I am in the process of restoring a 1969 Charger.
I have never done anything like this with a car or truck so it should be a blast!
Hey, what can I say, I need a project. And I think I'VE GOT A PROJECT!! :scratchchin:
Just so everyone knows, I started this resto last year (will be trying to get you caught up)
Any and all comments, suggestions are welcome
Nice project :drool5:
Looks a lot like my rustbelt '70! Have fun, you have more work than you think in store for you! :cheers:
I'm jealous! I now have a shop but need to save for my own project.
Plans for this car?
:2thumbs: :popcrn: whats the plan ? stock type rebuild , color combo etc or ??
Looks like it was originally a Q5 turquoise car. Not a common color. :drool5: Did the car have a fender tag or a broadcast sheet to tell you what the options were?
Good luck and keep the pics of progress comin'. :yesnod:
Plans for this car, I really like the classic stock look, with a little bit of restomod thrown in!
It will be a 4 speed car, I have a 440, and a 383, so not sure which way I will go there.
I decided to build a chassis jig or body jig.
I liked the idea of everything being tied down and being able to reference back to factory specs.
I know it can be done by putting the car on jack stands (or other methods) but for me, (a beginner) I thought this would be the best way for me to go.
So I built a body jig to hold the car securely during disassembly.
The jig was originally a 4'x8' table that I picked up at the local scrap yard. It was cut in half horizontally then put end to end to give me 4'x16'
It's made from 2x2 tubing with ΒΌ wall. And has leveling screws at every leg.
next I cut the quarters off to gain better access
Wow, diving right in! I will be watching your progress and definitely keep up the good work!
:2thumbs:
Wow you all in thats for sure. Keep the pictures coming and remember tag and bag everthing. :2thumbs:
Fast progress. :popcrn:
yep good on ya , love these type of threads , really inspiring , well done :2thumbs:
Subscribed.
the outer rockers are toast! :icon_smile_blackeye:
wow before i even have a chance to blink you already have it stripped and cut up NICE :2thumbs:
Quote from: Baldwinvette77 on September 04, 2013, 07:55:40 PM
wow before i even have a chance to blink you already have it stripped and cut up NICE :2thumbs:
This was done back in the early spring..... I am trying to get this thread "caught up"
Trunk pan was shot! So out it came.
:hack: :hack: :hack: :popcrn:
The outer rockers are toast! :icon_smile_blackeye: From what I can tell the inner rockers don't look much better :icon_smile_blackeye: :icon_smile_blackeye:
Quote from: bakerhillpins on September 02, 2013, 08:42:10 AM
Looks like it was originally a Q5 turquoise car. Not a common color. :drool5: Did the car have a fender tag or a broadcast sheet to tell you what the options were?
Good luck and keep the pics of progress comin'. :yesnod:
About this Q5 turquoise color, How rare of a color was this? Can someone tell me where I can get info about this? Or all of the stock colors used in 1969
Thanks
Send a pm to Ghoste. He has the info from the 69 Registry where this info is located. :cheers:
Quote from: stroker400 wedge on September 07, 2013, 08:48:44 AM
Send a pm to Ghoste. He has the info from the 69 Registry where this info is located. :cheers:
:yesnod: :iagree:
heres the 69 color chips :yesnod:
Quote from: mopar4don on September 07, 2013, 06:16:38 AM
Quote from: bakerhillpins on September 02, 2013, 08:42:10 AM
Looks like it was originally a Q5 turquoise car. Not a common color. :drool5: Did the car have a fender tag or a broadcast sheet to tell you what the options were?
Good luck and keep the pics of progress comin'. :yesnod:
About this Q5 turquoise color, How rare of a color was this? Can someone tell me where I can get info about this? Or all of the stock colors used in 1969
Thanks
It was one of the more uncommon colors of the year. Also one of the coolest.
If I had a Q5 turquoise colored car, I would leave it.
:wave: DON
Thanks guys for the color chips, When I get closer to being finished with the body work, the color will get more thought.
But right now that seems a long long way away!
:wave: Hi CDR
Next I pulled the cowl off, and found another mouse nest and more rust damage around the base of the a-pillars :icon_smile_blackeye:
Looks like you're making great progress! Keep up the great work. I love seeing rough and rusty cars getting saved and put back on the road! The rustier they are, the more I appreciate the work that goes into saving them.
Justin
"CornDog"
What a mess, definatly worse than I thought when I first looked at it! :icon_smile_blackeye:
It's funny how they do that to you... :pity:
For a "beginner" I think you're doing a mighty fine job! :cheers:
Thanks everyone for the encouragement! Corndogscharger, tsmithae, bill440rt.
I think I'm gonna need it!
You got a long way to go and many frustrating hours of work yet but, you have shown you have what it takes to complete this project! Just keep your head down and keep the faith completing a little at a time and you will be rewarded with a beautiful Charger of your very own!
Good luck and do not let it get you down. If you feel like "burnout" is taking over, step back and let it sit for a while and regain your desire to get it done. It took me and my friend 5 years to get mine to where it is with a few "breaks" and many frustrations along the way.
Quote from: mopar4don on September 08, 2013, 07:01:29 PM
Next I pulled the cowl off, and found another mouse nest and more rust damage around the base of the a-pillars :icon_smile_blackeye:
Is it hard to pull the cowl panel? I mean if you drill the spotwelds does it deform alot cause of the bonding adhesive they used?
I'm thinking of pulling the panel because i also have probably alot of rodent crap and nests in there.
Hell I even have rodent nests in my frame rails....
I would like to reuse the panel if possible so I can clean it out blast it paint it and put it back on.
Quote from: six-tee-nine on September 11, 2013, 02:57:32 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on September 08, 2013, 07:01:29 PM
Next I pulled the cowl off, and found another mouse nest and more rust damage around the base of the a-pillars :icon_smile_blackeye:
Is it hard to pull the cowl panel? I mean if you drill the spotwelds does it deform alot cause of the bonding adhesive they used?
I'm thinking of pulling the panel because i also have probably alot of rodent crap and nests in there.
Hell I even have rodent nests in my frame rails....
I would like to reuse the panel if possible so I can clean it out blast it paint it and put it back on.
six-tee-nine,
I would say if you have the patience and the willingness, then anyone can do this.
After drilling the spotwelds you just have to be careful when prying the cowl off as that seam sealer they used does want to stick.
The biggest thing I can say is to fight the urge to want to rip it apart, If you take your time, you can do it!
:2thumbs: You've obviously gpt the patience, talent, and ambition to get it done!
Looking good so far, Don.
:scope: ... :yesnod: :cheers: :popcrn:
Let me catch everyone up a bit.
Last winter I bought and worked on dismantling a 1969 4 door Coronet that I basically got for the rear frame rails and floor pans. If needed, I would also be able to use the
inner fenders,
inner rockers
outer rockers (I would need to patch the cutouts for the rear doors)
torsion bar crossmember
upper and lower cowl
and the rest of the entire front clip if needed.
Another thing this car did was give me the opportunity to "learn" how to take these cars apart!
more
Here are pics of the rear frame rails, and front floor pan. The floor pan will need to be patched in the drivers side foot well area.
The frame rails are perfect! NO rust or rot anyware!
Decided to brace up the back side of the car in preparation for rear frame swap.
more
Do you have to use a jig to do all this? My Charger is from Mich and the frame rails seem fine. I am hoping I don't have to pull my Cowl out a lot.
Not necessarily, I did mine with copious amounts of bracing and measuring. Jig would be the way to go if you have the means.
Quote from: tsmithae on September 24, 2013, 12:59:09 PM
Not necessarily, I did mine with copious amounts of bracing and measuring. Jig would be the way to go if you have the means.
Thanks
Quote from: Old Tired Rebel on September 24, 2013, 12:07:16 PM
Do you have to use a jig to do all this? My Charger is from Mich and the frame rails seem fine. I am hoping I don't have to pull my Cowl out a lot.
Hey Rebel,
A few reasons why I used a jig,
I had NEVER done anything like this before, and being a beginner I did not want things moving around! (I don't know the tricks, and what I can and cannot get away with)
I knew (at minimum) I had to replace the rear frame rails, inner and outer rockers and the front torsion cross member.
If I were you, I would be absolutly sure there is NO debris inside the cowl. Mice love this area! I found nests inside the cowl, front and rear frame rails, and rockers. If I would have had a headliner in I'm sure there would have been one there to.
Hope this helps.
It does help Thanks.
I've decided to replace the entire front clip with the donor clip from a 69 4 door Coronet.
I had too many issues with the Charger front clip, so I decided I would be better off to use this really nice Coronet clip!
I went ahead and got the front clip, inner and outer rockers, and passenger side front fender blasted.
inner rocker before and after
here is the front clip after blasting
Looks good. :2thumbs: Don't forget to swap your vin number on the rad support
Quote from: stroker400 wedge on September 25, 2013, 12:19:39 PM
Looks good. :2thumbs: Don't forget to swap your vin number on the rad support
Thanks stroker, that is in the plans!
You did a good job at erasing that coronet from existence :lol:
again--------------------------simply amazing :2thumbs:
yeah seriously awesome job :2thumbs:
Quote from: Baldwinvette77 on September 25, 2013, 06:40:42 PM
You did a good job at erasing that coronet from existence :lol:
Thanks everyone for the encouraging words!
77, it may not exist anymore, but it's parts will live on in another........ (and man did it save me some $$)
I'm in disbelief. :o
Let me understand this correctly. This is your FIRST time doing a restoration like this?? You're making some of the pro's look like amateurs! :lol:
Very nice work you're doing. If you've never done this before, how did you learn all this?
Quote from: bill440rt on September 26, 2013, 06:47:04 AM
I'm in disbelief. :o
Let me understand this correctly. This is your FIRST time doing a restoration like this?? You're making some of the pro's look like amateurs! :lol:
Very nice work you're doing. If you've never done this before, how did you learn all this?
Thanks Bill,
I really have to give all of the credit to my dad, who taught me (by example) that you can do ANYTHING if you just put you mind to it!
As I was growing up, I saw him do everything. He NEVER paid someone to do any type of work for him!
He did everything, from working on cars (he never restored any) to remodeling/building houses. He did plumbing, electrical, roofing, concrete... you name it he did it! His main career he worked on computers. (keep in mind back in the 60's not many people had ever even seen a computer!)(The computer systems he worked on filled a room!) So he had to trouble shoot the problem and repair the circuitry. Not many do this anymore, they just swap out boards.
Anyway, with someone like that as a role model you learn a few things along the way!
Personally I have been in the tool & die / mold maker trade for 35 years. So between what I learned from my dad and my career I think I'm up to the challenge.
As for the car, I always loved the muscle cars and had a couple in the late 70's early 80's. About 4-5 years ago I decided I need a "project", and not having the big bucks to spend on a turn key car, I decided that I would restore one. After a year or two searching I decided on the 2nd gen charger and picked up my current one about 2 years ago. It sat while I finished a remodeling project for the wife. And about a year ago I started the "rust belt restoration"!
When I was looking I knew I could only afford a project car, But after finding this forum and forbbodiesonly forum I started reading how other guys out there were bringing back the "dead" and this really appealed to me. To be honest, I never would have attempted restoring a car at this level without the help and inspiration of the members of DC.com and forbbodiesonly.com.
I needed a challenge and I got it!
Sorry for being so long winded.
Bill, I saw your car at the Dream cruise and WOW what a beautiful ride! Do you still have the green charger?
Very impressive! :cheers:
Thanks for the compliment also on my '70.
And yes, I still have the green '69! :yesnod:
So, are the pics we're seeing in real-time or over the past year?
:popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: I don't care as long as they keep coming , great build , how to put your charger together from a million pieces, and from memory, god and I thought some of the things I had to do were hard, wish I had seen this first , would zipped along with a whole new attitude,
Quote from: Homerr on September 26, 2013, 06:47:10 PM
So, are the pics we're seeing in real-time or over the past year?
Yes they are in the past year.
Quote from: fy469rtse on September 27, 2013, 01:14:50 AM
:popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: I don't care as long as they keep coming , great build , how to put your charger together from a million pieces, and from memory, god and I thought some of the things I had to do were hard, wish I had seen this first , would zipped along with a whole new attitude,
thanks fy469rtse
Ok, still great work!
We were just collectively freaking out at how fast you were moving on the project.
Quote from: Homerr on September 27, 2013, 11:58:39 AM
Ok, still great work!
We were just collectively freaking out at how fast you were moving on the project.
Um just so everybody knows I did put that disclamer in my very 1st post......
Quote from: mopar4don on September 01, 2013, 08:34:55 PM
I am in the process of restoring a 1969 Charger.
I have never done anything like this with a car or truck so it should be a blast!
Hey, what can I say, I need a project. And I think I'VE GOT A PROJECT!! :scratchchin:
Just so everyone knows, I started this resto last year (will be trying to get you caught up)
Any and all comments, suggestions are welcome
I'ts not a problem though, I wish I was half that fast.
I would'nt even want to guess how long it's going to take! :icon_smile_question:
Hey Don,
Remember me asking on page 2 if I could pull the cowl panel and reuse it? Well your pictures pulled me over the line. Last week I grabbed the drill and spent almost 6 hours on drilling and carefully grinding the seams. But its done, and undeformed to be put back in place. I'm gonna put the top cowl panel back on after I blast, epoxy prime and paint that lower cowl panel.
I dont regret pulling the panel because I removed a bucket full of rodent nest/crap from under that panel...
I think you are doing an awesome job for the first time and think I spent over 30 hours of grinding and drilling spotwelds on my car and it still looks complete so I can only imagine the time and dedication you have put in yours so far.
Keep up the good (and inspiring) work.
Quote from: six-tee-nine on September 27, 2013, 01:37:39 PM
Hey Don,
Remember me asking on page 2 if I could pull the cowl panel and reuse it? Well your pictures pulled me over the line. Last week I grabbed the drill and spent almost 6 hours on drilling and carefully grinding the seams. But its done, and undeformed to be put back in place. I'm gonna put the top cowl panel back on after I blast, epoxy prime and paint that lower cowl panel.
I dont regret pulling the panel because I removed a bucket full of rodent nest/crap from under that panel...
I think you are doing an awesome job for the first time and think I spent over 30 hours of grinding and drilling spotwelds on my car and it still looks complete so I can only imagine the time and dedication you have put in yours so far.
Keep up the good (and inspiring) work.
Hi six-tee-nine,
Glad it all worked out for you.
And your right about taking your time. Thats the biggest thing I fight with, is wanting to pry things apart and muscle it.
Thats one of the most important things I can recommend, is to take your time and don't force it. Especially if your trying to save the panel!
And thanks for the compliments, all I can say is were all learning together.
Oh yeah, six-tee-nine, do you have a thread so I can see the pics?
I love these builds. Even though I am having to wait I am making plans on doing small projects until I get my welder.
Quote from: mopar4don on September 27, 2013, 02:37:08 PM
Oh yeah, six-tee-nine, do you have a thread so I can see the pics?
I need mo make one but my progress is soooo slow I dont have enough to share I think. I lost 2 grand worth of parts (long story) that i need to buy again now so progress ist that fast.
nice work
have you been to your garage lately, some one just put a rust free frame on ebay, unless its you because you gave up :icon_smile_big:, kidding , more progress , this is good stuff keep the updates coming
Quote from: fy469rtse on October 07, 2013, 12:12:53 AM
have you been to your garage lately, some one just put a rust free frame on ebay, unless its you because you gave up :icon_smile_big:, kidding , more progress , this is good stuff keep the updates coming
I saw that guys ad on craigslist.... he's asking a bit more on ebay!
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/dak/pts/4011266504.html
After getting the front clip blasted, I decided to try my first "patch" job.
It was rusted out in the outer hinge pillar.
I think it turned out pretty good!
perfectly :popcrn:
Looks like you're a pro now! :2thumbs:
Quote from: mopar4don on October 09, 2013, 11:32:28 AM
I think it turned out pretty good!
Turned out excellent.
Here is the other patch I did.
a few more pics.....
looking great there MR DON !!! :2thumbs:
Ok I got the front clip in epoxy primer
And a few more pics of the other parts I primered
Great work! It's getting there
:o I'm impressed! This car is going to be well protected from rust with as far blown apart as she is.
I knew that I needed to brace the car in preperation for the replacement of the front clip, and possibly the entire roof!
1st I added bracing to locate the front half of the roof.
The bracing goes all the way down to the frame jig and is welded only at the jig.
This way if I decide to replace the roof I'll be able to lift the old off, and put the new on.
The bracing will locate everything. At least thats the idea!
:2thumbs: .... :popcrn:
Nice! :popcrn:
Next I removed the rear seat floor pan
Then I added more bracing at the back half of the roof
:o you are a brave man!!!! keep at it :yesnod:
You're really going to town on that thing, nice work!
:popcrn: :popcrn:
I agree, not for the faint hearted, keep going, fantastic skills and work to this project
Quote from: cdr on November 06, 2013, 07:55:14 PM
:o you are a brave man!!!! keep at it :yesnod:
I don't know if would go there.
Ok, it's time to get the old nasty rear frame rails out!
So after a little cutting and prying......... out they go!
So now that those are out, the new ones went right in.
I made this locating mount for the rear frame rails.
It has a 1" inch diameter pin extending out and locating in the spring mount hole
The front part of the rear frame rail is located by a 1" pin that extends up out of a cross bar I have on the jig.
If you look closely in the bottom of the rail you can see the pin extending out of the alignment hole that are in the rail
:o i am still SPEEEEAAAACHLESS :2thumbs:
:o
Wow! Well done, Sir!
:coolgleamA: looking good :yesnod: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
Looking good. :2thumbs:
Wow great work...
holy crap :o
Thats some amazing progress in just a year Don. :2thumbs: :cheers:
Thanks everyone!
Amazing work !! :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Time to remove the inner rockers..........
Hopefully she won't move!
:icon_smile_shock: Good luck!
:o :o :o
:popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Rust sure is ugly, looks like you're doing an awesome job, Don. Keep us posted, I love looking at these kind of pics. Ger
:hack:
:scope: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
Quote from: mopar4don on September 26, 2013, 10:03:12 AM
I really have to give all of the credit to my dad, who taught me (by example) that you can do ANYTHING if you just put you mind to it!
Very cool! i just saw this thread for the first time - WOW. Good luck to you.
I still want to restore a car 100% on my own - with my son(s).
Years ago I found a very good forum about bodywork, mainly painting. http://autobodystore.com/forum/forum.php
There is a wealth of information on both this forum and also the Autobodystore forum. Thanks for documenting everything because this will inspire many people! :2thumbs:
Mike
I just found this thread....
THAT is absolutely amazing... WOW ! :2thumbs:
Quote from: tsmithae on January 05, 2014, 12:42:39 AM
:icon_smile_shock: Good luck!
Thanks tsmith, and stroker400 I hope you and all others enjoy
Of course, I am looking forward to the transformation. :cheers:
Quote from: gers1968rt on January 05, 2014, 09:32:54 AM
Rust sure is ugly, looks like you're doing an awesome job, Don. Keep us posted, I love looking at these kind of pics. Ger
:hack:
Right you are Ger, the pictures of the rust look really nasty!
I'll do my best to keep it up to date, although I am behind (I last worked on the car on Labor day weekend)
Quote from: 1970Moparmann on January 05, 2014, 10:15:36 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on September 26, 2013, 10:03:12 AM
I really have to give all of the credit to my dad, who taught me (by example) that you can do ANYTHING if you just put you mind to it!
Very cool! i just saw this thread for the first time - WOW. Good luck to you.
I still want to restore a car 100% on my own - with my son(s).
Years ago I found a very good forum about bodywork, mainly painting. http://autobodystore.com/forum/forum.php
There is a wealth of information on both this forum and also the Autobodystore forum. Thanks for documenting everything because this will inspire many people! :2thumbs: Mike
Thanks 1970Moparmann, and if you keep looking you will find something you and your son can work on together!
And thanks for the Autobodystore forum link. I just registered there as a member. I need all the help I can get!
Tan top, and Challenger340, and anyone that I may have missed, thank you for your well wishes and enjoy
It's builds like this, thats helps me confirm that alot of the big names in restos are candy asses for passing up on these cars :cheers:
The next thing I want to do is to remove the front clip......
But before I do this I decided to add some more bracing...
I notched the bracing so it will locate the lower part of the a-pillar and the upper roof area
Basically everywhere I wanted it to locate. I also used a sharpy marker to mark these locating points.
Notice how all of the bracing runs down and is welded to the body jig. I don't want anything to move!
Man with the amount of metal youre cutting out from that thing, you probably could have started with a camaro, and still end up with a charger :drool5: :lol:
Awesome work! :cheers: Really dig the use of a donor car for the metal parts instead of reproductions. :2thumbs:
It sure is scary when they get down this far isn't it?
holy sheit, you are essentilaly build this car brand new!!!!
Quote from: 1974dodgecharger on January 06, 2014, 06:28:04 AM
holy sheit, you are essentilaly build this car brand new!!!!
I still blown away with the amount you're doing.I know i would have sold it or junked it.
Quote from: lexxman on January 06, 2014, 10:40:38 AM
Quote from: 1974dodgecharger on January 06, 2014, 06:28:04 AM
holy sheit, you are essentilaly build this car brand new!!!!
I still blown away with the amount you're doing.I know i would have sold it or junked it.
Sometimes it's about the journey, not the destination.
Quote from: CornDogsCharger on September 09, 2013, 05:55:32 PM
Looks like you're making great progress! Keep up the great work. I love seeing rough and rusty cars getting saved and put back on the road! The rustier they are, the more I appreciate the work that goes into saving them.
Justin
"CornDog"
Very nice. looks like you are enjoying life. Where are you getting all the free time? Are you retired and/or just really passionate?
I just quickly looked threw the thread and you obviously are a methodical individual. you must have patience and good organizational skills? I wouldn't attempt it only because I got a big mess in my own shop I'm not too sure what to do with!
Quote from: Bobs69 on January 06, 2014, 02:17:02 PM
Quote from: CornDogsCharger on September 09, 2013, 05:55:32 PM
Looks like you're making great progress! Keep up the great work. I love seeing rough and rusty cars getting saved and put back on the road! The rustier they are, the more I appreciate the work that goes into saving them.
Justin
"CornDog"
Very nice. looks like you are enjoying life. Where are you getting all the free time? Are you retired and/or just really passionate?
I just quickly looked threw the thread and you obviously are a methodical individual. you must have patience and good organizational skills? I wouldn't attempt it only because I got a big mess in my own shop I'm not too sure what to do with!
Thank you Bobs69, and no I'm not retired, just decided I needed a "project". Patience.... mmmm, yeah I suppose anyone would have to have patience to restore a car.
I know I would like to have a bigger garage.... my wife is not happy having to park outside in the snow! (Hey it's not my fault the snow blower keeps breaking) :shruggy:
It's a good thing I have my Grandpa's 1968 Allis Chalmers Lawn tractor with snowblower as a backup!
Cause it's like -5 degrees right now and we have approx 2 1/2 feet of snow on the ground!
Alright back to the project.....
Now you see it....
Now you don't
Wow! :o Most sheet metal ever replaced on a charger? You doing the roof skin too?
:o
:sick: Holy Hell!! Unreal man, keep up the great work :cheers:
Are you repairing OR chopping the car? :o
Quote from: Homerr on January 07, 2014, 09:49:31 PM
Wow! :o Most sheet metal ever replaced on a charger? You doing the roof skin too?
Thanks homer, Yeah maybe, The roof skin does have problems. I am undecided at this point.
Stay tuned......
Quote from: timmycharger on January 07, 2014, 10:08:28 PM
:sick: Holy Hell!! Unreal man, keep up the great work :cheers:
Thanks timmy
Quote from: MoparManJim on January 07, 2014, 11:33:57 PM
Are you repairing OR chopping the car? :o
At this point you really cant tell can you?
Better send photos to AMD and get sponsorship!
Now there's a thought
I said it before, i'll say it again, with amount of steel youre cutting out of that charger, you could have really started with anything :lol: This by far the coolest rebuild i've seen :2thumbs:
And I thought I was a sucker for punishment. :icon_smile_blackeye:
Um, like, er, you basically took the entire car apart. :faint: :o
Fun to watch indeed. You are doing a wonderful job. :2thumbs:
Quote from: gers1968rt on January 08, 2014, 08:22:57 PM
And I thought I was a sucker for punishment. :icon_smile_blackeye:
Hey Ger, I sometimes feel the same way! Only I have two black eyes!
Quote from: bakerhillpins on January 08, 2014, 10:04:44 PM
Um, like, er, you basically took the entire car apart. :faint: :o
Fun to watch indeed. You are doing a wonderful job. :2thumbs:
Thanks bakerhillpins, you know it goes....... you start on this, which leads to that, and then you get the mindset that as long as I have it apart I might as well do it right...... before you know it, it's compleatly apart! But thats why I am on here, to get help and encourgement from you guys!
Oh my god watching this thread with disbelieve, fantastic effort, that last shot there's more jig and bracing then there is car :popcrn: :popcrn:, I'm betting that your good with five thousand piece jigsaws of a sunset,
Keep at it can't wait to see car appear again
Quote from: mopar4don on January 09, 2014, 06:40:35 AM
Thanks bakerhillpins, you know it goes....... you start on this, which leads to that, and then you get the mindset that as long as I have it apart I might as well do it right...... before you know it, it's compleatly apart! But thats why I am on here, to get help and encourgement from you guys!
I hear you... That's how I ended up where I am with my house renovations. :brickwall: I have to say though, when it's all completed and you look at what you have done, there is quite the sense of accomplishment.
I thought I was replacing a lot of my car but you have me beat by a mile!!
Quote from: bakerhillpins on January 09, 2014, 08:39:37 AM
I hear you... That's how I ended up where I am with my house renovations. :brickwall: I have to say though, when it's all completed and you look at what you have done, there is quite the sense of accomplishment.
That's one good reason, another reason why I do EVERYTHING myself is the cost. I figured out a long time ago, that as a rule of thumb, you can do about anything for 1/2 the cost that you would pay someone to do it! And a lot of times it's more than 1/2 the cost! (I used that savings to buy more tools! And what guy does'nt LOVE tools!) :yesnod:
By doing, I also learned and gained the experience and confidence it takes to tackle that next big project!
You are absolutly right about finishing a project, and being proud of what you did!
Quote from: green69rt on January 09, 2014, 09:09:08 AM
I thought I was replacing a lot of my car but you have me beat by a mile!!
Thanks green69rt
Nah Mitch you've done the same amount, he just did it all at once , you two related ? I like his jig though, pins to locate holes and dimensions in chassis
Can't wait to see that front clip go back in, hoping he mocks it up and trial fits all sheet metal for fit before everything is fully welded
Quote from: fy469rtse on January 09, 2014, 09:22:07 AM
Nah Mitch you've done the same amount, he just did it all at once , you two related ? I like his jig though, pins to locate holes and dimensions in chassis
Can't wait to see that front clip go back in, hoping he mocks it up and trial fits all sheet metal for fit before everything is fully welded
Yeah, I'm jealous of the jig!
Yeh would have handy Mitch , but you did a fantastic job without it,
He has quite a bit to go to catch you, loved the shots of your rear end completed,
Man, you're doing a great job!!! I've missed the last 4 pages of this build until now. I've rebuilt a few VERY rusty cars but I have to say... this one takes the cake!! What makes it even better, you're doing all of it in a very simple, everyday, 2 car garage... or so it appears. Keep up the great work!
Justin
"CornDog"
Quote from: CornDogsCharger on January 11, 2014, 07:21:26 PM
Man, you're doing a great job!!! I've missed the last 4 pages of this build until now. I've rebuilt a few VERY rusty cars but I have to say... this one takes the cake!! What makes it even better, you're doing all of it in a very simple, everyday, 2 car garage... or so it appears. Keep up the great work!
Justin
"CornDog"
Thanks corndog,
You know I could have patched and repaired, like most guys do. But I came accross a donor 4 door 69 Coronet that had PERFECT rear frame rails. And an almost PERFECT front clip. To me (a rookie), it seemed better (and cheaper) to use these Coronet parts than to cut patch, cut patch.....
Please feel free to leave any comments .
hey Don,I would agree about using the coronet,when you get done you will have a VERY solid car. :2thumbs:
What about the core support numbers? Are you swapping the panel?
Yes, I'll swap the front core support and rear trunk lip if I can save it
I thought I would take a minute and bring everyone up to date. These are the final pictures that I have from the front clip and rear frame rail replacement that I did back on Labor Day weekend!
Like I said it's been a while and I look forward to getting back out there!
Anyway enjoy
more......
:2thumbs: been busy :yesnod: good stuff :popcrn:
:o
That looks like a charger again! Very nice work!
Awesome, just awesome :2thumbs:
Very nice job, Don. So you've taken some time off since Labor Day? I can't wait for more progress pics.
:popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: absolutely fantastic work Don, great looking at what resembles a car again sort off :2thumbs:
I have a lot of respect for you guys who can do this kind of thing.
When I first saw those recent shots with sheets steel laying across roof and boot opening, though you were doing a plug and shortening of boot lid re 500 window plug
Quote from: fy469rtse on January 17, 2014, 06:10:16 AM
When I first saw those recent shots with sheets steel laying across roof and boot opening, though you were doing a plug and shortening of boot lid re 500 window plug
Naw just extra pieces.
MORE SURGERY!
Removed what was left of the pass side quarter.
Then I removed the door jam or lock pillar, and the rear window support.
Next I got those nasty rear wheelhouses out!
Here you can see where I spot drilled
I used the cutoff wheel from inside the wheelhouse and cut around the roof support
I did it this way because there are about 5 or 6 spotwelds attaching the wheelhouse lip to the roof support underneath the package tray. And I could not get to them! Doing it this way allowed me to get everything out of my way, and then I just peeled back what was left under the roof support to get to the spot welds.
I'll get pictures of this when I do the drivers side.
Until the the wheelhouse separated!
Nows the best time to install the quarter window regulators... Trust me :lol: :2thumbs:
If you ever wanted see to see what a build thread would look like if a magician built one,
whala now you see now you dont , the car is is still in front off you, but is it, whala its back , i keep seeing David copperfield waving his hands around, unbelievable creating a car out of thin air :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Quote from: fy469rtse on February 04, 2014, 05:22:26 PM
If you ever wanted see to see what a build thread would look like if a magician built one,
whala now you see now you dont , the car is is still in front off you, but is it, whala its back , i keep seeing David copperfield waving his hands around, unbelievable creating a car out of thin air :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Oh it's all there, believe me. No hocus pocus here!
Everytime I walk into the garage it pleads FIX ME! FIX ME!
very nice work again
OMG!
Magic, right.
I now know just what it will take to tear down my RT/SE.
My car is worse than this Charger since it sat on the ground for years.
Not so sure anymore if I really want to do that.
