Hey Everyone,
Well I just began the long and grueling process of restoring my charger. I've had it since May of last year, I bought if from a guy in Colorado. I live in Cali so I didn't get to look at the charger in person (Not the best way to buy a car :-\). The car looked in good shape from the pictures, but pictures are very misleading.Take a look
Heres what I found after many hours of sanding away bondo. Not what I was expecting, but hey theres no point to get upset with it. At this time all that matter is that I bring her back to life. It look like something riped threw the QP . The previous owner did not try to fix it the right way (Replace the QP). Instead he put about $100 worth of Bondo on it to cover it up. :icon_smile_dissapprove:
More
So the goal it to make picture 1 look like picture 2 :scratchchin: . The second one is BlackNBlowns. I love his car and would like mine to resemble it. :2thumbs: A lot of work, but as you all know it well worth the trouble.
So today I finished sanding down the doors. I was a paint bcuz one door had a bit of bondo on it. Anyway I manged to clean them up pretty good, but found a few dents on them. Nothing too bad so I'm going to attempt to fix as many holes without body filler. Also the body lines look a little worn out and I would love to sharpen them up a bit . I've never done any type of body work(NOOB), so I was wondering if someone could point me in the right direction? :shruggy:
Thats a shame about all the bondo. Sorry to see that. As far as sharpening up the body lines, theres alot of stuff on here about that, try searching. Also, I think you might want to wait until you have the quarters replaced and all the panels hanged and fitted before putting any filler on, as you want a straight line across all the panels and working on a piece at a time might not get the best results, but I'm no expert. Good luck!
wow and i thought i had a lot of bondo! sucks that they used mud to "fix" the quarter panels. :-\
Hey Zo,
I know how you feel, waited all my life, checked the car out seemed good, then while I was prepping it for pain I kept finding bondo spots and it led to exactly the same situation! I know the pain and at the same stage sadly, but look at it positively, at least our cars have owners who want to fix them correctly, and when they are all done and we are driving them around it will be all good.
-Mark
Thanks Mark,
These baby's aren't easy to find, so making sure there restored the proper way is a MUST!!!. Also "yeahitsgotahemi" your right about waiting for the QP to be replaced and aligned before I start fixing the doors. This weekend I have to privilege of sanding the front fenders Woo Whoo!!!( :ohhthesarcasm:) \ Here are my two fenders, if you look close to the second picture you can see theres absolutely no body line on it :ahum:. I'm willing to bet theres about 5 pound of Bondo on it. The other one feels a lot better and might have just a bit of filler on it, but I,m not holding my breath. I'll keep you guys posted with pics once the Bondo and I, fight it out. :girlfight:
Those quarter panels.... :eek2:
Sorry about the problems, but like someone said, at least it's in the hands of someone that is going to fix it right.
So where is all this work being done?
I'm going to be doing all the work myself. I've never done any type of body work, but I have an awesome neighbor who is very familiar with my situation and is willing to show me how to fix it. He also has a charger that he had to put back together that came out amazing. I figure I would save money by doing the work by myself and also learn a new skill. :cheers:
Quote from: SoCal Zo (.)(.) on March 22, 2008, 03:21:54 PM
I'm going to be doing all the work myself. I've never done any type of body work, but I have an awesome neighbor who is very familiar with my situation and is willing to show me how to fix it. He also has a charger that he had to put back together that came out amazing. I figure I would save money by doing the work by myself and also learn a new skill. :cheers:
Where do you live?
Ventura, CA. Why do you ask? :scratchchin:
I'm in Pasadena and thought maybe I could stop by, but that is bit far..
OK Gentlemen,
I know I said I would get these fenders sanded by this weekend, but family was in town and I had to entertain. Hers the drivers side fender, this one feels like it has the most filler on it. I only managed to remove some of the filler from the top of the fender. Here's a pic before and after. The top of the fender is a little bumpy. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice on how to smooth out this area with as little filler as possible. The fender looks a lot worse in the picture then it really is and the red areas are just old pain. Any advice would be appreciated. Thankz
Zo
Before even starting to think about fixing the top of it, I'd strip the side down to see what's hiding under all that bondo. I'd be worried myself, due to the absence of a body line. If the top is wrinkled up, I would bet it took a hit to the side of that quarter and you've got some surprises when you start sanding on the profile.
