Chop Cut Rebuild is doing a 69 charger this season.......

[Ghoste]

I think it's a significant car that deserves a lot more respect than it's getting. 

[super_dave]

So after reading this, most guys wouldn't like what I'm doing to my car I suppose.  All original #'s matching 69 that I'm restomodding.  I will keep original motor / tranny, but what's the point to spend so much money on a 318 car....I will be much happier with a 440 and 18' rims.....

[Ghoste]

I have a pretty hard time drawing much of a parallel between adding a 440 and dub rims to a 318 car and doing anything short of a concour's quality restoration to what may be the only XP hemi car built in 69.
Did I mention they built over 30,000 318 Chargers that year and allegedly ZERO hemi XP ones?

Which by the way doesn't mean I am dissing your car in any way whatsoever.  I'm just highlighting the significance of the other car.

[Charger-Bodie]

I have a pretty hard time drawing much of a parallel between adding a 440 and dub rims to a 318 car and doing anything short of a concour's quality restoration to what may be the only XP hemi car built in 69.
Did I mention they built over 30,000 318 Chargers that year and allegedly ZERO hemi XP ones?

Which by the way doesn't mean I am dissing your car in any way whatsoever.  I'm just highlighting the significance of the other car.

Exactly!!!!!!!!!

[super_dave]

Ah yes, point taken....  
Pretty much sums up my lack of insight.

I have a pretty hard time drawing much of a parallel between adding a 440 and dub rims to a 318 car and doing anything short of a concour's quality restoration to what may be the only XP hemi car built in 69.
Did I mention they built over 30,000 318 Chargers that year and allegedly ZERO hemi XP ones?

Which by the way doesn't mean I am dissing your car in any way whatsoever.  I'm just highlighting the significance of the other car.

[XS29J8]

I have a pretty hard time drawing much of a parallel between adding a 440 and dub rims to a 318 car and doing anything short of a concour's quality restoration to what may be the only XP hemi car built in 69.
Did I mention they built over 30,000 318 Chargers that year and allegedly ZERO hemi XP ones?

Which by the way doesn't mean I am dissing your car in any way whatsoever.  I'm just highlighting the significance of the other car.

Exactly!!!!!!!!!

"Great Caesar's Ghost" Ghoste, Now this is a great explanation of how most of us feel. How about it Admiral "Just 6T9 Chrgr", mistake on the VIN or not this should hold a place in history for all of you 69 buffs. Another item of note, while I don't see some of the 68 details, maybe this was used as a demo photo car and rebuilt several different ways or mocked up to show a 4spd, then an automatic etc. etc I remember seeing pics with different trim items it seems............

[Ghoste]

Super dave I don't think it shows any lack of insight on your part at all.  I just don't want you to think that any of us "purists" (and I'm really only a part time purist) would look down our nose because we are upset about what is happening to this car.  The 69 XP Hemi really exists in a class all by itself.  Literally.

[tan top]

I have a pretty hard time drawing much of a parallel between adding a 440 and dub rims to a 318 car and doing anything short of a concour's quality restoration to what may be the only XP hemi car built in 69.
Did I mention they built over 30,000 318 Chargers that year and allegedly ZERO hemi XP ones?

Which by the way doesn't mean I am dissing your car in any way whatsoever.  I'm just highlighting the significance of the other car.

  true

[Just 6T9 CHGR]

First off the name "Admiral" is way too advanced for my knowledge on these cars.  There are many others that are more well versed than I am.  How about "Data Gatherer"?

Still I hold firm on the typo theory.....if the VIN was 000001 then come talk to me

[Back N Black]

Is there any hard documentation that its the XP Hemi Charger?   

[XS29J8]

Is there any hard documentation that its the XP Hemi Charger?   

Galen Govier, while we may not all agree with him he is the accepted authority and these tv guys will promote it as such whether it is or isn't.........



Steve

[paironines]

I seen a 3 sided poster at the Nats for Chop,Cut, Rebuild and the ratty looking Charger in the poster was an R/T and I think it was pale yellow??

[ccr-host]

Greetings!