Great job!
Quote from: warpspeed on February 05, 2014, 11:43:41 AM
OMG!
Magic, right.
I now know just what it will take to tear down my RT/SE.
My car is worse than this Charger since it sat on the ground for years.
Not so sure anymore if I really want to do that.
Great job!
You've got a car worse than Don's? Oh my, you will have to really love that car to fix it like Don is doing. At least its an RT/SE so it would be worth it if you can do most of the work yourself.
Warp speed , post photos ,
Have a look at GERs thread , set up a jig similar to GERs, those large holes in chassis rails good points to locate rails for replacement, just start , concentrate on one area at a time ,
Do the rear rails floor and panels first
:popcrn:
Drivers side wheel house removed
I did this just like the pass side.....
With the wheel house out of the way, I peeled back the remaining piece of the wheel house that was under the roof support.
I peeled it back far enough until I could get my air hammer in between the back edge of the roof support and the lip of the wheel house.
These spot welds were really small. Easily cut through by the air hammer.
(I pushed it a little to hard on this side. You can see how the air hammer tore the metal around the spot welds)
Don, your car looks so much like mine, but just half as much. ;D
You're really making progress! Hope you're current on your tetnus shot! :lol:
Thanks Ger, and Tom.
The worst so far was when I was wire wheeling with a 4-1/2 grinder and a wire flew off and lodged into my eyebrow! :icon_smile_blackeye: OUCH!
And Yes, I was wearing safety glasses and a dust mask. But since that happened I use a full face shield!
Buy the way, Tom your Daytona is AWESOME! I have enjoyed watching it on facebook and GYC "come back from the dead"! :2thumbs:
Keep on keepin' on! I too had an incident with a grinder... I had a sliver of metal ricochet off of my face, safety glasses, and straight into my eye... had to go the the optometrist to get it removed... Needless to say, I upgraded my safety glasses! :coolgleamA:
Holey crap what car , when you started how much did you pay for it ??
I've decided to remove the roof skin so, the 1st thing I did was remove the seam sealer from inside the drip rail.
I used a torch and screw driver to scrape it out.
Then I started drilling spot welds from under the drip rail. Once this is removed the roof skin should come off fairly easy.
I decided to do it this way for three reasons,
#1 I had some rust damage that I needed to get at and removing the drip rail would allow me access.
#2 I will get the roof structure blasted and primed. And with the skin off, I'll get a better job!
#3 I thought it would be easier!
more
There are a LOT of spot welds
AND I MEAN A LOT OF SPOT WELDS 105 of them! Man I'm tired! And just think I get to do it again on the drivers side! LUCKY ME!
Here is a little of the rust damage I'll have to fix.
Did you realize when you started this project that you would have to go this deep to replace this much metal or is this a journey of discovery?
To your estimate what exactly will be left of the original car by the time you are done?
Quote from: Stevearino on March 08, 2014, 08:34:38 AM
Did you realize when you started this project that you would have to go this deep to replace this much metal or is this a journey of discovery?
To your estimate what exactly will be left of the original car by the time you are done?
When I bought the car I had no idea it would be this involved! I'm sure that someone else that has experience restoring cars would probably not do what I have done, but do to my nature (DO IT RIGHT) I CANNOT do something halfway.
I will say right now the only sheet metal that will be original will be the roof structure, package tray, hood, trunk lid, and doors. But then again I have not gotten to all of those yet! :eyes:
I can't say anything that hasn't already been said about your impressive work. You sir, are truly gifted!
got some time consuming stuff going on now , ..... that's what i hate doing the most with bodywork , drilling out spot welds & cutting & cleaning up all the rust & rot , have always hated doing that bit :brickwall: when its all cleaned up new panels or metal clamped in place ready to weld is a different story :dance:
keep the pictures coming !! :cheers: :popcrn:
Wow, that is some ugly rust there. You sure you don't have a whole roof out back somewhere? :icon_smile_big:
And I though ridelikehell's silver car was alot of work. with 99% of the car replaced could this be considered the same car or rebody? LEON.
Unfriggenbelievable! :cheers: x/1000 bro!
Quote from: hemi-hampton on March 09, 2014, 11:26:31 AM
And I though ridelikehell's silver car was alot of work. with 99% of the car replaced could this be considered the same car or rebody? LEON.
:popcrn:
whooo great job she is very rusty :icon_smile_dissapprove:
Time to update, Here I got the drivers side drip rail removed!
I'll have to do some more patching!
Then I drilled out the spot welds along the front windshield channel and rear glass channel. (sorry I didn't get any pics)
Here are some pics showing the roof skin removed
very nice work :cheers:
BTW more great Work Don!
Thanks guys...... I'm pluggin away
You are an inspiration to all of us.
After I removed the roof I found something interesting.
I actually noticed it while taking this picture!
Do you see it?
It's laying in the upper rear roof bow.
Go ahead look again!
Ok here are some better pictures
Apparently someone was fixing the car and had a little trouble.....
and decided to leave some tools of the trade. :buff:
Here is the replacement roof and a-pillars I picked up last summer.
Not sure yet if I am going to de-skin it or try to morph it in.
Right now I am leaning on de-skining it.
Any thoughts?
Was thinking , morph it , but the there would be all those areas that are corroded or rusty , exactly like the tops of your roof bows, skin it , just a few patches to your existing frame , great work , glad you posted, was wondering if you were still at it :popcrn: :popcrn:
Don, I know there is already a thread with the name " Scratch Build Charger" but that seems to be what this has turned into.
I'll bet that grinding disk is oem. When I was in construction and we would open a wall on a renovation we would call stuff like that a job find. Weirdest one I ever found was a whole Sunday newspaper and when I got to the wedding announcements there was a picture of my aunt from 1958.
I would agree with fy469rtse. Chances are the top of the roof substructure is in pretty much the same condition as the one you have. Since you would want to clean that area up anyway, judging from the extensive work you have already done, why not leave the existing roof sub structure together and clean it up on the car. What I am getting at is you will want to inspect the sub structure on the donor roof so you will probably peel that assembly apart anyway. Also at that point you can compare if there are any individual parts that are better than any on the car (like the C post sub structure) and just remove and replace those.
Steve, Did you ever find any old beer cans on these contruction jobs wall finds? Curious? LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on April 05, 2014, 01:51:59 PM
Steve, Did you ever find any old beer cans on these contruction jobs wall finds? Curious? LEON.
Beer cans, Beer bottles, Secret messages to whoever opened the wall. Lots of curiousities but nothing of great value. My partner planted a few bottles on a couple of jobs.
Quote from: mopar4don on April 04, 2014, 08:32:36 PM
Here is the replacement roof and a-pillars I picked up last summer.
Not sure yet if I am going to de-skin it or try to morph it in.
Right now I am leaning on de-skining it.
Any thoughts?
I would without question de-skin that replacement roof. Do not cut up your a pillars and c pillars. Great work by the way!
wow! impressive work your doing there! I am in the process of restoring my 73 charger but having a hard time getting body panels :'(. keep up the great work, glad to see someone bringing a car back that most would have scrapped!
Quote from: Stevearino on April 05, 2014, 02:54:38 PM
Quote from: hemi-hampton on April 05, 2014, 01:51:59 PM
Steve, Did you ever find any old beer cans on these contruction jobs wall finds? Curious? LEON.
Beer cans, Beer bottles, Secret messages to whoever opened the wall. Lots of curiousities but nothing of great value. My partner planted a few bottles on a couple of jobs.
Sorry to hijack, I pay $1,000.00+ for certain rare beer cans, you may of thrown some away? LEON.
Every time I open this thread I'm amaze over and over again.
Great skills
Tremendous amount of patience
Huge pair of balls
All i can say is great job and stay motivated (wich can be hard some days), you will get there one day and you know its done the way it should....
Ok Don, just admit it: you always wanted to take a Charger entirely apart!
Patching the Roof Support on the passenger side
I took some reference pictures of the rust damage on the passenger side roof support.
This would be in the back sde rear window corner.
Roof 2 quarter panel bracket
The quarter panel gets welded to this.
I had to remove it to fix the nasty metal under it!
Then I used tape to lay out where I wanted to remove the heavily pitted and rotten metal. And cut out my 1st patch for this area.
Then I flattened out the patch and transfered it to some new metal.
I went back and forth cutting and fitting the patch to the opening I had cut out.
All of the metal for the patches came from the roof I cut off. It is the same thickness.
Notice the line representing were the bend needs to be
I put it in my vise aligning the marked line to the vise jaws.
I then hammered it over to create the 90 degree bend. (sorry no pictures)
Finally got it to were it looked pretty good!
Then welded it in!
keep after it DON :2thumbs:
I know it seems like backing up but this is all good forward movement. The satisfaction of seeing those new and reconditioned parts going back into place is just around the corner. :2thumbs:
Thanks fellas.
Stevo, I am so looking forward to putting new or fresh metal on!
Hey Don you're doing great. You dont see this as much progress forward maybe but all the small steps forward give you nice results after a year or so.
I'm testfitting my new trunk floor at this point and have more new sheet metal on the car at this point than ever since I have it and she looks better than she probably did in the last 20 years or so.
It's like pouring gas on my motivation flame....problem is my wife is whining more and more these days since I'm always in the shop....
Quote from: six-tee-nine on April 29, 2014, 05:48:37 AM
Hey Don you're doing great. You dont see this as much progress forward maybe but all the small steps forward give you nice results after a year or so.
I'm testfitting my new trunk floor at this point and have more new sheet metal on the car at this point than ever since I have it and she looks better than she probably did in the last 20 years or so.
It's like pouring gas on my motivation flame....problem is my wife is whining more and more these days since I'm always in the shop....
Hi six-tee-nine,
I know your right! A lot of small steps over time adds up. And the members on this site help with the motivation.
I know what you mean about the wife. (It is a constant worry for me that I don't spend enough time with her)
And she is really great with me spending a lot of time in the garage. I try to keep everything in perspective.
God 1st
Wife 2nd
family and friends 3rd
Lately we have been having date nights.
Quote from: mopar4don on April 29, 2014, 08:10:31 AM
Quote from: six-tee-nine on April 29, 2014, 05:48:37 AM
Hey Don you're doing great. You dont see this as much progress forward maybe but all the small steps forward give you nice results after a year or so.
I'm testfitting my new trunk floor at this point and have more new sheet metal on the car at this point than ever since I have it and she looks better than she probably did in the last 20 years or so.
It's like pouring gas on my motivation flame....problem is my wife is whining more and more these days since I'm always in the shop....
Hi six-tee-nine,
I know your right! A lot of small steps over time adds up. And the members on this site help with the motivation.
I know what you mean about the wife. (It is a constant worry for me that I don't spend enough time with her)
And she is really great with me spending a lot of time in the garage. I try to keep everything in perspective.
God 1st
Wife 2nd
family and friends 3rd
Lately we have been having date nights.
YES SIR MR DON,there is no other way!!!
patch #2
Patch #3
This one was a little scary! I layed out where the bends were, then hammered the original flat.
Next I transferred and cutout a new patch (a little bigger to allow for fitment) layed out the bend lines, then put it in my vise and did some bending
Kinda hard to see were it transitions from high to low, but if you backup 3-5 pics you can see what I was trying to duplicate.
Patch #4
Similar process as patch #2
more
more
Looks good :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
:popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
You have waaay better skills for shaping metal patch parts than I do.....and since I found some additional pin holes in my floor pans I need to get some practice
That's some nice work there, Don! :cheers:
Don, you are insane and I hope to emulate your work one day. :2thumbs:
That's an amazing amount of metal patchwork going on here and you have far more skills than I have! The only real patchwork/metal forming that went on with my Charger was the back-driver's side part of my roof! I had thought of actually buying an AMD roof panel but my friend, who is also an artist with any type of welder or patch work, made and blended in the roof and rail for the back glass himself!
Other than that, just replacing the rear quarters, trunk floor and accoutrements, outer 3 to 4 inches of the wheel wells, tail panel and end caps were basically it. I salute you for all your hard work and creativity!
Thanks for all the encouragement guys.
Thanks for the inspiration. ;)
Looks like you have a real eye for detail. Some folks would ask "Why match all the folds and bends on something that will not be seen?" Bottom line is that if you are going to do something like this properly you have to do everything as if it WILL be seen. That discipline pays off and you will feel great knowing that you left no stone un turned. :popcrn: :popcrn:
It's not really a matter of anyone seeing it, its more a matter of knowing for yourself that you've done it right.
I'm cleaning my underside of my 69 with a wire wheel right now altough the floors and undercoating was 95% OK. Only to paint it and shoot new undercoating on it.
Sometimes I think to have better left it alone since no one ever sees that. But then again if I do it all over then I have piece of mind when saying I restored my car fot the full 100%
On to the drivers side.
1st, I marked and removed the quarter panel reinforcement bracket.
1st patch welded in.
The metal where the 90 bend was good so I did not have to replace this.
I let the metal extend out over the bend, then came back and welded underneath.
And pardon the crappy welds.... I am still learning!
3rd patch
In this sequence you can see a little better how I did it
Here you can see the overhang a little better
Here are some more pics showing the different little patches and how I made them.
If anyone has any questions, feel free to post. I'm no expert, but I'll try to answer.
more
and more....
And a few more showing it finished :yesnod:
Can't be many more patches to do. You are at the core now. Almost time to start headin' back in the other direction. :yesnod:
:notworthy:
Decided to take a look at the pass side, rear lower window corner.
These 1st few pictures show what I have to work with.
You can see this bracket.
I believe it supports the deck filler panel and trunk gutter.
I was careful not to cut it when I removed those panels.
That looks like a portion of the quarter/dutchman pinch weld and not a support bracket to me. :Twocents:
It is a support bracket. Not sure why they felt it needed,but they did.
Yes, that is just a part of the dutchman and quarter panel. the dutchman panel/quarter panel reinforcement bracket is attached to the inner wheel tubs and runs upward toward the dutchman panel and the dutchman and quarter panel sail section are spot welded to it.
Quote from: Indygenerallee on June 19, 2014, 02:27:10 PM
Yes, that is just a part of the dutchman and quarter panel. the dutchman panel/quarter panel reinforcement bracket is attached to the inner wheel tubs and runs upward toward the dutchman panel and the dutchman and quarter panel sail section are spot welded to it.
Your saying the bracket in the above pics is attached to the inner wheel tubs?
Once I removed that bracket (drilled out the spot welds and carefully removed it)
I drilled out the spot welds in this corner support and removed it
Before I removed the corner support I sectioned out a piece of the lower window frame.
I did not get a good picture of this, but here I am showing the piece that was sectioned out
looks good !! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :2thumbs: all time consuming stuff :brickwall:
Working on the pass side lower window corner
more
Here you can see I'm fitting the corner and the lower window frame patch
I am way behind on updates.........
On to the drivers side. It needs some fixin to!
Decided to make this one a little different
I used the old patch as a template for the new steel.
I had to do some bending and hammering and tweaking hear and there
more
I think it turned out pretty good.
Comments are welcome!
Those are some complicated little booger pieces you are re making there. They take a lot of time and care but they are looking great. :2thumbs:
That is very time-consuming work, great job!
Pat
Quote from: Stevearino on August 01, 2014, 07:18:21 PM
Those are some complicated little booger pieces you are re making there. They take a lot of time and care but they are looking great. :2thumbs:
Yes you are right, they took more time than I want to admit. ;D
I love it, Cant wait to see it actually come together :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Quote from: mopar4don on August 01, 2014, 07:50:33 PM
Quote from: Stevearino on August 01, 2014, 07:18:21 PM
Those are some complicated little booger pieces you are re making there. They take a lot of time and care but they are looking great. :2thumbs:
Yes you are right, they took more time than I want to admit. ;D
Yeah, but it's make them yourself or buy them off a donor. Either way it's time and money!! Looking great!!
Moving on to the next patch.............
It worked so well on the last patch I used the old metal as a template to bend the new metal to.
Next i added the triangle shaped piece (which was at a higher level)
Basically what I did was I shimmed it with a scrap piece, lined everything up and clamped it down to a piece of flat stock, then welded it up!
Ok this patch is close, so I went back and patched in that channel area. Not sure what it's for? Maybe to channel any water that gets in and give it a clear path were it will dump into the trunk? :scratchchin:
Alright here are the rest of the pics showing me getting all of the patches put together.
The grey paint is duplicolor weld threw primer. And I must say I am not impressed! When I welded with this stuff on, I kept getting thick plumes of smoke kinda like when you light a torch with no air pressure and you get that weird looking plume of soot floating around. Oh well I did change to something different that seems to work very well. More of that in the future!
more pics
Some Advise, A Shrinker Strecher machine would help you greatly, check into it. LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on August 16, 2014, 09:28:20 PM
Some Advise, A Shrinker Strecher machine would help you greatly, check into it. LEON.
Thanks Leon,
It's on the list, as I am keeping my eye open for one.
I think Eastwood may sell affordable ones. LEON.
Some really amazing work you are doing there! The left side corner piece of my chargers rear window frame is completly gone so your pics will come in handy!
Any Updates? LEON.
This car is at a more advanced stage on this thread .http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?51122-Don-s-1969-Charger-Restoration/page15 . I go over there every now an then to check up on the progress.
Wonder why he left here :scratchchin: :shruggy:
I am sure he will be back, he just posted some new stuff on the forbbodiesonly recently.
Sorry guys. I am still around. Just busy! busy! busy!
I will usually post 1st over at FBBO.com, then download there pics back to my computer, then upload back to DC.com
To me, there site is much easier to work with.
I feel like I owe you guys an explanation....... So Please don't take this wrong, I AM NOT COMPLAINING! This just works better for me.
And yes I need to update this thread!
I'm pretty swamped for the next week or so, but after that I will get this updated.
I value all of your opinions and the guys over at FBBO.com
I noticed some further progress on fbbo.com, I am not registered there. Like unsaid I'm in awe at the work you did, my 69 is far far worse. So much so that it's started to loose shape. Both of those lower window corners are completly non existent so not sure he I would even fab them, I guess I'll figure it out. Anyway again awesome work In Saving your car glad to see another saved from an untimely end
Yeah, I know posting pics on this site can be a pain in the azz & aggrevating & frustrating most of the time. :RantExplode:
I find it a lot easier here than sites where I need to upload to an online host and then link my image to that.
I just went through the FBBO thread, amazing progress!
FWIW, I like FBBO image uploader.
As promised Time to update.....
I decided to attack my roached A-pillars!
I have been really dreading this, but after months and months of looking at and thinking about how to fix these, I can't put it off any longer, so hang on. This is gonna be fun!
The plan is to chop the lower a-pillar section on both sides, and replace them with donors that I picked up.
My dilemma!
How do I cut the old pillars off (nice straight cut) and cut the donor pillars to the exact same length?
And get everything perfectly aligned?
Stay with me as I try to explain my way through this.
The pillars have notches in them, so I decided I would compare the old pillars to the donor pillars.
This pic shows the notches, one on each end of the 6.410 dimension.
I only have a 6 inch caliper, so I measured down 6 inches, made a mark,
then measured the last bit .410 for an overall of 6.410
Compared this 6.410 dimension to the donor pillar and WOW a perfect notch to notch match!
I wanted another reference mark, so I measured down to the lower brace 5.160 and 5.300 (top and bottom side of brace)
(NOTE: I have an upper brace that is nested inside the top notch) (go back 4 pics and you will see it)
I transferred these marks to the donor
There was one other feature that was in common to old and new pillars. It is a notched screw hole for the trim and door seal. It checked 1.390
AND 1.390 in the donor pillar! I never would have thought that!
Another close up of the old pillar
To be continued...................
Looks like all sorts of fun Don, It was nice to meet you this past week as well!! :2thumbs:
As I said before amaZing work your doing there, checked out your thread on fbbo with the roof structure off, you are some kind of insane. My 69 is way worse then yours to the point it has lost rigidity and shape, your posts have helped keep me determined to fix it. You don't wabt to make another pair of those rear lower window corners lol mine are rusted away completely so I will have to fab them by guess/ your pics lol. Keep cutting and welding you soon can only go forward!
Quote from: Indygenerallee on October 15, 2014, 09:26:24 PM
Looks like all sorts of fun Don, It was nice to meet you this past week as well!! :2thumbs:
Hey Indy, It was great meeting you to. Got home and all I could think of was all those "smalls" you had. :lol:
Quote from: Pat1973charger on October 16, 2014, 02:59:31 AM
As I said before amaZing work your doing there, checked out your thread on fbbo with the roof structure off, you are some kind of insane. My 69 is way worse then yours to the point it has lost rigidity and shape, your posts have helped keep me determined to fix it. You don't wabt to make another pair of those rear lower window corners lol mine are rusted away completely so I will have to fab them by guess/ your pics lol. Keep cutting and welding you soon can only go forward!
Thanks Pat, I will continue to get this thread caught up.
I may be able to help you out. Send me a pm of what you are thinking.
Pm sent Don
Ok time to chop. I sure hope this works!!!!!
This is what I came up with.
I cut a 2x4 to use as a guide for my sawzall.
I lined up the back side of the 2x4 with the notch. I cut the 2x4 long enough so it would cut inbetween the 1.390 dimension
more pics....
Well its done and I have to say I was very pleased with the cut.
It cut easily and the 2x4 worked grate as a guide!
keep up the good work Don,
fantastic , no such thing as a car too far gone for you :2thumbs: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Thanks, I am trying! :yesnod:
Seeing all the work you have done and all the work you still have to do has made me exhausted. I think I need a nap now. Its a good thing you are willing to put the time into this car because it would cost a fortune at a shop. I look forward to seeing this car done. :popcrn: :popcrn:
Don, I see alot of upclose pictures, but is there anything left of your shell at this point?
I mean WOW you dismantled it well my friend.... If that thing aint gonna end up being better than stock then I dont know anymore....
Oh and keep plowing forward. I guess when you start building forward you'll start to feel better.
Quote from: workworkwork on October 20, 2014, 10:46:05 PM
Seeing all the work you have done and all the work you still have to do has made me exhausted. I think I need a nap now. Its a good thing you are willing to put the time into this car because it would cost a fortune at a shop. I look forward to seeing this car done. :popcrn: :popcrn:
Hi workwork. Thanks it can be exhausting, (mostly mentally) haveing to think all the time! :think:
Quote from: six-tee-nine on October 21, 2014, 11:26:15 AM
Don, I see alot of upclose pictures, but is there anything left of your shell at this point?
I mean WOW you dismantled it well my friend.... If that thing aint gonna end up being better than stock then I dont know anymore....
Oh and keep plowing forward. I guess when you start building forward you'll start to feel better.
Thanks 69, your right, not much left from the original shell. At this point the only thing original is the roof structure and rear package shelf.
Not sure about door jamb lock pillars and rear window support. Should be able to use the front rad support and trunk gutters.
Ger inspired me to update my resto.......
So next I took the 2x4 and clamped onto the donor a-pillar the exact same way. Except I moved it up on the a-pillar so that my donor section would be a little longer. (to allow for fitment, and error)
Then I used my sawzall and cut off the donor.
Put it back on to compare to the jig numbers and was pleased!
I am within a 1/16 (on the high side) I am good with that. Better to be over than under!
The only thing I noticed that was different, was were the drip rail trim goes. About .015 diff.
I'm sure I can blend it.
What can I say, I'm in awe of your work. :notworthy:
That is some nitpicky little stuff to do with having to be so precise! Makes me glad the pillers are in good condition on my parts satellite.
Hi Don,
Totally AWESOME work!!! :buff:
Now all we need to work out is a new name for your wonderful creation!
Here goes; Chargonet or Coroger, no, Ok thats rubbish. :slap:
Now you have gone this far, I would do a 500 tribute car??? :drool5:
Drop a hemi in there with a 4-speed and you will be the God of the MoparWorld!!! :2thumbs:
Thought I did alot of work on my Canadian 71-GTX, now I know it was EASY!!! :smilielol:
Ultimate KUDOS to you and your stunning achievements!!! :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
5J
I cut the pass side a-pillar the same way as the drivers side.
Apparently this is the only pic I have.. sorry.
Also did a little patching on the donor a-pillars
a few more pics showing the patching
You certainly are getting you hands dirty and making sure to get rid of any bad metal! You certainly have my resepct! :cheers:
Quote from: 500Jon on November 04, 2014, 06:38:32 AM
Hi Don,
Totally AWESOME work!!! :buff:
Now all we need to work out is a new name for your wonderful creation!
Here goes; Chargonet or Coroger, no, Ok thats rubbish. :slap:
Now you have gone this far, I would do a 500 tribute car??? :drool5:
Drop a hemi in there with a 4-speed and you will be the God of the MoparWorld!!! :2thumbs:
Thought I did alot of work on my Canadian 71-GTX, now I know it was EASY!!! :smilielol:
Thanks for the compliments 500Jon, It will have the 4speed, but I can only pray for the hemi!
Quote from: tsmithae on November 04, 2014, 10:51:00 PM
You certainly are getting you hands dirty and making sure to get rid of any bad metal! You certainly have my resepct! :cheers:
tsmithae, RUST=Baaaad! The sweet smell of fresh epoxy primer = GOOD!
Stay tuned :coolgleamA:
I noticed that my rear seat hooks were broke off the package tray support
I checked the package tray from the 4 door Coronet that I had parted out (I throw nothing away)
and BINGO, I have them!
So I spot drilled it out and welded it in. (sorry I didn't get a pic of it welded in)
Ok time to get the roof support off to the blaster
Sorry I didn't get any pics while at the blaster, but her you can see the parts in the paint booth just before applying epoxy primer.
The stripping company I went to was Consolidated Stripping & Derusting Inc. 269-685-1340
They are in Plainwell MI just north of Kalamazoo
The really great thing about them is they offer self serve blasting by the hour.
They have a different sized cabinets with the biggest at approx 6-8 feet long.
And a blast room is for the big stuff. They set you up, including getting you suited up with the air conditioned helmet.
They will let you and a buddy in the blast room at the same time. This helps to get the job done quicker!
Don the owner is very knowledgeable and is willing to help!
So all you fellow Michiganders check them out,
I highly recommend them!
http://www.consolidatedstripping.com/
Here is how they look after epoxy primer.
NO MORE UGLY RUST!
:woohoo: :ricky:
more pics....
HOLY SHIT!
Definitely living my dream. Is that a chevy truck I see in the drive way? What's that black car................?
I had to fix a few more areas around the rear window. Here is one of them.
I think this thread needs to be changed from "Rust Belt Restoration" to "Rust Belt Scratch Built Better Than Factory." To long? :shruggy: More accurate though :cheers: :cheers:
Quote from: Stevearino on November 11, 2014, 08:57:30 PM
I think this thread needs to be changed from "Rust Belt Restoration" to "Rust Belt Scratch Built Better Than Factory." To long? :shruggy: More accurate though :cheers: :cheers:
Hey Thanks Steveo,
I kinda like your name.................... naw, to long! :icon_smile_big:
And I hope one day it will be better than factory.
Man I'm blown away by your build. the amount of work your doing is mind blowing. :2thumbs:
Had a couple of bad spots on the a-pillar donors so I patched them
I want the sectioned a-pillar joints to be as strong as possible.
A friend at work had this idea. Thanks Ralph!
So to get the pieces to extend inside I cut off a section from the a-pillar donor.
Then I cut them into 3 pieces that would fit inside the pillars.
Think of it as an internal sleeve.
Drilled some holes, and welded the tabs in
Awesome work!
I'm a little over an hour from Kalamazoo so thanks for the tip on the blaster!
Quote from: Dino on November 26, 2014, 08:36:44 PM
Awesome work!
I'm a little over an hour from Kalamazoo so thanks for the tip on the blaster!
Great Dino, glad to be of help.
I need to get back there myself. It seems like a never ending list of parts to blast!
more pics.....
This is what I use to grind down the welds to just above the surface, then I switched to a 90 and blended them in.
Quote from: mopar4don on November 26, 2014, 08:22:50 PM
I want the sectioned a-pillar joints to be as strong as possible.
A friend at work had this idea. Thanks Ralph!
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but what about something like this:
http://tama.com.au/tama_jogglerpunch.php
Quote from: Aussiemadonmopars on November 27, 2014, 03:55:18 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on November 26, 2014, 08:22:50 PM
I want the sectioned a-pillar joints to be as strong as possible.
A friend at work had this idea. Thanks Ralph!
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but what about something like this:
http://tama.com.au/tama_jogglerpunch.php
You have to real careful on how you use such a tool (experience!!) It works fine on very flat pieces but not so well on curved surfaces. That's because the jaws tend to flatten out the area around the hole or under the flange (depending on which side of the jaws you use.) That creates distortion in the piece. I used it on a fender and created considerable oil canning. Notice the pics in the ad only show flat pieces.
The way Don is doing it would be the preferred method. Sleeving makes for a very strong joint. :yesnod: :yesnod:
I would'nt mind having that tool for punching out holes.....
Quote from: Stevearino on November 27, 2014, 08:33:58 AM
The way Don is doing it would be the preferred method. Sleeving makes for a very strong joint. :yesnod: :yesnod:
Very much agree. :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Used some screws to temporarily hold the pillars. This helped for adjusting the alignment
I used this piece of oak (that was dead straight) to help alignment
Also, notice the 2x6 piece of wood. I used this to spacer the roof up above the cowl
Then I used this template I had made earlier to check alignment the other way
One I liked the alignment I tacked it in place
:popcrn: Awesome work.
Are you able to lay the windshield in during all this for an alignment/size check?
Love watching all this unfold!
Thanks Fitz,
Quote from: Homerr on December 03, 2014, 02:05:20 AM
Are you able to lay the windshield in during all this for an alignment/size check?
Love watching all this unfold!
I did not put the windshield in the opening. But I did take measurments of the opening before, and after the fix, they are spot on!
Great work,but I'M still blown away with the amount of work your taking on. :2thumbs:
Yeah, I keep telling myself its NOT A JOB, IT IS AN ADVENTURE! :yesnod:
:popcrn: :popcrn:
keep posting don.
people are going to be amazed when this starts looking like a car again , and then all the panels fit perfectly :o
That is my plan!
nice :yesnod: :2thumbs:
You are obviously possessed! A greater being is controlling you!
Nice work.
Ok now that I have the a-pillars tacked on it is time to join them to the front clip at the lower cowl. Remember, I had rotated the front clip out of the way so I had room to join the a-pillars. Now that I had them roughed in, I lifted and sat the front of the roof support on 4x4's (to clear the cowl) while I rotated the front clip back into position.
Next I needed to lift the entire roof support with the the back end higher than the front so I could kind of "hook" the knuckle end of the a-pillars into the opening of the upper cowl. (Hope your following me) This would be a real pain in the rear by myself, and I didn't have 3 friends to call (1 on each corner) so this is what I came up with ...............
In this pic you can see how the a-pillar knuckle is hooked in.
