DAYTONA ragtop best ragtop to start with???

[djcarguy]

     REad lots of threads here with differing opionions, so asking for info on best year an make ragtop to start a     Daytona ragtop project???   
i found a 67 & a 66 belvedere ragtops for sale,someone talked of doing a topless wing car with a 67,iirc??

   superbird ragtop seems very clear as too use a 70 ply sat,or rr?  or 68-69 for a custom look?

   seems few different ideas as to coronet or satillite ragtop for a daytona ragtop???


       Well  not having any luck buying a charger an with so much repop parts thinking of going with a different car too start a custom Daytona ragtop project.. thanks all good info helpful,thanks again.DJ  

[pettybird]

you have lots of crazy ideas.  crazy ideas require one of two things:  crazy talent or crazy money.  If you're loaded, start with a damn Rolls Royce if you want.  If you're talented like Stevarino, get to work.  Assuming that you're nowhere near those extremes, think smaller.

[moparstuart]

you have lots of crazy ideas.  crazy ideas require one of two things:  crazy talent or crazy money.  If you're loaded, start with a damn Rolls Royce if you want.  If you're talented like Stevarino, get to work.  Assuming that you're nowhere near those extremes, think smaller.

i dont have either , but i push on ward    

[hemi68charger]

similar thread.....

Pete V. here has a ragtop Daytona...

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?topic=97357.0

[Old Moparz]

It won't matter whether you use a Coronet or Satellite as the base car since the entire rear clip will need to be custom fabricated. The Charger doors & the entire nose will bolt right onto either convertible.

[nascarxx29]

Pete used a 68 satelitte conv.And had to widen door jambs splice to trunk lids together change tail panel etc etc.Find a converted charger and daytona it


http://bodyworks.bluestarperformance.com/gallery24.htm

[nascarxx29]

http://www.superbirdbob.com/topless-charger/darren-paulas-1969-charger-rt-ragtop/
http://www.superbirdbob.com/topless-charger/1968-charger-ragtop/

[Daytona R/T SE]

you have lots of crazy ideas.  crazy ideas require one of two things:  crazy talent or crazy money.  If you're loaded, start with a damn Rolls Royce if you want.  If you're talented like Stevarino, get to work.  Assuming that you're nowhere near those extremes, think smaller.

[A383Wing]

I won't matter whether you use a Coronet or Satellite as the base car since the entire rear clip will need to be custom fabricated. The Charger doors & the entire nose will bolt right onto either convertible.

I got a decent set of doors for sale up here if ya need 'em

[Baldwinvette77]

you have lots of crazy ideas.  crazy ideas require one of two things:  crazy talent or crazy money.  If you're loaded, start with a damn Rolls Royce if you want.  If you're talented like Stevarino, get to work.  Assuming that you're nowhere near those extremes, think smaller.

i dont have either , but i push on ward    

that makes 2 of us 

[richRTSE]

..think smaller...

Do you mean smaller like A-body?!?! 

         

[pettybird]

..think smaller...

Do you mean smaller like A-body?!?! 

         

Omni.

[held1823]

almost an onmi ... it would be cool looking without the horrid exhaust tips, or that silly wing slapped on the back.

[Mike DC]

 

Take a good look at some existing Charger convertible buildups before you assume this is a good idea.  

Simply swapping the Charger outer skin panels onto a '68-70 B-body convertible won't come out looking as good as you probably think it will.  The convertible Coronets & Plymouths have taller windshield frames and much different cloth rooflines from the 2dr hardtop B-bodies.
 
And then there is the issue of what a wing does to the appearance.    Even if you use a hardtop B-body's lower windshield frame and create a cloth top that recreates the C500/Daytona roofline, the wing is still probably gonna look too tall sticking up in back when the top is down.  

---------------------------------------


IMHO the only way the Daytona convertible idea stands a chance at looking good, is maybe if you shortened the Daytona nose & lowered the wing a bit (similar to the Fast & Furious #6 Daytona) and created a removable hardtop based on the stock C500/Daytona's roof shape.  That might have a chance at looking good in person.