First off... Thanks to everyone for expressing their thoughts on our project. It's been my experience that the Mopar community is the most passionate group of car folks on the planet. I expect this build will be one of the most popular we have ever featured in our series. I know our Cuda build two seasons ago created some great fans for our series and has helped CCR survive well beyond other shows that have come and gone of late.

When we were approached by Keisler to feature this build on the show, we had a number of concerns regarding its restoration process and what (if any) modifications would happen to it. I'm happy to say Keisler and CCR's sponsors have all agreed to make every effort to keep the car as original as possible, when possible. The original radio will be back in the dash. The original colors will be used (although it will be a much nicer House of Kolor blend).

As I noted in my email to Cody, there was virtually nothing of the original car left when we began. The team at AMD did a remarkable job replacing nearly every panel on the car. Currie has provided us with a Dana 60 rear end. Ray Barton is supplying a 2nd gen Hemi 426. And Legendary Interiors is delivering original door panels, pearl white vinyl roof, and slightly modified seats. The original gages and dash are being rebuilt with NO LED instruments.  It will also maintain near original ride height. Which means... NO air bags! There will be NO "custom" paint. NO flames. And certainly no Confederate flag on the roof! In short, we will not be doing a Foose style "Overhaulin" on this car. Modifications will be mild.

The cars VIN indicated it was originally a Hemi 4 speed car, which in itself is pretty rare (there were only 227 made in 69). However, the car was found with a 440 under the hood and no Dana rear end. We did search for an original Hemi, but we were unable to get one worthy of a rebuild. So, Ray suggested a Gen II with iron heads to keep the original look.

The significant changes to the car are its suspension. We opted to install Bill Reilly's "Alter-K-tion" system with the Wilwood brake system and QA1 coil over shocks. This system has become very popular in the Mopar community because it's a dramatic improvement to the handling. But, it does require a larger wheel to accommodate the large disc brakes. We have also installed Bill's rear link suspension. The front K member we opted for, can be swapped for an original system with little effort. While the rear links did require a small amount of welding to secure the system. But, nothing so extreme that ten minutes with a grinder couldn't reverse what we've done.

The sound system being installed will be very stealth. NO television monitors. NO amps filling the trunk. The Audio Shoppe in Riverside will be making every effort to keep the new SONY system as sleek and hidden as possible. It will operate with a personal music device, such as an Ipod or SONY Ericson cell phone.

Obviously, "all original" would please some people more than others. However, there is no firm documentation that this is the brochure car. and we will NEVER state that it is! There are only indications that it may have been. It could well be as one poster noted here, a typo on the VIN tag or a second promotional car built later in the run. In any event, the fate of this car has taken a significant change in direction.

The new season of Chop Cut Rebuild will premier on Saturday, October 16th. I hope you will all tune in and see it come back to life.

Best regards,
Dan Woods

[Brock Lee]

The cars VIN indicated it was originally a Hemi 4 speed car, which in itself is pretty rare (there were only 227 made in 69).

This car must have a one of a kind VIN noting what sort of transmission the car had. 

[BrianShaughnessy]

The cars VIN indicated it was originally a Hemi 4 speed car, which in itself is pretty rare (there were only 227 made in 69).

This car must have a one of a kind VIN noting what sort of transmission the car had. 

I can't tell by the pics I posted but I imagine it had an original 4 speed hump and Z bar bracket.   They're kinda obvious if somebody changed them over to a 4 speed and I've never really heard of anybody back in the day changing them to be an auto tunnel.   

[BrianShaughnessy]

Greetings!

First off... Thanks to everyone for expressing their thoughts on our project. It's been my experience that the Mopar community is the most passionate group of car folks on the planet. I expect this build will be one of the most popular we have ever featured in our series. I know our Cuda build two seasons ago created some great fans for our series and has helped CCR survive well beyond other shows that have come and gone of late.

When we were approached by Keisler to feature this build on the show, we had a number of concerns regarding its restoration process and what (if any) modifications would happen to it. I'm happy to say Keisler and CCR's sponsors have all agreed to make every effort to keep the car as original as possible, when possible. The original radio will be back in the dash. The original colors will be used (although it will be a much nicer House of Kolor blend).