This build is insane. I salute you :patriot:
Now that I have the roof back on the jig. Its to time to permanatly attach the a-pillars to the cowl.
Notice that I had to peel back the upper cowl so I could get the "knuckle" of the a-pillar to seat.
After that, it was a lot of hammering, clamping and bending to get the metal where it needed to be.
Oh yeah, an a bit of welding :yesnod:
more
and 3 more....
Just to show how tough the epoxy primer is, notice what looks to be scratches in the paint?
Those are from the results of all that hammering, and bending and clamping. The scratches did not go down to metal.
Its like if you scratch it it's a greyish color. And it did NOT chip!
This epoxy primer is TOUGH!
That's awesome Don! I have been watching all these resto threads and everyone is using this black epoxy primer and the parts look so nice when it applied. My question is where can I get it? Would NAPA carry it? Is it weld thru or do you have to clean it off where you weld to it? An what are you using to spray it? A regular paint gun?
Quote from: Pat1973charger on December 17, 2014, 09:06:52 PM
That's awesome Don! I have been watching all these resto threads and everyone is using this black epoxy primer and the parts look so nice when it applied. My question is where can I get it? Would NAPA carry it? Is it weld thru or do you have to clean it off where you weld to it? An what are you using to spray it? A regular paint gun?
Hi Pat.
I work at a shop that has a paint booth so our painter (a great guy, not to mention my bosses) shoots it for me with a HVLP paint gun, or sometimes he gets me setup and I shoot it.
I bought the paint at our local painters supply. Just call some local body shops and find out where they buy ther paint.
This is primer (JP377) that has a hardner (JH3770) that gets mixed into the paint. and the finished product is TOUGH!
It is NOT to be used as weld thru primer, but if you look back through my posts I did use it like a weld thru. I left the epoxy primer on the mating surfaces, with the exception that I cleaned out the spot drill hole down to bear metal, and then plug welded it. The epoxy did not burn off.
Hope this helps
I have used the SHOPLINE products. I don't know where they fall as far as quality goes but I have used them on the underside and passenger compartment. I plan to use them in the trunk and roof (under a vinyl top.) I wonder if they are top of the line but they seem to do the job. They work well with an amateur like me.
Oh, and I use the grey version. Any PPG distributor.
Merry Christmas to the METAL MAGICIAN that is DON!!! :2thumbs:
I think there's a Guy in Canada with a 69 Charger that needs your skills TOO! :cheers:
He has approx 25% of the original car left intact, so every piece needs to be saved.
'Is it worth it', I hear you say?
Sure is, its one of 503 made LOL!!! :patriot:
Keep up the good work Don, you is da Man!!! :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
DayJona
Quote from: 500Jon on December 18, 2014, 08:48:31 AM
Merry Christmas to the METAL MAGICIAN that is DON!!! :2thumbs:
I think there's a Guy in Canada with a 69 Charger that needs your skills TOO! :cheers:
He has approx 25% of the original car left intact, so every piece needs to be saved.
'Is it worth it', I hear you say?
Sure is, its one of 503 made LOL!!! :patriot:
Keep up the good work Don, you is da Man!!! :notworthy: :notworthy: :notworthy:
DayJona
Thanks for the compliments DayJona,
572 Hemi please!
Quote from: jww426 on December 18, 2014, 12:38:53 PM
572 Hemi please!
I am accepting donations as per your request ;D
This is insane.
In what world are you a beginner?
Master welder apparently.
Can't wait for more progress!
Basically you've turned the car inside out knocked the rust off and are putting it back together.
Quote from: REED on December 18, 2014, 04:02:52 PM
This is insane.
In what world are you a beginner?
Master welder apparently.
Can't wait for more progress!
Thanks for the compliment REED, But yes I am a beginner. This shows by how long it takes me to get something done!
Master welder NOT! It still aggravates me when I blow through when welding! :brickwall:
Quote from: Bobs69 on December 25, 2014, 10:47:15 AM
Basically you've turned the car inside out knocked the rust off and are putting it back together.
I guess that's one way to look at it! :yesnod:
I am still trying to get this thread up to date.... but here is a little teaser
Look what I got for Christmas
:o charger parts !! :coolgleamA: :scope: good stuff :popcrn:
Merry christmas :cheers:
You know what to do in 2015.
Good progress, good to see it coming back together Don,
Mitch, in no way are you an amateur ,
Your thread is not for the faint hearted , your car was taken apart to almost this level :o
very nice I'll be curious to see how all these parts go together and line up for you
Thanks for the replies about the primer, I'll have to look into it when I get back to Work next week. I have a HVLP gun and lots of air pressure / volume in my garage. Painted a couple of cars in there. I am one of those Canadian guys with less then 25% of a 69 charger, rear roof structure and upper rad support is all I can save as far as body pieces. I can't wait till the day I can get some quarters haha!! Merry Christmas all!
Quote from: six-tee-nine on December 26, 2014, 03:28:09 AM
Merry christmas :cheers:
You know what to do in 2015.
I hope to have the suspension in and rolling in 2015! :scratchchin:
Quote from: Bobs69 on December 26, 2014, 10:54:15 AM
very nice I'll be curious to see how all these parts go together and line up for you
You and me both! :yesnod:
Thanks guys. Back to the updates....
I had to patch the drivers side
Oh, just another suggestion. When you get ready to put the upper cowl back on, I put the windshield wiper pivots back it the holes to act as a guide. It helps but you still need to check other measurements.
Quote from: green69rt on December 28, 2014, 09:31:45 PM
Oh, just another suggestion. When you get ready to put the upper cowl back on, I put the windshield wiper pivots back it the holes to act as a guide. It helps but you still need to check other measurements.
Hi Mitch, and thanks for the tip, I will remember that when I get to that point!
I had a LOT of trouble getting these seams to blend out using disk grinders. In fact I got in trouble using them! :icon_smile_blackeye:
Because the a-pillar has a double curve I accidental put a big flat spot in it! :brickwall:
To fix the problem, I used my welder and "added" metal back, then used a file to finish it down. The problem is it takes a LONG LONG time to file down welds, and get it good!
But that's what I did and this is what how it looks. (NO FILLER by the way)
I am really proud of these a-pillars! I even have a hard time finding where the seam is.
Up to this point. This was THE hardest and most time consuming part of the resto!
I used a sharpie as a guide coat. (I really need to remember to get the real stuff)
So here there are all finished, with a little self etching primer applied.
Wow I am tired just remembering all of the work put into those!
: :popcrn: :popcrn: excellent work ,Don
When this car is finished , no one will believe you pulled it apart so far, even with photos ,
Either that or we will be seeing you during visiting hours at the sanitarium , I will bring flowers :lol:
It's going to be stronger because of all the extra welding and won't rust because of all the coating where the factory never did
Quote from: fy469rtse on December 28, 2014, 10:35:45 PM
: :popcrn: :popcrn: excellent work ,Don
When this car is finished , no one will believe you pulled it apart so far, even with photos ,
Either that or we will be seeing you during visiting hours at the sanitarium , I will bring flowers :lol:
It's going to be stronger because of all the extra welding and won't rust because of all the coating where the factory never did
Thanks fy469rtse
Sanitarium..... good one!
Yeah, I'll be the one in the corner that drools :drool5:
and I'll be tearing apart everyones toy cars and rebuilding them! (cause you know everyone gets a toy car when they go to the sanitarium!) lol
Time to clamp front wiper panel in place , sorry can't think of the name of it , blond moment,!
And test your windscreen fits
Cowl panel :slap: :cheers:
Quote from: fy469rtse on December 29, 2014, 04:37:48 AM
Time to clamp front wiper panel in place , sorry can't think of the name of it , blond moment,!
And test your windscreen fits
Quote from: six-tee-nine on December 29, 2014, 06:35:47 AM
Cowl panel :slap: :cheers:
Good idea guys. Thank you
Thanks
Got it cowl panel, you would think that I would know every panel off by heart ,
Replaced enough :brickwall:
Nice job, I hope your keeping track of yours hours so you can add them up when your done. Will it be 5,000 hours or 10,000 hours :scratchchin:
Well thats the joy of doing the job yourself : 1 hour costs $ 00.0
I would not even dare to count my hours already and I'm not even in the paint stage.
I find it satisfying to count the hours when you are doing a job as extensive as Don is doing here because you realize the value of your skill. At the end you will have something that only very rich people who can afford to pay top shops at $100.00 plus per hour can have. And it is all due to your skills. Don I like that you spent all of that time filing the bottom side of the "A" pillars where it will never be seen. That is the best example of a top craftsman's motto " Do every job as if it would be seen." :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
nice work :2thumbs: :coolgleamA: :popcrn:
Quote from: Stevearino on December 30, 2014, 06:46:54 PM
I find it satisfying to count the hours when you are doing a job as extensive as Don is doing here because you realize the value of your skill. At the end you will have something that only very rich people who can afford to pay top shops at $100.00 plus per hour can have. And it is all due to your skills. Don I like that you spent all of that time filing the bottom side of the "A" pillars where it will never be seen. That is the best example of a top craftsman's motto " Do every job as if it would be seen." :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
I like that idea, makes me think my skills are valuable. Everyone Always says you need to buy a car already restored because of the money you dump into it. But if you want to buy a car lfully restored the right way, like Don is doing, you need to have deep pockets wich I dont.
In the end I'll lose money in my car, I know, but thanks to our skills we can own that rich mans toy without being rich, So guys in this time of peace kudos to our skills, happy 2015!
Quote from: Stevearino on December 30, 2014, 06:46:54 PM
I find it satisfying to count the hours when you are doing a job as extensive as Don is doing here because you realize the value of your skill. At the end you will have something that only very rich people who can afford to pay top shops at $100.00 plus per hour can have. And it is all due to your skills. Don I like that you spent all of that time filing the bottom side of the "A" pillars where it will never be seen. That is the best example of a top craftsman's motto " Do every job as if it would be seen." :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Stevearino,
Thank you, I am truly humbled by your kind remarks!
Quote from: six-tee-nine on December 31, 2014, 03:33:51 AM
I like that idea, makes me think my skills are valuable. Everyone Always says you need to buy a car already restored because of the money you dump into it. But if you want to buy a car lfully restored the right way, like Don is doing, you need to have deep pockets wich I dont.
In the end I'll lose money in my car, I know, but thanks to our skills we can own that rich mans toy without being rich, So guys in this time of peace kudos to our skills, happy 2015!
six-tee-nine,
I don't have deep pockets either, but I try to do everything the right way. But I am still learning.
I read your first post in this thread
You said you have never restored a car before?
I call BS......
You my mopar brother are every bit of a PROFESSIONAL
Very nice work.
PS do you live anywhere close to me I need help like that
:popcrn: :cheers:
Tom
Quote from: bricklayer on January 03, 2015, 08:45:30 PM
I read your first post in this thread
You said you have never restored a car before?
I call BS......
You my mopar brother are every bit of a PROFESSIONAL
Very nice work.
PS do you live anywhere close to me I need help like that
:popcrn: :cheers:
Tom
Thanks bricklayer.....
Found a few more parts over the last few months :yesnod:
Looking good! Something about the Dutchman panel looks a bit tweaked. Could be the photo though.
Your right, it does look that way. But it must be the lighting. :scratchchin:
Looking forward to more progress! Be prepared to cut up the new dutchman panel and be sure to test fit your trim corners. :Two cents:
:popcrn:
X2 Don , just check Dutchman panel is exactely the same width as old one , usually not,
And time to takel out stainless rear window moulds,
Make the cnrs fit these , not the other way around
Thanks tsmithae and fy469rtse, I will remember to do this.
Had to patch a couple of spots on the rear frame rails
then I mocked up the rear crosmember
I also mocked up the wheel houses and inner rocker.
Kinda looks like a car :yesnod:
That is starting to look like a car! :2thumbs:
Well, if you have a big imagination!!!
Well done!!!
You must have a big imagination Mitch, yours wasn't far off this one
Looking good Don,
Turning point , looking like a cars unibody again,
The worst is behind you , keep going , all new metal from this point ,
The rest is going to feel like a cake walk Don. :cheers:
don when you put that cross member in can you take photos of how the frame rails attach to it and what is suppose to attach to the end of it [trunk floor extensions ? ] that is the part I have to put in next in spring when my garage gets above zero I have to put in trunk floor extensions too thank you
Quote from: oldgold69 on January 08, 2015, 05:55:14 PM
don when you put that cross member in can you take photos of how the frame rails attach to it and what is suppose to attach to the end of it [trunk floor extensions ? ] that is the part I have to put in next in spring when my garage gets above zero I have to put in trunk floor extensions too thank you
Hi oldgold69,
I am no expert but here is how I did it. (if I did this wrong please correct me)
The crossmember has a lip on the bottom side, that lip will go up against the bottom of the frame rail. Also the oblong holes should line up.
Here are some pics from the front side... hope they help
I believe that the rear valance corners will some how attach to the ends of the cross member but I am not that far yet. Maybe someone else can answer this question?
IIRC (according to CDR) the valance corners attach to the quarters first then the ends of the cross member are bent to line up with the valance corner flange. :shruggy:
thank you for the photos they are what I am looking for I am worried I will not have it centered I bought the Sherman made part back before adm made the part is there a difference between the two manufacturers wasn't there something like the gas tank strap mount hole you had to add the old brace behind it on the Sherman I know I saved them for some reason
The trunk extensions attach to the end of the rear crossmember. Make sure that you test fit your quarter and reflectors/side markers first! My extensions had t be massaged with a precision instrument know as the BFH to get them to sit flat and clear the side markers. I hadn't yet started the massaging process or welded them yet in this pic but it gives you an idea.
(http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/zz45/TSmithae/70%20Charger/20130920_231355_zpsad6bda25.jpg) (http://s812.photobucket.com/user/TSmithae/media/70%20Charger/20130920_231355_zpsad6bda25.jpg.html)
thank you gentle men for the photos I took that part off years ago and I forgot how it went back together it was nothing but rust when I took it apart came out in pieces I didnt have to drill the spot weld out just grind it flush to the frame rail there was no coating on that part
Hi Don,
I've done a few of them suckers and they are a nightmare!
Then you've got the corner caps!!!
I've found another Charger that needs some TLC too!
Don't leave your Charger in a POND!!! :slap:
500 jon quick put 01 and a flag on it and say it was a jump car from the dukes movie worth a least a hundred grand :nana:
WOW it's been a month since I posted.
Let me get you up to date
Got the rear window corners welded in.
Got the rear crossmember welded in...
Did some digging through my pile of sheet metal parts to find the different brackets and small parts to get ready for the blaster.
First I found the bucket seat brackets on the old floor pan
I made some notes on how they align
(hole in the bracket aligns to the hole in the floor pan)
and compared them to my floor pan
NOTICE that this floor pan does not have holes for the bucket seat brackets!
Makes sense cause this floor pan came out of a 4 door coronet (bench seat)
But notice the dimples in the floor pan.
They match perfectly to the holes in the brackets, so when its time those dimples will get drilled out.
Found the e-brake bracket.....
and one of the gas tank brackets,
the other gas tank bracket should be where the hole is in the pic....
FOUND IT!
it was mounted directly beneath the spare tire bracket
more to come..............
:popcrn: we like progress pics!
:2thumbs:keep going don ,
Next thing on the list is the grill support.
The headlight buckets need some attention.
Notice the the ends have broken studs, and one of them is twisted
I untwisted the tab as best I could, and got it kinda close. :-\
I have another grill support. So I used it and formed some new metal over the same tab.
Basically I made a template and used this template to bend the tab to the correct orientation.
Then I welded the edges to stiffen it up
Sorry, apparently I didn't get any more pics,
But here it is finished
Here is my other grill support, it has problems also! But as long as I'm at it, I might as well fix it to!
Great work! :2thumbs:
I missed some posts on the floor, so forgot to mention that there is a small bracket that welds to the underside of the floor that holds the speedo cable off of the exhaust pipes. They are usually missing but a good thing to have. Can't find a picture right now. Maybe someone else can show it....
Don ? Your not going to fix every part are you?
While your at it , put some decent welds on that support , it's one of the reasons our grills suffer and sag,
Flimsy spot welds
Quote from: fy469rtse on February 17, 2015, 04:53:55 AM
Don ? Your not going to fix every part are you?
While your at it , put some decent welds on that support , it's one of the reasons our grills suffer and sag,
Flimsy spot welds
fy469, It sure seems like it! (come to think of it, I have pretty much have fixed or tore apart every inch of this car :hack: :smash:)
And I have been strengthening it as I go.
great , good to know your looking at everything as you go ,
old cars and not everything was good to start with ,
looking forward to seeing this car get dressed finally , must be cold down to the bare bones all this time :popcrn:
keep posting don , its been an education in perseverance and the inner anatomy of these cars :2thumbs:
Ok so I figured I may as well fix this 2nd grill support.
The head light buckets have the same issues with the tabs... NO they are worse, they're rusted away.
So I used the first bucket (media blasted grey) for a template and bent some metal around it
I had to put a relief cut in cause it need to bend in two different directions
did some trimming and bending and hammering,
Then welded it up
Some final trimming and grinding and blending.......
Not to bad
Quote from: mopar4don on February 16, 2015, 10:43:32 PM
Sorry, apparently I didn't get any more pics,
But here it is finished
Are they supposed to look all twisty like that?? I have to fix mine and am wondering how they are supposed to look. :shruggy:
i was just thinking that Mitch,
Don , line it up on whats left of front, these go to headlight bucket area , but i think there twisted , going from memory :Twocents:
Geoff
That might be very well the case....
My support looks pretty much the same as this one. I always wondered if they were bent like that or mine got banged up. Altough my grille was not all that badly smashed up when I took the car apart.
And the bends are almost identical left and right on mine.
I agree on a final testfit before paint to make sure no extra bending is needed, but I'm sure Don wont skip that part.
Guys, the mounting tabs are not all nice and square. If you look at the tabs it should be obvious that they are messed up or not.
This is because the tabs themselves have a short lip that is bent at 90 degrees. This added lip gives the tab strength.
Very nice repair. :2thumbs: Your tabs are still twisted though. They are supposed to be vertical.
Can you show me a picture of what they should look like?
Thought I would share my latest "SCORE"
The steering wheel is in better shape than my original that has the famous 12 o'clock crack! (how else do you describe it?) :shruggy:
This one has some minor cracks on the back side. But should be much easier to fix, or maybe I wont fix it right away!
Every grille frame I have has at least one missing or badly mangled mounting tab.
There's probably a market for trim-to-fit replacement mounting tabs for the grille frame.
Id rather buy one with the correct angle/shape, trim it, and weld it on, rather than fabricate, weld, and get it wrong.
I enjoy the heck out this thread Don.
Quote from: stripedelete on March 14, 2015, 10:59:36 PM
Every grille frame I have has at least one missing or badly mangled mounting tab.
There's probably a market for trim-to-fit replacement mounting tabs for the grille frame.
Id rather buy one with the correct angle/shape, trim it, and weld it on, rather than fabricate, weld, and get it wrong.
I enjoy the heck out this thread Don.
Thanks stripedelete,
I don't wanna get it wrong either, but I figure if I duplicate what I have, (all twisted) then all I have to do is bend the tabs back, were they need to go. This metal is like .030 thick so it's not real strong.
Like Zig Ziglar said "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."
stripdelete, I mean no disrespect to your comments, but for me, and the mountain that is ahead of me (with this car) and because I don't have unlimited resources, I have to learn how to fix things! And yeah, I might mess it up, and yes it takes me a while, but I won't quit, I'll learn and move on and try it again. For me it's a challenge! And I really love doing it! And I have to admit, I did consider finding some good brackets. but like you said they are not readily available... and after being encouraged to fix what I have, I went ahead and did it. And you know, it really wasn't all that bad.
Quote from: mopar4don on March 15, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
Quote from: stripedelete on March 14, 2015, 10:59:36 PM
Every grille frame I have has at least one missing or badly mangled mounting tab.
There's probably a market for trim-to-fit replacement mounting tabs for the grille frame.
Id rather buy one with the correct angle/shape, trim it, and weld it on, rather than fabricate, weld, and get it wrong.
I enjoy the heck out this thread Don.
Thanks stripedelete,
I don't wanna get it wrong either, but I figure if I duplicate what I have, (all twisted) then all I have to do is bend the tabs back, were they need to go. This metal is like .030 thick so it's not real strong.
Like Zig Ziglar said "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."
stripdelete, I mean no disrespect to your comments, but for me, and the mountain that is ahead of me (with this car) and because I don't have unlimited resources, I have to learn how to fix things! And yeah, I might mess it up, and yes it takes me a while, but I won't quit, I'll learn and move on and try it again. For me it's a challenge! And I really love doing it! And I have to admit, I did consider finding some good brackets. but like you said they are not readily available... and after being encouraged to fix what I have, I went ahead and did it. And you know, it really wasn't all that bad.
I think you misunderstood the comment. By "market" I meant a guy like you selling them to a guy like me. ;)
Quote from: stripedelete on March 15, 2015, 03:02:10 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on March 15, 2015, 01:50:21 PM
Quote from: stripedelete on March 14, 2015, 10:59:36 PM
Every grille frame I have has at least one missing or badly mangled mounting tab.
There's probably a market for trim-to-fit replacement mounting tabs for the grille frame.
Id rather buy one with the correct angle/shape, trim it, and weld it on, rather than fabricate, weld, and get it wrong.
I enjoy the heck out this thread Don.
Thanks stripedelete,
I don't wanna get it wrong either, but I figure if I duplicate what I have, (all twisted) then all I have to do is bend the tabs back, were they need to go. This metal is like .030 thick so it's not real strong.
Like Zig Ziglar said "If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time."
stripdelete, I mean no disrespect to your comments, but for me, and the mountain that is ahead of me (with this car) and because I don't have unlimited resources, I have to learn how to fix things! And yeah, I might mess it up, and yes it takes me a while, but I won't quit, I'll learn and move on and try it again. For me it's a challenge! And I really love doing it! And I have to admit, I did consider finding some good brackets. but like you said they are not readily available... and after being encouraged to fix what I have, I went ahead and did it. And you know, it really wasn't all that bad.
I think you misunderstood the comment. By "market" I meant a guy like you selling them to a guy like me. ;)
Were good. :2thumbs:
Being the metal magician you are Don, I don't blame you for fabbing what you can. Haven't had chance to work at the RT, crappy weather plus I took on a big repair job on my cousins mazda tribute. New rockers, rear wheel houses, wheel bearings, exhaust and brakes. She's paying me well so I don't mind, more $$ for the RT. Scored a southern right rear inner and outer wheel house for $120 shipped to my door so that was pretty cool. Keep at it Don! Love this thread :cheers:
Got the outer rocker support brackets welded in.
Here's the front support
The rear support bracket was a LOT harder!
To get the placement correct, it has to align to the rear pass window support / lock pillar assembly
You can see the rear rocker support bracket next to the wood 2x2 in the pic. It has the copper weld thru primer applied.
This is really tricky as the bracket is sandwiched between the inner and outer rocker, and it has to align to the edge of the lock pillar.
SO EVERYTHING got mocked up, the inner and outer rockers and wheel tubs.
I even threw the door on to be sure the lock pillar and rockers looked ok and were aligned properly.
When I got the position marked I welded it to the rocker.
WOW what a pain!
Gettin' with the brandy new metal. Getting a little bit excited now. :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
:2thumbs: good stuff :yesnod: :popcrn:
Going back through my pics I found a couple to share
Here are 2 of the 4 cowls that I have (getting ready for the blaster)
I found this stamping on the underside of one of the cowls and thought it was kinda interesting
Here is a picture that shows all of the seam sealer they put on.
This raises a question.
When I go to attach the cowl back on, and I apply seam sealer between the panels (like the factory did) will this work? Seems to me that when I plug weld, it would burn off the seam sealer between the panels.
So what is the best way to do this?
Don
i put my hands up through fresh air pots to lower cowl to touch up sealer the best i could ,
applied it by hand, great work by the way,
its coming along now :2thumbs:
Must be the steel manufacturers mark.
Don,
Yes you are right.
I put small amounts of seam sealer as far back as I could and I drilled my holes for rewelding as far forward towards the lip on the firewall as I could. It still kinda squeezed trough towards the holes I had drilled for butt welding the panel again.
I cleaned off as good as I could before I started welding. I went real slow and cooled as good as I could with the air gun close by.
Not much else you can do. Maybe I'll check on it later on like FY496RTSE did.
Just a tip : paint the bottom of the cowl before putting the top back on. Makes it so much nicer later on when you look trough the louvres.
Hey Don, How come you didn't use the rockers from the coronet?
Look at page 5 a little more than half way down to see how i sealed mine. I tested it with a garden sprayer.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,54582.100.html
Quote from: fy469rtse on March 24, 2015, 12:49:04 AM
Don
i put my hands up through fresh air pots to lower cowl to touch up sealer the best i could ,
applied it by hand, great work by the way,
its coming along now :2thumbs:
Thanks fy469
Quote from: Cncguy on March 24, 2015, 04:31:07 AM
Must be the steel manufacturers mark.
Yeah I just thought it was kinda cool.
Quote from: six-tee-nine on March 24, 2015, 06:45:30 AM
Don,
Yes you are right.
I put small amounts of seam sealer as far back as I could and I drilled my holes for rewelding as far forward towards the lip on the firewall as I could. It still kinda squeezed trough towards the holes I had drilled for butt welding the panel again.
I cleaned off as good as I could before I started welding. I went real slow and cooled as good as I could with the air gun close by.
Not much else you can do. Maybe I'll check on it later on like FY496RTSE did.
Just a tip : paint the bottom of the cowl before putting the top back on. Makes it so much nicer later on when you look trough the louvres.
Thanks six-tee-nine, I honestly did'nt know what guys were doing about this so that's why I asked. The members here are good about helping each other and for that I thank you.
Quote from: Cncguy on March 24, 2015, 07:01:41 AM
Hey Don, How come you didn't use the rockers from the coronet?
The coronet rockers were a bit different on the ends, not to mention where the b-pillar joins at the rocker.
I will try and get a couple of pics for you.
Quote from: green69rt on March 24, 2015, 07:19:54 AM
Look at page 5 a little more than half way down to see how i sealed mine. I tested it with a garden sprayer.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,54582.100.html
Thanks green69rt, I reference your build from time to time, but honestly there are so many that I reference, it's hard to remember who did this.
Quote from: green69rt on March 24, 2015, 07:19:54 AM
Look at page 5 a little more than half way down to see how i sealed mine. I tested it with a garden sprayer.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,54582.100.html
Thats kinda how it went with mine also. The sealer getting on fire is a bit overrated. It does start to smoke a little but when you plug weld a little at a time and cool down, do some other area and work your way around randomly to let the panels absorb te heat it works just fine.
On a side note, I did use lead to fill the seam at the bottom of the A pillar
Looking Good Don! :cheers:
Quote from: Indygenerallee on March 25, 2015, 09:23:31 AM
Looking Good Don! :cheers:
Thanks Indy,
So how is your build coming along? Do you have a resto thread?
I was able to use the tail panel I got from you, (with a little fixing)
Stay tuned for that update!
It's coming along not as fast as I would like but it's been pretty cold to work in a garage without any heat this past winter. Once spring gets here I will hit it a bit harder! Yes I have a thread over in the Aero section (it's buried lol)
Good to hear you could use the tail panel!
WOW!!! I am completely impressed with all of your work. I lost track of this restoration a while back and just went through the entire thing again. What a thread this is.. So many things I see that I never paid any attention to before and HOLY CRAP are there a lot of parts to building this body!!
Don, you are certainly going to be a pro long before you are done. As I see it, you are well on your way!! :2thumbs:
I am really looking forward to the next pics and posts on your progress. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to chronicle this entire repair and rebuild. My hat is certainly off to you... :2thumbs:
:iagree:
What he said! :2thumbs:
More awesome work Don!
Found your next project for you:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/cto/4947486569.html
Quote from: Steve P. on March 25, 2015, 03:28:59 PM
WOW!!! I am completely impressed with all of your work. I lost track of this restoration a while back and just went through the entire thing again. What a thread this is.. So many things I see that I never paid any attention to before and HOLY CRAP are there a lot of parts to building this body!!
Don, you are certainly going to be a pro long before you are done. As I see it, you are well on your way!! :2thumbs:
I am really looking forward to the next pics and posts on your progress. Thank you for sharing and taking the time to chronicle this entire repair and rebuild. My hat is certainly off to you... :2thumbs:
Believe me, I am not a pro. Far from it. I'm just a guy who is learning as I go! :yesnod:
Quote from: Dino on March 25, 2015, 03:31:51 PM
:iagree:
What he said! :2thumbs:
Thanks Dino :coolgleamA:
Quote from: Homerr on March 25, 2015, 03:53:34 PM
More awesome work Don!
Found your next project for you:
http://minneapolis.craigslist.org/csw/cto/4947486569.html
Hi Homerr,
mmmmmmmmm :scratchchin:
I think I will pass :eek2:
I like the quote in the ad "Front suspension and rails are awesome"
Don,
your more than welcome , been watching this from the start , and like Mitch , you didnt loose the faith when car was a lot worse than first thought
most would have given up, :2thumbs:
your hard work is starting to pay off , car will be better than new
Those quarters I bought back at Christmas time.....
here they are being test fit on the thing that might someday be a car!
I am pleased with the fit
:o :2thumbs:
That has to be a pleasing sight Don. :cheers:
Don, this is the first thread I look for when logging into dodgecharger.com. I'm so looking forward to updates. Keep up the great work! :popcrn:
Quote from: mopar4don on March 24, 2015, 08:17:49 AM
Quote from: Cncguy on March 24, 2015, 07:01:41 AM
Hey Don, How come you didn't use the rockers from the coronet?
The coronet rockers were a bit different on the ends, not to mention where the b-pillar joins at the rocker.
I will try and get a couple of pics for you.
Here are those pics I promised
couple more
Thanks Don for the look at those Rockers. I think I'll just cut patches out of mine.
Awesome build! So glad i stumbled upon this one :popcrn: :popcrn:
Here are a few pics of some misc parts in the booth getting some epoxy applied.
better than new ,
any one for a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, with no lid picture as a guide , Don's your man :2thumbs:
Quote from: fy469rtse on March 31, 2015, 01:30:16 AM
better than new ,
any one for a thousand piece jigsaw puzzle, with no lid picture as a guide , Don's your man :2thumbs:
Kinda like this?
On to the next fix, the tail panel.
My original was really bad but I picked this one up this past fall. I really thought this would be good. Until I blasted it!
Before blasting
After blasting
It had some issues... but luckily I had a few extra pieces that I could get some patches from.
This is the original tail panel that I used to patch the RT side.
Here is the right side patch and how I fixed it.
I really like to get my patches to fit with no gaps if possible. (I get less blow through when welding a tight patch)
This pic shows good weld penetration from the back side.