Ok,
So I was doing some more sanding on my fender. The more Bondo I remove, the sadder I got :icon_smile_dissapprove:. The fender is so wrinkled, I'm not sure if its fixable. Has anyone run into the same situation?
more :pullinghair:
You have your work cut out for you. Your gonna need these. The last ones a metal shrinking hammer.
thats not as bad as i originally thought. thats ALMOST as bad as my quarter panel. it discourages me so. and that piece of bondo you were holding was the minimum on my quarter. hope you're wearing a mask of some sort when your doing that. at least that baby is got what she deserves. a good home with someone who wants to do it right.
WOW....I totally didn't see that one coming.
My front right fender was terrible but the rest wasn't bad compared to yours.
It looks like it was in a demolition derby lol.
Good luck dude!
Hey guys,
I was working on my fenders today and decided I wanted to do a little cleaning. When I bought the car the prev owner told me that the back seat was not original. Can anyone tell me if this seat is for a charger? I would like to know if its correct so I can keep it or throw it away.
bondo :flame: :brickwall: :'( yes that is a seat for a charger but i dont know if its correct for a 70 it is the same as the one in my 73.
I found I passenger side Qp. Has lower rust issue, but looks in good shape. The guy is giving me a good price for it. Can anyone tell me if this would work for me? It looks like I have to buy a patch panel for the bottom. :shruggy:
Quote from: SoCal Zo (.)(.) on March 29, 2008, 10:58:41 PM
I found I passenger side Qp. Has lower rust issue, but looks in good shape. The guy is giving me a good price for it. Can anyone tell me if this would work for me? It looks like I have to buy a patch panel for the bottom. :shruggy:
You could use that, but on top of that you would have to buy a patch panel for it or have a bodyman do all of it, and then you might be close to the price of a new AMD quarter . . .
And that's the beauty of the AMD panels. It's going to make it a lot harder for the used sheet metal market to charge what they could for a panel a couple of years ago.
Well his selling it to me for about $150 and I think the patch is around $120 online( $270 total). A full Qp cost more then $700. I'm just waiting for some more pics. Hopefully I can make it work somehow. :ahum:
hey socal that QP in the pic is not even cut at the factory seem along the sail panel. If you are doing the work yourself it will be easier for you to put on a full quarter. You will also have alot less time into it (I don't know how much you time is worth) If you can buy a full quarter for 700 do it and let me know wher I can get some for that price. I just think after it is all said and done you wiil be happier if you buy the new quarter. just rying to save you alot of time and agrivation.
Socal I also feel for you on the fender. I would spend the money to find a decent used one Even if it has some rust on the bottom. but lookit over good on the inside. the inside always tells the true story on any panel. make sure there is no rust where that brace is on the top of the fender where the fender and door meet (where the top of the fender meets the cowl) there is also a spot buy the headlight mounting where they can rust. You may also want to consider buying one of those tools that can tell you wether or not there is bondo present in a panel I believe the tool is called a spot rot tool any autobdy paint store should have on or know where you can get on in fact I believe that there is one in Eastwoods magazine. They are around $20.00 I believe. small enough to always carry in your glovebox. spending 250.00 on a nice fender will be well worth the money.
by the way socal the body line on the fender is very hard to fix right. look at a good one it also bulges out along the fender and up and down. run your hand along your good one and your bad one to see if you can tell what I am saying. It is very hard to get this shape back once the frnder had been caved in. along the top of the fender there should also be a body line that runs from the front to almost allthe way back but it dissapears before it gets to the end of the fender. the tpo of the fender is also concave. Just something else to consider if your going to fix it. hope this helps you
:scared: :scared:
how are you coming along zo?
MoParMetal,
I Just finishes sanding everything down to bare metal. I was lucky enough to find a driver side fender in real good shape for $300. Only problem is its in Colorado, so that adds another $100+ for the shipping which I cant complain because I called MR Darrel Finch who's only 2 hours away to see if he had any in stock. Well he did, but at a cost of $1,000 each :puke: I almost :faint: after I heard that price. Any who, :scratchchin: I'm not sure what to do next with the parts that are all sanded down. Do I primer them first? or do I try to get them all straight? Someone please point me in the right direction. :cheers:
....epoxy primer.
Which one it the best to use?
they are all good but I use U-Tech , Omni is fine too.
Hey Guys,
I know its been a while, but I'm reporting good news. I managed to find a new Driver Side Fender and valance in real good shape at a awesome price. I'm still in the process of stripping them down naked. but so far I'm enjoying what I'm finding NO BONDO!!!!!! :2thumbs: Here are pics of the new pieces.