As I noted in my email to Cody, there was virtually nothing of the original car left when we began. The team at AMD did a remarkable job replacing nearly every panel on the car. Currie has provided us with a Dana 60 rear end. Ray Barton is supplying a 2nd gen Hemi 426. And Legendary Interiors is delivering original door panels, pearl white vinyl roof, and slightly modified seats. The original gages and dash are being rebuilt with NO LED instruments.  It will also maintain near original ride height. Which means... NO air bags! There will be NO "custom" paint. NO flames. And certainly no Confederate flag on the roof! In short, we will not be doing a Foose style "Overhaulin" on this car. Modifications will be mild.

The cars VIN indicated it was originally a Hemi 4 speed car, which in itself is pretty rare (there were only 227 made in 69). However, the car was found with a 440 under the hood and no Dana rear end. We did search for an original Hemi, but we were unable to get one worthy of a rebuild. So, Ray suggested a Gen II with iron heads to keep the original look.

The significant changes to the car are its suspension. We opted to install Bill Reilly's "Alter-K-tion" system with the Wilwood brake system and QA1 coil over shocks. This system has become very popular in the Mopar community because it's a dramatic improvement to the handling. But, it does require a larger wheel to accommodate the large disc brakes. We have also installed Bill's rear link suspension. The front K member we opted for, can be swapped for an original system with little effort. While the rear links did require a small amount of welding to secure the system. But, nothing so extreme that ten minutes with a grinder couldn't reverse what we've done.

The sound system being installed will be very stealth. NO television monitors. NO amps filling the trunk. The Audio Shoppe in Riverside will be making every effort to keep the new SONY system as sleek and hidden as possible. It will operate with a personal music device, such as an Ipod or SONY Ericson cell phone.

Obviously, "all original" would please some people more than others. However, there is no firm documentation that this is the brochure car. and we will NEVER state that it is! There are only indications that it may have been. It could well be as one poster noted here, a typo on the VIN tag or a second promotional car built later in the run. In any event, the fate of this car has taken a significant change in direction.

The new season of Chop Cut Rebuild will premier on Saturday, October 16th. I hope you will all tune in and see it come back to life.

Best regards,
Dan Woods

   Thank you for your insight into the project Dan!    I'm looking forward to seeing the car. 

[tan top]

Greetings!

First off... Thanks to everyone for expressing their thoughts on our project. It's been my experience that the Mopar community is the most passionate group of car folks on the planet. I expect this build will be one of the most popular we have ever featured in our series. I know our Cuda build two seasons ago created some great fans for our series and has helped CCR survive well beyond other shows that have come and gone of late.

When we were approached by Keisler to feature this build on the show, we had a number of concerns regarding its restoration process and what (if any) modifications would happen to it. I'm happy to say Keisler and CCR's sponsors have all agreed to make every effort to keep the car as original as possible, when possible. The original radio will be back in the dash. The original colors will be used (although it will be a much nicer House of Kolor blend).

As I noted in my email to Cody, there was virtually nothing of the original car left when we began. The team at AMD did a remarkable job replacing nearly every panel on the car. Currie has provided us with a Dana 60 rear end. Ray Barton is supplying a 2nd gen Hemi 426. And Legendary Interiors is delivering original door panels, pearl white vinyl roof, and slightly modified seats. The original gages and dash are being rebuilt with NO LED instruments.  It will also maintain near original ride height. Which means... NO air bags! There will be NO "custom" paint. NO flames. And certainly no Confederate flag on the roof! In short, we will not be doing a Foose style "Overhaulin" on this car. Modifications will be mild.

The cars VIN indicated it was originally a Hemi 4 speed car, which in itself is pretty rare (there were only 227 made in 69). However, the car was found with a 440 under the hood and no Dana rear end. We did search for an original Hemi, but we were unable to get one worthy of a rebuild. So, Ray suggested a Gen II with iron heads to keep the original look.