I didn't get a fully completed pic, but these last two show it real close to being done.
Based on what you have repaired up til now you will be able to patch that tail light panel with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. :2thumbs:
Quote from: Stevearino on April 06, 2015, 07:59:33 PM
Based on what you have repaired up til now you will be able to patch that tail light panel with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back. :2thumbs:
Thanks Stevo, But I need all my senses when dealing with this car!
Great work! Nice job salvaging that tail panel with parts from the original panel!
Pat
Don , hate to add to your work ,
but trial fit your tail lights, even the factory was off , and on some cars you could see the lights were uneven, its the buckets ,
repop panels even worse than the originals , hopefully all good
Quote from: keepat on April 06, 2015, 08:45:40 PM
Great work! Nice job salvaging that tail panel with parts from the original panel!
Pat
Thank you Pat. Trying to save money you know.
Quote from: fy469rtse on April 07, 2015, 02:01:04 AM
Don , hate to add to your work ,
but trial fit your tail lights, even the factory was off , and on some cars you could see the lights were uneven, its the buckets ,
repop panels even worse than the originals , hopefully all good
fy469rtse, that is a good point, I hadnt thought of.
The left side required some help.
You can see how its a bit out of shape compared to the patch (in front)
more showing metal out of shape
I did try to hammer and dolly it, but it didn't take long to figure out my best bet would be to section this in.
Here you can see I drilled out the spot welds around the bucket, getting it ready to section
Then sectioned the piece being removed and the piece going in
Then weld/grind/file repeat, weld/grind/file repeat
Yes I use a file to finish. I find that I get myself in trouble really fast with grinding disk.
I prefer to add a few weld dots, then file them in!
My old panel was so bad it came out in 2 pieces. I actually found one on ebay about 6 years ago that was OEM, this was before they started re popping them again, it had the original shipping tag to a Dodge dealer in Wyoming. When I had the car painted we saved that spot so you can still see the tag.
Don you are doing a great job !!!!!!!!!!!! :2thumbs:
I was going through my pics and found this so I thought I would share.
This is how I straightened the louvers on my cowl.
1st I cut a shim till it fit inside the louver from the backside
I layed a straight edge across the louvers and checked to see which ones needed to be pushed up
Here you can see the gap on the louvers that are marked
I would then gently push up on the shim from underneath, then check the gaps, and repeat. This worked really well for me.
(Just so ya'all know, the pitted up cowl in these pics, was not used, I ended up using the cowl from the 4 door coronet parts car) (I just got back from South Carolina and now I'm talking / typing like them )
I am speechless. :o
You are just getting back at where I am going.
Holy Cow, this thread is absolutely priceless to me.
It will take me hours to review, take notes and really try to understand the incredible job you have done.
Thank you so much for sharing this.
I thought I had a lot to do, I didn't even have a clue of this much detail to task.
Great attention to detail,
Don simply amazing work :2thumbs:
Took all these parts and blasted them.
It took me about 4 hours
:2thumbs: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Its like a big charger model car kit :popcrn:
Hope you remember how it all goes back together :lol:
That blasting can be tedious work too huh? Better than hand stripping but still tedious.
Quote from: Baldwinvette77 on April 22, 2015, 09:09:06 PM
Its like a big charger model car kit :popcrn:
I always did like models as a kid!
Quote from: JB400 on April 22, 2015, 10:44:50 PM
Hope you remember how it all goes back together :lol:
ME TO! That and not loosing any pieces! :icon_smile_big:
Quote from: Ghoste on April 23, 2015, 05:45:01 AM
That blasting can be tedious work too huh? Better than hand stripping but still tedious.
It can be tough on ya. Especially trying to hold those small parts.
I like how your tackling your restoration. Great pics :2thumbs: what's your plan with the body jig when your finished?
Quote from: Nwcharger on May 10, 2015, 11:51:16 AM
I like how your tackling your restoration. Great pics :2thumbs: what's your plan with the body jig when your finished?
Thanks Nwcharger,
Not really sure what I'll do with it.
Might keep it for the next one :scratchchin: :scratchchin:
Here are all those parts in epoxy
Looking awesome don! I wish I had the time and energy (crazy at work) to start my charger!
I have been really busy to Pat, but I did manage to attend The Lane Automotive car show this past weekend!
The say it had 1700 cars there!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cebzUDXHocA&feature=youtu.be (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cebzUDXHocA&feature=youtu.be)
Look like a big car show but no chargers in the video, did you see any there?
Thanks
Pat
Looks like fun don, gotta love car shows! We have one coming up near me on Father's Day that has a few hundred cars in it (not bad for rural Nova Scotia lol). My dad and I usually try to get to as many as we can, this year I'm going to take my little guy, he is only 9 months but gotta start em young lol!
Quote from: keepat on May 27, 2015, 09:48:11 PM
Look like a big car show but no chargers in the video, did you see any there?
Thanks
Pat
Yeah there were 5 or 6 I believe. 5 out of something like 1500 cars, I guess that shows how rare these machines are!
Quote from: Pat1973charger on May 27, 2015, 09:57:06 PM
Looks like fun don, gotta love car shows! We have one coming up near me on Father's Day that has a few hundred cars in it (not bad for rural Nova Scotia lol). My dad and I usually try to get to as many as we can, this year I'm going to take my little guy, he is only 9 months but gotta start em young lol!
Definatly get them started young, before you know it he'll be wrenching along side of ya.
Did a little patching on the 4 speed hump
this shows good weld penatration on the back side. (I always like to check this)
I dont have a shrinker strecher (maybe someday)
so I find that cutting relief cuts into the metal works pretty good.
just add weld, grind, and good as new!
Quote from: mopar4don on June 08, 2015, 08:20:48 PM
I dont have a shrinker strecher (maybe someday)
so I find that cutting relief cuts into the metal works pretty good.
You should get yourself a set. They are not that expensive and by God you deserve one after this ordeal. You have paid your dues and then some. :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Thanks Steve, but where is the challenge? :icon_smile_big:
Just found this thread today. Awe inspiring Sir :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn: :popcrn:
Great work as always... :2thumbs:
:coolgleamA: nice , goof stuff :2thumbs: :cheers: :popcrn:
You are incredibly talented piecing back together that unibody! Love this following this build keep up the good work!!
What can I say but Thank you guys!
You deserve all the accolades man, you aren't just saving a well crusted Charger but you're doing it yourself and without just strolling through the AMD catalog or handing a resto shop a blank check.
Here is my lastest find!
I've been looking for a couple of years.
I decided a while back that I would dehump my wheel houses. I figured that a little more room for the tires can't hurt! And now would be the time to do it rather than get the car done and have the tires rub!
So following is how I went about it. I'll show you the good and the bad. What I learned worked, and what did not work.
Keep in mind this entire process took approx, 2-1/2 months (yes I had trouble) :RantExplode:
So I already had the wheel wells installed and mocked up to the quarters, rockers, trunk floor, and trunk extensions.
So knowing that everything looked good, I made these braces to help hold the outer lip of the well. (I was concerned that they might move
The idea is to slice the metal and hammer it out to make a smooth dished out transition on the outer half of the wheel well.
Here are my first cuts or slices
Here is a side view showing the hump that will be removed.
Sorry about the blurriness
More slicing and hammer work
Here you can see the shape I am try to get to. More of a dished out radius.
Now is the time to modify it with the quarter panel off. What size wheels and tires are you going with?
Thanks
Pat
Great work Pat. Here's how I did mine: :2thumbs:
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,11111.msg139669.html#msg139669
Looks good don! I think I ruined my roof skin removing it today :'( keep the updates coming. One of my favourite threads going!
Quote from: keepat on June 28, 2015, 07:41:28 AM
Now is the time to modify it with the quarter panel off. What size wheels and tires are you going with?
Thanks
Pat
HI Pat, I really don't know what size. I guess as big as I can.
Do you have any idea what will fit in a de-humped wheel well? Or where I can find that info?
Maybe I'll use what others have proven to work....
like NorwayCharger used 18x10 with 4,5" backspace. 295,45,18
17x8 with 4,5"-----"-------. 245,45,17
Quote from: Pat1973charger on June 28, 2015, 01:13:42 PM
Looks good don! I think I ruined my roof skin removing it today :'( keep the updates coming. One of my favourite threads going!
Sorry to here about the roof skin, what happened?
Don, great work as always. :2thumbs:
I run 275/50r17 with 4.5 bs and if it wasn't for the well hump, I could fit a whole lot more under there. Actually the problem is on the inner well where the tires will rub making a sharp turn onto a steep driveway or something. You should have no problems installing a 300+ tire. I'll bet that with the right backspacing you could fit a 325 without issues. It has been done but it may require raising the rear to clear the hump. You don't have that problem though. :coolgleamA:
Quote from: mopar4don on June 28, 2015, 07:02:10 PM
Quote from: keepat on June 28, 2015, 07:41:28 AM
Now is the time to modify it with the quarter panel off. What size wheels and tires are you going with?
Thanks
Pat
HI Pat, I really don't know what size. I guess as big as I can.
Do you have any idea what will fit in a de-humped wheel well? Or where I can find that info?
Maybe I'll use what others have proven to work....
like NorwayCharger used 18x10 with 4,5" backspace. 295,45,18
17x8 with 4,5"-----"-------. 245,45,17
Quote from: Pat1973charger on June 28, 2015, 01:13:42 PM
Looks good don! I think I ruined my roof skin removing it today :'( keep the updates coming. One of my favourite threads going!
Sorry to here about the roof skin, what happened?
Don,
If you have a stock length rear which is about 60" you will need a minimum of 5" backspacing with a 10 inch wheel with a 295 tire. I do think you the space you have made you can fit a 305 tire. Using an 18" wheels gives you a lot of tire options. The 8" front wheel will work with a 4.5" back spacing
Thanks
Pat
Can't imagine needing that much tire on a street car.
Thanks for the comments guys. Looks like I will have a bit of researching to do when I get that far.
Quote from: Cncguy on June 29, 2015, 10:22:27 AM
Can't imagine needing that much tire on a street car.
I can!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
very dedicated build here, you are doing a great job, she will be ur pirzed possession once completed
Don, I couldn't get te skin I break free at the A pillers and I mangled it a little at the corner. It had a little rust near the seam at the quarter by the drip rail anyway but I was going to patch that. Not sure now what I'll do. Try to repair or replace. I like the dehump idea. Not sure of I will need it as I plan on running magnum 500s at this time.
Always amazing your attention to detail and your determination not to rush things and cover all the bases. :yesnod:
Hi Don,
As everyone has already stated, amazing work. :2thumbs:
I am in a similar boat as you in that I have an extremely rusty Charger and I would like to put it on a jig like you built. Do you have a materials list or anything for what is needed to build it? And secondly, how did you get the car up on the jig?
You're thread is an inspiration for me anytime I look at my car and think 'what have I gotten myself into?' :icon_smile_big:
Thanks.
Mike
Quote from: tomonty on July 04, 2015, 08:41:27 AM
Hi Don,
As everyone has already stated, amazing work. :2thumbs:
I am in a similar boat as you in that I have an extremely rusty Charger and I would like to put it on a jig like you built. Do you have a materials list or anything for what is needed to build it? And secondly, how did you get the car up on the jig?
You're thread is an inspiration for me anytime I look at my car and think 'what have I gotten myself into?' :icon_smile_big:
Thanks.
Mike
Hi Mike,
The jig was originally a 4'x8' table that I picked up at the local scrap yard. It was cut in half horizontally then put end to end to give me 4'x16'
It's made from 2x2 tubing with ΒΌ wall. And has a jack at every leg.
Getting the car on the jig was a little tricky but ended up working well.
What I did was I had the car on jack stands with the jig positioned behind the car.
I lifted the rear of the car with a floor jack and a length of 3 inch sq tubing mounted under the frame rail. (floor jack was in the center of the car)
I removed the 2 rear floor jacks and rolled the jig in under the car as far as I could. I then lowered the car back down onto the floor jacks, and would then repeat the process at the front of the car with another length of 3 inch tubing catching the torsion bar crossmember.
I repeated this process at the front or rear, until the jig was under the car.
It was a little nerve racking but I was careful, and went slow.
Good luck. maybe try using a cherry picker if you can.
Awesome...thanks for the info :2thumbs:
Mike
The cherry picker is a good idea, saw some guys using chain falls on one end to their rafters and cherry picker on the other end. The easy way is how i did it, put car on my hoist pulled the k frame and rear end. Rolled the jig under and lowerd the car onto it .
If your ceiling structure will take it these chain hoists worked pretty good for my project. You just have to rig some lifting brackets.
Ok, now for some of the ugly.
I diced the wheel well up pretty good and started the long process to weld it up.
The gaps were so large I had to use a copper spoon on the back side
I did not get a lot of pictures, but at this point I was getting so many welding blow outs, it was driving me crazy! :brickwall:
What you cant see in the pics is that nothing was smooth. What I wanted was a nice smooth transition. I wanted it to look like it came from the factory. Thats not what I had...... so I decided I would remove the wavy welded up mess, and patch in a new piece.
more
I like the looks of this!
Overall it looks much better than all that slicing welded up mess!
You must have about 200 vise grips!!!! I'm jealous, I only have about 80.
Quote from: green69rt on July 08, 2015, 10:38:19 PM
You must have about 200 vise grips!!!! I'm jealous, I only have about 80.
Yeah and I need another 200 for when I put together the back half of the car!
Looks like the right choice putting in the one piece patch. That will save time on the other side now. :2thumbs:
Quote from: mopar4don on July 09, 2015, 05:10:47 AM
Quote from: green69rt on July 08, 2015, 10:38:19 PM
You must have about 200 vise grips!!!! I'm jealous, I only have about 80.
Yeah and I need another 200 for when I put together the back half of the car!
Self tapping screws are your friends. :icon_smile_big:
Quote from: Dino on July 09, 2015, 09:00:11 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on July 09, 2015, 05:10:47 AM
Quote from: green69rt on July 08, 2015, 10:38:19 PM
You must have about 200 vise grips!!!! I'm jealous, I only have about 80.
Yeah and I need another 200 for when I put together the back half of the car!
Self tapping screws are your friends. :icon_smile_big:
And Clecos
I'm not real happy with the front side of this, but for now I want to go to the other side and maybe try something a bit different.....
Here are some good before pics showing the stock wheel house and the crease that will go away
Ok this time I started slicing along the crease
Then I hammered out flatening the crease which closing the gap.
NOTICE the white marks. this is what happens when you hammer on that PPG shopline epoxy paint.
I am really impressed how tough this stuff is! it DOES NOT chip crack peel or scratch after wailing on it with a hammer! I don't know if all epoxy primer can take this abuse but I feel pretty good about protection from stone chips on the bottom side of the car!
Worked my way up (LOTS of hammering)
put my first vertical slice in..... (LOTS of hammering)
put my 2nd vertical slice in and it started to feel like I was about to repeat the problems of the pass side...........
WHEN THE LIGHT BULB CAME ON!
I would stop the horizontal slices, and try vertical slices only. (farther apart than the pass side)
SUCCESS! :ricky:
See how the crease is gone (LOTS and LOTS of hammering)
Here is a good shot showing how much I moved that crease
I just stumbled across this thread and you are I-N-S-A-N-E...but in a good way, I've NEVER seen that much welding/fabrication! :2thumbs:
Quote from: AKcharger on August 02, 2015, 10:51:19 AM
I just stumbled across this thread and you are I-N-S-A-N-E...but in a good way, I've NEVER seen that much welding/fabrication! :2thumbs:
What can I say?? It keeps me out of trouble!
Thanks
Don, its been said many times before but needs to be said again..and again!!!!! amazing work! off the chart nice!!!
Don, I just finished reading your entire thread and viewing all the photos. From one beginner to another WOW! You do impressive work! I thought I was 'stuck' in rust repair hell(o)... but mine was nothing like yours. Have you noticed how much your skills have improved since you started this project? I am unsure what 'credentials' you have for body work and such but I would consider your on the job training better than schooling any day. Great Job! :2thumbs:
I just want to say, even though i don't comment much, i stop by everytime you update this :2thumbs:
Quote from: Baldwinvette77 on August 03, 2015, 10:35:43 PM
I just want to say, even though i don't comment much, i stop by everytime you update this :2thumbs:
X2 and btw hang in there buddy, you might be in the dark in that tunnel but there's light at the end. I think I'm starting to see a tiny bit of light at this point altough I'm not sure its really there...... :cheers:
Thanks fella's for the kind words. I'm learning all the time.
moparmendy, I want your side job! :icon_smile_big:
Would love to see you start 'Mopar4Don's Body-in-White Program' next.
Quote from: Homerr on August 04, 2015, 12:38:33 PM
Would love to see you start 'Mopar4Don's Body-in-White Program' next.
I like the sound of that!
This one is a Body-in-Black :yesnod:
more pics showing the slicing and hammering
Here you can see how the metal is puckering when it is hammered out.
I sliced the metal horizontally to help this situation
Then I started welding it back together.
Here you can see the copper spoon I used as a backer.
The side profile looks pretty good to me
Some of the gaps opened up quite a bit from the hammering
So when welding a copper spoon is a must have!
more....
ALL DONE with this side and I am very pleased with the results!
If I were to do it again, in my opinion making vertical (up an down) slices and hammering out the crease is the way to go!
Now I need to go back and finish the passenger side..........
I'm curious as to how well the quarter will fit the wheel well now. :popcrn:
As am I!
stay tuned
It's been a couple of months since I last updated, so here goes.
I primed a few more parts (pic1)
I Painted the bellhousing with this VHT hemi orange paint. I plan on using this for the engine block when it comes time. Hope it's the right shade.
I reached the point where it was time to remove most of the bracing.
Now you see it
Now you don't
It's ALL gone!
And WOW does it look different!
Left this bracing in to support the back half of the roof
It will stay untill I get the wheel wells welded to the rockers
With the bracing out of the way I could start work on the floor
This needs a new section as well as the driver side
Don,
Good to see an update on your charger! With the doorjamb and inner quarter removed there is a ton of room to work on the floor!
Pat
Looking beautiful. :2thumbs:
:scope: looking good :yesnod: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
That floor will be a walk in the park compared to everything else you have done so far :rofl:
Mike
:notworthy:
Thanks fellas for the encouragement!
Here are a few pics showing how I sectioned in new metal for the floor.
Basically how I did this Is I layed the original in and screwed it down with some self tapping screws.
Then I over layed the white pan and traced around it.
Then I took the black pan back out and cut out the bad leaving a 1/2 for adjustment
Then back in went the black floor, making sure it was screwed down tight. Then I fit in the white pan and trimmed were I needed until I was satisfied it fit, then I scribed around it again. Removed it all, trimmed it to the new line then back in it went, had to to a little trimming here and there. Once I was satisfied with it I tack welded, pulled it out then welded er up!
more...
more
Great job!
Pat
When are you opening a resto shop???? :2thumbs:
again,, AWESOME !!!! you really are going to have a charger when done :2thumbs:
Like I said, walk in the park. Great job Don. :2thumbs:
Mike
Amazing! :2thumbs:
Here is a pic of the floor after primer.... waiting to go in
I have been putting this off,
I need to section out my firewall to bring it back to a non AC car!
For those that don't remember the front clip I am using came from a 69 4 door Coronet with AC.
I decided not to change over to AC, this way it would be like original. (OK, and cheaper)
This took a lot of thought. (need to be sure that I remove some holes, and add others)
So what I did was take pics of an AC firewall and non AC firewall compare the two and fill the small holes and drill out the others.
Then it came time to section out and fill the large holes.
What I did was I made a template and traced out both firewalls
(using 2 holes common between the firewalls as an alignment)
excellent!!!
Next I layed out were I wanted to cut, then cut it out
I then transferred the hole to the template and marked the donor.
Note: the donor section is larger and I included the alignment holes
I think you can see the 1/4 drills I used to align the panel in these two pics.
At this point I traced the opening onto the donor, cut and fit, and welded her in!
Used some All Metal to smooth out the imperfections.... just have to get some primer on
Your work truly is an art form :popcrn:
Quote from: Baldwinvette77 on December 09, 2015, 09:07:12 PM
Your work truly is an art form :popcrn:
Thanks,I keep hoping it will get easier, BUT........
I know I already commented on this update on fbbo but Don I just can't get over how incredibly methodical your work is, as Baldwin said, a true artist of metal!
read the whole tread, and the work here is over the top... :2thumbs: IΒ΄m amazed by all the work done, and looking forward to se the charger complete and ready to run :popcrn: if I ever need to know anything about fitting a panel this thread will be read over and over again... :popcorn:
keep on posting.. :cheers:
read the whole tread, and the work here is over the top... :2thumbs: I'm amazed by all the work done, and looking forward to see the charger complete and ready to run :popcrn: if I ever need to know anything about fitting a panel this thread will be read over and over again... :popcorn:
keep on posting.. :cheers:
Fantastic work Don,
Great to see you haven't given up , big job , turned the corner and its looking like a B body shell again
How's the time to decide if you do want air con,
Because if you don't have a good heat box to use , retro fit kit , holes are in different locations , vintage air
Thank you everyone for all the kind words,
Quote from: fy469rtse on December 16, 2015, 06:03:45 AM
Fantastic work Don,
Great to see you haven't given up , big job , turned the corner and its looking like a B body shell again
How's the time to decide if you do want air con,
Because if you don't have a good heat box to use , retro fit kit , holes are in different locations , vintage air
I decided to go with the original air conditioning. You know, the kind you operate with a crank. ;D
Nice job on the firewall, I never even considered such a simple conversion.
Quote from: gers1968rt on December 17, 2015, 05:56:42 PM
Nice job on the firewall, I never even considered such a simple conversion.
Thanks Ger, ya I was'nt planing on it, but after I got the donor firewall I was keep trying to come up with a way to use it.
Hows your resto going? Have any updates?
Here is a little New Years Day surgery to show ya
I sectioned off the bad
And replaced it with a donor piece
here is how it looked after welding and grinding
I did run into a bit of a snag!
If you notice the bracket with the 2 holes. This should get welded to the top of the rocker.
PROBLEM is I cant get at it... its on the other side, under the donor piece I JUST WELDED IN! :brickwall:
I think the only thing I can do is to add a piece onto the bracket and have it bend to the rear.
THEN I can get at it and weld it to the rocker! :RantExplode:
Don just weld the the corner seam of the bracket to the top of the rocker, makes no difference.
Great work as always, keep it up! :2thumbs:
Quote from: Dino on January 01, 2016, 11:07:54 PM
Don just weld the the corner seam of the bracket to the top of the rocker, makes no difference.
Great work as always, keep it up! :2thumbs:
Hi Dino,
your right! That would be a little easier!
THANKS :2thumbs:
You're welcome :cheers:
Got some more parts blasted
Purchased the Firm Feel reinforcement kit (8 pieces)
sorry I missed one of the triangles in the top pic
2nd pic shows the missing triangle piece (the bottom triangle)
I welded the outer seam all the way around the k-frame
then welded on the pieces from the kit
Here you can see the large full washers welded on
Here I tacked the piece in the corner to hold it
Then with it tacked, I heated the metal, after which I hammered the middle in so the edges would fit better.
Then I welded it
The small sliver piece was done the same way. (No heat was needed)
Here you can see 3 pieces welded in, the c-shaped washer, triangle piece, and the sliver piece
Sorry, I didn't get any pics of the other pieces as they were welded in
Don,
Cool upgrade to your K member. It's nice welding with that heavy steel as you don't ever burn through it like you can the 20 gauge body panels.
Pat
Quote from: keepat on January 20, 2016, 07:54:13 AM
Don,
Cool upgrade to your K member. It's nice welding with that heavy steel as you don't ever burn through it like you can the 20 gauge body panels.
Pat
Hi Pat,
Amen to that! The biggest problem I had, was getting my welder dialed in and the welds to look good as I was not use to the higher settings on the welder.
Looking good. Looks like u got some of ur parts where I been getting my from. His car helping to save at least two cars. And his car gettin a wing and nose and engine.
Did a little work on my lower control arms.
I never got a pic after grinding down the welds.
I will get some after they come back from powdercoat
..."Did a little work on my lower control arms...."
Noted two references to this mod recently, and find it quite interesting. My LCAs are currently out of the car, and this would be a great time to jump on the LCA stiffening bandwagon - Does this make a noticeable difference? Is there a template out there for a guy to follow, with regard to thickness, etc?
--> Edit... http://www.ebay.ca/itm/1965-76-Mopar-A-62-72-B-70-74-E-Body-Lower-Control-Arm-Stiffening-Plates-/201401517559?hash=item2ee47745f7:g:sYcAAOSwgQ9VwiHL&vxp=mtr
Well, what do you know? There they are...
Yup those are it.
I am kinda like you, As long as I had everything apart I figured I may as well do it.
very nice work
I got the 4 speed pedal backer bracket welded into the firewall.
Didn't think that needed welded.
Originally there were 2 spot welds, so I drilled a couple of holes and plug welded them in
Quote from: mopar4don on February 11, 2016, 07:32:45 AM
Originally there were 2 spot welds, so I drilled a couple of holes and plug welded them in
:yesnod:
Ok, next I got my grill support back together.
Before I disassembled the grill support, I drilled some 1/8 holes to aid in re-alignment
These alignment holes worked for self tapping screws
These next 4 pics show the support compleatly finished
Looks good Don! I wish I had a solid grille support lol......baldwinvette ;)
Quote from: Pat1973charger on February 12, 2016, 12:59:21 AM
Looks good Don! I wish I had a solid grille support lol......baldwinvette ;)
Ah, you noticed that extra one ther didnt ya :icon_smile_big:
I was a little concerned about any possible rust that I could not get at when I blasted. (RUST BAD :flame:)
So I bought some Eastwood internal frame coating and sprayed down the inside of the a-pillars and inside the front frame rails
notice all the tape (even the yellow tape on the driver side front frame rail), this was to cover the holes so the coating would not run out
Or should I say it was an attempt to seal the openings and keep the coating from running out
But it did anyway! WHAT a MESS! but I think it is worth it. (at least it makes me feel a little better)
I will most likely spray inside the torsion bars and rear frame rails before the get covered.
here is one more pic of the driver side frame rail
Quote from: mopar4don on February 15, 2016, 10:23:52 PM
notice all the tape (even the yellow tape on the driver side front frame rail), this was to cover the holes so the coating would not run out
I did the same thing. I also sprayed it inside the folds of the trunk lid, hood and the bottom of the doors. But, I didn't think about the A pillars. All places you can't really clean up very well, sometimes you can't even see what's in there! And, yes, that stuff is runny and you can't keep it from seeping out any little hole but I guess that's what makes it a good sealant.
It does clean up with Lacquer thinner, maybe even mineral spirits if it hasn't cured.
Don,
With that grill frame , I modified mine so the top comes off, also hidden welded to make that frame more rigid ,
It does support a plastic grill after all
And with the top separate to rest ,
Amazing how differently you can put the front together ,
Grill support and grill can go in last ,
Front valance and bumper
Looks stock
Quote from: green69rt on February 15, 2016, 11:20:13 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on February 15, 2016, 10:23:52 PM
notice all the tape (even the yellow tape on the driver side front frame rail), this was to cover the holes so the coating would not run out
I did the same thing. I also sprayed it inside the folds of the trunk lid, hood and the bottom of the doors. But, I didn't think about the A pillars. All places you can't really clean up very well, sometimes you can't even see what's in there! And, yes, that stuff is runny and you can't keep it from seeping out any little hole but I guess that's what makes it a good sealant.
It does clean up with Lacquer thinner, maybe even mineral spirits if it hasn't cured.
You say you sprayed it inside the trunk lid and hood. Hmmm :scratchchin:
It's kinda weird you mentioned that as I was just looking at my trunk lid, and wondering what to do about all the rust inside. When I roll the trunk around, I get a lot of rust falling out. (I was thinking about seperating the inner from the outer) But I think spraying that inside should help a lot!
Thanks Green
Quote from: fy469rtse on February 16, 2016, 03:45:37 AM
Don,
With that grill frame , I modified mine so the top comes off, also hidden welded to make that frame more rigid ,
It does support a plastic grill after all
And with the top separate to rest ,
Amazing how differently you can put the front together ,
Grill support and grill can go in last ,
Front valance and bumper
Looks stock
Do you have a link showing how you did this?
Quote from: Pat1973charger on February 12, 2016, 12:59:21 AM
Looks good Don! I wish I had a solid grille support lol......baldwinvette ;)
huh?...... OH CRAP!
Quote from: mopar4don on February 16, 2016, 07:44:14 AM
Quote from: green69rt on February 15, 2016, 11:20:13 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on February 15, 2016, 10:23:52 PM
notice all the tape (even the yellow tape on the driver side front frame rail), this was to cover the holes so the coating would not run out
I did the same thing. I also sprayed it inside the folds of the trunk lid, hood and the bottom of the doors. But, I didn't think about the A pillars. All places you can't really clean up very well, sometimes you can't even see what's in there! And, yes, that stuff is runny and you can't keep it from seeping out any little hole but I guess that's what makes it a good sealant.
It does clean up with Lacquer thinner, maybe even mineral spirits if it hasn't cured.
You say you sprayed it inside the trunk lid and hood. Hmmm :scratchchin:
It's kinda weird you mentioned that as I was just looking at my trunk lid, and wondering what to do about all the rust inside. When I roll the trunk around, I get a lot of rust falling out. (I was thinking about seperating the inner from the outer) But I think spraying that inside should help a lot!
Thanks Green
On the trunk, I just sprayed a lot till I could see a small puddle then moved the lid around to let the liquid run down into all the corners. It dries quick so you have to be quicker. Hood was just sprayed as well as I could. Too big to move around much besides it's a new AMD hood so no rust yet. The edges are where the seams are so maybe it'll help. :shruggy:
I got my front suspension parts back from the powder coater and WOW! I am impressed!
They really did a nice job!
The parts I powder coated are the k-frame, strut bars, sway bar, and boxed LCA's.
My upper control arms were toast so I purchased a set from a fellow DC.com member. They were already painted, and had the ball joints and bushings installed. I also upgraded to the .960 mopar preformance torsion bars. So these two items were not powder coated :'(
more....
Great job grinding down and finishing the weld on your K member! All the reinforcement look original!
Pat
Quote from: keepat on February 27, 2016, 08:49:00 PM
Great job grinding down and finishing the weld on your K member! All the reinforcement look original!
Pat
Thanks Pat, I'm kinda glad someone noticed, as I spent a LOT of time grinding the welds smooth! Not to mention my dremel died because of it. :shruggy:
Nice job. I am watching you to see how rocker and floor and some thing go together :2thumbs:
Quote from: charger chris on February 27, 2016, 09:05:37 PM
Nice job. I am watching you to see how rocker and floor and some thing go together :2thumbs:
Waiting on the weather to get warmer, as I have to have the overhead door open to get around the back side of the car.