Valance old one and NEW YOUNGER ONE
isn't it nice how spending a few extra bucks make the whole project seem smaller. :2thumbs:
Well, I'm glad to see something's working out for you. When saw the original post with pics my heart sank. I felt so bad for what you found underneath the primer. Someone really stuck it to you and they'll get theirs one day. I believe in karma and they will have to deal with what gets dished out to them eventually. Anyhoo, I'm glad to see that you're getting some things together for the car. Good luck, you'll need it. :thumbs: Ted
Quote from: SoCal Zo (.)(.) on April 05, 2008, 08:13:34 PM
I called MR Darrel Finch who's only 2 hours away
He's about an hour and a half away from me, where are you located at?
aha doi lol.
Well I'm in Santa Clarita Valley (other side of the 126) so just let me know if you want me to keep an eye out for parts or anything.
Wow Zo, that sure looks like a lot of work - good luck. I bought my 68 from a guy in Colorado also - where in CO is yours from? Mine is from Granby near Grand Lake and this guy has several of them and is a bit on the shady side, as he kept the tic-toc that was in it after telling me he would deliver it to me in the exact condition that I last saw it in and that he "would not take anything off..." yea, right.
DPM68,
I got my from Cherry Creek I think the guys name was James. To my knowledge that was the only charger he had, but hey you never know. :shruggy:
Question I just got my epoxy primer today. Does the body work need to be complete before the primer is applied or after? ::)
Quote from: SoCal Zo (.)(.) on April 24, 2008, 08:45:20 PM
DPM68,
I got my from Cherry Creek I think the guys name was James. To my knowledge that was the only charger he had, but hey you never know. :shruggy:
Question I just got my epoxy primer today. Does the body work need to be complete before the primer is applied or after? ::)
Either way works for many people.....I prefer epoxy then body work, the spot th epoxy again where you broke thru doing the body.
Will Body Filler stick to primer as well as bare metal? :icon_smile_question:
Filler will stick to bare metal much better than it will to primer. Although, it will stick to epoxy primer fairly well. But, try to keep the filler on prepared bare metal for best adhesion. Some people may argue the fact but it'll stick to prepared bare metal much better. You can use 3m's dry guide coat on your filler to get it where you need it very well before build primer. Then you can guide coat your build primer for even better results. :Twocents:
Filler actually adheres BETTER to epoxy than it does to bare metal, plus the epoxy will seal weld etc. ALOT better which makes the repair last far longer. :Twocents:
Alright Guys,
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I'm going to primer a few of the parts and hopefully knock some dents out. I just got my new toy today and I can wait to abuse it. I hope I don't screw things up :slap:
Quote from: SoCal Zo (.)(.) on April 25, 2008, 09:58:35 PM
Alright Guys,
Tomorrow is going to be a busy day. I'm going to primer a few of the parts and hopefully knock some dents out. I just got my new toy today and I can wait to abuse it. I hope I don't screw things up :slap:
Nice!! :2thumbs:
glad to see you bought a fender you won't regret it. I was wondering if I can ask how much you paid for the valance. just because I have a mint one that I was going to sell and was just wondering what they are going for. Also I see your charger has slots on it If your interested in selling or trading them and they are 15x8.5 non unilugs I would be interested.
Filler over bare metal or epoxy will work but here's a good link to show the differences in adhesion. Although, this is not where I based my opinion but I agree with the results... It's worth reading.
http://autobodystore.com/filler_&_epoxy.shtml
Quote from: 69*F5*SE on April 26, 2008, 10:16:14 AM
Filler over bare metal or epoxy will work but here's a good link to show the differences in adhesion. Although, this is not where I based my opinion but I agree with the results... It's worth reading.
http://autobodystore.com/filler_&_epoxy.shtml
Yeah Ive seen that "test" before and that epoxy test failed because it was not cured properly. The solvents were still trying te get out of the epoxy and aided him in the belif that he had going into the so called test.
But all that aside , many people do thing differant than one and another , and both methods work so go with what you like! :Twocents:
I respect your viewpoint
So I wasn't able to prime some parts this past weekend. :icon_smile_dissapprove: I put some work in the new fender I got. There is one section near that front that needs a bit of work on it and its been kicking my ass trying to get it correct. It a good size fold in the metal that was never really work back into shape. It also had a hole that was filled with some type of led that I knocked out to try to reshape . I used the stud gun to try to remove the fold, but that sucker barely even moved. My next move is to hit it with a torch and see if I can work it that way. If not, theres two other options that I don't want to attempt. One would be to remove the headlight bracket thats connected to the fender(with spotwelds) and get access to try to knock it out from the back. My second option would be to cut the piece out and replace it with the metal from my original fender(pic above). That same section on my original fender is in good shape. Well tomorrow is another day and hopefully I get it closer to taking the dent out. :2thumbs:
Man I'm pretty sure Mopar Action had a little article about a repair of that EXACT spot with a '70 Charger fender. . . it was blue. . . I'll see if I can find it.