The significant changes to the car are its suspension. We opted to install Bill Reilly's "Alter-K-tion" system with the Wilwood brake system and QA1 coil over shocks. This system has become very popular in the Mopar community because it's a dramatic improvement to the handling. But, it does require a larger wheel to accommodate the large disc brakes. We have also installed Bill's rear link suspension. The front K member we opted for, can be swapped for an original system with little effort. While the rear links did require a small amount of welding to secure the system. But, nothing so extreme that ten minutes with a grinder couldn't reverse what we've done.

The sound system being installed will be very stealth. NO television monitors. NO amps filling the trunk. The Audio Shoppe in Riverside will be making every effort to keep the new SONY system as sleek and hidden as possible. It will operate with a personal music device, such as an Ipod or SONY Ericson cell phone.

Obviously, "all original" would please some people more than others. However, there is no firm documentation that this is the brochure car. and we will NEVER state that it is! There are only indications that it may have been. It could well be as one poster noted here, a typo on the VIN tag or a second promotional car built later in the run. In any event, the fate of this car has taken a significant change in direction.

The new season of Chop Cut Rebuild will premier on Saturday, October 16th. I hope you will all tune in and see it come back to life.

Best regards,
Dan Woods

   Thank you for your insight into the project Dan!    I'm looking forward to seeing the car. 

thanks for the info

was there any mention of the car having rear torque boxes , pinion snubber & rear leafspring shackle  re -enforcment plates ??

[XS29J8]

I dont want to spoil the surprise......I can tell you its not the brochure car but real close to it in MANY ways

there is a small article  on page 12 of the brand new mopar enthusiast , its shafi keislers car .

Heres the link.....a nice little shout-out for the Registry as well

http://editions.amospublishing.com/MPRE/default.aspx?d=20101001

All well and good Mr. Woods, so who authored the Mopar Enthusiast story and used the Picture of the "Brochure" Charger if not to promote your show as "restoring" this iconic piece of history?  I  like what you are doing, just not with this Charger. I'm just as sure you have not truly investigated it's prior ownership and many parts lost through time do have a way of resurfacing when questions are asked.........even if it isn't the XP brochure charger it still is a special car and should be restored as such. No CCR in my house........Patience should  out weigh a TV time schedule with this one.

Regards

Steve

[MoparManJim]

I dont want to spoil the surprise......I can tell you its not the brochure car but real close to it in MANY ways

there is a small article  on page 12 of the brand new mopar enthusiast , its shafi keislers car .

Heres the link.....a nice little shout-out for the Registry as well

http://editions.amospublishing.com/MPRE/default.aspx?d=20101001

All well and good Mr. Woods, so who authored the Mopar Enthusiast story and used the Picture of the "Brochure" Charger if not to promote your show as "restoring" this iconic piece of history?  I  like what you are doing, just not with this Charger. I'm just as sure you have not truly investigated it's prior ownership and many parts lost through time do have a way of resurfacing when questions are asked.........even if it isn't the XP brochure charger it still is a special car and should be restored as such. No CCR in my house........Patience should  out weigh a TV time schedule with this one.

Regards

Steve

You do bring a good point up Steve with your question re-guarding the brochure charger and I like to see them answer that one myself. If it isn't the car or they have no proof that it isn't the car then they shouldn't at all be showing the brochure car at all as that is misleading people to think that it is the car. I think they are just doing it get there ratings up.. . I bet if they dug back into the car's history they could indeed find out for sure. Like before when they said they mention everything on the charger will be un-boltable now they say with just alittle time with a grinder things can be put back to factory.. that isn't un-boltable... that is cutting. Which also brings into another issue what about the paint when grinding things off as there will be a bare metal spot then not to mention paint touch up. I like the part about the K frame being bolt able but yet the rear end stuff part of that stuff would have to be cut out if the person wanted to put it back to factory.

[Back N Black]

I'm excited to see the charger being built, maybe i can get a few ideas on the upgrades for my charger.
No matter how you build it, your not going to satisfy everyone.

[Charger-Bodie]

I'm excited to see the charger being built, maybe i can get a few ideas on the upgrades for my charger.
No matter how you build it, your not going to satisfy everyone.