Until then I have plenty of other thing to restore.
Oh I under stand that lol. You did job on that tail panel to. I tryed to get that off Dave. I found up north of me. :woohoo: :woohoo:
I have been a little worried about flash rust forming on the firewall repair so I finally got that area primed!
1st I had to build a temporary spray booth
more
Your conversion to a non-AC firewall looks great, nice job!!
Pat
Nice work :2thumbs:
Looking good, Don.
Thanks everyone.
I sure would like it to go faster.......... :brickwall:
Quote from: mopar4don on April 05, 2016, 03:31:06 PM
Thanks everyone.
I sure would like it to go faster.......... :brickwall:
We all would Don but from way I see you have done more to your car in three years than most do in ten. Keep after it and someday in the not so distant future you'll be remembering the work while driving that cool car!
Quote from: Pat1973charger on April 05, 2016, 07:20:34 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on April 05, 2016, 03:31:06 PM
Thanks everyone.
I sure would like it to go faster.......... :brickwall:
We all would Don but from way I see you have done more to your car in three years than most do in ten. Keep after it and someday in the not so distant future you'll be remembering the work while driving that cool car!
Thanks for the encouragement Pat
Your welcome Don, as you know I am in the same boat so I know how it can help. At least your over the jump of fighting the rust, that's a big hurtle to overcome.
Quote from: Pat1973charger on April 06, 2016, 09:44:29 AM
Your welcome Don, as you know I am in the same boat so I know how it can help. At least your over the jump of fighting the rust, that's a big hurtle to overcome.
You are right about that!
I remember it felt real good when I didnt have to look at crusty rusty panels. :yesnod:
Here are some pictures of my heater box resto
I started out with 2 boxes, I will pick and choose the better parts and will end up with one.
Disassembly is pretty easy (just take lots of pics to refer to if need be)
And yes, it nasty if you had mice!
I had to do a little fiberglass repair in a couple of spots.
Sorry I didn't do a very good job of getting "in progress" pictures
I bought the kit from DMT Detroit Muscle Technology
great work Don !!!!!
Here are some pics of the heater box complete.
I am very pleased with how everything turned out.
One thing I would recommend is to by the kit 1st. Then go through there instructions.
They had suggestions on disassembly. Mainly with the internal door arms and how to get them out
Quote from: cdr on April 06, 2016, 08:04:53 PM
great work Don !!!!!
Thanks cdr,
I had to have something to keep me busy during the winter...... I will try and get this thread updated
Don,
Great job resurrecting your heater box, looks awesome!
Pat
I see your heater box kit may have actually came with the thicker foam washers for the flapper "washers". I had to make mine from some packing material because they were awol.
:coolgleamA: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
I need some help fellas with my trunk pan and rear valance......
And please comment on that page
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,123434.0.html
yes it is correct with that gap i'm doing mine at the moment but make sure the tail panel is also in line as i just found out with mine the turkey that started the restoration on my car had the car on a rotisserie while removing the floor pan which in turn has bent the chassis rails upwards by a a half inch or so which when i try to align the tail panel its a 1/2 inch to high or if i connect the tail panel to the 1/4 panels the trunk pan is to high so some how i have to bent the chassis rails down a half inch which don't sound a lot but the rail are under like a spring load.if any one has any suggestion on how to approach this any tips would help
While I'm working on the back end of my car, I thought I would update you all with my e-brake restoration
before
after....
:2thumbs:
It's been a while since I have updated you all. Been really busy with that thing called life.
I did manage to get a vacation in. :icon_smile_big:
To me it was the vacation of a lifetime....
My wife and I had the opportunity to take a cruise to Alaska,and all I can say is WOW,
Its not every day you get to see such pure magnificent beauty!
Here are are few pics..
Here are perfect examples of our "purple mountain majesty"
I've never seen purple mountains before!
This is the Dawes Glacier, The ship stopped 1 mile from from it. (Notice the double decker excursion boat)
I was truly overwhelmed by the sheer size of everything and I thank God for giving me the opportunity to go and see it!
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS TRIP TO EVERYONE!
WOW!!!!
Awesome, Id love to go there!
Yeah WOW.
What is really awesome is if you look at the pictures of the mountains notice how the sides have been smoothed and how they are very steep.
These channels were dug out by glaciers of long ago. We were told that as the glaciers moved they dug these channels and they smoothed out the sides of the mountain as they went along. Where you see jagged rocks twords the top, thats were the highest point of the glacier was. Below the jagged rocks the awesome force of the glacier smoothed out the sides of the mountain. So as you look up along the sides you see it smoothed off.
This gives you a little bit of a perspective.
Neat pics, thanks for sharing them. Which part of Alaska was that?
Quote from: Charger_Fan on July 19, 2016, 04:03:45 PM
Neat pics, thanks for sharing them. Which part of Alaska was that?
South East Alaska.
These pics were from the Tracy Arm-Fjords Terror Wilderness.
Tracy Arm-Fords Terror Wilderness contains 653,179 acres (2,643.32 km2) and consists of two deep and narrow fjords: Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Both fjords are over 30 miles (48 km) long and one-fifth of their area is covered in ice. During the summer, the fjords have considerable floating ice ranging from hand-sized to pieces as large as a three-story building.
Car update
I cant believe it's been 3+ months since I started foolin around with
the back end of this car!
Basically with the help and advise from some of the members here and over at
forbbodies.com I was able to get it together. A BIG thank-you to ALL who helped!
The biggest problem I had was getting the quarter panel
(with the corner cap mounted) to line up with the rear crossmember.
Either the quarter is not far enough back, or the crossmember is not right.
I know some have addressed this problem by slicing the quarters and
welding in a pie shaped piece.
But after advise from our members I got my BIG OL HAMMER out and bent the end
of the crossmember back, far enough, so I could attach the corner cap.
Once I got that close (on both sides) I fit the rear valance and tail panel
and got everything to go together with clamps and screws.
Once I was satisfied with the fitment of those parts, I started over and fit
the trunk drop-offs in. this took a lot of work, as the crossmember, corner
cap with quarter panel, and the trunk drop-off all come together and have to
fit and look right! (WOW I'M TIRED JUST THINKING ABOUT ALL THAT WORK)
Here she is with the back half all put together (temporarily)
I even have the deck filler panel and trunk gutters in.
I set the trunk lid in and I was pleased with the fitment and gaps!
I have a little bit of work to do to the deck filler panel.
Need to work the right and left sides to get a better fit to the quarters.
I also got my dash and the other buckskin tan colored parts painted.
I am extremely happy with the results!
(A huge THANKYOU to my friend Rafael who did the painting)
I had our local PPG paint distributor color match the glove box door hinge.
In the picture it looks a little darker than the real thing which turned out
REALLY CLOSE! The parts even have the correct suede finish!
So now that I am happy with the fitment of the sheet metal on the rear of the
car, It's time to get serious and start welding her up!
Here I have the sheet metal removed again (I must have done this a 100 times)
And I have the inner rockers welded to the front cross member and rear frame
rails.
:2thumbs:
Looking good! You keep me motivated on my project. By the that's a very interesting circuit you have running off the electrical panel.
be sure & test fit the 1/4 panel end caps.
Quote from: Cncguy on August 01, 2016, 12:35:50 PM
Looking good! You keep me motivated on my project. By the that's a very interesting circuit you have running off the electrical panel.
You like that? That was so I could have light at the panel when I was working on my overhead lights
Quote from: cdr on August 01, 2016, 01:10:11 PM
be sure & test fit the 1/4 panel end caps.
Yeah I did that and they will need a little massaging. I figured that could be done after the back was nailed down.
How did you do yours?
Quote from: mopar4don on August 01, 2016, 01:13:45 PM
Quote from: cdr on August 01, 2016, 01:10:11 PM
be sure & test fit the 1/4 panel end caps.
Yeah I did that and they will need a little massaging. I figured that could be done after the back was nailed down.
How did you do yours?
Yes! this was the mistake I made 10 years ago on mine. I wished I got them perfect before tacking the quarter skin in place.
Don, nice progress! Rear panel fit looks great!
Pat
Bet you feel inspired with that new sheet metal hung on there even if it was only temporary. After all that time dealing with all the little repairs all over the sub structure it is now time to reap the rewards. You certainly deserve it. :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Quote from: Stevearino on August 01, 2016, 07:01:19 PM
Bet you feel inspired with that new sheet metal hung on there even if it was only temporary. After all that time dealing with all the little repairs all over the sub structure it is now time to reap the rewards. You certainly deserve it. :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
You are to kind, thank you.
Nice Work. :2thumbs: LEON.
Great work! Another one saved :2thumbs:
Here is my dilemma
I welded the passenger side rocker in and now I find that it is out of level by 1/4"- 3/8" in a 4 foot distance.
The rear of the car was completely mocked up (assembled using screws) including the rockers. (look back the last couple of pages)
So nothing has moved, its right back were it was during mock up.
I knew the rockers were out of level a bit but figured it was ok because everything else came out good
So now I am second guessing myself and wondering if I really messed up!
And maybe I am a bit paranoid, but I just would like to know what to do or if there are other things I can check.
I have adjusted the door to get a consistent gap on the bottom, and with the window up the gap looks ok, but I don't know for sure until I get the drip rail and door seal installed.
The car is on a chassis jig, and the torsion bar crossmember and rear frame rails are in the correct location (they are level front to back as per the frame diagram)
So any help or advice is appreciated
more pics of the door gaps
1/4" off? Congratulations, you are within acceptable range and will be offered a position at Chrysler. :lol:
Seriously, they are not all that precise so take a deep breath, everything will be fine. As long as the door lines up well with the quarter and you can get the fender to align decent you'll be halfway there. And they'll line up just fine. They may require tweaking to get them closer to modern car specs but that is to be expected on any old mopar. The glass can be tweaked in any direction easily and the roof seal and trim don't change how the glass fits now. Don't worry about that.
So all that is left really is cosmetic. If the unlevel rocker bothers you then simply cut, tweak, and weld. You could fix it with lead but splicing it is going to be much easier. Just don't start cutting until you have all the panels in place.
Quote from: Dino on September 10, 2016, 07:43:43 PM
1/4" off? Congratulations, you are within acceptable range and will be offered a position at Chrysler. :lol:
Seriously, they are not all that precise so take a deep breath, everything will be fine. As long as the door lines up well with the quarter and you can get the fender to align decent you'll be halfway there. And they'll line up just fine. They may require tweaking to get them closer to modern car specs but that is to be expected on any old mopar. The glass can be tweaked in any direction easily and the roof seal and trim don't change how the glass fits now. Don't worry about that.
So all that is left really is cosmetic. If the unlevel rocker bothers you then simply cut, tweak, and weld. You could fix it with lead but splicing it is going to be much easier. Just don't start cutting until you have all the panels in place.
Thanks Dino, you make me feel better.
Unlevel rockers do not bother me at all. In fact when I ever get it done it will have the back raked up a bit anyway.
I never did fit the fenders. I was so worried about the back that I never even thought about the front fenders
As long as you respect the order of installing panels, you'll breeze through this. And frankly, a little cut and paste here and there would not be much of a deal, especially on something as straightforward as a rocker. No pun intended. ;)
Line up the door with the quarter and only the quarter. Disregard the rocker for now. Just make the door with with the top and side of the rocker, and make the gap between the two as nice as you can. It won't be a perfect gap so don't let it throw you off and don't compromise the fit of the dor with the top and side of the quarter. Now mount the fender and do the same. When the skins all fit well then you essentially are on the home stretch. Even if the gaps are off and the rockers are off, they can be tweaked without to much effort. Tweaking skins to fit is a pita.
Do both sides and get the hood in place. When all that is done get the bumper and front valance on. Those are your last pieces to possibly tweak. The grille is more forgiving to move around but if you have it stick it in there. Take your time, go slow and step away from it often. Once you get through the fitment stuff life gets better. :2thumbs:
So it's time for an update....
While fitting the quarter panel I realized I needed to fix a small detail.
At the bottom corner of the lock jam pillar is a small extension of metal that should wrap under the mating area of the quarter panel.
Since the lip of the quarter is really short I decided to fix this area
This is a lot better
Same fix on the drivers side......
And my 1-1/2 year old grand son approves
Awww :lol:
:2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Stellar work as usual Don. Cute little grandson, my little guy is almost 2 1/2 now and he loves going in the gaage (garage) and helping daddy work on stuff. I figure if I can get him into cars when he's young, when he's a teenager he will be home tinkering instead of getting into trouble. Looking forward to the next update!
Very nice job! I'm sure your grandson would love to drive your Charger in 15 years ;-)
Pat
Quote from: Pat1973charger on November 12, 2016, 07:11:45 AM
Stellar work as usual Don. Cute little grandson, my little guy is almost 2 1/2 now and he loves going in the gaage (garage) and helping daddy work on stuff. I figure if I can get him into cars when he's young, when he's a teenager he will be home tinkering instead of getting into trouble. Looking forward to the next update!
Thanks Pat, I'm hoping when he gets a little older he will want to to come over and tinker.
Quote from: keepat on November 12, 2016, 07:28:01 AM
Very nice job! I'm sure your grandson would love to drive your Charger in 15 years ;-)
Pat
Thanks Pat, That would be awesome!
Awesome work! You're at the point where I got discouraged with my other Mopar. Starting to get back into it after reading every sheet metal magazine article for the past 8 years.
Quote from: Bronzedodge on November 12, 2016, 03:18:36 PM
Awesome work! You're at the point where I got discouraged with my other Mopar. Starting to get back into it after reading every sheet metal magazine article for the past 8 years.
Thats just it Bronzedodge. You have to stay with it over the long haul. I may not work on mine every day, but lord willing, I will get it done.
There are lots of things more important than working on these old cars! (I have to remind myself of this from time to time)
:popcrn: nice
This update is long overdue....
Wow it has been a while (almost 3 months) A lot has happened, I will recap.
Just before Christmas I put a new (used) motor in my wifes 2005 Tahoe. Here are a few pics of the motor as I recieved it
This motor is used and has 75,000 on it. It comes with a 36,000 or 3 year warranty on it.
They go through the motor and test it. But I was quite impressed!
I pulled the valve covers for inspection and it was clean!
Out with the old...
Not a lot of room! I sure am glad I built my garage 28 feet deep.
Still not a lot of room! (never big enough)
I sure am glad I had a couple of helpers, (2 of my sons) They helped a lot! Love you guys!
here it is, a nice and snug.
I never did get a completed picture but you guys know what they look like.
The old motor made it to 199428, not bad considering it had (I believe) the infamous castech head crack problem. (the head develops a crack allowing coolant to get in the oil).
It never turned milky but would turn the oil into sludge. I was changing oil every 2000 miles. As long as I did that, the oil did not sludge. If I let it go to 3000 miles, SLUDGE! WEIRD!
I lived with it this way for about 4 years, until one warm autumn day we were one our way camping (towing a 28 footer) when I heard the engine beginning to knock. I check the oil pressure and it is below 20! NOT good. To make a long story short we get it home, I switched vehicles and we finished the weekend camping. I get back and look the truck over, and all is good, a bit low on the oil pressure but it ran fine! You would never know it had a problem. So now I don't trust it and I start looking for a motor .....
Good job with the swap :cheers: so now you can get back to the charger right? :drool5:
My dremel died AGAIN!
I decided I was not buying another one so I picked up this gem!
It's a Dumore grinder, and this thing is BUILT to last!
Here you can see how much beefier it is than the dremel.
Here I am, puting it to use, grinding down those pesky hard to reach plug welds
Quote from: mopar4don on February 14, 2017, 10:32:42 PM
My dremel died AGAIN!
Mine died a couple of times, one time it was just the brushes, the other time it was the switch. Have you tried fixing it?
I still have it, It was like 2 weeks old when it died, so it's probably the switch, The one before this got hot and seized up, so I just didnt want to put more money into it.
Dremels are crap....OK for handy crafts and the like but just not man enough for real work like grinding. Mine are always burning out brushes or overheating!
They work great for most things, but if you are running them a lot, then they just don't cut it!
My advise, is to pick up a Dumore, a bit bulkier but WAY worth it. as soon as you turn it on, you can feel the power, (darn thing wants to jump out of your hand)
Update-
I want to get all the panels installed and gapped, then I will go back and start welding everything up. So I will start with the fenders.
I have 4 sets (I know, I know I am a hoarder) ::) actually I knew some of them were junk so that's why I have so many! :D
This is one that previously was blasted and primed. It is the best pass side that I have, BUT it needs work as shown with the tape marking those areas.
First here is the inside showing some rot on the inner door edge structure
I found a door support that we will use
Here you can see after I blasted the donor structure there was some damage. Easily fixed.
I originally planed on splicing the inner structure, but when I saw the heavy pitting that was behind it I changed my mind and decided to replace the entire structure. This allowed me to be sure the metal behind the structure was good, and that the entire structure that I was putting in was good front and back!
:popcrn:
That had to make you smile seeing the the right side of your Charger look like a Charger again! I hope to hang my fenders soon as well. It's been a few years for both of our cars ;-)
Thanks
Pat
:popcrn: :popcrn:
Ok I left off with fixing the fender door brace.
Ok now for the really fun stuff!
The pass fender needs some patches made for the front and rear dog legs (front and rear of the wheel)
So I will start at the rear dog leg
So I looked at my junk fender collection for a patch (I have a few :yesnod:), and took the best I had.
Unfortunately the patch is going to need a patch (IT NEVER ENDS!) :rotz:
So I found some metal from a junk quarter panel that had the same basic shape AND it had a 90 bend!
After some welding
SO next I need to get the profile a bit closer (the profile along the edge of the door) so I made up some templates and worked in in
Working it in involved a shrinker...
I also used the inner fender support bracket to help get it into position.
Not too many people can say they patched their patch panels! :2thumbs:
Looks good as usual. I am in the same boat. I have patched a lot of my patch and replacement panels haha
I see a spot where you could fit one more vice grip clamp in... ;D
Nice work, you're making progress! :2thumbs:
A little update....
Cut off the old rusted through area on the fender.
Here I got the new patch positioned using the inner brace to help
Once I was satisfied with the positioning of the patch I started welding
Here is a pic showing the seam welded and ground On the front and back side. Not real proud of my work as I am still getting sink marks around the weld. Even though I am planishing every weld dot.
Oh well needs a little bumping and filing.
Quote from: mopar4don on June 05, 2017, 02:57:43 PM
Even though I am planishing every weld dot.
snip
Don, how are you planishing that spot? By hand with a hammer and dolley or a power planishing hammer?
Hello Don
It was nice meeting you. Thank for working with me on the firewall. I will put it back on the car where it was cut off. I am trying use all the he pull off of it.
Very nice work, really admire stuff like that. :2thumbs:
Some folks have deep pockets that carry them through a resto. I don't think anyone would argue with me that you are working with deep commitment and talent. :2thumbs:
Quote from: Stevearino on June 25, 2017, 06:08:57 PM
Some folks have deep pockets that carry them through a resto. I don't think anyone would argue with me that you are working with deep commitment and talent. :2thumbs:
:iagree: Absolutely! :cheers:
Next I will be showing how I patched the lower front area of this fender.
I will form the entire lower area cutting it just above the body line (in this view) as shown by the blue line
I have another fender (from a 68 Charger) that is good in this area, so I will be using it as a reference to make templates for this patch.
I started by removing the inner structure from the nose of the fender.
I did this because I thought it would be in the way. And I may fix the 68 fender and sell it at some point.
pic2
This pic shows the area I will be reproducing (hopefully)
So to help with forming this patch panel, I will make a Flexible Shape Pattern or (FSP).
The FSP will be used to compare the patch that will be formed by hammer and shot bag. (more on this later)
I used 3/4 inch wide 3M reinforced tape like this
I started by covering the area with saran wrap. The tape will stick to the saran wrap and allow you to remove it.
Then I started laying the tape. (2 layers at approx 90 degrees to each other)
more pics
Holy shit :o
Now getting the metal ready for hammering
pic1 I selected some metal from an old quarter panel and used the FSP to get a rough size
pic2 I layed out a grid or sections onto the metal I am trying to duplicate.
pic3 Then I transferred the intersections to the FSP (flexible shape pattern).
pic4 Then I transferred those intersection cross hairs to the new metal patch
Then I transferred the outer shape to the patch.
Here is a good picture of how well the FSP holds its shape.
So know that I have the rough outer shape and each section line transferred to the metal I have to create section templates along each section line.
pic1 shows an inner and outer template (I made the outer from the orig fender, and figured I might need the inner)
pic2-3 These pics show checking my progress with the templates
pic4 shows a template comparing back to the original fender
Nice...not seen that tape used before. I tend to do that stuff by eye...just copying the other side of the vehicle. Usually works well enough. I also rely on the fact that no-one can see both sides of the vehicle at the same time! Good work as always.
In this pic you can see how I went back and body worked the patch with hammer and dolly
Looks pretty smooth!
Not sure how interested everyone is on how I made this patch. But I am quite proud of it. Especially for my 1st try. I give all the credit to MP&C over at garagejournal.com. This guy is an absolute magician. I learned a LOT just reading through his different threads! I cannot thank him enough! THANKS ROBERT! Please everyone check out his thread and be AMAZED!
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=182565
And here is the thread were I asked for help on making this patch.
It has much more detail, and the advise MP&C gives is worth sharing!:thankyou:
I don't come in until page 24 post #436
https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=53534
Very cool stuff!
That's pretty awesome! And I can try it too - since I'm so slow and still need more patches...
Troy
Quote from: Troy on August 07, 2017, 01:00:20 PM
That's pretty awesome! And I can try it too - since I'm so slow and still need more patches...
Troy
I thought I was the slow one!
For those who are interested I will go ahead and finish how I made the patch here. But for a more detailed version go to the link above.
So now that the patch has been formed, it is time to start tipping the edges.
notice the anvil I used to form the 1st tip.
The next tip is where things started to go bad!
You can see it extending from the bottom of the bag, parallel to the bottom edge of the patch.
What I noticed from this tip is it straightened out the curve that runs parallel to the tipped edge.
So not sure what to do I cut the 1st tip off with the idea that I would weld it back on later.
I must admit that after trying this first two tips and it not working. I was so disgusted and not sure what to do that I was ready to quit! :brickwall:
That is until I got a little encouragement from MP&C and I continued on...
You've already gotten that panel shaped a ton better than I think I ever could. :2thumbs: Robert (MP&C) and others who post on the metal shaping forums make it look SO easy. I tried my hand at some simple forming a while back & just made a total mess of it. So kudos to you for getting it this far! :cheers:
Looking forward to seeing your continued success!
You are doing a fantastic job on this car. Amazing skill and determination.
I've also been reading Roberts thread over the last few months. It's really inspiring and I've learned a lot from his thread. It's better than watching TV.
Your thread is also very inspiring especially as my Charger likely needs as much work as yours did.
Keep up the good work.
Matt.
Ok I need to get this thread caught up......
Here I started tipping 2 sides and the corner
2nd pic you can see the anvil I used to shape the corner
This corner was a bear! I had to put heat to it and working it over and over until it moved to where I wanted it.
checked the profile, and you can see how far off I am.
So I made up some shrinking pliers
Here you can see I heated the folds up cherry red and I clamped the metal down (this helped hold the tucks when hammering)
Now the profile looks good
here is the other end after a little shrinking as well
The panel is getting close!
So next I want to tip this edge in to be like the original
This is what I used and it worked pretty well. I would clamp at the line and slightly bend it. I didn't know how it was going to work because there is a crown in the panel. I assume it worked because I was only bending a little bit at a time moving back and forth.
looks pretty good
(pic1) Now it's time to cut out the old
(pic2 and pic3) and put in the new (after a lot of fitting)
(pic4) here it is after it is welded in
Overall it turned out pretty well :2thumbs:
:o very good :2thumbs:
Nice work Don!
Thanks for the compliments CDR and keepat! :yesnod:
Very nice. :2thumbs:
Don by the time you are done this car you will be good enough that the only thing you will need to build your next Charger will be pallet of flat sheet metal. :2thumbs:
This is my favorite thread on the whole board, hands down. :2thumbs:
Great skills there. Beats all the cheese section cutting and welding I would have done to do a similar job!
Nice to see this stuff Don, too many nowadays think that if the part can't be found in an AMD catalog then the car cannot be fixed.
Thank you very much guys! I am truly humbled by the kind words! :blush2:
There is a draw back to my approach. And that is it takes a newbie like me a long time, but on the up side, it is a whole lot cheaper!
nice job !! :2thumbs: :cheers: :yesnod: :popcrn:
awesome work!! :drool5: :cheers:
That is very clever work for sure!!! :2thumbs:
:cheers:
Quote from: mopar4don on October 03, 2017, 11:38:26 AM
Thank you very much guys! I am truly humbled by the kind words! :blush2:
There is a draw back to my approach. And that is it takes a newbie like me a long time, but on the up side, it is a whole lot cheaper!
And very satisfying too I should think. You did a great job there. Thanks for sharing your knowledge Don.
Great work as usual Don!
Ok next area to fix on these fenders is the front nose.
Stay tuned.......
Mr you are my HERO!!! thank you for all of your hard work and dedication in posting pictures of each step of this!!! :cheers: :drool5: :2thumbs:
So what I have is one fender with the nose a bit to blunt (passenger side)
pic1
And the other (driver side) that is just a mess and needs a lot of work (surprise surprise)
pic2
I had previously removed the headlight bucket support (pic1)
and because I want NO rust, I went ahead and removed the inner antenna support (pic2-3)
and wheel well brace. These will get blasted and repaired if needed (pic4-5)
Don, Nice work!
Pat
Quote from: keepat on December 20, 2017, 02:30:52 PM
Don, Nice work!
Pat
Thanks Pat,
Just trying to keep up with you!
So I figured I needed some templates to help me fix the nose of these fenders.
I have another fender that has a good nose so I layed out a grid on it and made templates that would match each grid line or section line. Sorry didn't get a good pic, but you can kind of see the grid in this pic
Next I made the templates (each one corresponds to a section line)
I then transferred the grid to the fender
These next pics show the template along the section line and you will see how far off the metal is. The same templates were used for both fenders. NOTICE how the pics of the grey fender were taken from above looking down. And the pics of the black fender were from below looking up.
I'm going to make a guess and say that if you bought two new AMD fenders and compared the profile of all five (your three and the two new ones), you would find that they are all different. I bought a left and right for my 69 and compared to a OEM fender and none matched. If you want them to match you'll have to chose the one to use as the pattern and match the other. Things may have changed since I bought mine but I wouldn't count on it.
Quote from: green69rt on December 21, 2017, 03:31:29 PM
I'm going to make a guess and say that if you bought two new AMD fenders and compared the profile of all five (your three and the two new ones), you would find that they are all different. I bought a left and right for my 69 and compared to a OEM fender and none matched. If you want them to match you'll have to chose the one to use as the pattern and match the other. Things may have changed since I bought mine but I wouldn't count on it.
Hi Mitch,
I can tell you that they do match each other. That's why I used the template. I wanted something to compare to, and they may as well be consistent. Unlike Ma Mopar did it back in the day, as you noted.
Very clever using the reference lines. I'll be using that handy little tip on my own Charger! :2thumbs:
Don, What I love about this project so far is the amount of sweat equity you have invested. Your ingenuity is refreshing in a store bought world. :cheers:
Time to make a patch for the nose of the drivers side
Got the inner patch made
That looks familiar ....! If I had a Pound for every patch I've made for mine I would not have to restore this one...I could buy a restored one!!! :lol:
Quote from: alfaitalia on January 04, 2018, 08:19:53 AM
That looks familiar ....! If I had a Pound for every patch I've made for mine I would not have to restore this one...I could buy a restored one!!! :lol:
Right you are!
I had to cut out the bad area in the fender and then use the shrinker to form the outer contour
I also added the wrap around shape of the nose to my templates.
Here you can see two more layers that I stapled together. I need this to help me with the shape of the nose and "inner flap patch"
In this pic you can see the inner flap and the contour was matched to the outer patch using a stretcher
So after fitting the patch, (grind, fit contour, REPEAT, and REPEAT and REPEAT)
I welded it in
Once it was welded in I could fit the "inner patch" using the wrap around templates
(I used magnets to hold the patch)
So after welding in the nose patch, I noticed a problem in the front profile of the patch
(view as if you were standing at the side of the car)
So I made another template from my good fender (view from inside of fender)
pic1
pic2-3 Is the view from outside of the fender
No other way but to slice it, and gap it to fit the template
Awesome work as always.
Quote from: 6pkrtse on January 10, 2018, 01:35:42 PM
Awesome work as always.
Thank you, but I should have caught this earlier!
My mistake was not referencing the horizontal templates!
I should have had vertical lines and marks on my templates indicating that vertical line.
Then I would not have had this problem. But sometimes I learn as I go. (I know, I know I learn how to fix my mistakes)
Don,
Nice looking repair, I don't look at it as a mistake but more like another step in the restoration. I know I've added a lot of extra steps in my restoration ;-)
Pat
Nice work :cheers:
freaking beautiful, man! :cheers:
:o :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Awesome work Don.
I'm hungry for some beans now.
The pass side fender was not as bad, I cut the inner flap from the nose (like the drivers side) and ended up making a tool to hammer out the nose.
(sorry no pics of this process)
I did layout the grid and used the same templates to get the nose shape correct.
I took all fender components and blasted them
Ok, next the drivers side fender has this bad area
and I have a 68 junk fender that is good in that area,
so........ a slicing we go
Man! This car has come along way!
Man looking good Don :popcrn:
Thanks fellas
I got the fenders and related pieces epoxy primed, along with the front valance and subframe connectors
now to put the fenders back together
1st I welded in the cowl/antenna bracket. Before I removed this I had drilled 1/8 holes to help locate it when it goes back together (look by the vise grip) I really do try to think ahead, but sometimes I do overthink things :yesnod:
Next I welded in the rear brace (no locating holes on this one)
Ok these next few pics are gonna be a little out of sequence, but for now we will stay with the pass side fender.
I welded in the headlight buckets (pilot alignment holes used) and the inner lip of the fender. (Sorry I didnt get enough pics of this) I will show a few more pics of the inner lip on the drivers side fender
just like a bought one :2thumbs:
More great looking work Don!
Are you going to be satisfied with just driving this car when it's done? Or are you going to need to buy another to rebuild?! :laugh: I just ask because you are so committed to this (and I feel the same about my cars).
Quote from: ht4spd307 on January 26, 2018, 10:39:30 AM
just like a bought one :2thumbs:
Thanks thats the idea (I like it to look brand new)
Quote from: Homerr on January 26, 2018, 11:29:08 AM
More great looking work Don!
Are you going to be satisfied with just driving this car when it's done? Or are you going to need to buy another to rebuild?! :laugh: I just ask because you are so committed to this (and I feel the same about my cars).