Put some bondo on it! :icon_smile_big:
Todd
Quote from: terrible one on May 03, 2008, 01:14:18 AM
Man I'm pretty sure Mopar Action had a little article about a repair of that EXACT spot with a '70 Charger fender. . . it was blue. . . I'll see if I can find it.
it was mopar muscle and it was a 70 superbee fender :icon_smile_big:
i was reading it yesterday
:2thumbs: damn dude keep up the good work. and i thought i was going to have a hell of a time with the metal work on my Charger... :o
Quote from: MoParMetal on May 03, 2008, 12:24:12 PM
Quote from: terrible one on May 03, 2008, 01:14:18 AM
Man I'm pretty sure Mopar Action had a little article about a repair of that EXACT spot with a '70 Charger fender. . . it was blue. . . I'll see if I can find it.
it was mopar muscle and it was a 70 superbee fender :icon_smile_big:
i was reading it yesterday
No I am positive it was a '70 Charger fender. This was probably about half a year ago?
yes it was. its i believe b5 blue. the front has a huge dent on the front of it? a passenger side fender?
yea it was bee fender. its editor boligs' 70 bee.
Quote from: MoParMetal on May 07, 2008, 11:34:22 PM
yes it was. its i believe b5 blue. the front has a huge dent on the front of it? a passenger side fender?
yea it was bee fender. its editor boligs' 70 bee.
Drivers side.
Quote from: terrible one on May 07, 2008, 11:52:05 PM
Quote from: MoParMetal on May 07, 2008, 11:34:22 PM
yes it was. its i believe b5 blue. the front has a huge dent on the front of it? a passenger side fender?
yea it was bee fender. its editor boligs' 70 bee.
Drivers side.
touche...touche :icon_smile_blackeye:
Here it is.
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/mopp_0712_dodge_super_bee_dent_repair/index.html
Damn! :smilielol:
:o Was that car parked on the moon during a meteorite shower? You have alot of bodywork ahead of you.
Any updates on this?? :popcrn:
Yeah, I've been wondering the same thing. :scratchchin:
Quote from: 69*F5*SE on April 26, 2008, 10:16:14 AM
Filler over bare metal or epoxy will work but here's a good link to show the differences in adhesion. Although, this is not where I based my opinion but I agree with the results... It's worth reading.
http://autobodystore.com/filler_&_epoxy.shtml>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>>>
this test is rediculous. First you need to use some self etch wash primer. then you epoxy over that. then wait 24 hours before you skim coat your car. then wait two days before you start sanding. it is amazing how much difference this all makes. I have seen too much bondo come right off bare metal in my time. .. I restored a 49 buick special ,the idiot owner then fiddled with the fuel line going into the carb it came off going down the road and the whole front end was a burnt crisp. we saw it coming back to the shop( rich's street rods in maltby wa )on a flatbed two weeks after it left. good lord we were peeved. anyway the guy says I have a car show to make in two weeks, this was the closest think I ever faced compaired to one of these phony deadline chip foose type shows. the whole shop jumped on it and we made the show in 2 weeks.. but my point here is I had used self etch primer- then epoxy then the filler. well the filler was burnt but didn't come off .I used stripper wheels to remove some filler from areas that had it then used stripper on all the parts . well the stripper would not take the etch primer off period ,it becomes part and is imbedded into the metal. it all had to be sanded off. I have had this experience in aircraft painting .
The aerospatial a-star helicopters from france are primed with self etch. then another primer then painted . good lord this stuff is a nightmare to take off. I had to use acid stripper which is a dull pink. the yello aircraft stripper everyone has seen at the parts store is like so weak I could wash my hands in it , compared to the acid stripper . it took 4 applicatons of acid stripper and a week of torture to strip that copter. and its the same for any car you use a good wash primer on before you epoxy it. and rage gold sucks as a filler in my opinion. its crapo. anyway thats how I do my restos> self etch-dp-50 epoxy then whatever over that
WOW!Can you recommend any specific products?What about large areas of surface rust(I E roof).I'm in Fl. and the sun/heat and humidity is very strong!I see bondo failing to hold up because the metal expands away from it, I think I like your approach, I payed a guy to epoxy prime my roof and told him "no bondo or filler" but he just could not resist filling in seams and spotting a few small rust holes (along with sandblasting my glass!).