......and from the sounds of it,there wasnt much left. I think whatever they do to it , atleast it is being saved and not just a title swap. 

[moparstuart]

I'm excited to see the charger being built, maybe i can get a few ideas on the upgrades for my charger.
No matter how you build it, your not going to satisfy everyone.

......and from the sounds of it,there wasnt much left. I think whatever they do to it , atleast it is being saved and not just a title swap. 

  i agree atleast it will be saved but it would be nice to see it returned to original as possible , but he owns it and has a right to do as he pleases 

[UFO]

I'm excited to see the charger being built, maybe i can get a few ideas on the upgrades for my charger.
No matter how you build it, your not going to satisfy everyone.

......and from the sounds of it,there wasnt much left. I think whatever they do to it , atleast it is being saved and not just a title swap. 

  i agree atleast it will be saved but it would be nice to see it returned to original as possible , but he owns it and has a right to do as he pleases 

Agree as well. Will be nice to see a charger getting some air time.

[MoparManJim]

I'm excited to see the charger being built, maybe i can get a few ideas on the upgrades for my charger.
No matter how you build it, your not going to satisfy everyone.

......and from the sounds of it,there wasnt much left. I think whatever they do to it , atleast it is being saved and not just a title swap. 

  i agree atleast it will be saved but it would be nice to see it returned to original as possible , but he owns it and has a right to do as he pleases 

Agree as well. Will be nice to see a charger getting some air time.

I agree with that as well. 

[ccr-host]

I dont want to spoil the surprise......I can tell you its not the brochure car but real close to it in MANY ways

there is a small article  on page 12 of the brand new mopar enthusiast , its shafi keislers car .

Heres the link.....a nice little shout-out for the Registry as well

http://editions.amospublishing.com/MPRE/default.aspx?d=20101001

All well and good Mr. Woods, so who authored the Mopar Enthusiast story and used the Picture of the "Brochure" Charger if not to promote your show as "restoring" this iconic piece of history?  I  like what you are doing, just not with this Charger. I'm just as sure you have not truly investigated it's prior ownership and many parts lost through time do have a way of resurfacing when questions are asked.........even if it isn't the XP brochure charger it still is a special car and should be restored as such. No CCR in my house........Patience should  out weigh a TV time schedule with this one.

Regards

Steve

Steve I understand your perspective and concerns over this car. But, it should be noted that the car was up for sale for two years by Shafi Keisler and there were no takers. The car is not being restored for a TV show... It's being restored "because" of a TV show. Our participation to document the build was the reason Keisler and other sponsors have opted to invest in the restoration.

Chop Cut Rebuild always attempts to find projects that are a little different than the average restoration. In our first season, we found and restored the George Barris Supervan. We then built the first complete 1967 Dynacorn crate Camaro. In season 4 it was a Bricklin SV1. Last year, it was the 69 Yenko tribute Camaro and 1940 Mercury. The challenge for us is to keep raising the bar in some manner. What some people may consider a ratings grab, others see as continuing to increase viewer interest.

Galen Govier has provided us with a full report on the car. But the lack of a fender tag and build sheet gave him little insight into its specific history. The car did have rear torque boxes , pinion snubber & rear leafspring  re -enforcement plates. The determination of it being a 4 speed car was from structural indications NOT the VIN (I was suffering from a little jet-lag when I posted last night – sorry). The Reilly Motorsports rear "Lynx" suspension requires two welds on the rear frame rails. It is a minor modification. No exterior paint would be harmed if it were removed and any evidence of its installation would easily disappear within a matter of minutes, if required.

All that said, this is a privately owned vehicle - not a museum piece. The owner of the car has every right to make changes – regardless of how we feel it should be built. As I noted, I for one am happy to see it survive and I believe the modifications are tasteful and mild at best. I think it will make a majority of people happy to see it back in top running condition with its copper paint, pearl white vinyl roof, and a roaring 426 Hemi under the hood. No flames, no air bags, no over-the-top audio system, and no Confederate flag on the roof. I believe Keisler is using very good judgment given the resources and time available. It's an exciting build and I am very proud to be part of it.