SRT-8 Daytona Clone

[Stevearino]

Stevearino,

What's your ride height from the ground to the bottom of your rocker panels? And are you doing any rake or just level?

The stock SRT had a ride height at the rocker of about 5"which is about 1 inch lower than a standard 06 Charger. Pretty much level. I have removed the stock front springs and replaced them with lowering coils that drop the height at the wheel about 1.5 " from stock so the front to rear has about 1 inch of rake but the car is still settling and may be lower in the front after a few runs out on the road. I have seen this chassis lowered with bagged suspension but I am not interested in dragging everything off the bottom of the car.

[tnthull]

Thanks, I just wanted a good reference point for my car, I am setting it up at 4.5" for now and I should be able to make small adjustments from there. Thanks for the help!

[Stevearino]

Haven't been posting because there is not much to see. Just a bunch of bondo work. Most of it is on the floor. Been at it every weekend though. I am not a pro so this will take a good bit longer than most folks here could do. Plus old muscles don't like to block for very long.

[Baldwinvette77]

Even in this stage, that is one hell of a good looking charger 

[Stevearino]

Even in this stage, that is one hell of a good looking charger 

You really have to try to make a second gen Charger look bad.

[Daytona R/T SE]

Haven't been posting because there is not much to see. Just a bunch of bondo work. Most of it is on the floor. Been at it every weekend though. I am not a pro so this will take a good bit longer than most folks here could do. Plus old muscles don't like to block for very long.

[daytonalo]

Rene ?? 

[dyslexic teddybear]

You really have to try to make a second gen Charger look bad.

With respect, must disagree.

When one starts with near perfection from the factory......any change is a great risk.   Many still try, very , very few succeed.

You're making great changes.....and with such great changes comes great responsibility to maintain the standard set from the factory.


So far.......yeah, I'll go with Baldwin......that is one hell of a good looking Charger.  

[Stevearino]

You really have to try to make a second gen Charger look bad.

With respect, must disagree.

When one starts with near perfection from the factory......any change is a great risk.  Many still try, very , very few succeed.

You're making great changes.....and with such great changes comes great responsibility to maintain the standard set from the factory.


So far.......yeah, I'll go with Baldwin......that is one hell of a good looking Charger. 

Well I hope I can finish it up to that standard. I have had a few close calls. The rocker situation , the gas hole in the side of the quarter but thanks to the honest opinions of the folks here I got called out early enough to correct those goof ups.

[dyslexic teddybear]

You really have to try to make a second gen Charger look bad.

With respect, must disagree.

When one starts with near perfection from the factory......any change is a great risk.  Many still try, very , very few succeed.

You're making great changes.....and with such great changes comes great responsibility to maintain the standard set from the factory.


So far.......yeah, I'll go with Baldwin......that is one hell of a good looking Charger. 

Well I hope I can finish it up to that standard. I have had a few close calls. The rocker situation , the gas hole in the side of the quarter but thanks to the honest opinions of the folks here I got called out early enough to correct those goof ups.

Honest, constructive criticism can be a very good thing. 

I think the biggest trap many fall into is trying to make changes for the sake of changes to personalize their rig.

A quite different process then what you are accomplishing, morphing together two very different cars, keeping the flavor of the original.

I'm patiently waiting.......helped by a good supply of

[XS29L9B2]

really always beautifull work

[Mike DC]

  

It looks pretty awesome on the whole.    

Don't get too carried away with the blocking.  This car is seems totally built for racking up the street miles.  




I find that eventually you reach a tipping point on this stuff and you hit diminishing returns, just in terms of your own satisfaction.  95% of the effort always gets dumped into the last 5% of the perfection.  Yet, getting it 95% perfect can actually leave you more frustrated than if you had stopped at 85% perfect. 

[Finn]

Awesome stuff dude! Thanks for taking the time to post all the pictures. 

[1970Moparmann]

Great progress.   

[Stevearino]

Thanks for all of the upbeat comments guys. This is not my favorite part of the job. I am not a professional body man and have painted maybe 6 cars in my entire life with various products over the years and varying results so this is a bit nerve racking for me. Especially since it's going to be black over grey. Not exactly the best choice of colors for hiding imperfections. Mike DC, I did an El Camino back in the 90's and drove on pins and needles until that first shopping cart dent and then I was able to relax so I am not going to baby this thing. This is not a show queen by any stretch of the imagination. Definitely a driver. Folks looking under the car will be mighty disappointed to see the underside of a factory 06 Charger and not a bunch of chrome and shiny paint.

