1970 charger recreation

[spoolinhard]

Ok, here is my story. I am 29 years old, when I was in high school my dad and I found a 68 R/T out to pasture that I bought for pocket change. I bought it and brought it home; since I already had a challenger project my mom was pissed when I drug the charger home. Needless to say she made me sell it and I have wanted one ever since. I vowed that the next opportunity I had to own one I would keep it. Fast forward to todays insane charger prices it took alot of digging but I bought a very crusty (but complete) 70 charger. While I was hunting up unibody parts for it I ran across the 69 that I am currently building, which turned out to be in way better shape than the 70. So, with the 70 being my favorite (and also the the best year for chargers ) I sold off all of the 69 specific pieces of the car (made my money back and even a couple dollars on the 69) and am going to convert it to 70 with the parts car that I have as well as all of the pieces that I have collected. It is going to be plum crazy with a white bench seat interior and a white rump stripe with go wing.

The car was wrecked in the 80s and sat around as a parts car ever since. The car is currently at the frame shop getting the front frame damage pulled. After I get it back I am going to replace the upper and lower cowl along with the firewall from a donor car. I am also replacing the drivers frame rail/inner fender along with the radiator support as one unit (scavenged from 70 R/T). The car will also need new floors from the firewall to the tail light panel. I have pretty much everything, just waiting to get the car back and am super excited to start on it!!!

Here is the crusty 70. It will give up its drivetrain, suspension and interior.




and here is the soon to be former 69







Here are a few of the parts that are going to be used in the resto.

[Ghoste]

Looks like you are going to do one heckuva project there.  Good for you. 

[spoolinhard]

Looks like you are going to do one heckuva project there.  Good for you. 

Ive always wanted to try out alot of the new goodmark/AMD panels, so looks like this is the project I will get to, thanks!

[BIGBLCK11]

  Great project!  What do you plan on for a power plant, suspension and wheel combo, original or restomod?

[Baldwinvette77]

Can i have whats left of your parts car when you are done?   

Nice to see youre getting busy again, i've been waiting 

[spoolinhard]

Great project!  What do you plan on for a power plant, suspension and wheel combo, original or restomod?

The 70 has its matching #'s drivetrain. Mechanically its supposed to be sound, so for now a drop in 383/auto setup. I think that I am going to drive this car while I restore it, so First off is to knock out the metal work then assemble the car to a driver status. Once its moving under its own power then I will work on making it all one color. As for wheels, I am getting off pretty easy. Ive always been a fan of the dog dish/steelies look on b bodies. I have a set of 15X8 rims that I have been saving back so thats what I am going to use. And with as many parts I am using in this car I don't think that I can call it original! There will be more original metal than repop used, just not original to either car! Most of all I am going to have fun and make this car the way I want.

[spoolinhard]

Can i have whats left of your parts car when you are done?  

Nice to see youre getting busy again, i've been waiting  

I don't think you realize how little of the 70 will be left after I scavange the parts I need! If you would like to arrange for a pile of rust to be delivered to Canada start making arrangements lol! The quarters pretty much tell the story of the whole car. The only useable body panel is the front valance.

[spoolinhard]

Heres some more pieces awaiting their turn. These 2 pieces will make the job much easier  .  Drove down to Kansas for the firewall



Here is the front frame/radiator support. I bought the whole engine basket out of Beatrice Nebraska and salvaged what I needed. It was a shame, it was a true 70 R/T. The PO bought the car as a bare shell and cut the rocker out of it and scrapped the car.


Here is the 26 inch radiator opening that I made. All the contours were there to make the smaller opening a 26 inch, so I just chopped the center out of the panel and stitched them back together! Worked great, much better than trying to salvage the opening out of the parts car in this weather!

[spoolinhard]

Picked it up from getting the frame pulled a couple days ago, been busy. Sorry for the crappy cell pics, will have my digital on me next time.

[spoolinhard]

I suppose that I have some updates
Cowl and firewall welded in:





Long way from this:



To this:





The hood to cowl gap is dead on



So Now I am working on this:





Note the inner rocker patch. Been making good use out of that 69 fender I keep telling people that fender is going to end up back in the car one way or another!

[cdr]

    LOOKIN GREAT

[Baldwinvette77]

Nice!!! 

[fy469rtse]

good work ,  :2thumbs:so far so good , keep posting, looking good

[BROCK]

My hat is off to you Sir!!!!  

[spoolinhard]

One more set

[chaos52]

Wow, looks very familiar! I did the same framerail and core support repairs. Didn't have to replace the cowl, though.

Check out my build thread... http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,92289.0.html

Best of luck. Keep chipping away at it!

[projectanimal]

Lookin good!  Keep up the progress! 

[myk]

Looks like a car CAN come back after all.  Are you keeping the sport mirrors? 

[ACUDANUT]

Where in Kansas did you go ?

[spoolinhard]

Wow, looks very familiar! I did the same framerail and core support repairs. Didn't have to replace the cowl, though.

Check out my build thread... http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,92289.0.html

Best of luck. Keep chipping away at it!

Thanks, and I have been following your thread pretty much since you started it 

[spoolinhard]

Looks like a car CAN come back after all.  Are you keeping the sport mirrors? 

