SRT-8 Daytona Clone

[Stevearino]

I have to say that this is an awesome build!!

Thank you. I have a long way to go. Let's hope I don't run out of steam.

X2!!
Great solution to the trunk spring issue, the original Charger hinges look much better than the oversized, "adapted looking" hinges on a daytona. Also you cleaned up the inside of the truck a bit at the same time.
Amazing work!

Thanks for the compliment. I didn't know if It would work but since it did it saved me a couple of bucks.

I have to say that this is an awesome build!!

[moparstuart]

  them NASCAR guy dont want any extra weight    

[Stevearino]

  them NASCAR guy dont want any extra weight    

We've been known to stob parts of the car off the cage with tig rod. Now that's just stupid.

[Stevearino]

Back to the boring stuff.Getting rid of rusted material. The lower front of the quarter panel was not rusted but it had been lumped up pretty good and rather than spend a lot of time trying to dolly it out and then have to put a bunch of mud in it I decided to cut it out and replace it. I have to do the other side also. It was good though because I was able to get in to see the rear frame rail  and clean it up , treat it and primer it before replacing the panel. Everything underneath was in pretty good shape.

[JB400]

Looks good.  I don't consider this the boring part.  Removing rust just gives an idea of how good of a craftsman a person is.  Besides, it opens the door for some unique custom work as well.

[Ghoste]

Yeah, it might be the scary part as all that metal vanishes and it starts to look like it could never be a car again but I don't know if its necessarily boring.

[moparstuart]

Back to the boring stuff.Getting rid of rusted material. The lower front of the quarter panel was not rusted but it had been lumped up pretty good and rather than spend a lot of time trying to dolly it out and then have to put a bunch of mud in it I decided to cut it out and replace it. I have to do the other side also. It was good though because I was able to get in to see the rear frame rail  and clean it up , treat it and primer it before replacing the panel. Everything underneath was in pretty good shape.

[ws23rt]

Back to the boring stuff.Getting rid of rusted material. The lower front of the quarter panel was not rusted but it had been lumped up pretty good and rather than spend a lot of time trying to dolly it out and then have to put a bunch of mud in it I decided to cut it out and replace it. I have to do the other side also. It was good though because I was able to get in to see the rear frame rail  and clean it up , treat it and primer it before replacing the panel. Everything underneath was in pretty good shape.

I can only imagine how many times the decision has been made. To replace the whole rear quarter or not? This is a good example of what can be fixed without intruding on otherwise sound areas of the car. Not to mention less work.
Good call Stevearino and nice work.

[thedodgeboys]

Awesome build 

[Stevearino]

Back to the boring stuff.Getting rid of rusted material. The lower front of the quarter panel was not rusted but it had been lumped up pretty good and rather than spend a lot of time trying to dolly it out and then have to put a bunch of mud in it I decided to cut it out and replace it. I have to do the other side also. It was good though because I was able to get in to see the rear frame rail  and clean it up , treat it and primer it before replacing the panel. Everything underneath was in pretty good shape.

I can only imagine how many times the decision has been made. To replace the whole rear quarter or not? This is a good example of what can be fixed without intruding on otherwise sound areas of the car. Not to mention less work.
Good call Stevearino and nice work.

Less work indeed. I hate drilling out spot welds.

[Daytona Guy]

Super fabulous 

[Stevearino]

I stripped out the interior re enforcement on the sail panel to remove any rust underneath and to clean the re enforcement pieces up also. I re installed an abbreviated version of the re enforcement towards the front of the sail panel and then fabricated new re enforcement the rest of the way back to the window bed. this will provide an under structure for a smooth transition  in the head liner back to the glass.


Well this pretty much catches me up  on this project as far as posting the progress on this project since last September. From here on out  I will be posting hopefully every couple of weeks as I move forward. Progress has ground to a halt since my compressor crapped out and I have been in the process of rebuilding/upgrading it. I only lack some "v" belts which are on back order. Thanks to everyone who has commented.

[moparstuart]

be sure and keep all the chassis and structure for our superbird project   

[Stevearino]

be sure and keep all the chassis and structure for our superbird project   

:

[Baldwinvette77]

nice quarter repair 

[Stevearino]

Every gen 2 Charger came with a leaf and debris catcher as standard equipment. As you can see mine is no exception. At least there are no critters living in here.  Cutting the cowl off was the last thing I did a couple of weeks ago when my compressor crapped out and I made the bad decision to rebuild it. I am still on that adventure waiting for the proper belts to drive the replacement head. They have been on back order for 2 weeks.

[Stevearino]

Since the compressor was down I decided to start taking the easy stuff off of the 06 Charger. When I removed the rear bumper cover I found these neat little vent pieces in the side wall of the trunk. They are hard plastic with rubber flexible louvers. Can anyone guess what I am thinking these will be perfect for?
Since I had the tires off the car I decided to play around and see what they would look like on the 68. Something tells me I am going to need a large sub woofer with these.

[moparstuart]

the mat finish 5 spoke wheels looks so much better

[Stevearino]

the mat finish 5 spoke wheels looks so much better

Yeah. I only have one of those and three of the others. I'm gonna have to buy one more of the Ghoste wheels just to make a set to sell. I will probably use them while I am building the car but there are other things I like better for the final deal like the wheels on the Mutant Bee for example. I have to be careful because these new cars have all of the offset to the inside.

[Highbanked Hauler]

 Steve, do you  bend roll bars also ?

[Baldwinvette77]

Hmmmm, my guess's are that you will either use them under the fender scoops, or under the nose cone 

[Montreal Wing Car]

Those wheels are available from Factory Reproductions, not too expensive, good quality you don't have to go the expensive OEM route!
http://factoryreproductions.com/factory/pc/Dodge-Challenger-Silver-Machine-c14.htm

They do look great on the car...

Ben

[Stevearino]

Steve, do you  bend roll bars also ?

Sure don't. That's the chassis dept. I work hanging the bodies. I know some guys that can though.

Hmmmm, my guess's are that you will either use them under the fender scoops, or under the nose cone 

Fender scoops it is. Good guess. There is a problem with having the functional opening under the fender scoops as it throws debris on the windshield. I am thinking if these were installed with the flaps forward facing they would relieve the air pressure under the fenders but keep away debris. We'll see.

Those wheels are available from Factory Reproductions, not too expensive, good quality you don't have to go the expensive OEM route!
http://factoryreproductions.com/factory/pc/Dodge-Challenger-Silver-Machine-c14.htm

They do look great on the car...

Ben

Thanks for the link Ben. If I go that route that's a good source.

[Daytona Guy]

Personally, these cars need some offset depth to the wheels on them. The New Challengers (I have one) look good not having the offset (depth) because of the car's styling and stance. The 2nd gen Chargers have a lower profile and stance - so these wheels just don't look right on them IMO. Also, Chrome is so much more flashy and pops really nice when the car is moving and looks good sitting still.

Dane

[Stevearino]

Personally, these cars need some offset depth to the wheels on them. The New Challengers (I have one) look good not having the offset (depth) because of the car's styling and stance. The 2nd gen Chargers have a lower profile and stance - so these wheels just don't look right on them IMO. Also, Chrome is so much more flashy and pops really nice when the car is moving and looks good sitting still.

Dane

I agree about the wheels needing to be dished. I am not sure how much dish I will be able to get based on the way that the wheels are mounted with the off set from the body to the inside. I will have to see how wide they are when the old body is  mounted on the new chassis. The other issue I will struggle with is with a much higher sub structure it will be hard to get the great front to rear rake you have achieved on your cars. It will be interesting.