[petercharger]

What about a 3 rd generation charger...we have seen them here with pics and would be better and cheaper...chop,the top

[djcarguy]

Any one with experience building a charger or daytona convertable using another b body ragtop,that can share some direct info an help??

     dont think a omni came in a ragtop ,an i sure wood not start with a RR as it wood cost alot an iam not into furrin cars like a rolls royce  ,funny bit of advice ,thanks .


    it seems to me a coronet ragtop with the curved top on quarters wood adapt better to charger quarts ??an what about chargers having a longer wheel base than ply b bodies??  thanks  info helpful.latter    DJ

[Daytona R/T SE]

Any one with experience building a charger or daytona convertable using another b body ragtop,that can share some direct info an help??

     dont think a omni came in a ragtop ,an i sure wood not start with a RR as it wood cost alot an iam not into furrin cars like a rolls royce  ,funny bit of advice ,thanks .


   it seems to me a coronet ragtop with the curved top on quarters wood adapt better to charger quarts ??an what about chargers having a longer wheel base than ply b bodies??  thanks  info helpful.latter    DJ

Aren't you already building a flip-top-six-door-Dart-Daytona-stretch-limo-ice-cream-truck-

hovercraft-station-wagon-lunar-module-atmospheric-re-entry-vehicle or something ?



How's that coming ?

Have you ever posted any pictures of it ?

I think there are several of us that would like to see it.


A custom convertible is a BIG undertaking.

You need to be a skilled fabricator, or be able to pay for another man's skills.

You have to ask yourself :

AM I up to it ?

Do I have deep enough pockets to pay a custom shop ?

Post pictures of your current project.

[A383Wing]

Aren't you already building a flip-top-six-door-Dart-Daytona-stretch-limo-ice-cream-truck-

hovercraft-station-wagon-lunar-module-atmospheric-re-entry-vehicle or something ?

How's that coming ?

Post pictures of your current project.

Found what he's working on 

[Old Moparz]

I'd drive that orange wagon thing.  

[Daytona R/T SE]

Aren't you already building a flip-top-six-door-Dart-Daytona-stretch-limo-ice-cream-truck-

hovercraft-station-wagon-lunar-module-atmospheric-re-entry-vehicle or something ?

How's that coming ?

Post pictures of your current project.

Found what he's working on 

[A383Wing]

It's right hand drive also

[Mike DC]

Converts again -

As far as I know the Dodge/Plymouth wheelbase difference is in front leaf spring eye brackets.  Chrysler wanted the Dodge brand to have a longer wheelbase than Plymouth just on principle.  The unibodies/subframes weren't different. 

(The E-body wheelbases were structurally different though.  Challys have 2 more inches of floor behind the front seats compared to Cudas.)



As for the quarter panels . . . you're gonna be fabricating & swapping so much Charger metal onto the car that I don't think it matters much about which you start with.  I could be wrong but just look at the donor cars.  Pretty much everything on the outer skin besides the front cowl panel has to change. 

[pettybird]

dont think a omni came in a ragtop ,an i sure wood not start with a RR as it wood cost alot an iam not into furrin cars like a rolls royce  ,funny bit of advice ,thanks .

You said "wood" twice.  Either you meant a) "would" or b) this:

[Stevearino]

You said "wood" twice.  Either you meant a) "would" or b) this:


[/quote]

Looking at this car screams "Hey Japan! Come take our car building business. We are too damn lazy to do it anymore."

[pettybird]

You said "wood" twice.  Either you meant a) "would" or b) this:

Looking at this car screams "Hey Japan! Come take our car building business. We are too damn lazy to do it anymore."
[/quote]


Holy truth.  For full effect, park between a Cimmarron and a Tornado Diesel. 

[held1823]

japan wasn't knocking it out of the park in 1983, either

[pettybird]

Oh God...

I bought a big box of early 80's Motor Trends at this past weekend's Mopar show at Norwalk, and the performance and style were ALL awful.  Highlight of one issue:  The strong-running '83 Mustang GT beat the Z28 in the 1/4 mile 16.6 to 16.8 secs. 

I bought it because there were some pretty cool Porsche articles, including a cover story on the 1982 924 Carrera GT. 



You can't argue that the 80's were the low point for US quality while the Japanese were learning very, very quickly. 