Right now I would I would like to do another build, but we will see how I feel when I get this done! :scratchchin:
As promised here are some pics of the driver side showing how I did that inner lip.
So here you can see I used those alignment holes and screws to hold the bucket and inner lip patch. I did check the shape with my profile templates (which was good)
So I took it apart and prepped the metal for welding and tacked it together
then I added these two wings to make it like it was originally
Welded in the front support
Finished fender and its on the car! :yesnod: :thumbs:
Looks good. :cheers: Have we picked a colour for this project yet? :popcrn:
:o :o :o :o OUTSTANDING !!!!!! :2thumbs:
Great stuff Don !! :2thumbs:
Quote from: JB400 on January 29, 2018, 06:16:27 PM
Looks good. :cheers: Have we picked a colour for this project yet? :popcrn:
Thanks JB, color well it was originaly T7 with a white vinyl top, so we will see. I like the this color
Quote from: cdr on January 29, 2018, 06:27:57 PM
:o :o :o :o OUTSTANDING !!!!!! :2thumbs:
Thanks Charlie
Quote from: birdsandbees on January 29, 2018, 06:56:04 PM
Great stuff Don !! :2thumbs:
Thank you sir.
I am still tring to get this thread up to date
When you are done you could hold master classes for restoration. Awesome work man! :cheers: :2thumbs:
Don,
Nice work on the fenders!!
Pat
Fantastic work Don, it's a joy to watch your wizardry at work. You should be beaming with pride. You can't buy that!
Quote from: Bronzedodge on January 29, 2018, 11:32:05 PM
When you are done you could hold master classes for restoration. Awesome work man! :cheers: :2thumbs:
who me??? thats funny :rofl:
Quote from: keepat on January 30, 2018, 08:45:24 PM
Don,
Nice work on the fenders!!
Pat
Thanks Pat
Quote from: Dino on January 30, 2018, 08:59:23 PM
Fantastic work Don, it's a joy to watch your wizardry at work. You should be beaming with pride. You can't buy that!
It is because of you guys (DC.com members) and all your help.
It's time for another update.
The last thing on the list (I HOPE) before I can start welding everything is the doors.
Now with 3 sets of doors to choose from, you would think I could get one decent set? AH NO!
I won't bore you with a bunch of pics, but I ended up de-skining each door, looking for something to use. I ended up buying AMD door skins and picking the best inner doors I could. Unfortunately they needed patching.
SO HERE WE GO AGAIN
Both inner's need new metal along the bottom, so I bent some strips up and went to work.
:2thumbs: :yesnod:
Bravo man! I admire your dedication. :cheers: :cheers:
:popcrn:
more pics of fixing inner door metal
pic3 Measured and transfered the holes for the door seal
OK, I epoxy primed the inner doors and reinstalled the door reinforcement plates and internal brackets
As I said over there... you're doing some GREAT metal work Don! Keep making progress.. :2thumbs:
Quote from: birdsandbees on March 27, 2018, 01:13:07 PM
As I said over there... you're doing some GREAT metal work Don! Keep making progress.. :2thumbs:
Thank you sir! I work on it a couple of hours at a time!
Quote from: mopar4don on March 27, 2018, 01:27:18 PM
Thank you sir! I work on it a couple of hours at a time!
Better than what I've spent the last 4 days on.. Corporate tax returns.. :brickwall:
Quote from: birdsandbees on March 27, 2018, 02:01:00 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on March 27, 2018, 01:27:18 PM
Thank you sir! I work on it a couple of hours at a time!
Better than what I've spent the last 4 days on.. Corporate tax returns.. :brickwall:
YOU GOT ME THERE! :eek2:
Look what the big brown truck brought me! My AMD door skins! And they look good!
I had to remove these brackets from the top window edge of the old door skins
*Note how they were located with the notch
Real good work going on here! I'm always checking for updates on this thread!
Always enjoy your work, keep it up.
Quote from: orange383 on April 01, 2018, 04:10:41 PM
Real good work going on here! I'm always checking for updates on this thread!
Thank you sir. I just wish I could go faster!
Quote from: CDN72SE on April 01, 2018, 05:30:49 PM
Always enjoy your work, keep it up.
Thanks
So once I got them were I liked them I welded them in.
(I had to assemble the glass and vent wing to make sure they were in position)
Then I punched some holes in around the perimeter of the door skin (for plug welding)
pic1
Next I installed the sound deadening pads
pic2-3
And then I installed the skin, bending over the lip.
I used a hammer and dolly, and a hockey puck for a dolly. I was very careful bending a little at a time. Checking my progress along the bottom with a straight edge. (level)
I will hold off on welding the door skin until I get all of the panels on and fitted. This will give me a little bit of adjustment with the skin.
It all turned out very well! :2thumbs:
Amazing to see how far you have come Don. This is really starting to take shape. Note of caution. Don't lean too hard on those doors. My AMD skins were very weak compared to the spring steel that the old stuff was made out of. I understand that softer metal is used to preserve the life of the dies and they look great. I am also grateful they make the dang things. Just saying when I was buffing out my roof my thigh made an impression on the door that I had to work out very carefully after the finish paint. Awesome job as always. :cheers: :cheers:
As always, AWESOME work Don !!!!! :2thumbs:
Great job Don! Looks awesome!
Pat
Quote from: Stevearino on May 02, 2018, 03:57:59 PM
Amazing to see how far you have come Don. This is really starting to take shape. Note of caution. Don't lean too hard on those doors. My AMD skins were very weak compared to the spring steel that the old stuff was made out of. I understand that softer metal is used to preserve the life of the dies and they look great. I am also grateful they make the dang things. Just saying when I was buffing out my roof my thigh made an impression on the door that I had to work out very carefully after the finish paint. Awesome job as always. :cheers: :cheers:
WOW, I had no idea the steel was different. But what you say about the softer metal preserving the dies does make sense.
I will keep this in mind when working around the body panels. Thank you so much!!
Quote from: cdr on May 02, 2018, 04:19:57 PM
As always, AWESOME work Don !!!!! :2thumbs:
Much appreciated
Quote from: keepat on May 02, 2018, 06:34:05 PM
Great job Don! Looks awesome!
Pat
Thank you Pat
Wow, That's a lot of work on one car. Luckily you can do it yourself instead of having to pay some one. Curious if you know how many hours you have into it or if your even keeping track. Nice work. LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on May 04, 2018, 10:26:34 PM
Wow, That's a lot of work on one car. Luckily you can do it yourself instead of having to pay some one. Curious if you know how many hours you have into it or if your even keeping track. Nice work. LEON.
Thanks Leon,
When I started this project I knew what I was getting into..... well maybe I thought I knew what I was getting into :o
It has been a real eye opener for me, especially when I think about how much time it takes to get something done! Like redoing the fenders, I think that took me all winter! 4+ months :icon_smile_blackeye: so to answer your question, I have not kept track of hours, but it seems like a LOT!
Don
Update-
I layed out my steering column parts to reassemble.
note: I used this article to help me in reassembly
http://moparconnectionmagazine.com/...-restoration-turn-signal-switch-installation/
pic1 I then inserted the tube into the column and slid the spring over the end
pic2-3 then I slid the lower bearing on and bolted it up
Next I inserted the shaft. Don't do it like I did or you will have to unbolt the lower bearing and slide it over the shaft and then re-bolt it to the column (because of the drive dogs on the shaft) :brickwall:
pic 1 This side of the column is most of the work
pic 2 First the lower collar goes on
pic 3 then the upper
pic 4 here are the parts we need to assemble
pic1 start with the c-clip (this helps to prevent the upper bearing from going to far)
pic2 next on is the upper bearing. (I applied a light coat of grease to help it slide)
pic3 next I carefully tapped the bearing into place.
In this pic I used the old bearing against the new bearing along with a deep well socket, this way I was pushing on the inner race.
pic1-3 next is the upper retaining clip
pic4 then the bearing insulator goes on over the bearing
pic5 next is the hardest part! bolting the collars together. This may take a lot of trial and error to get it right
pic1 then the turn signal switch goes in held by the retainer
pic2 next I put the wire cover on
pic3 and the lower black plastic cover
Now for the wiring the new plug.
I referred back to pics I had when I disassembled the plug and to be absolutely sure I looked at the schematic to be sure the way it was correct!
pic1 Then I bolted on the column bracket
pic2 and put on a temporary steering wheel and the firewall bracket and wrapped it up in plastic and put it away for safe keeping.
I will put the rag joint on when it goes in the car.
Quote from: mopar4don on July 25, 2018, 10:03:03 AM
Update-
I layed out my steering column parts to reassemble.
note: I used this article to help me in reassembly
http://moparconnectionmagazine.com/...-restoration-turn-signal-switch-installation/
http://moparconnectionmagazine.com/switched-on-mopar-steering-column-restoration-turn-signal-switch-installation/ (http://moparconnectionmagazine.com/switched-on-mopar-steering-column-restoration-turn-signal-switch-installation/)
Very nice write up and pictures in your build. :2thumbs:
thanks CDN
Quote from: mopar4don on July 25, 2018, 10:22:21 AM
pic1-3 next is the upper retaining clip
pic4 then the bearing insulator goes on over the bearing
pic5 next is the hardest part! bolting the collars together. This may take a lot of trial and error to get it right
Boy, ain't that the truth!
Nice work Don. :2thumbs:
Thank you sir
Here are some before and after pics of the door mechanism hardware.
I used Evaporust to clean them up. To finish them off I touched them up with steel wool, and coated them with RPM
I started the tear down and restoration of my grill. This is what I started with.
It looks good from 40 feet, but it has some problems that need fixing.
more...
I have an extra set of doors, but as you can see, the drivers side stops are broken off. From what I understand this is a common problem.
Apparently with the weight of the badges its to much and eventually they break off.
Good starting point on your grille!
Check out page 10 of my build, I used methods I found from here on the site!
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,119572.0.html
Thanks timmycharger, I will check it out
You are leaving no stone unturned Don. Very thorough . :yesnod: :yesnod: :yesnod:
Here is a pic of the pass side bucket and where it broke
So my plan was to prep all of the plastic pieces (I used a dremel to 45 all edges and crack lines. I also drilled a hole at the end of the crack. This will stop the crack from continuing) and then to create a slurry using ABS shavings and acetone. Then using the slurry to fill in all of the cracks and holes.
:cheers: Great idea with the holes and using the dremel! With the Slurry, if you can find an air tight container, you can leave it in there and use it later on as it will still stay fresh as long as no air gets to it. :Twocents:
So i had some problems with the ABS slurry not sticking to the original plastic. And had to come up with a new plan.
Other people have used a 2 part epoxy with good success, so after a friend recommended 3M semi rigid plastic repair
I went ahead with it.
I started with the easy areas and gradually worked up to the harder spots.
So the drivers side bucket was a challenge. It had a piece that was completely broken.
pic1
The challenge was how to hold it at the 90 degree end
seen in pic2
This is what I came up with.
pic1-2
I used small pieces of sheet metal for "backers" to help locate the common surface, and it would allow me to clamp it.
Down in that corner I bent a piece of sheet metal into a 90 so that it would span the joint and I could clamp it.
pic3 a view from the back side
So now that I am happy about the way it clamped up I am ready to apply the 3M plastic filler.
My idea is to un-clamp one side and gently opened the gap then applied the 3M plastic filler, then closed the gap back up and re-clamp it.
To keep the filler from seeping through and bonding with the sheet metal, I put some wax paper between the sheet metal and the repair.
pic1 - shows the back side of one joint (I applied the filler here 1st then waited a day to be sure it was dry, then applied the filler to the 90 degree joint)
pic2 - shows the back side of the 90 degree joint
So after the 3M filler dried, I removed the clamps and metal backer, and then applied the filler to the other side of the joint (where it was previously covered by the metal backer) Sorry no pics of this
pic1 - Here is a pic after I rough sanded the joint (the clamps are there for the next step)
pic2 - shows the sheet metal backer clamped to the bucket
pic3 - backside view
pic4 - shows me fitting the missing piece that I salvaged from an extra broken up grill I have
I was having some warping issues so I put a little english on it by taping it up
pic2 - Here you can see that missing piece
So after I was happy with the way everything fit I went ahead and applied the 3M filler like before (sorry no pics)
The next area was the broken mounting brackets. One on the center section, and one on the bucket.
I used modeling clay to form the area to repair.
pic1-2 shows the clay on the center section
pic3 - shows the clay on the bucket
pic4 - shows the filler pooled into the clay
Great job :2thumbs:
I love the clay trick! I wish I would have gone that route when I did my grill, it would have been a lot easier and cleaner final product.
Good job! :2thumbs:
Nice again Don! Neat that we've both been playing with clay this week!! :yesnod:
Excellent work Don!!! :2thumbs:
3m 4240 is what I prefer to use too.
As always. I am astonished at your patient attention to the details. Very rewarding to watch.
Quote from: Lennard on November 30, 2018, 01:04:09 PM
Great job :2thumbs:
Thank you Lennard
Quote from: Ryan.C on November 30, 2018, 01:25:26 PM
I love the clay trick! I wish I would have gone that route when I did my grill, it would have been a lot easier and cleaner final product.
Good job! :2thumbs:
Thanks Ryan, On my 1st attempt (with ABS shaving slurry) I did one of these bracket areas. I used wood to dam up the areas.... anyway that was a mess to cleanup compared to the clay!
Quote from: birdsandbees on November 30, 2018, 01:51:36 PM
Nice again Don! Neat that we've both been playing with clay this week!! :yesnod:
I have to come clean with you. This grill resto was started about 10 months ago! I am really bad at keeping this thread up to date! :shruggy:
But yes we both have experience working with clay.
Quote from: VegasCharger on December 01, 2018, 05:55:28 AM
Excellent work Don!!! :2thumbs:
Thanks
Quote from: Charger-Bodie on December 01, 2018, 07:34:24 AM
3m 4240 is what I prefer to use too.
Nice to know someone else has used the same "plastic glue" have you had any issues with it?
Quote from: Stevearino on December 01, 2018, 08:20:25 PM
As always. I am astonished at your patient attention to the details. Very rewarding to watch.
Thanks Stevo, I will try and get this thread up to date, and do better in the future!
Just went through this whole thread, awesome work, and looks like a labor of love :cheers: :popcrn:
Thanks Dog!
Well I don't know about a labor of love...., all I can say is I really enjoy getting out in the garage, tuning in to my favorite preachin or worship music,
and working on the car!
So once the mounting brackets dried I sanded them down to shape and used a hot stapler to add strength to the joint
pic1- Here is a pic of the hot stapler (I used this on every broken joint, more on those after I fix the ear)
pic 2-4 shows the staples melted into the plastic
After the staples were set, I clipped them off and ground them down flush. I then put another coat of 3M plastic filler on, then sanded back down to clean them up (sorry no pics of this)
The next area to fix is the drivers side dog ear.
pic1 - What I did was transfer the pass side outer perimeter to some graph paper.
pic2 - then I transferred that into a cad-cam system,
and using the cam system cut the shape into a block of ABS,
*NOTE*I mirror imaged the shape to get the driver side
Next I made some section templates of the pass ear (flipping them gives me the drivers side)
and started whittling away material until the template was close
So far so good!
Now that I have the rough shape of the ear done it's time to see how to mate it to the bucket.
Now that I have it close, I need to whittle a profile into the bucket that will accept my patch better than the jagged edge left, when the ear was broke off
To double check the attitude of the ear.(pitch or yaw for you airplane fans) I came up with a position fixture.
Sorry I did not get any pics, but basically I positioned the PASS side bucket onto a sheet of plywood and
shimmed the bucket up using a block of wood,(2x4) Till I got the ear to lay flat (as my patch is flat on the bottom)
So now that the bucket is shimmed up so that the bottom of the ear is flat on the plywood.
I transferred all outer edges down to the plywood.
Now I have to MIRROR image everything to get an accurate position for my ear
Hope this makes sense!
Anyway here is the paper with the mirror imaged outer edge of the ear
and the ear "patch" in position
So once I was happy with the position and how the seams fit, I v-notched all the joints and pushed a bunch of hot staples into it
Then I ground off the studs and filled all the joints with 3M plastic filler
Here is the best pic I have of the finished ear
Looks pretty good :2thumbs:
Very nice job!!
Wow, How have I never seen this thread. What an amazing job of posting step by step repairs. I just spent a good bit of a morning going through this entire thread. It reads like a great restoration book. I have been glued to it. Thanks for the time you are investing to allow others to follow so closely with how each aspect of the process is completed.
This is really impressive. Thank you for sharing. I realized that I have been looking at these threads for a long time, but never added my thank you.
Quote from: keepat on December 16, 2018, 10:53:12 AM
Very nice job!!
Thanks Pat!
Quote from: nvrbdn on December 16, 2018, 11:28:47 AM
Wow, How have I never seen this thread. What an amazing job of posting step by step repairs. I just spent a good bit of a morning going through this entire thread. It reads like a great restoration book. I have been glued to it. Thanks for the time you are investing to allow others to follow so closely with how each aspect of the process is completed.
Your comment is exactly how I felt when I 1st came across this awesome forum and the restorations I found within the site. I couldnt wait to read more.
This site (and a couple of others) is what gave me the courage to attempt to restore my Charger!
Quote from: XH29N0G on December 16, 2018, 02:42:04 PM
This is really impressive. Thank you for sharing. I realized that I have been looking at these threads for a long time, but never added my thank you.
You are welcome my friend!
Again, Thank you all for the encouragement!
And just so everyone knows, All of the broken joints have staples.
They should add a lot of strength, and hopefully help to hold it all together.
Here is a couple of pics
Ok the next thing to fix is the drivers side headlight door stop.
Apparently this is commonly broken. Why it happens on the drivers side only? Maybe because it is a little heavier than the passenger side because of the emblems? Or possibly to much pressure from the vacuum actuators.... who knows. All I know is, I don't want it to break again. So I decided to make the stop out of steel! (another member did this, I don't recall who, but thank you)
Here is a comparison of passenger and drivers headlight doors with the missing stop
I started out by making templates of the pass side stop. Just flip the templates over and you have the drivers side.
So I did a bit of cutting and bending then clamping and test fitting
So I needed a way to hold it on so I kind of boxed the one side in
So I realized the metal piece that I added on the back side was NOT going to work!
With it on, I would never be able to get it off!
So I removed it, and added this two pieces
Here is what I have so far. And comparing to the pass side... I am in the ballpark
So after a LOT more fitting this is what I ended up with
So I plan on panel bonding it and using a couple of rivets to secure it.
Hopefully it will hold! :yesnod:
Awesome fabrication :cheers:
Nice work. :cheers:
Thanks guys.
Now it's time for some paint.
I got the brackets epoxy primed and the rest of the parts in primer.
If you look closely at the 3rd pic you can see the rivet on the metal door stop
Very nice work :2thumbs: First time I've heard of a hot stapler to be honest but I might need one. Seems like a really handy acquisition.
Reminds me of those people who restore old paintings sitting there working one square inch at a time with various solvents and such. This is what it means to Restore something. Love it Don.
When I first saw I thought you were making a mold to cast new plastic ears.. Never thought to just make new ones from metal :scratchchin:
Quote from: Fonzy on January 15, 2019, 01:12:25 PM
Very nice work :2thumbs: First time I've heard of a hot stapler to be honest but I might need one. Seems like a really handy acquisition.
It belongs to a friend... Thanks Rafael! And it worked VERY well!
Quote from: Stevearino on January 15, 2019, 07:30:48 PM
Reminds me of those people who restore old paintings sitting there working one square inch at a time with various solvents and such. This is what it means to Restore something. Love it Don.
That is pretty much what I am doing, going over every square inch of this car!
Quote from: TexasGeneral on January 15, 2019, 11:12:24 PM
When I first saw I thought you were making a mold to cast new plastic ears.. Never thought to just make new ones from metal :scratchchin:
I just thought that a metal ear would be stronger. I just hope what it hits when the door closes can take the shock!
Next the silver/grey was put on
Here the grill has been masked off and is ready for some black
AND NOW It's FINALLY DONE!!!! :yesnod:
VERY nice Don! You want to come up and do my Bee grill while I go ice fishing for a week!!?? :yesnod: :scratchchin: :lol:
Quote from: birdsandbees on January 23, 2019, 05:19:34 PM
VERY nice Don! You want to come up and do my Bee grill while I go ice fishing for a week!!?? :yesnod: :scratchchin: :lol:
Thank you sir.
But I have a better idea. How about I come up there, we both take a brake, and go ice fishing?
Very nice work sir. thanks for sharing :2thumbs:
That looks very nice, terrific work!
That's some nice work. :2thumbs:
:coolgleamA: :2thumbs:
Time to work on the floor pans!
The 1st thing I have to do is patch the rear seat pan.
then transfer the patch to a piece of sheet metal
bend the wing up
Then I put an offset in the sheet metal (were the black line is)
here is the patch tacked in
and it's all done
Top notch skills.
I still can't get over the Coronet you erased from the histories!
Good job!
Thanks guys... And what was left of that Coronet will live on in this Charger :2thumbs:
Here you can see the pans fit great
Transfered the edge of the framerails to the pan so I could drill the holes for plug welding.
Sprayed the weld thru primer on everything
Then I did a LOT of plug welding :yesnod:
Man!! You are very patient and talented!! :popcrn:
:coolgleamA: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
Sorry I haven't done any updates on the restoration.
My family recently mourned the loss of my 7 month old grand daughter.
She was absolutely perfect in every way! She had a smile that just drew you to her! When she smiled her whole body smiled, especially those big beautiful eyes!
Saying good bye to a loved one has been hard. But seeing your son and daughter-in-law say good bye to there baby girl is the worst thing I have been through.
I have questions that no-one can answer.
But I have faith that she is with my lord and savior Jesus. And one day, I will see her again!
And even though our hearts have a hole that she once filled,
I thank GOD that he brought her into our lives.
I miss you, and I LOVE YOU "PIPES"
your Gre-pa
My son posted this song and I thought I would share it along with a picture
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce5I8f95WEA (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ce5I8f95WEA)
Sorry for your terrible loss. So sad
As I said elsewhere Don, Life just isn't fair ! I, unfortunately, fully understand the grief of losing a child and have a good idea where your mind is these days. Gonna take a lot of time, but your car restoration is a good place to spend it! :yesnod:
So sorry to hear. Prayers to you and your family.
Oh my Don. I have a 2 1/2 year old grand son and can only imagine your grief. Knowing you are a man of faith helps me to know you have something to hold on to in what must seem like an unimaginably cruel event. I am so sorry for your loss and the tragedy for your son and daughter-in-law have had to endure. There are no words.
Sorry to hear this. :pity:
sorry for yours and your son and his wives loss its hard for you to understand why but just be there for your son and his wife you and your family will be in my prayers jim
So very sorry to hear of your family's big loss.sure a cute little angel girl .What Jim said above keep a good eye on all your family,son an wife have a lot to work thru.Seems couples that lose a child greive an deal with it at different times an heal at diff rate. Do they have other kids?
All our hearts an prayers are with you all.God bless an keep you all . david DJ on here
Sorry for your and your family's loss, Don.
oh no ! sorry to hear this
I'm so sorry for your families loss Don.
OMG Don so sad. :( :(
You take all the time you need for healing. Keep being there for your son & daughter-in-law.
Eventually you find your way back to your passion. And if your emotions get in the way, throw the tools down and go back to more healing.
My prayers go out to you, your son, your daughter-in-law and family.
Your grand daughter is an Angel :angel:
So sorry for your loss. What a beautiful little girl! You and your family will be in our prayers.
Oh wow, so very sorry to hear this. I can't imagine what your going through let alone your son and his wife. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Take the time needed to heal and help your son and his wife heal from this. As you once told me, family is the most important thing, these cars will be waiting for us when we're ready for them. Stay strong Don!
I would like to thank each and every one who expressed there sympathy and for your thoughts and prayers. It means a lot!
My family and I are doing well.
Don
Thank you for checking in Don! Losing children isn't how life is supposed to work. It can be a dark road to go down for some. me included. Get back on that car!! :yesnod:
Quote from: birdsandbees on February 05, 2020, 01:55:52 PM
Thank you for checking in Don! Losing children isn't how life is supposed to work. It can be a dark road to go down for some. me included. Get back on that car!! :yesnod:
Thanks Wayne, I do know what you mean about that dark road, those 1st few weeks were not good!
And yes, I am back on the car, updates to come
Time to update this thread.
I got the foot wells and rear seat pan in
At this point, next would be the trunk floor, but before I welded it in I needed to find out why I had to put so much pressure on the rear of the quarter to pull it up to get it to align to the rear body panels.
What I found was the outer tub at the wheel arch lip was interfering and holding the back of the quarter from pulling up and aligning properly.
So because the wheel wells were already welded in, I decided to slice the outer lip off.
Once I was satisfied that the quarter would fit I prepped the trunk pan
and welded it in
then I ground the welds down and sprayed etch primer
Then I welded the inner wells to the floor
And welded in the spare tire brackets
My grandson and puppy approve!
I noticed in the past that it seems the aftermarket B Body rear wheel wells were all the same & one size fits all. Problem is not all quarter panels are the same so not all quarter panels will fit with out modifications. Considering all the welding your doing on this massive project I think a huge full size Industrial Spot Welder would be Perfect for your job & make the job much easier. I have one at work & had to use it on the Brand New zero miles Chrysler Cars I repaired that got Damaged in Transit before Delivery from Factory. From my experience this would of helped you greatly. So far good work, can't wait to see it done. LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on February 22, 2020, 03:32:06 PM
I noticed in the past that it seems the aftermarket B Body rear wheel wells were all the same & one size fits all. Problem is not all quarter panels are the same so not all quarter panels will fit with out modifications. Considering all the welding your doing on this massive project I think a huge full size Industrial Spot Welder would be Perfect for your job & make the job much easier. I have one at work & had to use it on the Brand New zero miles Chrysler Cars I repaired that got Damaged in Transit before Delivery from Factory. From my experience this would of helped you greatly. So far good work, can't wait to see it done. LEON.
Leon,
I looked at some of the cheaper spot welders but in the end just could not justify it. (I am not rich)
And If I had to do it over I would NOT have welded the wheel wells in! I should have put them in with screws untill all the body panels were fit!
O well, live and learn!
I know they are expensive, I wonder if you could buy a used one like ours cheap. if I ever quit where I'm at I'd like to buy theirs when I leave. I screw all my parts together before I weld. your doing so much of the car that you'd really have to screw the whole entire car together, not sure that's possible in your case. Anyways, good work so far :2thumbs: LEON.
what do you have or use? (gonna make a mental note)
I can mention this - the Horrible Freight model would likely hit the frame rail, doing the welds in that one pic. I bought one lightly used. Haven't used it much - it is not tolerant of anything other than bare clean metal though.
What is the red spray - weld through primer?
Quote from: mopar4don on February 22, 2020, 07:09:29 PM
what do you have or use? (gonna make a mental note)
I'll take a look & maybe a Picture Tomorrow when I'm at Work. LEON.
OK, Took some pics troday. it's a Tecna Spot Welder, specifically for auto body Panels. #3664. Nice but Heavy. LEON.
Leon that is one of those high end models! WOW that would be nice
Quote from: Bronzedodge on February 22, 2020, 11:09:47 PM
I can mention this - the Horrible Freight model would likely hit the frame rail, doing the welds in that one pic. I bought one lightly used. Haven't used it much - it is not tolerant of anything other than bare clean metal though.
What is the red spray - weld through primer?
Sorry I missed this Bronzedodge.
Yes it is Medallion weld thru primer RS-512
https://medallionrefinish.com/products/refinish-products/primers/aerosol-primers/etch-weld-primer (https://medallionrefinish.com/products/refinish-products/primers/aerosol-primers/etch-weld-primer)
Thank you Don. I like the contrast of that weld-through, it would be easy for me to see where I missed. :lol:
Morgan
Quote from: Bronzedodge on February 28, 2020, 07:27:41 AM
Thank you Don. I like the contrast of that weld-through, it would be easy for me to see where I missed. :lol:
Morgan
Morgan, I can tell you it works, VERY well! and it can be used as an etch primer.
This is what Craig Hopkins at the AMD installation center uses
So I was looking at the trunk floor and noticed that I had spots of rust bleeding through the self etch primer at the plug welds. AHHHHHH It was all over. :brickwall:
So I decided to strip it all off, (using lacquer thinner) and then mix up some epoxy primer and brush it on.
I didn't want to take any chances so I stripped the 3M self etch primer off everywhere where I plug welded and brushed on the epoxy.
Not sure why this happened ?
With all of the floor pans in, I decided to start in on the dash cluster and bezels.
Here are some before pics
bezels after the wood overlays were remove
cluster pic after bezel removal
Here is how I went about restoring my cluster and gauges with the bezels.
This will not be very detailed (as I don't have enough pics)
If you want REALLY GOOD detailed info on how to restore your gauges
I would refer you to birdsandbees thread as well as others......
starting at post #852 on page 35
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,121731.850.html (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,121731.850.html)
And lilwendal's Excellent thread
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,37999.0.html (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,37999.0.html)
These were some of the threads I used to rebuild the cluster.
THANKS GUYS
I started out by removing the wood inlays from the bezels
Now my bezels have the wood overlays and the only thing you will see is the chrome strips, but they are really nasty and I want them fresh,
so to remove all the paint and chrome from the bezels, I sprayed them down in
oven cleaner and wrapped them in plastic wrap, then let them soak.
Sometimes I let them soak a few hours, sometimes overnight, either way the oven cleaner did not harm the plastic.
Now after each soak I would clean them with a stiff bristle brush
rinse and repeat till all of the paint was removed. This took a bit.
While the bezels were being stripped I started disassembling the cluster housing by removing the acrylic face, and removing all of the gauges, switches, and the circuit board. On the housing I removed the gasket around the brake system lens, the two green turn signal lenses with gaskets, and the red "brights" lens and its gasket that would be under the speedometer gauge.
pics of the different lenses
notice how the factory painted the black on the lug just to the left of the brake lens
here is a pic of all the hardware and lenses and gaskets removed
Next I removed the blue diffuser bulbs from the cluster housing then scuffed
and cleaned the housing to get it ready for paint.
Then I painted the 5 lugs flat black. These need to be black as these
lugs can be seen after assembling the front bezel.
Then I masked off the freshly painted black face of the lugs and painted
the housing with the Krylon flat white.
This is the only pic of the housing I have showing the black lugs masked, and ready for the white paint. Also notice that I masked off the brake system lens, as I had already polished the lens without removing it from the housing.
Nice progress.
Quote from: CDN72SE on May 14, 2020, 03:59:27 PM
Nice progress.
Thank you sir.
But I have to say this was done back in Jan-Feb..... I am terrible at keeping this thread up to date
Ok more updates....
After painting the housing white (sorry no pics) I tested all of the the small gauges to be sure they worked.