this is a whole nother ball of wax and that is SCORCHING HEAT!! :flame: . I am from fridgid country, when I did move to L.A. to persue a music career. it was in 1978. moved to bakersfield where my cousins lived. lord talk about hot . anyway I never saw bondo dry so fast ever, up here you have to use more hardner cause of the climate. The sun can be so brutal on a cars finish. when I went to phoenix ariz I have never seen so many vinal tops flapping in the wind and dash boards with 20 cracks in them. then up here its the opposite the trucks running around have the bedsides flapping like an eagle ready to take off. If you use more than an eighth inch of bondo and it is going to sit in direct sunlight you will have problems . if you use a half inch it wll eventually split if on top surfaces. , lead will not do this. maybe an option
WE THINK THE SAME!Any dealings with Eastwoods lead free body solder?It's a tin/copper/zinc alloy.
no I haven't .does it mix up like bondo with a hardner? :scratchchin: all i have ever used is all metal. just so the owner can say theres no bondo in their resto. and it dries very hard. used it on a 66 mustang when I replaced quarters at factory seams in place of lead.
Nope you put it on with a torch like lead/tin,and work it with paddles.The big deal is sanding the lead is so toxic.The tin/copper/zinc can't be great for you ether but it's higher temp seemed more stable.I've not used ether but giving the heat down here and the fact that my car is gonna be in it 365 days a year(shes a driver) I really don't have much faith in fillers.
yeah If I lived in the heat like that I would definetly get the product you mentioned. I might get some to mess around with. :yesnod:
I'm gonna try to mess with it next year some time, hope I don't warp any sheet metal though.(I'm gonna play around with it on my beater first)
Hey Gang,
Well it's good to be back to this forum to report good news. I've giving up doing the bodywork myself and decided I would just sack up and let the people who know what their doing finish the job. I dropped the car off last week and was told it would take about four months to complete. Since this is a customer build I asked for the side markers be shaved off along with the door handles and rain gutters. I'm also going to get both bumpers painted the same color as the car (Triple Black) :coolgleamA:. I cant wait to see it out of the shop. I also picked up a 440 that will keep me busy while the car is being worked on and also I have to design some type of custom dash to go along with the custom look. Well I just wanted to give my fellow Mopar fans an update on where I stand with my chager. :2thumbs:
It should look AWESOME :cheers:
good luck with the rebuild. Did the shop give you any kind of estimate?
$7,500 gets the car paint ready.
Are you throwing on new quarterpanels?
Yup,
New quarter for the passenger and a skin for the driver. Needs to be done right the first time :woohoo:
Cool, glad things are picking up for you. It'll be nice when it's done.
Hey Zo, Just joining your thread but did you get this car in Howard Colorado. I think I reconize that house. Guys name was Reid or someting.
i thought mine was horrible till i looked at those pics , ironic thing is i got my charger from cali and i live in Colorado and it was decent till i sanded it down and to find out the roof has been chopped and a crap load of rust in the trunk :pity:. dont see many mopars around the metro area, but having a mopar is like the old saying goes "you have to go through hell to get to heaven" :cheers:
Hello DC forum,
I cant believe its been 4 years since i last updated my post.
Well a lot has happened over the past few years, but most importantly Zo's Charger project is back!. Shortly after dropping the car off at the body shop i suffered a knee injury that set me back financially for a couple years. I got the car back within 5 months with all new panels and just about ready for paint, but having no money or job i was force to put the project on hold while my situation improved . Unfortunately during my recovery the car sat outside unprotected from the elements for the next 3 years without any progress being made. My life is now back to where is was before the injury and i am dead set on getting this thing on the road . I am glad to be back and i hope everyone is doing well. I will have pictures for the forum tomorrow. :2thumbs:
Zo
Sad to hear about your knee injury, but glad to hear your committed on making progress on the car :2thumbs:
:popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Welcome back buddy! Hope you get to see it shining soon.
:cheers: :cheers:
updated pics as promised
Door handles and markers have been shaves off along with the drip rail. I started sand blasting the engine bay, but did not get a change to seal it up properly. I will be blasting it soon along with the interior once i upgrade my compressor
:cheers:
Looks great, incredible progress!
lookin good - :2thumbs:
5+ years with no progress report :scratchchin: :shruggy:
Yep, not active since last post. This may be one we will never know about. :rotz: