Fortunately, as big ticket auctions and today’s current economy have driven the price of purchasing an original 340 Six-Pack Dodge Challenger far out of most any body’s reach, there’s still a way to get that muscle car of your dreams without breaking the bank.

“Cloning” has become a more acceptable practice for muscle car enthusiasts over the years – no longer the thing of shysters trying to pass off a rebadged plain-Jane ’68 Plymouth Satellite as an original 383 4-speed Road Runner. Rather, a surge of quality aftermarket stripes, badges, and other identifying items have allowed everyday muscle car owners to convert their rides into GT’s, Super Sports, and R/Ts.

Such is the case of our T7 Tuscan Bronze ’69 Dodge Charger “Killer Kong.” Rolling out the factory in early 1969, this Chrysler B-Body was more of a “gentleman’s muscle car,” brandishing a four-barrel 383, a floor-mounted, console-shifted 727 Torqueflite transmission, 3.55-geared 3.75 rear, air conditioning, power steering, and power brakes. Fitted with all the big block amenities but not the big 440 or the legendary 426 HEMI, this particular Charger was all but a factory R/T.

Ultimately, this Charger will be a frills-free street mauler and and has already been loaded up with a Currie-built Dana 60 hiding 4.56 gears wrapped around a Detroit Locker, a high-stall TCI-built 727 automatic with a reverse manual valvebody, and eventually, a big 500-plus-cubic inch HEMI powerplant. While that grocery list may not sound like anything Chrysler offered, it will look pretty close to the part.

To show how we brought the Charger closer to that goal, we’re going to roll back the clock a little bit, back to when we rolled it into JD’s Paint & Body Shop in Mulberry, Florida. John Dempsey’s crew of bodymen and painters have been instrumental in countless classic restorations (as well as the usual daily driver repair) over the years, including many muscle cars featured in several enthusiast publications.

JD's Paint & Body owner, John Dempsey personally smooths out the Year One-provided decal. Shipped in a single piece, the stripe needs to be mocked up and taped down before hand-cutting the trunk lid seams and side marker lights. Using a body filler spreader over the top paper covering as to not 'burn' or scuff the decal, John chases all the bubbles out from between the decal and the moistened surface. Water is key to aligning your stripe right. Applying it on a dry surface can spell disaster.

Paramount to giving our bronzed Charger a complete R/T makeover, we made a call to Year One out of Braselton, Georgia. To any muscle car enthusiast, Year One should be a very familiar name, offering an unprecedented list of restoration products (as well as the usual bling and high-performance goodies) for General Motors, Ford, and of course, Chrysler.

Year One provided us with this factory-correct semi-flat black R/T stripe, just like how the real R/Ts came with from the factory. Of course, if factory-correct isn’t the look you’re going for, Year One (as well as countless other aftermarket companies) offer a vast selection of custom colors and patterns including carbon-fiber and chrome silver!

Fresh from the paint booth, our Killer Kong Charger was meticulously color sanded, buffed and polished. Our next step was to wash the surface area from any dirt, extra buffing compound or other contaminants where the stripe was to be installed. Lightly showering the car down, we used a hand mitt and a bucket of water mixed with Meguiar’s Soft Wash Gel.

Wiping the Charger dry, JD’s Paint & Body Shop proprietor, John Dempsey, mocked up the tail stripe. The stripe comes in one piece (rather than three: one for the trunk and one for each quarter panel), and does not include precut holes for the side marker lights. Therefore, extra effort is required in measuring out the stripe’s place in relation to the center of the deck lid and the bottom of the panel on either side.

Using masking tape, John secured the stripe down. Measuring an equal distance from the end of the deck lid to the base of the decal, John then compared its placement in comparison to the sides and the eventual location of the side markers. Setting the stripe too far forward or too far back will result in placing the side markers off-center in the stripe. The old adage, “measure twice, cut once” has never been so relevant.

Happy with our mock-up, the stripe is cut into three pieces. Using soapy water poured into a clean spray bottle, we lightly fog the painted surface. Wetting down the surface before putting on the decal allows us a much needed margin of error, permitting John to shift the decal if needed or squeegee out any air bubbles. Sandwiched between two pieces of adhesive-backed paper, peel the opaque side first, exposing the decal’s glued underside for installation.

In line with our masking tape markers, the center piece was pressed down using a standard body filler spreader. These are soft enough not to “burn” or mar the decal, yet rigid enough to guide out any air or water bubbles. Since our deck lid is properly aligned with our quarter panels, we tucked the extra bit (no more than an 1/8th-inch) of the stripe underneath the trunk’s lip. We left the center piece to dry a couple hours in the sun before removing the white backing, careful not to pull the decal up from the lid.

We found the “sweet spot” for the R/T logo to be where the bottom of the “R” rests on the belt line as the top of the “T” butts directly up to the same crease. This helped us center our stripe over the side marker lights on both sides, ensuring a perfectly aligned rear stripe decal just like you’d expect from the factory in 1969.

Due to the Charger’s iconic angular shoulder lines, many believe the sides of the stripe decal to be the hardest to align and ultimately install. We recommend – especially for those more unsure of their skills – to use plenty of masking tape in the mocking-up process.

Like the deck lid, there should be no more than an 1/8th-inch of extra decal hanging from either end. Tuck this excess length down into the inside lip of the trunk and up and around the bottom of the quarter panel.

We found that the Charger’s belt line (the center crease running the entire distance from the fender back) should run directly underneath the “R” in the logo, with the “T” butting up to it from below. Since the R/T logo is intricately cut out of the decal, take extra care to slowly remove the white backing when dried. Removing the backing too quickly will pull up the decal and may completely remove one of the small pieces in the logo.

With the stripe finally installed, we’re able to cut out the holes for our side marker bezels. Additionally, remember, since we used water as a base beneath the decal, there will be more bubbles than one would normally expect. These are not air, the trapped water will dry up when left out in the sun. In fact, the next morning, most – if not all – of the bubbles in our stripe completely vanished. If bubbles remain after a couple days in the sun, use a very fine needle to puncture the vinyl bubble to lightly press the trapped air out. Our Charger looks just a bit closer to the high-performance package it never was but soon will be, and that’s good enough for us.