They are kind of neat and kind of not, but no.

[spoolinhard]

Where in Kansas did you go ?

Olathe

[ACUDANUT]

Really, That's right next to me.  What else does he have. You have a name and contact ?

[spoolinhard]

He had another b body front clip that he was trying to sell, thats about it, that was over craigslist this past summer, sorry no contact info saved.

[spoolinhard]

More progress!


Moving on to the rear seat pan next

[spoolinhard]

And another:


Will be installing the trunk floor shortly

[Baldwinvette77]

Nice 

[tsmithae]

 

Looks like some quality work! I'll be sure to keep watching your progress.

[spoolinhard]

These aren't exactly the most current photos, just the only ones that I have. Currently the tail light panel is  installed, the rear package tray/Dutchman are cut out and it is on the rotisserie.

[Cooter]

Nice. Good to see progress...

[spoolinhard]

I may have been slacking on posting progress, but not working on the car. I have been fighting this area over the past few months

[spoolinhard]

It was rotten back into the roof structure

[chaos52]

 

I don't envy you. Keep poking away at it. I tend to work on multiple areas so I don't have to be working on the same d*** thing every day. Keeps it interesting! 

[crj1968]

Looking great man- keep up the good work!  Oh, and if you need funds, I need a 70 passenger fender.   

[spoolinhard]

Passengers side after completion. I had to replace the inner skin as well as the the bottom portion of the roof frame structure where it meets the wheelhouse


Here is the drivers side before repair


Here is the inner roof structure that I was talking about. Needed replaced on both sides

[spoolinhard]

Looking great man- keep up the good work!  Oh, and if you need funds, I need a 70 passenger fender.   

I sold off my spare pass fender about six months ago. This ones stayin

[spoolinhard]

Replaced the tail light panel a while ago:

[crj1968]

Looking great man- keep up the good work!  Oh, and if you need funds, I need a 70 passenger fender.   

I sold off my spare pass fender about six months ago. This ones stayin

Tailpanel looks great!  Talk about a labor of love.....   

[spoolinhard]

I have installed all my panels that I have for it, need to but another round. Going 2 do quarter skins a drivers outter wheelhouse and I need a pass side rocker for it yet. Just about a new build charger. Using pretty much a roof and 3 frame rails at this point. I have been sidelined by a shortage of funds but I am starting a new job so
Here is how it sits. and the rear window area was murder like I can't put into words

[ChargerSG]

Great metalwork going on, looking good

[Baldwinvette77]

Awesome 

[chaos52]

Smart man, putting it on a rotisserie. My knees and back curse me daily for not building one.

The metal work is looking spectacular. Are you having any fitment problems with the AMD panels? I've heard they can be a bit wonky. I'm sure it's still much better that patching though. Saves a lot of time in bondo work too.

Are you going to do the paint work yourself too?

[spoolinhard]

Smart man, putting it on a rotisserie. My knees and back curse me daily for not building one.

The metal work is looking spectacular. Are you having any fitment problems with the AMD panels? I've heard they can be a bit wonky. I'm sure it's still much better that patching though. Saves a lot of time in bondo work too.

Are you going to do the paint work yourself too?

I am using mostly goodmark! A few AMD I don't buy into the AMD hype on most of their panels. I speak from experience on that one. They need fitment just like everything else. No single panel dropped into place except the rockers (Goodmark). Everything required a little fitment. And yes I will be tackling the body and paint as well.

[Mike DC]

                           
The repro stuff has some problems that need to be fixed, I agree.  


But at the same time, not many surviving N.O.S. original panels are going to drop right into place either.  

We will never get perfect-fitting replacement parts for such imperfect original cars.  I've measured stuff on surviving cars and gotten dimensions as much as 3/4" different in non-critical areas.  Modern car tolerances are more like 2-3 millimeters.

If the repro companies tweak a dimension of a part to fit some cars better then it will fit other cars even worse.  The best they can do is try to recreate the original stuff, flaws and all.

   

[spoolinhard]

I understand this. It is my job to fit the part. I just don't buy into the amd is the best because it is the most expensive.  I have used AMD full quarters on my challenger. That is the reason that I am going with goodmark skins on the charger.

[chaos52]

I am using mostly goodmark! A few AMD I don't buy into the AMD hype on most of their panels. I speak from experience on that one. They need fitment just like everything else. No single panel dropped into place except the rockers (Goodmark). Everything required a little fitment. And yes I will be tackling the body and paint as well.

My bad, I wasn't aware anyone besides AMD re-popped the panels you're using. True, all panels will need a little massaging. I just remember seeing people have especially bad problems with AMD valance corners and taillight panel.

Glad to hear you're doing the body work too. It's certainly a labor of love. (also know as an obsession) 

Keep it up! 

[spoolinhard]

A fitting end to this thread. I could not go through with the 70 conversion. A few years back, I sold the car as a 69. The guy I sold the car to, ran a custom shop, he finished the car. This Saturday 6/24/2023, the car will go up for action live on barrett-jackson. Lot #690.

[spoolinhard]

It sold for 160k!!!