[70Sbird]

Oh God...

I bought a big box of early 80's Motor Trends at this past weekend's Mopar show at Norwalk, and the performance and style were ALL awful.  Highlight of one issue:  The strong-running '83 Mustang GT beat the Z28 in the 1/4 mile 16.6 to 16.8 secs. 

I bought it because there were some pretty cool Porsche articles, including a cover story on the 1982 924 Carrera GT. 



You can't argue that the 80's were the low point for US quality while the Japanese were learning very, very quickly. 

Sadly I believe that both the Z28 and Mustang were beaten by the X11 Citation........truly a dark time in automotive history.

Also probably the reason I see more cars still on the road from the 1960's and early 70's than anything from that late 70's through the 80's era

[pettybird]

That's because you don't have a large Puerto Rican population nearby.  A 1988 Toyota Corolla will never be allowed to die 

[Stevearino]

Every era until you get to the 70's seemed to have a heavy nostalgia following based on what cars caught your gaze when you were growing up. I really feel bad for anyone who grew up looking at fake spoked wheel hub caps,thickly padded vinyl tops, and giant chrome 5 mph bumpers that were 2 foot wider than the cars. You can blame government regulation but I don't remember anyone outlawing imagination during that time period. We have a saying where I work "Sometimes you need to make chicken salad out of chicken s##t"  From 75 through to 86 it doesn't look like anyone even cared to try.

[pettybird]

The print ads were 4 feet deep in bullshit, though.  There's a Cavalier ad that talks about it being beautiful.  It's as if they'd all hired back their ad men from 1958.

[Stevearino]

The manufacturers in the US back then it was down right insulting. The attitude was "Push any old piece of crap out there and stupid Americans will be loyal and buy it. Where the hell else are they going to go?" Sad thing is that today they have world class products but still have that stink all over them.

[Highbanked Hauler]

The manufacturers in the US back then it was down right insulting. The attitude was "Push any old piece of crap out there and stupid Americans will be loyal and buy it. Where the hell else are they going to go?" Sad thing is that today they have world class products but still have that stink all over them.

   so damn true

[NJRBros]

This got off topic quick. 

[held1823]

and for the better....

[pettybird]

and for the better....

Bing!

[pettybird]

The manufacturers in the US back then it was down right insulting. The attitude was "Push any old piece of crap out there and stupid Americans will be loyal and buy it. Where the hell else are they going to go?" Sad thing is that today they have world class products but still have that stink all over them.

That Camaro article mentioned that the fit and finish was good because the body gaps were "OK."  Could you imagine Motor Trend's screaming now if they weren't all sub 6mm?

[NJRBros]

and for the better....

Haha I would've expected this to start in that lincoln thread 

[Stevearino]

Sorry for the hijack on the thread DJ  but that 83 convertible set me off. Seems like based on the amount of work that is going to be needed just about any 68 thru 70 B body should work. Building a convertible Charger is definitely the deep end of the pool.

[djcarguy]

You said "wood" twice.  Either you meant a) "would" or b) this:

anymore."
[/quote]

  looks like the ragtop from----planes,trains and automoblies----   NOW CAN SOMEONE PHOTO SHOP A WING AN NOSE ON IT,,THANKS..LATTER DJ   

[pettybird]

Well no one can say you're not a good sport 


These should have all gone the way of the car in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, too:

[moparstuart]

Well no one can say you're not a good sport 


These should have all gone the way of the car in Planes, Trains and Automobiles, too:

those arent two pillows   

[Mike DC]

             
The mid/late 1980s started producing some stuff people feel nostalgic about.  Maybe not Mopar guys but plenty of other crowds (like exotic & euro) have fond memories of certain cars from that period.


The upside of MPG-happy zero-horsepower eras is that handling can come to the forefront.  Small cars + small (lightweight) engines + no other performance traits to focus on.  

[Hemi Runner]

How about a woodgrain, convertible daytona complete with wire wheels and houndstooth interior!!

[djcarguy]

  Check out the ====Charger convertable ...am i sick======  thread has pixs an info ,even a 3rd gen topless pho-shop,looks great.. worth a look only 3 pages an with pixs its a easy,fast read,lol.  lattter DJ