Better to find a dead gauge now than after restoring it!
Calibrating each gauge will be done later.
So I taped 2 AA batteries together (3 volts) and ran a lead to each side of the gauge.
I watched the needle as it slowly moved and removed power when it got close to "pegging out"
After verifying the gauges worked I removed the needles from each gauge.
**Warning** these needles are extremely fragile and you need to be very careful not to bend them!
The needles are held by 2 opposing hooks so you'll need both hands. I used a soldering vise to hold the gauge and had tweezers in one hand and a small jewelers screwdriver in the other.
Now you have to move the needle around until you get it to unhook.
Let me tell you that is easier said than done.
Just take your time!
I'm loving this thread Don. Great idea using the AA batteries to test the gauges.
Next I removed the gauge faces by drilling out the rivets and scuffed them up getting them ready for paint. (These pics are before I scuffed them)
Then I masked the black area of the needles and painted the white with Krylon Colormaxx paint + primer flat white (used on the cluster housing)
Which brings me to paint matching the decal overlays.
I ended up testing 5 different brands/colors before I found what looked best to me even though the decal instructions said to use Krylon flat black, which I found 2 different flat blacks, neither of which I thought were close. They were both to shiny.
I needed something flatter....
did a little internet research and found that Rust-oleum had something called Camouflage 2x ultra cover and I figured what would be flatter than camo paint? So I bought a can and did a spray out and it matched perfectly!
don would that camo black work on the dash what are you going to use for rivets copper ones or steel I am in awe of the things you restore on that car it will look better than a new one from the factory
Quote from: oldgold69 on May 26, 2020, 09:03:32 PM
don would that camo black work on the dash what are you going to use for rivets copper ones or steel I am in awe of the things you restore on that car it will look better than a new one from the factory
Hey old gold69, thanks for the compliments, but there are many who went before me sharing there restorations. I am just passing it on, trying to keep up with them.
My dash is saddle tan so I cant say if it would match or not. Maybe look at other restoration threads and see what they used.
I would suggest looking through birdsandbees thread. I posted his link earlier.
I used gold colored aluminum rivets from McMaster-Carr item #94439A270
Product Detail
Mil. Spec. Aluminum Low-Profile Domed Head Rivets, Solid, 3/32" Diameter, for 0.141" Maximum Material Thickness
I painted the headliner bows and headlight vacuum canister
The switches and chrome knobs were disassembled, cleaned and tested.
Here is a pic of the dimmer switch
Because the spring was binding I wanted someone to rebuild it that had more experience. I found this guy on ebay. All he does is rebuild switches so I sent it to him. Here is a link to his ebay store
https://www.ebay.com/str/devinism (https://www.ebay.com/str/devinism)
Then I applied the decals to the gauge faces following the instructions from Premium Dash Decals. They were not my 1st choice but performance car graphics were out of stock and they were not sure when they would have more. It all worked out, as I am extremely happy with there decals!
I installed the odometer decals as per the instructions
I found a video that showed how to reset the odometer to zero's
This video is for a mustang, but the odometer mechanism is identical
and worked perfectly for my odometer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87kZQkKGSw8 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87kZQkKGSw8)
:2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Quote from: mopar4don on June 03, 2020, 01:28:18 PM
I installed the odometer decals as per the instructions
Looking nice Don... How did the decal lay?
Quote from: hemi68charger on June 10, 2020, 10:54:08 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on June 03, 2020, 01:28:18 PM
I installed the odometer decals as per the instructions
Looking nice Don... How did the decal lay?
ALL of the decals layed very nicely. They really have high quality decals. (made by 3M)
What was nice is there was no liquid used to float the decal into position, and then squeegee out the air bubbles.
There decals have a Repositionable Adhesive which means you can lay them down and move them if you don't like the position. The adhesive wont activate until you apply pressure. What else was cool about them is they have micro channels to let the air escape. So you get NO air bubbles!
Go to there Tech page and read all about it.
I HIGHLY recommend them!
https://premiumdashdecals.com/support/ (https://premiumdashdecals.com/support/)
I had a circuit board pin that was broke, and after a lot of researching how to fix them, I ended up getting it turned on a lathe and running a 1-64 screw thru the back of the board to hold the pin. In this pic you can see the pin that I replaced (on the left) It looks a little longer in the pic but it is not.
In my research I found a thread where a guy had done a similar repair and almost caught his charger on fire. Turned out that the circuit board was grounding out on the housing. Of course this freaked me out a bit! :o
After checking it out I found that there is a channel in the housing that is right behind the pins. This channel should clear any contact, but because I had modified the board with my pin repair (I had the head of a tiny screw protruding on the back side) I decided to add a little more protection so I applied some electrical insulating coating which is kinda like liquid electrical tape.
Here I assembled all of the switches and gauges back in the housing except for the clock
I got the bezels painted and "chromed" with the Molotow chrome pen.
I know it's not the best, but for what it cost to re-chrome, I'll try the pens!
So I had just had to see how it looked with the freshly painted bezel on.
I am impressed. Now to get the clock rebuilt.
So the original finish of the clock looked pretty good. But since I restored all of other gauges I did not want any differences so I got the clock decals.
The 1st step with restoring the clock is to remove the clock hands and second hand.
Then I removed the outer clock bezel ring
There is this little black foam pad (clock stem gasket) that fell apart after I removed it. I ended up making one, But if I would have know I would have ordered one with my decal kit from Premium Dash Decals
And if anyone knows were to buy that small chrome nut on the end of the time adjust shaft, (IN THE PIC ABOVE) let me know as I misplaced mine!
Then I removed the inner clock face and got ready to remove the internals
I purchased the DIY quartz conversion kit from Instrument Services (S-3015)
And as per there video instructions I disassembled
and assembled there quartz movement into my housing. Here you can see the outer clock face (with its new decal) is back on the housing. And you see the blue foam gasket I made. Now don't judge me because I did trim it up better than in this pic.
The foam gasket is not seen as the outer clock face covers it
Final assembly done
Hmmm now that I am looking at the pics, I can see that blue foam gasket
AHH :brickwall:
O well I will have to look at it in final assembly to see if I need to fix it
My grandson approves!
Dip it in some Rit black dye.
Quote from: Bronzedodge on June 23, 2020, 06:39:16 PM
Dip it in some Rit black dye.
Good to know, thanks bronze! Maybe a black sharpie would work?
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Mopar-68-69-70-B-Body-Charger-Roadrunner-GTX-Clock-Reset-Knob-1968-1969-1970-NEW/402222368714?hash=item5da65247ca:g:S~IAAOSwkZld3D0F
thanks
So here is the cluster completely assembled and the bezel and the woodgrain overlay
And the cluster assembly with the woodgrain overlays assembled into there respective bezels
And the completed cluster assembly
Here are a couple of pics with the cluster and bezels installed into the dash frame
And here the dash frame is back into its storage frame and wrapped up for safe keeping
Looks great!
Pat
Wow, looks great.
I still have to freshen my dash....... :icon_smile_blackeye:
Thank you sirs
I welded in the 4 speed hump and bucket seat brackets
Then I moved on to the the roof skin.
If you remember I have been trying to get the back half of the car put together.
It was when I was fitting the quarters that I realized that I needed the roof skin on the car so that I can fit the window opening, (glass and trim) which includes the sail panel area of the quarter panels. So by moving or adjusting one panel, it may affect the adjacent panel, which could turn into a domino affect. So to be on the safe side I want every panel fitted before anything gets welded.
So I started stripping the old paint off
Half way through stripping I realized that I needed to repair the rear window channel. So I started planning and creating the patches to fix the rear channel. I marked out where the window clip holes were, as some of the holes would fall into the patches, and I would need to drill them back in.
So here you can see some of the heavy pitting that will need patched
so I cut it out and patched in the new piece
here you can see the 2 areas that I patched
Here is a couple of pics showing the corner that needed fixed
Once I had all of the metal patched I made a wooden form to support the roof when working on the back side
Then I finished stripping the top side
last 2 pics show the stripping disc I used
Next I separated the skin from the roof structure. There are a lot of spotwelds in the drip rails and along the front
Then I flipped the skin over and started stripping.
Just to review the stripping process.
I did not want to blast because I was afraid of warping.
So I decided to strip it with one of those stripping discs. I was a bit concerned about heat build up which could lead to warping. But I kept it cool by putting my 2 foot shop fan on it and also would air blast it as needed. It turned out good. I used up 3 stripping discs.
Next I got the roof skin in the booth and rust preped it then sprayed some epoxy
Flipped it over then repeated. Here you can see the Auto Tech rust prep I used
from there web site http://autotechmfg.com/?cat=6
Rust - Prep
Fast Acting Formula Kills Rust & Paint Ready in 20 to 30 Minutes!
A new twist to an old product! This fast acting formula kills rust on contact and converts it to a dry, paintable surface in 20-30 minutes, as opposed to the normal 8 - 12 hours required by other products. Also, this unique formula is actually two products-in-one: it kills/converts rust or, if sprayed on a bare rust-free panel, it etches the surface like a metal prep and creates the perfect surface for paint, primer or filler! Rust-Prep works by reacting with rust to form a chemically inert ceramic-like strontium phosphate film that becomes part of the surface. When primed or coated, adhesion to the surface is increased because the zinc strontium phosphate film is cellular and actually creates a locking effect at the paint interface thus going way beyond ordinary adhesion. And the zinc phosphate film results in superior anti-corrosion and welding conductivity.
directions on how to use: go about half way down the page. http://autotechmfg.com/?page_id=77
Then Ralph sprayed it. Thanks Ralph
A couple of notes: I did use the rust prep on the bottom side, But I did'nt get any pics.
And the roof structure you see in the background worked really well for transporting. Just threw a couple of clamps on and put it in the truck.
So the next thing to do will be to weld on new AMD drip rails.
Has anyone put these on? Is there anything to it?
Maybe positioning to the front A-pillar drip rail?
There is a gap but the trim should cover it right?
So I was originally going to buy a core support stiffener but decided to make my own.
b5cuda did this to his car and it help me a lot. It basically boxes the core support.
I started off by making a template in two pieces
Then I transferred it to 16 gauge (.060)
Here you can see the result of rolling the edge
(just to the left of the left clamp and above the hammer) (I used a big pipe)
next I had to pull the side strap up and tack it
So I did the drivers side the same way then joined them
Here it is all mocked up
If you noticed in the previous pics I notched out for the grill support bracket.
I didn't like the way this looked. So I filled in the box and sliced the
bracket off right where it would intersect the box and welded it along the bottom
Here I am getting the stiffener ready for welding
and in pic2 its tacked in place
Great job Don !!!! :2thumbs:
Thanks Charlie! (I need to get info about your wing)
Here the weld has been ground down and it is ready for epoxy primer
Core support stiffener DONE! :punkrocka: :punkrocka: :punkrocka:
On to the next thing.
STAY TUNED :yesnod:
Don, it's always a pleasure to read your updates and see the process unfold.
Don , this is going to be th most thoroughly restored Charger on the planet. No corners cut here. :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Quote from: Homerr on November 10, 2020, 03:47:32 PM
Don, it's always a pleasure to read your updates and see the process unfold.
Thank you. I am kinda suprised people are still following this thread. It's taking forever!
Quote from: Stevearino on November 11, 2020, 02:56:03 PM
Don , this is going to be th most thoroughly restored Charger on the planet. No corners cut here. :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Thank you Steve, that really means a lot coming from you. I really enjoy your videos of your Daytona and GTX restorations.
I have learned a lot!
Quote from: mopar4don on November 10, 2020, 10:26:08 AM
Thanks Charlie! (I need to get info about your wing)
Dane,,,, http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151 (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151) & his son build these wings.
The next thing to do is to get the AMD drip rails on
Then weld them on
Here the welds are ground down and epoxy primed
I had to trim this rolled over edge on the quarter panel
so it would tuck underneath the drip rail
the line on the tape marks the end of the drip rail
and where it should be trimmed
So here you can see the lip just before I zipped it off.
That lip needed to be trimmed of so the quarter will fit
under the drip rail
more of the same on the passenger side
:2thumbs: :popcrn:
Quote from: cdr on November 11, 2020, 03:46:32 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on November 10, 2020, 10:26:08 AM
Thanks Charlie! (I need to get info about your wing)
Dane,,,, http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151 (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151) & his son build these wings.
Thanks Charlie! I really like the wing on your car
Quote from: mopar4don on November 12, 2020, 09:17:34 AM
Quote from: cdr on November 11, 2020, 03:46:32 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on November 10, 2020, 10:26:08 AM
Thanks Charlie! (I need to get info about your wing)
Dane,,,, http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151 (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151) & his son build these wings.
Thanks Charlie! I really like the wing on your car
Thanks Don, I love wing cars & building one is the only way I will ever have one [ BUCKET LIST before I am unable ] , surprisingly the Injector Stacks balance out the HUGE wing LOL, You are doing a great job on your Charger, VERY impressive work !!!!
Quote from: cdr on November 12, 2020, 10:53:47 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on November 12, 2020, 09:17:34 AM
Quote from: cdr on November 11, 2020, 03:46:32 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on November 10, 2020, 10:26:08 AM
Thanks Charlie! (I need to get info about your wing)
Dane,,,, http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151 (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?action=profile;u=151) & his son build these wings.
Thanks Charlie! I really like the wing on your car
Thanks Don, I love wing cars & building one is the only way I will ever have one [ BUCKET LIST before I am unable ] , surprisingly the Injector Stacks balance out the HUGE wing LOL, You are doing a great job on your Charger, VERY impressive work !!!!
Thank you, that means a lot.
12 years later.... I'm still following this.
It's been fascinating to watch.... :2thumbs:
It's only been 7 Years. 7 down 7 to go. :scratchchin:
I was just going off what it felt like. Math is too hard :icon_smile_blackeye:
2020 skews all sense of time!
Advise needed on 69 Charger rear body panel assembly
I am having a lot of trouble getting the trunk lid gap correct. And could really use some help
Click on this link to see the details
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,138967.0.html
So about a month ago I built this small garage extension so that with the door up I can get behind the car and work.
Don, that temporary garage extension is genius. :2thumbs:
Thanks Homerr, I have been thinking about doing this for about 3 years. This year I did it. NOW I HAVE NO EXCUSE NOT TO GET THE METAL DONE THIS WINTER!
So after posting questions in the paint, body and trim threads I thought I should update this thread
and combine those links back into this main thread. Most of the following issues have not been
resolved but I am still working on them when I can. IF anyone has some advice please comment.
11/20/20 - 3/1/21 Advise needed on 69 Charger rear body panel assembly
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,138967.msg1726339.html#new
This started out looking for advice on how to get the panels aligned with good gaps.
I found out that I needed to lengthen my deck filler panel by 1/8 per side.
This resulted in a warpage problem that I didn't have the patients to fix
SO I ORDERED A NEW ONE (STILL NOT RESOLVED)
1/20/21 69 Charger full quarter install at rear window?
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,139242.0.html
not sure if my opening is to big? (STILL NOT RESOLVED)
1/25/21 Has the 69 Charger AMD deck filler panel stamping been fixed yet?
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,139271.0.html
before I buy a new one I was looking for feed back on if it has been fixed
IT HAS NOT BEEN FIXED! BUT IT DOES SEEM TO WORK
(STILL NOT RESOLVED)
1/6/21 Cowl Prep
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,139194.0.html
should it be seam sealed and undercoated
(DONE)
ROFL...Your are INSANE Sir!!
Beyond well done, I know of no one that has ever went that far on a restoration!!
keep up the good work! :2thumbs:
Thanks AK,
I have to admit it is beginning to ware on me.
Its mostly the not knowing that drives me crazy, and my Tool and Die Maker mentality "DO IT RIGHT THE 1ST TIME within a .001"
But I am not about to give up!
Well no joke, you need to have a book written about this...or at least several magazine articles
Quote from: AKcharger on March 02, 2021, 10:19:33 PM
Well no joke, you need to have a book written about this...or at least several magazine articles
I don't know about all that. :scratchchin:
Besides by the time I get the car done, the only place you'll be able to read a magazine would be in a museum. :lol:
So while I have all of the panel fitment problems to address (from above) I needed to check the fitment of the AMD front valance.
I also need to weld the bolting flange to the fender.
So with the fenders on I gentle laid the valance in and immediately my heart drops!
The valance is hitting or interfering with the lower core support boxing mod I did.
AAAAAHH :brickwall: :brickwall: :brickwall:
1 step forward 2 steps back, :icon_smile_blackeye:
So the problem is that the edge of the valance hits the front of the boxed core support on the left and right sides where the core support curves upwards.
My solution is to slice the valance and bend it out of the way. Then the valance can slide into position.
1st pic shows an original valance after I sliced and bent it so it could be positioned properly
2nd pic Here you can see the two bent up areas that will let me slide it in over the boxed area
From the factory the valance slides in under the top edge of the core support.
A u-nut clip would be used and it would bolt up from under the core support lip.
But because of the mod I did, it will have to slide in on top of the core support.
I will use a rivet nut to bolt it from the top
In the 1st pic Here you can see how the valance is sitting properly
2nd pic shows a side view of the problem
So here is the AMD valance in with the relief cuts.
kinda hard to see with everything black!
So compared to factory I will be out of position by the thickness of the core support........ Yeah I can live with that!
So way back in Aug 2017 on page 34 post number #837
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,104414.825.html
You can see the flange that I never welded to the fender (the smaller piece)
Well now I need it on to fit the fenders to the valance.
So I welded it on (sorry this is the only pic I have) I was using that thick bar as a heat sink to keep everything straight and minimize warping
Here is that flange bolted up to the valance
In the 2nd pic you can see how the bolting flange of the valance doesn't line up to the flange from the fender
So I had to slice off the old and make a new flange
The other side was good
Wow I am tired thinking about all that! :icon_smile_cool:
So here are a few pics of the cowl getting undercoated
and welded in
I also rebuilt the rear quarter window regulator assemblies
This is a before
All the parts
pic1 I had to remove this roller
pic2 Took a punch and quick hammer strike pushed the pin out of the roller
pic3 removed
pic4 A c-clamp pushed the new roller on
pic5 all assembled
The only problem or question I have is with this roller.
The original is on the left, 2 new ones in the middle and right.
You can see how the new ones are longer than the original and the undercut groove is higher than the original so when you snap the retainer in there is about a 1/16 gap.
So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?
Quote from: mopar4don on May 11, 2021, 02:22:47 PM.....So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?.....
First off, nice progress on the Charger. :2thumbs:
On the repop roller, man that sucks it being off from the original.
May I suggest that maybe use some sort of plastic bushing/washer to fill the gap??
:cheers:
Quote from: VegasCharger on May 11, 2021, 11:30:35 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on May 11, 2021, 02:22:47 PM.....So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?.....
First off, nice progress on the Charger. :2thumbs:
On the repop roller, man that sucks it being off from the original.
May I suggest that maybe use some sort of plastic bushing/washer to fill the gap??
:cheers:
My thought exactly. I was hoping someone else had run into this problem and could comment on if it is a problem.
Maybe it does not matter?
Quote from: mopar4don on May 11, 2021, 02:22:47 PM
So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?
Don't you just love this kind of stuff... From my vantage point I'd leave it alone but I don't have the full picture either as I've never done a teardown/rebuild on one.
- One thought - it's entirely possible it's a updated part in later models that was a suitable replacement for the older style.
- Pin length: Can you elaborate on how the pin and rollers are placed in the final assembly? I believe the "lower" roller is fixed on the shaft correct? It may be that the pin length is irrelevant because the "upper" roller is effectively held in place by the channel. Thus the extra length will never carry the roller as it will not slide laterally. So as long as the pin doesn't interfere with any other part of the mechanism it's fine.
- Undercut grove - I see what you're saying but I think that the roller is also wider. It appears that the "top" surface is not flat (tapered down to the shaft) where the OEM part is flat sided. as long as the bearing surface is the same under the roller (can't see but I suspect it is) I wouldn't be concerned.
- Reuse? - If you carry some concern grab some calipers/magnifying lamp and take a quick look at the shaft diameters/condition. My suspicion is that you could reuse the old pins with the new nylon rollers. I'd expect the nylon, which is softer than the metal pin, to be the wearing item. Though if it got filled with hard grime that might cut into the pin.
A few thoughts anyway. You've done amazing work!
Quote from: mopar4don on May 11, 2021, 02:22:47 PM
The only problem or question I have is with this roller.
The original is on the left, 2 new ones in the middle and right.
You can see how the new ones are longer than the original and the undercut groove is higher than the original so when you snap the retainer in there is about a 1/16 gap.
So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?
when i rebuilt mine a few months back, the longer shaft didnt matter, it gave the assembly a slight amount of side to side wiggle room, which seemed to make it easier to assemble in the quarter. when it was all lined up and bolted down, there was no extra wiggle, no alignment issues, and it was super smooth.
thanks bakerhillpins.
Quote from: armor64 on May 12, 2021, 06:30:18 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on May 11, 2021, 02:22:47 PM
The only problem or question I have is with this roller.
The original is on the left, 2 new ones in the middle and right.
You can see how the new ones are longer than the original and the undercut groove is higher than the original so when you snap the retainer in there is about a 1/16 gap.
So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?
when i rebuilt mine a few months back, the longer shaft didnt matter, it gave the assembly a slight amount of side to side wiggle room, which seemed to make it easier to assemble in the quarter. when it was all lined up and bolted down, there was no extra wiggle, no alignment issues, and it was super smooth.
Ok that makes me feel a little better. knowing someone else had the same problem but that it worked out. :2thumbs:
I found someone to help me get the back end of this put together. The 1st thing we did was get the roof skin is on! :yesnod:
You can never have too many vise grips, Huh.
Quote from: green69rt on May 18, 2021, 12:02:11 PM
You can never have too many vise grips, Huh.
Right you are, I've been collecting them for a while and when you do a roof, you need a lot of them! :coolgleamA:
:2thumbs: :popcrn:
I stripped the e-coat off the quarters, deck filler and valance corners, and sprayed with epoxy primer. I took it all the way down to bare metal. I know, I probably could have just scuffed them up but I wanted no possible problems with paint.
Then I got some single stage color sprayed on the back side of the deck filler.
I will get color sprayed on the back side of everything I can.
No one else seems to do this but that's what the guy who is helping me suggests.
The quarters will go back to get sprayed color on the back side. But for now they are going back home with me for a wheel well fitment.
Once all the panels are painted then they can get welded on. At least that's the plan
Color looks great Don! Good luck with the paint!
Pat
Man you are doing a great job. where are you located in New Brunswick? I'm in Oromocto, would love to see your project sometime. :cheers:
Quote from: keepat on May 20, 2021, 06:55:36 PM
Color looks great Don! Good luck with the paint!
Pat
Thanks Pat
Quote from: Back N Black on May 20, 2021, 07:40:52 PM
Man you are doing a great job. where are you located in New Brunswick? I'm in Oromocto, would love to see your project sometime. :cheers:
Thank you for the compliment but I am in Michigan.
While quarters are off spray color on inner structure too
Quote from: cbrestorations on May 21, 2021, 08:46:40 AM
While quarters are off spray color on inner structure too
Hey Cris, Yes that is the plan.
The guy that is helping me (THANKS KOLLY) says that's how he does all of his cars. And after he explained it, it all made sense!
I just always thought that epoxy primer on the back side of panels was good enough. And I don't see anyone on these forums putting
color on the back of panels. Or if they are I guess I missed it.
Quote from: mopar4don on May 21, 2021, 09:33:27 AM
Quote from: cbrestorations on May 21, 2021, 08:46:40 AM
While quarters are off spray color on inner structure too
Hey Cris, Yes that is the plan.
The guy that is helping me (THANKS KOLLY) says that's how he does all of his cars. And after he explained it, it all made sense!
I just always thought that epoxy primer on the back side of panels was good enough. And I don't see anyone on these forums putting
color on the back of panels. Or if they are I guess I missed it.
You must of missed my post from 2007. I always (usually) paint the hidden areas behind Panels. LEON.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,35671.0.html
Quote from: armor64 on May 12, 2021, 06:30:18 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on May 11, 2021, 02:22:47 PM
The only problem or question I have is with this roller.
The original is on the left, 2 new ones in the middle and right.
You can see how the new ones are longer than the original and the undercut groove is higher than the original so when you snap the retainer in there is about a 1/16 gap.
So that roller can move up and down by that gap amount.
Maybe it doesn't matter? Or do I need to put a washer in there?
when i rebuilt mine a few months back, the longer shaft didnt matter, it gave the assembly a slight amount of side to side wiggle room, which seemed to make it easier to assemble in the quarter. when it was all lined up and bolted down, there was no extra wiggle, no alignment issues, and it was super smooth.
Ditto. Also allows some side-to-side movement of the assembly when rolling the window up and down. Just tried on mine and it does move bit.
Quote from: mopar4don on May 21, 2021, 09:33:27 AM
Quote from: cbrestorations on May 21, 2021, 08:46:40 AM
While quarters are off spray color on inner structure too
Hey Cris, Yes that is the plan.
The guy that is helping me (THANKS KOLLY) says that's how he does all of his cars. And after he explained it, it all made sense!
I just always thought that epoxy primer on the back side of panels was good enough. And I don't see anyone on these forums putting
color on the back of panels. Or if they are I guess I missed it.
It's only real purpose is to get color in areas that would be hard to reach when assembled
Quote from: mopar4don on May 21, 2021, 05:22:18 AM
Quote from: keepat on May 20, 2021, 06:55:36 PM
Color looks great Don! Good luck with the paint!
Pat
Thanks Pat
Quote from: Back N Black on May 20, 2021, 07:40:52 PM
Man you are doing a great job. where are you located in New Brunswick? I'm in Oromocto, would love to see your project sometime. :cheers:
Thank you for the compliment but I am in Michigan.
that's cool i thought you were in Canada for some reason. :2thumbs:
Where in Michigan? Curious, I'm in Michigan. LEON.
SW lower corner
Quote from: hemi-hampton on May 21, 2021, 06:53:45 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on May 21, 2021, 09:33:27 AM
Quote from: cbrestorations on May 21, 2021, 08:46:40 AM
While quarters are off spray color on inner structure too
Hey Cris, Yes that is the plan.
The guy that is helping me (THANKS KOLLY) says that's how he does all of his cars. And after he explained it, it all made sense!
I just always thought that epoxy primer on the back side of panels was good enough. And I don't see anyone on these forums putting
color on the back of panels. Or if they are I guess I missed it.
You must of missed my post from 2007. I always (usually) paint the hidden areas behind Panels. LEON.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,35671.0.html
I dont know how I missed this Leon .... but I have never seen anyone paint the hidden areas
My friend Rafael got color on the back of these
Quote from: mopar4don on June 15, 2021, 11:22:09 AM
Quote from: hemi-hampton on May 21, 2021, 06:53:45 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on May 21, 2021, 09:33:27 AM
Quote from: cbrestorations on May 21, 2021, 08:46:40 AM
While quarters are off spray color on inner structure too
Hey Cris, Yes that is the plan.
The guy that is helping me (THANKS KOLLY) says that's how he does all of his cars. And after he explained it, it all made sense!
I just always thought that epoxy primer on the back side of panels was good enough. And I don't see anyone on these forums putting
color on the back of panels. Or if they are I guess I missed it.
You must of missed my post from 2007. I always (usually) paint the hidden areas behind Panels. LEON.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,35671.0.html
I dont know how I missed this Leon .... but I have never seen anyone paint the hidden areas
Either have I. Guess I'm the only guy that does it. And your Guy. Some times before painting behind these hidden areas I'll have it sandblasted to bare clean Metal, Then self etch Wash Prime, Then Epoxy Prime. Then Paint. Best Protection & going to last long time this way. don't know anybody that does that either. LEON.
Painting the back side of the panels! That's Awesome! :cheers:
So here is the temporary spray booth I setup
And here are some before pics
(I actually shot another coat of epoxy in these pics)
Ok now for some action pics.
Here is my friend Rafael putting down some sealer
And now some pics of the color on
pic2-3
Its not my camera!
This is what it looks like with NO ventilation
Yeah I snapped this photo and had to get out! And yes I did have a respirator on
Here he is giving me the all done signal with a thumbs up :2thumbs:
Ok my phone camera is not the best but you can still see the over spray from his head light
And the after pics
Turned out AWESOME!
I love the color. (T7 Dark Bronze)
My thanks to Rafael, he really had to work hard especially when he could hardly see!
The next things to do will be installation of the quarter panels, deck filler, tail panel, rear valance, and rear corners. Lord willing, and with Kolly's help, it will be done this Sat
Stay tuned.................. :yesnod:
Looks like same color as the 69 Roadrunner I did, Deja-Vue. Don't forget to put in the sloppy seam sealer in Trunk like Factory did before you Paint that. So far so Good :2thumbs: LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on June 24, 2021, 07:39:51 PM
Looks like same color as the 69 Roadrunner I did, Deja-Vue. Don't forget to put in the sloppy seam sealer in Trunk like Factory did before you Paint that. So far so Good :2thumbs: LEON.
Thanks Leon, I was disappointment that I forgot to seam seal before painting. But after painting I did get it done inside the quarter window and wheel wells. When you sent me a link to pics of your car and I saw the color I kinda was amazed, I mean what are the odds of that? :shruggy:
looks good ( M4D ) nice job :yesnod: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
Out of all the cars I've seen on here, yours is the one I'm most excited to see finished! What a journey.
I'll never forget that you erased a Coronet from the histories! :smilielol:
Quote from: tan top on June 26, 2021, 12:50:20 PM
looks good ( M4D ) nice job :yesnod: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
Thank you sir!
Quote from: darbgnik on June 26, 2021, 01:56:27 PM
Out of all the cars I've seen on here, yours is the one I'm most excited to see finished! What a journey.
I'll never forget that you erased a Coronet from the histories! :smilielol:
I have a long way to go to finish, but I am excited to think about it coming off of the body jig!
Well It took a bit longer than I thought. But we did get it. (passenger side really fought us :icon_smile_blackeye:)
Everything is now welded in at the top and along the trunk.
I still need to weld in the quarters along the door and bottom.
Here are a few pics,
It's a car again! :2thumbs:
More or less....... lol
I want to ask, did you put the rear valance corners on before the quarters or after, they look dead on? Lot's of folks have had problems getting them on right so do you have any words of wisdom?
Don, Looks awesome! Big step forward, Congrats!
Pat
Quote from: darbgnik on July 27, 2021, 01:27:30 PM
It's a car again! :2thumbs:
More or less....... lol
It's getting there....... :icon_smile_big:
Thank you sir
Quote from: keepat on July 27, 2021, 03:28:41 PM
Don, Looks awesome! Big step forward, Congrats!
Pat
Thanks Pat, still working at it!