[moparstuart]

Thanks for all of the upbeat comments guys. This is not my favorite part of the job. I am not a professional body man and have painted maybe 6 cars in my entire life with various products over the years and varying results so this is a bit nerve racking for me. Especially since it's going to be black over grey. Not exactly the best choice of colors for hiding imperfections. Mike DC, I did an El Camino back in the 90's and drove on pins and needles until that first shopping cart dent and then I was able to relax so I am not going to baby this thing. This is not a show queen by any stretch of the imagination. Definitely a driver. Folks looking under the car will be mighty disappointed to see the underside of a factory 06 Charger and not a bunch of chrome and shiny paint.

what this guy did is cool

[Stevearino]

[/quote]  what this guy did is cool
[/quote]
Sneaky  little stinker.

[Stevearino]

I have gotten to a point where I have to put the nose back on the car to do the bondo work up front so I took a break from working over the rest of the car to clean up the bottom of the nose while it is still off the car. Also I had to finish fabricating the grill.
I used some 1/2"x 1/8" hot rolled flat steel to build the perimeter. I then took some 1/4" x  1/4" stainless steel screen and welded it to the back side of the grill surround. Finally I secured it into the opening with some stainless oval head screws.

[ws23rt]

  I can appreciate the need to move from one place to another on a big project.

When I feel something bogging me down or changing/slowing my attention I see it as a signal to move to another task.
For me it's a way to keep my original idea alive without the compromises that we are tempted with.
BTW that stainless grill looks great.

[Stevearino]

I can appreciate the need to move from one place to another on a big project.

When I feel something bogging me down or changing/slowing my attention I see it as a signal to move to another task.
For me it's a way to keep my original idea alive without the compromises that we are tempted with.
BTW that stainless grill looks great.

That is it exactly. Bogged down is an understatement but I don't want to be tempted to short cut the process.

[ws23rt]

I can appreciate the need to move from one place to another on a big project.

When I feel something bogging me down or changing/slowing my attention I see it as a signal to move to another task.
For me it's a way to keep my original idea alive without the compromises that we are tempted with.
BTW that stainless grill looks great.

That is it exactly. Bogged down is an understatement but I don't want to be tempted to short cut the process.

Your progress gives me motivation to move with mine.

[200MPH]

I don't mean  to sound like parrot with an echo, but man this thing is Awesome, Beautiful. creative work of Art !

[Stevearino]

I can appreciate the need to move from one place to another on a big project.

When I feel something bogging me down or changing/slowing my attention I see it as a signal to move to another task.
For me it's a way to keep my original idea alive without the compromises that we are tempted with.
BTW that stainless grill looks great.

That is it exactly. Bogged down is an understatement but I don't want to be tempted to short cut the process.

Your progress gives me motivation to move with mine.

Well alright then. Let's get goin'.

I don't mean  to sound like parrot with an echo, but man this thing is Awesome, Beautiful. creative work of Art !

All parrots and other agreeable birds are certainly welcome here.

[cdr]

for me,the acceptance that i was not physically capable,or could not afford to pay someone to get the body as perfect as i wanted, & that my car is a driver that i can enjoy, not that i don't take care of it, but if it was perfect i would not want to drive it. The very 1st time i parked it in a parking lot, a older man parks very close to the pass side, i see him open his door into the side of my car, he was very old & weak & having a hard time, i got to him as fast as i could ,grabbed his door off my car & helped him get out of his car,he knew he made a mistake, i did not even get mad, it's just a car & i expect for things to happen to it. Just do the best you can & it will be awesome!!

[Stevearino]

for me,the acceptance that i was not physically capable,or could not afford to pay someone to get the body as perfect as i wanted, & that my car is a driver that i can enjoy, not that i don't take care of it, but if it was perfect i would not want to drive it. The very 1st time i parked it in a parking lot, a older man parks very close to the pass side, i see him open his door into the side of my car, he was very old & weak & having a hard time, i got to him as fast as i could ,grabbed his door off my car & helped him get out of his car,he knew he made a mistake, i did not even get mad, it's just a car & i expect for things to happen to it. Just do the best you can & it will be awesome!!

I appreciate the vote of confidence Charlie. And by the way I have seen open check book cars with high dollar paint and custom wheels that don't grab the essence of the 2nd Gen Charger as well as you have done with yours. It really sets a mood.

For anyone following this thread who would like to see how a professional would handled this

.http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/moparforum/showthread.php?99675-SRT8-Roadrunner-conversion-NOT-a-body-over!!