70 R/T SE

[AKcharger]

I like a bald roof......

NO! you are wrong! 

[tan top]

I think she turned out nicely

    black top & red paint !!  awesomecolor  combination 

[doctor4766]

Should be a lot easier to post pics on here.
Blacked out the centre of the wheels for a more finished look

Anyone know where to buy the SE sail panel emblems new?

[hemi-hampton]

Looks nice, Nice Car. Congrats LEON.

[6pkrtse]

I like it. Very similar to one of mine.

[doctor4766]

The car was in Rhodesia!!!! THAT IS COOL

Anyway you have photos of it's time in Africa??

Well, I finally do have a picture of it in South Africa and before it was painted red too.

[tan top]

The car was in Rhodesia!!!! THAT IS COOL

Anyway you have photos of it's time in Africa??

Well, I finally do have a picture of it in South Africa and before it was painted red too.

   thats awesome  you got pictures of your  charger form way back from a previous owner back in the day
thanks for sharing the pictures ! great stuff   

[doctor4766]

Off for some lovin'

It's finally time to get the front end sorted, following a crap wheel alignment at a supposedly reputable establishment.
They hit me up $275 and the car drove worse than ever, and they didn't even give me a report on the condition of the suspension components.

[Kern Dog]

That sucks ass.
I started doing my own alignments last year. I've done 5 cars. They all drive great!

[hemi-hampton]

Lots of people nowadays never seen a old car with Torsion Bars & have no clue how to do a front end alignment on them. The access plate/hole is there for a reason & they have no clue.

[Kern Dog]

Aside from setting ride height by the factory specs, the adjustment of camber and caster for these cars isn't that strange. My 2007 Dodge truck had the eccentric cams on the lower control arms.

[doctor4766]

And she's home.

$1000 worth of parts from Rock Auto and another couple of grand in labour and she's driving like new again.
I had him wind the front down an inch or so since I always thought it sat a little high compared with the '69.

[doctor4766]

With my front suspension now sorted, the first show of the season I attended was on a Sunday at the beginning of November (25)
I had picked up a mate who has a very nice Aussie Charger, but he hadn't been aware of the show and his car wasn't ready, so he tagged along with me for his first spin in a Dodge.
The car ran super well in the cool morning air, and just as well on the way back home, so I was really pleased that this summer would be great for cruises and car shows.
After putting the car away at the workshop, I headed home for the day feeling satisfied that I'd had a good run.
The next morning however, I needed to shuffle cars around at the shop, but the Charger wouldn't start.
I looked at the fuel gauge, and it was so low that I wondered how the hell I managed to not run out before I had even arrived. I went and filled a jerry can up at the servo and poured it into the Charger but it still wouldn't start so I pushed it aside for the day, thinking that perhaps it had sucked up a bunch of crud from the bottom of the tank and that a new filter could be in order.
By the time I got around to checking the fuel filter it was Wednesday.
The previous owner had fitted an electric fuel pump and had installed a blocked off plate over the standard pump hole. He'd also put an in line filter up above where the sending unit fits into the tank. I'd replaced it a couple of months earlier after noticing it was dirty but this time it was full of crap so I blew out the lines and put a new filter on. I pulled the tank, cleaned it thoroughly, used a tank rust neutralizing kit that also has a coating to prevent it happening again.
No difference.
The car would barely idle and adjusting the mixture screws did squat, so I had the Edelbrock carb rebuilt as there was a bit of dirt and other contaminants inside.
Still no difference.
I removed and replaced the valley pan, thinking there could be an intake leak.
Fitted new plugs, tried 2 different Holleys and still, we couldn't get this thing running without it backfiring through the carb. Swapped out the electric fuel pump with another and it didn't get any better. It ran like the timing was out of whack!
And then it occurred to me that the timing chain had probably never been changed in it's life, so we set about pulling the radiator, alternator and all the other bits that are in the way to get to the timing cover.
I noticed the radiator had a couple of small leaks and the water had been a bit dirty when we drained it so I sent it off for reconditioning.
Once the timing cover was off it was immediately obvious that there were a couple of chipped teeth on the gear and the chain was really slack so I ordered a double row set.
I also bought a Carter mechanical fuel pump and rod and fitted those while the car was in pieces,
Now we're getting somewhere.
And with everything back in place she's running even better than before, although I still need to take her out for a decent drive.
So, what was a couple of months of headaches I now have a rebuilt carb, cleaned and sealed fuel tank, a fresh radiator, a new fuel pump and new timing chain.

[Kern Dog]

Holy cow, man....You got stuck in what is called Mission Creep. I call it The Snowball Effect where the further you go, the bigger the project gets.
We try to focus on the specific goal but so often, while we are digging in, we see things that also need attention and the one day job stretches into a month long project.