Quote from: green69rt on July 27, 2021, 01:59:32 PM
I want to ask, did you put the rear valance corners on before the quarters or after, they look dead on?
Lot's of folks have had problems getting them on right so do you have any words of wisdom?
Hi Mitch,
The corners are not completely welded in.
Lets see if I can explain
I started out by welding the corner to the quarter along that long flange
pic 1 and 2
Then we hung the quarter and installed the valance and tail panel.
After I get the bottom of the quarters welded in (along the trunk drop offs)
I plan on welding the corner flange, (that extends under the valance) from underneath.
I should be able to drill a couple of holes through the crossmember and plug weld it.
At least that is the plan.
Back when everything was being fitted I tried locating those corners with screws but
could never get it straight. It would end up tweaking out of level.
So I came up with this idea. I hope it works!
Thanks. Sounds like the key to getting it right is making the connection to the quarter first then to the cross member.
Quote from: green69rt on July 28, 2021, 08:05:19 AM
Thanks. Sounds like the key to getting it right is making the connection to the quarter first then to the cross member.
I am hoping it will work, not done yet.
I have seen how others had welded the corners to the cross member. Then valance and quarter would install over them.
But I never saw how they welded the corner flange to the quarter! (you cant get to it because the drop offs cover it)
Unless they did not weld the flange and welded it at the bottom?????
I put some epoxy over the welded up areas. Back window lip, trunk lip perimeter, and rear tail panel and valance
My grandson approves
I need to get this thread revived for 2022!
Since my project is getting close to being ready to mount onto a rotisserie, I needed to get the ones I picked up 5+ years ago ready.
I started with these which were a bit hoaky and defiantly NOT going to work!
And modified them into this....
Are you going to connect the 2 together? LEON.
Only if I need to. Do you think it will need it?
If I need to I was thinking of c-clamping a bar between them.
Quote from: mopar4don on January 04, 2022, 07:32:23 AM
Only if I need to. Do you think it will need it?
If I need to I was thinking of c-clamping a bar between them.
I think all the rotisseries I have ever seen have had the end stands hooked together some how at the ground level
So when they are moved around it will not put any extra stress on the mounting points if a wheel gets caught on the ground
Another thought I had looking at your stand set up you made
The stand for the back of the car that mounts to the rear bumper mount bolts
The legs on the mount ( angle iron ) that goes flat towards the car that has the plate on the end to bolt to the car
Do they need to be that long ?
Might be a lot of pry on them when the car is turned 1/4 turn and hanging on its side :shruggy:
Quote from: 70 sublime on January 04, 2022, 09:11:20 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on January 04, 2022, 07:32:23 AM
Only if I need to. Do you think it will need it?
If I need to I was thinking of c-clamping a bar between them.
I think all the rotisseries I have ever seen have had the end stands hooked together some how at the ground level
So when they are moved around it will not put any extra stress on the mounting points if a wheel gets caught on the ground
Another thought I had looking at your stand set up you made
The stand for the back of the car that mounts to the rear bumper mount bolts
The legs on the mount ( angle iron ) that goes flat towards the car that has the plate on the end to bolt to the car
Do they need to be that long ?
Might be a lot of pry on them when the car is turned 1/4 turn and hanging on its side :shruggy:
"Do they need to be that long ?
Might be a lot of pry on them when the car is turned 1/4 turn and hanging on its side"
Not sure what you mean, the length left to right? bolt hole to bolt hole?
Quote from: mopar4don on January 04, 2022, 07:32:23 AM
Only if I need to. Do you think it will need it?
If I need to I was thinking of c-clamping a bar between them.
I would. From my Experience using many different Rotisseries (did I spell that right? don't want corn dog coming after me) I really prefer the ones with 2 bars attaching the 2 ends together instead of 1. There was a really nice one made from South Carolina I think it was painted in light Blue that worked great & was my favorite. LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on January 05, 2022, 07:15:49 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on January 04, 2022, 07:32:23 AM
Only if I need to. Do you think it will need it?
If I need to I was thinking of c-clamping a bar between them.
I would. From my Experience using many different Rotisseries (did I spell that right? don't want corn dog coming after me) I really prefer the ones with 2 bars attaching the 2 ends together instead of 1. There was a really nice one made from South Carolina I think it was painted in light Blue that worked great & was my favorite. LEON.
Thanks Leon, I most likely will do something
You want them nice and sturdy. :yesnod:
Mine made it 30 miles. No issues
Hi Kent,
Great pics of your car. But I have to ask..... why the hay bales? :scratchchin:
Feed my horse! Kill two birds with one stone! :nana:
No Don just kidding. My body man insisted we put them there. Yeah really. His thinking was if the car was to fall, it would land on those bales. I told him if the car had fallen that distance between the bales and the car, the damage would have been done. Now if the weight of the car was sitting on the bales it would have worked. But since it was not even touching it would have done little good. But he went and got them and made him feel better. Worst part about it I had to bring them back to the farm where he got them. I was going to post a picture before he put them on there, but that one was a better shot.
Just trying to keep everybody happy.
So next on the list is getting the bumper brackets welded into the trunk.
I prepped the area and sprayed the weld through primer.
pics 3-4 view from outside
So here they are welded in.
So before these were welded in I seam sealed behind the brackets (white smudges) Kinda hard to do after there welded in!
And some pics after cleaned up and primed
Since I'm in there I might as well get the trunk lock support bracket in.... (*note the white smudges in the 1st 2 pics)
The next area to weld was along the bottom of the quarter panel to the rocker.
This is how I made sure the metal was pinched together before welding.
I used the jack to squeeze the metal together along the pinch weld.
I did the same thing to the passenger side, this pic shows jacking up with the block right against the pinch weld.
If you notice the quarter at the pinch weld is a little long. I will go back and trim this later.
And I also welded along the wheel arch.
I will come back later and double the welds here. These are about every 5 inches
:shruggy:
Great work Don, lookin like a car again !!!! AWESOMENESS :)
Thanks Charlie.
Speaking of awesomeness, THAT IS ONE MEAN WHEELY MACHINE! :yesnod:
I didn't like the looks of the lock pillar down where it transitions into the rocker.
The outer edge was a bit banged up and to sharp
So I made a slice and hammered it down softening that edge
then welded it and finished it off
When I get to the body work stage I will come back and fix the edges
Not to much excitement but I did finally get the cowl to apron bracket welded on
I do know how to make sparks :icon_smile_cool:
I hit another bump in the road! :brickwall:
While fitting the quarter extensions I found they have a gap at the bottom edge!
See it here (Paint, Body & Trim thread) and help me solve the problem.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,140945.0.html
Looking good Don. :cheers:
Keep going Don!
The back of the quarter panel should be almost vertical and square.
Slice along the top 'by the fold' and remove a small sliver and reweld it back together!
Done a few of these and its a common fault with aftermarket quarters...
Quote from: aerolith on February 24, 2022, 03:41:00 AM
Keep going Don!
The back of the quarter panel should be almost vertical and square.
Slice along the top 'by the fold' and remove a small sliver and reweld it back together!
Done a few of these and its a common fault with aftermarket quarters...
Do you have a picture showing where to slice? I'm not sure what you mean when you say "by the fold"
So I decided to take a brake from the quarter extensions and fix my hood. It had been hit in the front and someone attempted to fix it but needed more attention.
I tried pulling it out...... but that was a wast of time!
So because the damage was along the leading edge where it is double walled, I decided to separate the inner from the outer skin.
1st I drilled 1/8 holes and added the clecos. I wanted to be absolutely sure that everything would be aligned when it went back together.
After drilling out the spotwelds around the perimeter, I used a long sawsall blade and cut the old seam sealer in-between the two halfs
Then it came apart.................
Did you see the mouse nest?
My 70 hood had the same nest lol
I made a profile template from another hood I have and used it to check the front edge.
I slit the fold and pushed the contoured edge until it matched the template then tacked it. Kept working the edge until it matched my template then welded it up and ground it down
That's some really nice work :2thumbs:
Curt
Quote from: panhead on April 14, 2022, 08:11:26 AM
That's some really nice work :2thumbs:
Curt
Thanks Curt
I wasn't happy with the sloppiness of my trunk hinges so I made some bushings and welded them in.
Then I epoxy sprayed the inner structure
and prepped the outer skin with Auto Tech Rust Prep.
This is the same stuff I used when I did the roof.
Before and after applying the Rust Prep
Then I epoxy sprayed the outer hood skin and trunk hinges
Before assembling the inner and outer pieces I made a cradle to support the outer skin.
And prepped them with weld through primer
I used 3M NVH Dampening Material 04274 as the bonding material between the inner and outer.
(1 tube was enough) Unfortunately I did not get any pics! Or of the 2 half's together. Sorry
But I can say it went together very well.
I aligned the holes with my clecos and welded the 2 half's back together.
This is the only pic I have of the hood with my toothless grandson
Nice work Don and glad to see the Grandson helping you along!
Thanks Wayne
Tell the truth Don. You wanted to separate the two halves of that hood all along to get to the last of the nasty you knew was up in there. :lol: :lol: :lol: Just kidding but I know with the way you have handled everything else that I bet there is some truth to it. Nice (thorough) job as always.
Quote from: Stevearino on April 15, 2022, 04:04:28 PM
Tell the truth Don. You wanted to separate the two halves of that hood all along to get to the last of the nasty you knew was up in there. :lol: :lol: :lol: Just kidding but I know with the way you have handled everything else that I bet there is some truth to it. Nice (thorough) job as always.
I was thinking the same thing, didn't he separate the Trunk lid into 2 pieces? LEON.
Quote from: Stevearino on April 15, 2022, 04:04:28 PM
Tell the truth Don. You wanted to separate the two halves of that hood all along to get to the last of the nasty you knew was up in there. :lol: :lol: :lol: Just kidding but I know with the way you have handled everything else that I bet there is some truth to it. Nice (thorough) job as always.
Man I can't get anything past you guys!
And yes :yesnod: it did bother me that every time I moved the thing I could hear particles moving around inside it.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on April 15, 2022, 11:20:09 PM
Quote from: Stevearino on April 15, 2022, 04:04:28 PM
Tell the truth Don. You wanted to separate the two halves of that hood all along to get to the last of the nasty you knew was up in there. :lol: :lol: :lol: Just kidding but I know with the way you have handled everything else that I bet there is some truth to it. Nice (thorough) job as always.
I was thinking the same thing, didn't he separate the Trunk lid into 2 pieces? LEON.
Again, I just can't get away with anything.
Leon, you remember correctly. I originally separated the trunk lids, I had 3 of them to try and get 1 good one.
I ended up buying another one, which if you look back though the pages is the grey one. It is in really good condition. I HOPE
Nice work as usual Don! Glad to see you are still at it.
I now have the Charger on a rotisserie!
LOTS of welding and grinding ahead
Good to see you're still moving forward 10 years in
At least you got all new clean metal. I've had cars turned sideways on Rotisserie's that were nothing but thousands of rust pits & craters that needed to be filled. time consuming pain in the Ass. LEON.
Don, all your hard work looks great on the rotisserie!
Good luck with the build!
Pat
Looking fantastic Don. That car has really risen from the ashes to be quite the piece.
Sorry I didn't respond earlier but for some reason I don't get notified anymore
Quote from: JB400 on July 15, 2022, 06:37:45 PM
Good to see you're still moving forward 10 years in
JB,Thanks for reminding me :brickwall:
Quote from: hemi-hampton on July 15, 2022, 06:53:05 PM
At least you got all new clean metal. I've had cars turned sideways on Rotisserie's that were nothing but thousands of rust pits & craters that needed to be filled. time consuming pain in the Ass. LEON.
I know ALL ABOUT TIME CONSUMING!
Quote from: keepat on July 15, 2022, 07:11:59 PM
Don, all your hard work looks great on the rotisserie!
Good luck with the build!
Pat
Thanks Pat, that means a lot
Quote from: Stevearino on July 15, 2022, 07:56:53 PM
Looking fantastic Don. That car has really risen from the ashes to be quite the piece.
Thanks Steve, I still have a ways to go.
And let me say I REALLY enjoy your videos!!!! :bow: :bow:
Quote from: mopar4don on July 15, 2022, 03:17:12 PM
I now have the Charger on a rotisserie!
LOTS of welding and grinding ahead
looking good M4D :yesnod: :2thumbs:
I see you put Sub Frame Connectors on it, Smart move to keep it sturdy as the Bodies Flex alot. Are they going to be Permanent or Temporary? LEON.
Quote from: tan top on August 31, 2022, 07:00:17 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on July 15, 2022, 03:17:12 PM
I now have the Charger on a rotisserie!
LOTS of welding and grinding ahead
looking good M4D :yesnod: :2thumbs:
Thanks
Quote from: hemi-hampton on August 31, 2022, 09:15:29 PM
I see you put Sub Frame Connectors on it, Smart move to keep it sturdy as the Bodies Flex alot. Are they going to be Permanent or Temporary? LEON.
Ahhhhhhhhhh permanant.
How would one install them temporary??????
I now have the bottom of the car cleaned up and in epoxy primer. :yesnod:
The next things to do are to install the gas tank brackets and torq boxes
and install a tube through drivers side sub frame connector for the e-brake cable
Quote from: mopar4don on September 02, 2022, 10:30:57 AM
Quote from: tan top on August 31, 2022, 07:00:17 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on July 15, 2022, 03:17:12 PM
I now have the Charger on a rotisserie!
LOTS of welding and grinding ahead
looking good M4D :yesnod: :2thumbs:
Thanks
Quote from: hemi-hampton on August 31, 2022, 09:15:29 PM
I see you put Sub Frame Connectors on it, Smart move to keep it sturdy as the Bodies Flex alot. Are they going to be Permanent or Temporary? LEON.
Ahhhhhhhhhh permanant.
How would one install them temporary??????
I said Temporary because I only seen 3 small tack welds holding it. If Permanant your going to want a full solid bead all around it. I'm sure you know this just didn't get that far yet in Pic. Pic of yours below. Pic of last Frame Connectors I did. LEON.
Thanks for clarifying that Leon, I was a bit confused on how they could be temporary. :scratchchin:
In that that pic you are right, they were tacked in when the car was on the frame jig. Knowing that it was going on the rotisserie were they were fully welded in.
I was kinda confused also, I thought some people don't like sub frame connectors & want to keep it more original, I thought maybe you put them on to hold more sturdy while on rotisserie but would maybe remove once off rotisserie. While your at that stage your at I always like to reinforce the the rear ends snubber bar plate on floor if your going to have lots of horsepower. LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 08, 2022, 07:13:37 PM
I was kinda confused also, I thought some people don't like sub frame connectors & want to keep it more original, I thought maybe you put them on to hold more sturdy while on rotisserie but would maybe remove once off rotisserie. While your at that stage your at I always like to reinforce the the rear ends snubber bar plate on floor if your going to have lots of horsepower. LEON.
Ok how do you reinforce the snubber plate?
I have the drivers side torq boxes in
Not the best looking welds but I will clean them up a bit......
Quote from: mopar4don on September 12, 2022, 03:02:27 PM
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 08, 2022, 07:13:37 PM
I was kinda confused also, I thought some people don't like sub frame connectors & want to keep it more original, I thought maybe you put them on to hold more sturdy while on rotisserie but would maybe remove once off rotisserie. While your at that stage your at I always like to reinforce the the rear ends snubber bar plate on floor if your going to have lots of horsepower. LEON.
Ok how do you reinforce the snubber plate?
Don, Do you have the old floor still? In your pic below I circled where the rear end snubber should contact floor under extreme acceleration, Traction Bars will help with axle wind to prevent this but if you have no Traction Bars this area could take a severe beating, Making it look like it was smacked with a slug hammer several times or even tearing/ripping the metal. Snubber extender could help with no traction bars. What I do is weld a 1/4" steel plate to this area to reinforce it. LEON.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 14, 2022, 11:10:04 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on September 12, 2022, 03:02:27 PM
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 08, 2022, 07:13:37 PM
I was kinda confused also, I thought some people don't like sub frame connectors & want to keep it more original, I thought maybe you put them on to hold more sturdy while on rotisserie but would maybe remove once off rotisserie. While your at that stage your at I always like to reinforce the the rear ends snubber bar plate on floor if your going to have lots of horsepower. LEON.
Ok how do you reinforce the snubber plate?
Don, Do you have the old floor still? In your pic below I circled where the rear end snubber should contact floor under extreme acceleration, Traction Bars will help with axle wind to prevent this but if you have no Traction Bars this area could take a severe beating, Making it look like it was smacked with a slug hammer several times or even tearing/ripping the metal. Snubber extender could help with no traction bars. What I do is weld a 1/4" steel plate to this area to reinforce it. LEON.
Leon, you mention my old floor? If I still have it can I use it and weld it on top of my current one?
Do you have pictures of the reinforcement?
I found this pic from a fellow DC member. Would it be something like this?
Thanks, Don
That B5 Blue 70 Cuda I pictured above had a heavy duty plate welded to that Snubber Spot. But, I don't think I have a Picture of it or any of the other ones I did. If you can find your old floor, I'd like to see it & that spot. LEON.
Leon still not sure how to reinforce the snubber plate as I dont have the old floor
So here I have the gas tank brackets welded in
And here I am layout and fitting a piece of 1/2 black pipe for the e-brake cable pass thru tube.
So after I welded the black pipe in I inserted a piece of plastic pex (had to sand it to make it slide in) I did this to prevent the cable from rubbing metal on metal. I got the idea from keepat's build
THANKS KEEPAT
Quote from: mopar4don on September 16, 2022, 05:30:22 AM
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 14, 2022, 11:10:04 PM
Quote from: mopar4don on September 12, 2022, 03:02:27 PM
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 08, 2022, 07:13:37 PM
I was kinda confused also, I thought some people don't like sub frame connectors & want to keep it more original, I thought maybe you put them on to hold more sturdy while on rotisserie but would maybe remove once off rotisserie. While your at that stage your at I always like to reinforce the the rear ends snubber bar plate on floor if your going to have lots of horsepower. LEON.
Ok how do you reinforce the snubber plate?
Don, Do you have the old floor still? In your pic below I circled where the rear end snubber should contact floor under extreme acceleration, Traction Bars will help with axle wind to prevent this but if you have no Traction Bars this area could take a severe beating, Making it look like it was smacked with a slug hammer several times or even tearing/ripping the metal. Snubber extender could help with no traction bars. What I do is weld a 1/4" steel plate to this area to reinforce it. LEON.
Leon, you mention my old floor? If I still have it can I use it and weld it on top of my current one?
Do you have pictures of the reinforcement?
I found this pic from a fellow DC member. Would it be something like this?
Thanks, Don
You got a pic of the spot/area here in this post. just weld a 1/4 " thick steel plate over the existing factory tin foil plate. LEON.
Quote from: mopar4don on November 15, 2022, 03:16:51 PM
So after I welded the black pipe in I inserted a piece of plastic pex (had to sand it to make it slide in) I did this to prevent the cable from rubbing metal on metal. I got the idea from keepat's build
THANKS KEEPAT
Don,
Your charger is coming along, keep up the great work!
Pat
Quote from: keepat on November 20, 2022, 11:21:31 AM
Quote from: mopar4don on November 15, 2022, 03:16:51 PM
So after I welded the black pipe in I inserted a piece of plastic pex (had to sand it to make it slide in) I did this to prevent the cable from rubbing metal on metal. I got the idea from keepat's build
THANKS KEEPAT
Don,
Your charger is coming along, keep up the great work!
Pat
Thanks Pat!
:2thumbs: :popcrn:
UPDATE TIME!
I got the rear package tray cross member supports welded back in
The next thing I did was figure out where the console brackets needed to go
I used this pic I found to start off.
I had to modify my automatic console by cutting out for the floor hump.
I used this template I purchased a few years back
Then I had to mount the console brackets to the console and put the seats in to check the position of the console between the seats
Had a little help from my friends with the positioning of the console.
You can read about it here.......
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,141880.msg1749835.html#new (http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,141880.msg1749835.html#new)
190393
Time to update!
Dang I forgot how to upload a pic!
Time to update!
I've been working as much as possible over the last 6+ months and I need to get this thread updated.
Dana 60 rebuild
I found a Dana 60 that came out of a 1970 dodge truck and my friend helped me convert it to use in my Charger.
Here is my friend torching off the ends of the axle and spring perches
P2023july21a.jpg
P2023july21b.jpg
P2023july21c.jpg
Here he is mocking up the new axle ends
P2023july21d.jpg
Then welding the ends onto the axle
P2023july21e.jpg
P2023july21f.jpg
Here it is freshly painted
P2023july21g.jpg
And as it sits now. READY TO INSTALL!
P2023july21h.jpg
P2023july21i.jpg
:2thumbs:
NICE :2thumbs: :2thumbs: :2thumbs:
Thanks fellas.......
So I have what I think is a really nice trunk. But rather than hope its good then later on it bubble up on me I decided to strip it and make sure there are no surprises!
So here is the before
P2023july28a.jpg
And it didn't take long before I found a surprise!
If you look close there are 4 holes in the back lip that someone previously had tried pulling out a pretty good dent. They must have gave up cause there was a good 1/4 of bondo
P2023july28b.jpg
I went ahead and fully stripped the back side
P2023july28c.jpg
Here is my pup Hemi giving her approval.
P2023july28d.jpg
here you can see the dent and holes
P2023july28e.jpg
Then I sprayed it with epoxy to protect it.
P2023july28f.jpg
P2023july28g.jpg
So this will get put to the side until I can fix that dent. But at least I know whats underneath!
My deepest respect for what you've accomplished over the past 10 years.
This wil be a great Charger :2thumbs:
Quote from: Mr. Lee on August 01, 2023, 11:22:57 AMMy deepest respect for what you've accomplished over the past 10 years.
This wil be a great Charger :2thumbs:
Thank you so much!
looking good ! great stuff :yesnod: :2thumbs: :popcrn:
So I decided to make a temporary paint booth.
I have 10 foot ceilings so I put up some 2x4 framing attached to my garage door tracks.
Then I wrapped it in plastic. I used Norton Blue Sheeting comes in a roll of 16'x350'
The plan is to open overhead door just enough to put a fan under it, and another fan in the entry door.
I will wet the floors before painting.
20230929a.jpg
20230929b.jpg
20230929c.jpg
20230929d.jpg
20230929e.jpg
Sorry these are the only pics I have.
did you put that snubber plate reinforcement in there? Leon.
Quote from: hemi-hampton on September 29, 2023, 06:02:12 PMdid you put that snubber plate reinforcement in there? Leon.
Good eyes!
No I did not. I guess I just figured I would not be racing it.
Do you think that is a mistake?
Quote from: mopar4don on October 02, 2023, 07:30:43 AMQuote from: hemi-hampton on September 29, 2023, 06:02:12 PMdid you put that snubber plate reinforcement in there? Leon.
Good eyes!
No I did not. I guess I just figured I would not be racing it.
Do you think that is a mistake?
Well, I just figure if your going to add Sub Frame Connectors & other reinforcements you might as well add the pinion snubber plate. you say not racing but then sub frame connectors not needed then ect., ect. BUT, Really it's all optional & matter of opinion. Are you going to add a plate to reinforce lower control arms?
Here is a pic of a Cuda I did with all the reinforcements. Unfortunately this is the only Pic I got, the rest lost on old computer. in this pic you cant see the heavy duty snubber plate. Leon.
70cudaundercarriagepainted9.jpg
Quote from: hemi-hampton on October 02, 2023, 08:12:23 PMQuote from: mopar4don on October 02, 2023, 07:30:43 AMQuote from: hemi-hampton on September 29, 2023, 06:02:12 PMdid you put that snubber plate reinforcement in there? Leon.
Good eyes!
No I did not. I guess I just figured I would not be racing it.
Do you think that is a mistake?
Well, I just figure if your going to add Sub Frame Connectors & other reinforcements you might as well add the pinion snubber plate. you say not racing but then sub frame connectors not needed then ect., ect. BUT, Really it's all optional & matter of opinion. Are you going to add a plate to reinforce lower control arms?
Here is a pic of a Cuda I did with all the reinforcements. Unfortunately this is the only Pic I got, the rest lost on old computer. in this pic you cant see the heavy duty snubber plate. Leon.
Yes I welded in the firm feel reinforcement brackets on the lower control arms. along with their K-frame reinforcements. I documented it in this thread. (It was a long time ago)
I didn't like the way the quarter extensions matched so I did some metal work.
20231003a.jpg
20231003b.jpg
20231003c.jpg
20231003d.jpg
I also didn't like how they looked down low so I fixed it
20231003e.jpg
20231003f.jpg
20231003g.jpg
20231003h.jpg
Quote from: mopar4don on October 03, 2023, 03:20:54 PMQuote from: hemi-hampton on October 02, 2023, 08:12:23 PMQuote from: mopar4don on October 02, 2023, 07:30:43 AMQuote from: hemi-hampton on September 29, 2023, 06:02:12 PMdid you put that snubber plate reinforcement in there? Leon.
Good eyes!
No I did not. I guess I just figured I would not be racing it.
Do you think that is a mistake?
Well, I just figure if your going to add Sub Frame Connectors & other reinforcements you might as well add the pinion snubber plate. you say not racing but then sub frame connectors not needed then ect., ect. BUT, Really it's all optional & matter of opinion. Are you going to add a plate to reinforce lower control arms?
Here is a pic of a Cuda I did with all the reinforcements. Unfortunately this is the only Pic I got, the rest lost on old computer. in this pic you cant see the heavy duty snubber plate. Leon.
Yes I welded in the firm feel reinforcement brackets on the lower control arms. along with their K-frame reinforcements. I documented it in this thread. (It was a long time ago)
:2thumbs:
Working with aftermarket for many years I've ran into those same 1/4 panel problems (& many other fit problems) & have done all that same stuff, cut/splice weld ect., ect., And people wonder why it cost so much & take so much time to restore a Car. They don't understand until they try it for themselves & see all the problems you can run into. What really sucks is when someone restores a car & doesn't do anything to fix these bad fit problems. Your doing a great job on that one. LEON.
Thankyou
Better than factory. Nice work as always Don.
Thanks Steve.
And just so you know, every friday I look forward to your youtube update!
You Sir, are amazing!
Quote from: mopar4don on October 03, 2023, 03:29:33 PMI didn't like the way the quarter extensions matched so I did some metal work.
I also didn't like how they looked down low so I fixed it
I love the attention to "blueprinting" the body like you're doing here. It is what makes a car really stand out compared to an original. I'm impressed. You inspire me to do the same when I go through the body on "Jigsaw".
2 XH JAA (2).jpg
:rofl: :hah: :smilielol: :lol:
Getting ready to paint, but before I do that I wanted to get Resto Ricks undercoating sprayed inside the trunk.
P2023nov30a1.jpg
P2023nov30a2.jpg
P2023nov30a3.jpg
P2023nov30a4.jpg
P2023nov30a5.jpg
And here is what it looks like after paint
P2023nov30a.jpg
P2023nov30b.jpg
P2023nov30c.jpg P2023nov30d.jpg P2023nov30e.jpg P2023nov30f.jpg P2023nov30g.jpg P2023nov30h.jpg
A few more....
P2023nov30i.jpg P2023nov30j.jpg
P2023nov30k.jpg P2023nov30l.jpg
A HUGE THANK YOU! to my friend Ralph who did the painting
P2023nov30m.jpg
P2023nov30n.jpg
P2023nov30o.jpg
:cheers: Looks amazing! Such great work on this build, I learned so much about how these panels go together from your work and documentation. Thank you! :popcrn:
Thanks Timmy, I still have a ways to go.
Next up, final gaps and final metal work.
:coolgleamA: looking good M4D :yesnod: :2thumbs:
Now there's a BIG step. Looking good Don.. keep at'r !
exciting times
Quote from: tan top on December 01, 2023, 09:02:35 AM:coolgleamA: looking good M4D :yesnod: :2thumbs:
Thank you
Quote from: birdsandbees on December 01, 2023, 01:33:13 PMNow there's a BIG step. Looking good Don.. keep at'r !
Thanks Wayne. A huge step for sure. (every time I see a 7up machine for sale I think of you) :icon_smile_big:
Quote from: Charger-Bodie on December 01, 2023, 03:51:05 PMexciting times
Thanks
Woot woot!! That is awesome! Nice work Don!
:drool5: :drool5: :drool5: :drool5:
Looks good. Can't wait to see the rest of it painted
Here is a long overdue update!
My deck lid needs some more attention, so I used a stud gun and pulled out a dent.
These 3 pics are what I have showing the process
P2024mar28a.jpg
P2024mar28b.jpg
P2024mar28c.jpg
So next I wanted to strip it to be sure there were no surprises!
I used a heat gun and putty knife to get the majority of the filler.
Then followed that with a wire wheel.
P2024mar28d.jpg
P2024mar28e.jpg
P2024mar28f.jpg
P2024mar28g.jpg
Overall its good. It just had a lot of filler
Here are a couple more pics showing the dented area
P2024mar28h.jpg
P2024mar28i.jpg
Next up hood hinges.....
I was having a problem with the hood not closing properly.
When I would close the hood, the back edge along the cowl on the passenger side was not down all the way.
I would say it was up about a 1/4 of an inch.
So I removed both hinges and took the spring off. I checked all the joints and they seemed ok.
What I found was that the teeth were worn really bad!
This is the only pic I have showing how bad the teeth are worn. (zoom in to see the gap between the teeth)
Yes I know this pic shows the hinge in the open position but trust me they are just as bad when in the closed position.
P2024april12a.jpg
Now it just so happens that I have a few extra sets of hinges.
You would think I could find a good set.... NOPE! They are all bad!
So I decided to fix these. And this blue hinge would be the test subject.
I had to do a LOT and I mean a LOT of research to come up with the right gear tooth shape.
Once I had the shape I drew it up in CAD/CAM then machined it into acrylic and tested it. NICE and SMOOTH!
P2024april12b.jpg
P2024april12c.jpg
So next I welded up the teeth, and made a fixture, then machined the new teeth.
P2024april12d.jpg
P2024april12e.jpg
P2024april12f.jpg
A friend made up some new rivets and after machining the pivot holes I put it together and it worked perfectly!
NICE and SMOOTH!
P2024april12g.jpg
P2024april12h.jpg
So since it all worked I went ahead and picked a set of hinges. Machined new pivot holes for all the joints, and welded up and machined new teeth, epoxy primed everything, and installed the rivets.
I am happy to report that they work flawlessly on the car! And yes, when I close the hood, it truly closes all the way!
These are the only pics of the rebuilt hinges. And they show how I mushroomed the back side of the rivets in my press.
P2024april12i.jpg
P2024april12j.jpg
P2024april12k.jpg
Amazing work as always! My hood does the same thing. After I close it, I need to push down the passenger side rear corner.
Hey Dino,
Thanks for responding...
Yeah I think its a common problem as those springs are really strong and I think the reason the teeth wear out.